Dachman Audio DA87i (DIY kit for U87) • Unboxing & first impressions 

A one stop shop for components for the build sounds like a great idea. Most people want an easy way to make the mic, not a challenge. So, it gets my thumbs up.

I thought this was gonna be a great video until I realized you never posted any sound samples or comparisons to the real thing. I have a U87 and I was curious to hear the shootout from you, just as others were in the comments. I never leave comments like these but it’s a bummer you didn’t add what really matters - how it sounds. At the end of the day, we’re supposed to use these mics to make music or content. You did do a great job with how you put together the video, so I don’t wanna take away from that. But a microphone video with “first impressions” that don’t include any sound samples is misleading. After all, what is a microphone supposed to do? I hope you’re making something valuable with your mics.

My opinion is, I like both worlds. Of course I support the DIY community hands down because I am a technician, but what about those who can't or don't own the equipment to build one? Dachman is for the novice and DIY is for advanced :).

It's a wonderful vdo you have given & would be beneficial to many creative ppl, who are ready to put in efforts to make his own creation, many thanks to you for encouraging right ppl by showing the easy way. 👌👌

yes , please build it !!, I like this product option because it saves time !! a most valuable resource!!

Definitely do the build and a shoot out. The thing about the kit is you get everything all at once and instructions for its specific build. The downside of diy is that ordering can be frustrating, all parts may not be available etc.. Paying a somewhat higher price to get a complete kit that you can just build has some efficiencies.

Thanks for the video. This Dachman DA87i looks a whole lot like the SA87, even the black sticker on the bottom that seems to already be peeling off on day one.

Based on my time and skillset I'd prefer supporting the DIY scene as much as possible. That being said I do believe there's a space for each option to exist.

Fantastic production quality here, been wanting to see and hear someone test this mic since I first saw it. Please make a follow up with some sound examples compared to your vintage 87! That would be so helpful coming from someone with your attention to detail!

To me, it is pretty cool for the absolute newbie and a fun stepping off point. The "Vintage" rabbit hole goes deep and it cost a great deal for a trip down and back up. Cheers!

Wonderfully objective review. Thank you!

Very interesting video. Nicely presented also. Thanks, Man.

i'm building a 990XF mod right now with a K47 cap can't wait for it to be done

Very nicely done video. Great presentation and narration. Yes, please build it and make a video. I do a lot of DIY and I am one of the few people who enjoys sourcing my own parts for projects like this. Finding unobtanium components (like original NOS Motorola and Fairchild 2N3819s for this mic) is FUN for me. I like the kits where you get a PCB and a PDF and you're on your own. I guess since I don't ACTUALLY hunt (animals), this "thrill of the hunt" for cool components replaces that for me. I have quite the love affair with Mouser! :-) I think their kit looks nicely put together and will make a nice build. No idea what the quality of the capsule is like, but they were definitely going for an AMI feel with the yellow tape around their transformer. I look forward to another video.

I think that this looks like a great kit for me. I am not a beginner diy, but I think it is too much to choose components individually. You seem to know a lot about this subject, so to me, your recomendation is important, and you speak nicely of the kit. To me, Dachman seems to have put a lot of effort to make the kit easy to assemble, you get a case for the microphone, and that deserves a lot of praise. On the other hand, you have the experienced diy people, and I believe a lot of them would not touch this kit for any price - because they want to choose their specific components, because they know their components will sound muuuuuuuuch better than the kit. And that is the joy of diy. Some prefer the kit, and some prefer to choose everything by them selves. BTW the real world is full of examples of people that had success with marketing something they did not invent themselves. Xerox invented the computer mouse, but Steve Jobs saw the potential!! And he could have lost, if the mouse was not well received. And thanks to you for sharing this interesting review, I really enjoyed it - all of it, including your personal opinions. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

great video sir. Yes please build it online for us to watch.

Gorgeous microphones

Great video, thanks for sharing it! I would love to see you building this thing. :-)

I think that “all in kits” are a great starter for newbs to build confidence. I have built many mics from scratch and it’s a lot of research in order to complete a quality clone. It would be nice to get a kit like this to give my head a break although I’d change the capsule to something that specs a little better.

