If a vocal recording sounds expensive, there’s a roughly 50% chance it was tracked on a Neumann U87. Released in 1967 and continuously updated, the U87 is the studio condenser other studio condensers are compared to. Around $3,200 new.
The U87 is the modern Neumann standard — a single-capsule, multi-pattern, transformerless large-diaphragm condenser. The capsule (the K87) is dual-diaphragm, which is what allows the polar pattern switch on the body to select cardioid, omni, or figure-8 without changing the mic itself. There’s also a -10dB pad and a low-cut filter on the back.
Hand-built in Berlin, every U87 is matched to tight tolerances. That’s why every U87 sounds like every other U87 — a level of consistency most brands can’t hit at any price.
The U87 has a gentle presence rise around 5–10 kHz that flatters voices, a relaxed top end that doesn’t turn harsh, and a pickup pattern tight enough for vocal isolation but generous enough to feel natural. People describe it as “sounding like the singer is actually in your living room, only a bit better than they actually sound.”