There are so many recreations of classic microphone designs, it can sometimes be confusing. I have used inexpensive copies of Neumann U 87s that sounded pretty good and pricier ones that sounded awful. Some looked classic and sounded terrible, and others that were a bit rough-looking sounded perfect.
I was intrigued when I saw a recreation of the legendary Neumann U 47fet made by Dachman Audio. I have leaned on original versions of the U 47fet on kick drum for over three decades of recording, and I reviewed the Neumann reissue in Tape Op #108. Most engineers tend to use the U 47fet on kick drum, but it’s also a good choice for some singers, and it captures guitars, bass cabs, and other sources well. I have heard and used some magical vintage U 47fets, and yes, they make the job easy. But a vintage one can run between $5,000 and $8,500, and the new reissue is over $4,000. When I came across favorable reviews of the Dachman DA FET 47 recently, I reached out to Dachman, and they were kind enough to send one for review.