Def do one building it. This was a very well done video tho. Loved it.

Nice Work!

I think that I am going to end up going with the OPR U87 1:1 Clone. It’s more expensive, but the capsule is german and it sounds like this guy at Open Plan Recording really takes pride in his builds, and to be honest, I just don’t want to mess with a kit.

Hi, I just bought this mic some days ago!.... and I must say that I agree with all your comments! FYI, I already own a vintage Neumann U87 (made in 1976) but as the value is rising up I hesitate to take the risk to use it on a regular base with my young inexperienced customers (I own a recording studio). This project, beside another mic made by Veissklang (the V17) which is very good to my opinion, could be an alternative for demos and non commercial productions. At this time I did not mount it yet, but I will do it in the next days. Your experience would be a great support for everyone.

Hello, i really like your video and your attitude. IMO what would justify such a kit and approach is truly great result. If this thing somehow really sums all the experience and knowledge and bring something like truly as good as it can get clone in that price range then IMO its great achievement and service. Lately I have been listening to many other company clones and so far nothing has satisfied me. So if this one gets it closer ... well my respect and thanx. But does it ???

What a nice video! well done man. We need more content like this here :) cheers

The mic body with all that details like switchers and engraving signs is used also for Rodes clone of neumann. Check the older Rode NT2

I have never build a microphone, but would sure like to. As an amateur musician and a beginner in microphone building, to me a kit is a perfect place to start. And I am sure the more knowledge one gets, the more you want to choose specific parts, so you do not buy a kit. And I am super sceptical about old gear sounding superior to new gear, there is a lot of BS to drive up prices.

so did you build it? maybe do a folow up vid with sound clips?

Can you provide the PCB schematic picture?

Hi there. Thanks for the video. At the end did u get a chance to test the mic and whqt are your impressions matching It With the original Neumann? Thanks!!

I just wanted to say, have you built it and can you compare it to the original? That's what I was hoping to see. Thanks, Tod

I just bought an allready finished DIy 87-Clone and I am so curious how it will sound on my own recordings. The samples were really promising and I will get some stereosamples with sidebyside U87 original-recordings, what will be very valuable for me, because I can't affort an original. Now i see that I could do it on my own. So tempting. I see that point of supporting the DIY community, I do that on the digital side with own creations since years and I have no time left to really go deep into this microphone topic. So where is the middle way? Could i let an experienced DIYer choose the components with some room for experiments and pay for that project? I am open for new ideas :-). Thank you for the great video!

Great video. I'm thinking about buying a kit like this. I am wondering what higher quality capsules may be available for this kit? Peluso is the only one I have found on eBay. I normally use a C414, but after a few amp mods and pedal builds I am ready to tackle something like this. Thanks!

Didn't check how much the whole kit costs, but as a beginner, if it's not much, I wouldn't bother collecting all necessary parts from various sources, though I understand your concern if such action would benefit original creators of parts in any way, and it would be even cheaper that way. Anyway, I'm really impressed by your video and commentary and really look forward to see your comparison. Actually, there are already assembled U87 clones on e.g. AliExpress for, let's say, reasonable price. If it's really worth it.

Thanks for taking the time to make this informative video! What happened to a comparison? Could you let us know if it's worth it? Is it close to the original vintage 87?

nice one

Very useful. I was looking at a U47 clone kit from a French company, comes with ready built transformer, 700 euros. They seem to have their own factory, but how much is actually Chinese import I don't know. I'd love to see you build this! I can wire a guitar but a mic circuit board .. mmm.

I'll be the one who says "No, don't build it.". (But really, I'd love to see you build it!) 👍

The devil's in the details. What the German engineers at Neumann know versus everyone else building clones makes the real thing what it is. Yes, you can clone the circuit and use the same components, and you'll get close. But the capsule and headbasket contain secrets that others can only observe but not understand. You can bet that legendary German engineering has gone into every component of their product with a fine toothed comb. I think it would be fun to build this mic, but I have no illusions of it being an exact clone copy of the original. If Dakman Audio can source the components and produce a nice kit, more power to them. As long as they are not doing anything illegal, and in fact offering truthful statements where they got inspiration from, where's the beef? Some like to source their own materials to save money and make experiments, and that's cool too. Personally, I'd rather find my own capsule, but I'm pretty sure he has other choices as well now. So far, I've not seen a perfect copy of the U87 anywhere, so if you want to have the best you'll have to get your hands on the original and pay the premium price.

