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[soapfoot]

The liner notes to this Sarah Vaughn recording lists both U47 and something called a U47P on the brass. Does anyone know what this might be? It was obviously before the introduction of the U47 FET.

[klaus]

The U47p - 'p' stands for Philips, the Dutch electronics manufacturer, and was in all aspects but two a standard Neumann U47 : Its M7 capsule was installed in a bayonet-mounted 'lollipop' capsule head, rather than in the classic head we are familiar with, and it used a 600Ω version of the standard fixed 200Ω upright transformer of the time. It was only built in small quantities for Philips in the early to mid 1950s.

I owned one for a while and still remember it as an exceptionally lively U47 with lots of emotional draw.

Read more here:
http://www.neumann.com/forums/view.php?site=neumann&bn=neumann_archive&key=919055575

[gtoledo3]

soapfoot,

This is a link to a picture of a U47P, that's obviously not with original psu:

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/high-end/23654d1157228894-ugliest-u47-around-media.jpg

[Piedpiper]

What effect would the higher output impedance have on the sound of this version, and how much effect would you expect the different head basket to have?

[klaus]

Two comments, based on personal experience.
(No measurements were made, and are probably not even possible, that would correlate data to experience.

1. From experience with the big, early AKG C12 transformers which had 600Ω, 200Ω and 50Ω secondary taps, I found that 600Ω and 200Ω into a >1kΩ load sounded rather similar, with the 600 having maybe a tiny bit fuller bass.

2. The bigger reason for the U47p's attractive sound may be the good match between the timbre of the early upright transformer and the M7. It may have less to do with the acoustic properties of the two different head shapes. These early pre-BV8 transformers had a certain dryness in the bass (not lack of bass) and a reedy, transparent but not thin mid range.

These comments are really putting a magnifying glass on the subject of the U47p. Having listened to probably hundreds of U47, I find they all are still of one family.

[soapfoot]

I've never seen a U47P in person before, and obviously was not familiar even with its existence before this. I wonder how many are still out there?