Connecticut-based Telefunken Elektroakustik marks 20 years in business in the US after reviving the high-end microphone brand around since 1903. Owned and operated by Toni Fishman, he acquired the rights to the name and iconic diamond logo in 2001 after purchasing a mic for his recording studio sometime the year before.
According to a recent press release, the original ELA M 251 he bought needed a new polar pattern switch, a common issue with that type of microphone. When Fishman was able to reverse engineer the component he was able to provide a fix for other users. From there he ambitiously set out to remake the entire microphone and over the next two years meticulously recreated the parts needed to start producing the mic with his growing team.
Originally a German brand, ‘tele’ comes from the Greek word for distance while ‘funken’ is the German word for spark. The original brand ceased production in 1985 after a number of ownership changes. Some of the microphones they produced over the years are considered the best ever made. Over time parts in these mics began to fail leading to Fishman’s relaunch of the brand.
If you look closely you can spot a Telefunken M80 in use by Julian Baker on a performance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC.
On a personal level, I’m a user of the Telefunken M-82, a kick drum mic that has been converted into a broadcast microphone. The mic offers a crisp sound with lots of low end offering a lot of presence. I very much prefer it over the ElectroVoice RE20.
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