Apart from this kit where can we get the parts?

The owner of Dachman is actually quite honest about the origin of parts if you ask him. He posts on GroupDIY. Very different from how companies like Maiku and Peluso where they give you some BS about how their capsules are superior to the Chinese ones because they allegedly skin them themselves.

Yes. Build it and sound compare with the original with a great singer. 🎉😊

I would to see a shoot out between a real U87 and Dachman U87.

Yeah we need a shoot out

How much this kit?

so its December about 9 plus months since this video was released have you built it yet or are to busy slammiing entrepreneurs or their ambition, ideas and marketing?

But... how does it sound?

Build pl.

you know there is another clone to u87 made famous on youtube which is akg100 that is no longer made. you might source one and make professional review as they go for as low as 30$ -80euro used. they were made popular by famous youtubers narrators and voice actors and supposedly it has similar frequency curve as u87. I read professional reviews from musicians from 10 years back when it was made who said it lacks the qualities of high end mics, but some people swear they are the best mics they have.

For that price you can actually build your own for $350 by buy the actually parts and solder.

I'm very skeptical of that capsule. The absolute MOST important part of any mic, and it appears to be a cheap knock-off from China. Having said that, I can't make any conclusions because I just spent 15 minutes watching a video for a DIY U87 clone, and I haven't heard the thing yet. This is my first time watching your channel, but I'm assuming there's a build & comparison video forthcoming? Otherwise, what's the point?

3U CAPSULE

Hahaha! Don't make me laugh! "Custom wound transformer", that you can buy everywhere (fastened on the PCB with tie-wraps...), "custom made Styroflex capacitors", Chinese microphone capsule... I am on the floor right now laughing! Did Dany need money again?

i can get the parts for $230 and everything

Looks more like a RODE NT 2.

Studio 939 has pretty much gone belly up, which is very sad. They offered the best stuff.

Hi! It' a Great project to start the day. Specially, if the components are cheap. We have a lot of this on our local Web site shop, direct from China. I think every thing, know is made in China specially the New Covid virus. lol.. hahaha.. kidding only. Happy New Year. Thanks for sharing & info.

What’s the point of diy kits, if GTZ Audio sell fully built mics for 150$?

Hahaha😂

A transformer 'hanging' in tiewraps? Are you kidding me?

a microphone reproduces sound. so why cant we hear it? dont care about all the chit chat. get to the ACTUAL review.

Lousy review as it is 1) merely a high school level unboxing, and 2) criticizes the kit provider for producing a kit from DIY ideas , and 3) fails to demo the product - dissing the kit without quantifying or substantiating any fault or issue, and without accounting for the cost of designing and manufacturing a large microphone body, manufacturing the circuit boards, gathering the individual circuit components, producing and printing the user guide, cost of making the lined storage box, packaging and quality checking the kit, and other costs of production. Those costs are significant and add up to serious folding money. Consider, too, the added value of convenience in receiving all parts at once, saving the builder from separately ordering all that stuff, himself. The narrator fails to mention or consider the value of the seller's time and knowledge putting it all together, and assuming liability for warranty claims. The video is chronically flawed because it fails to demonstrate how the finished microphone sounds - providing no clue whether it 1) sounds good or not, and/or 2) sounds anything like its namesake. The narrator complains the seller charges a fee for producing a complete kit, fails to demo the result - rendering it pretty much a simple unboxing. Sadly disappointing. I wonder if the narrator could produce as nice a product for substantially lower cost ... probably not and make a profit. Just saying ... disappointed. JT

i feel like all this lust and nostalgia for past gear is non innovative and holds creativity back. the clone world contributes to non inventive and non creative ways, and just builds up noymann's reputation at the end of the week. its all getting so redundant and boring! teaches people to not create new designs and ideas. art is movement!

Hopefully Neumann files a copyright claim soon. It‘s just a waste of money, especially when you can get a Chinese Mic for less that sounds better.