RODE NT2A Vs Neumann TLM103 Mic SHOWDOWN | U87ai 

this has to be one of the most therapeutic gear reviews I've ever seen; especially thanking dylan's rant for that jolt of validation and inspiration! Criminally underrated video, thanks folks!

I’ve been hearing the TLM103 and was pretty much adamant it was mic A, the overall sound was nicer, heavier, and little more smoother which should have given it away if you were listening on a pair of cans. Excellent explanation of price V personal need or requirement

That was a very easy one to tell which mic was which you could hear the TLM was louder and slightly clearer since it was closer to your mouth then the nt2a

Very good, and I guessed right. The U87 series is a studio status symbol, and it does a lot of things very well, but not every voice. I have had a crazy infatuation with the U87. I was modifying the circuit of a mic that claimed to have a preamp close to the U87. When I was finished a local music store had a rental special, so I got a U87ai to compare my mic. The Neumann recorded my voice beautifully but for MY voice my modded mic sounded slightly better. That killed the infatuation and saved me thousands of dollars. Sometimes you should never meet your heroes.

do you have a noise gate applied in this video or room treatment?

First I would like to say is I do really enjoy your video, very well presented. I just got asked by RU-vid what I thought of this video so thought I would share some of my thoughts directly to you. 2 things I felt could have been done better as both made obvious which mics were which, first positioning of mics, they are not both the same distance from your mouth. Second movement of the head, when switching between mics at times your head/mouth was off axis of a mic (mostly the Neumann), this made it quite obvious which mic was what. Anyway great work, thanks for doing this video.

I love the Nt2a, use it my self. But i knew in the first secnod which was the TLM103 and i was listening on my phone speakers. Thats why the Neuman is 3x more expansive. Thanks for the video, it is amazing!

Whats better for voice over laying over music tracks? TML103 or MKH 416?

The TLM's dead giveaway is that air/sparkle boost. Mic A

I was wrong on my guess - but I had in my head an assumption about the smoothness of the top end for the TLM103 which it turns out every Neuman owner was perfectly aware of ;) To me the, in this recording, the TLM just sounded a be too bright or crisp for my ear. The overall discussion or moral of the story on price vs. "what are you actually gonna use the thing for" is needed in every creative field. It is very tempting to think that more gear or more expensive gear is going to make an immediate or magical difference... but it doesn't, it's just one more tool... and unless you learn how to use the new tool really well it's not going to bring the greatest benefit or, even if the quality of the thing is great, bring on frustration while you struggle to use a hammer as a seam ripper. So really thank you much for focusing on that! One other thing I have seen brought up by other folks, I'm presently remembering it specifically from Curtis Judd, is the tendency to focus on flagship items and expenses as the way to "fix any problem" ... but a $3k mic won't fix a room that's not treated... in fact, getting increasingly high quality mics is likely to make the base problem of "my room sucks" much worse... and buying that $3k mic (or increasingly sophisticated suites of plugins) has put that person much farther away from having the money to fix the simple, often much cheaper, problems. anyway, as always, excellent video!

Loved the comparison with choosing a brush for an artist. Makes so much sense!

Thank you very much for the great information! Enjoyed Dylan's talk on creativity

This is a very good review. Thank you. Im in the process of buying a new mic and was thinking about how necessary would be to spend that much on the neumann having a way cheaper and “quite similar mic” like the nt2a. After this video I realized that there is a clearly big difference between them. Gonna go for the cheap one, not bc the cost of it is 1/3 of the other but bc I really liked its performance and also believe that it sounded better for what I need!

Imo, pop filter can be heard easily, that's how I guessed it right (plus in the end you can see how micA reacts to head turn toward it). It would be interesting to see them both with the same pop filter and the same distance/angle. Idea for a short blind test video? :) Anyway, nice video and the main point.

Do you think between C414 xls and TLM 103 which one for voice over better for you? Thank for great review

Great points. I’m starting to learn , that for voice over , a quiet source , We don’t get to hear the full capability of the mic. When these things are pushed and driven hard, we would hear the Neumanns maintain more consistency, balance. And lower priced mics lose low end when pushed, and/ or the harsh frequencies become very noticeable when pushed. You really hear the mechanics of the mic work when it’s pushed. Also the right pre can bring out the best of mic. This feels like an in cohesive thought lol hope it helped

Excellent, Dylan's observations on making the best choices for you is required listening.

And back here again after buying and using the TLM103 for a year and I picked it like child's play in your video. Once you are used to a Neumann, hard to get out! Now aching for a U87 but far too expensive! Thanks guys!

Ive used Rode mics exclusively over the last 15 years and they never let me down.

Got it. To my ears it's a very subtle difference in the low to mid range, with the TLM 103 being warmer and smoother in those ranges while the NT2A is a bit more neutral to brighter. I really appreciate Dylan's input, it's about what is right for you, your voice and your situation. For me that's a Rode NT1.

Have to admit I had b pegged as the rode pretty quick. It's there bass tones, gives them away to me every time. Both sound great though. Another great video.

Yo, for real the best video i've ever seen. about this topic! Subscribed :)

There seems to be quite a big difference in position of the two michrophones(I could be fooled by the camera-angle if course) Seems like the TLM103 is positioned higher up(alligned to his mouth), and this would normally give the microphone more “presence”, more top end and more bass response due to the proximity effect.

I think another important factor to consider is that a lot of people are going to do some sort of editing in post that's gonna tweak the end result anyway. Sure it's better to have a strong recording at the baseline level because it saves effort and makes for a nicer foundation, but you're better off buying a cheaper mic and learning how to get the best sound of it than dropping a load on an expensive mic and then hoping to skip the legwork and get an immediately good result without using it in an environment where it will flourish best. Between acoustic treatment, your own voice/instrument, post-production, where the mic is positioned etc. there's so much that can affect things. Like you can hear with the U87 here, it'll sound inferior in an untreated room because all the reverb doesn't do the mic justice, it's like racing a Lamborghini Aventador on a dirt rally track. Like Dylan said, whatever you get you're ultimately doing it for YOU, because when it comes to the difference you're getting in that sound signature or whatever, whoever listens to what you've made isn't gonna give a shit so long as the end result is presentable. If there's nothing glaringly bad like a tin-can sound and a bunch of background noise or whatever, 99% of the time you're fine unless you're in a specifically hi-spec and professional environment. I've made refinements to my own sound over the years, but it's because I enjoy it and find comfort in knowing I've done a good job. My friends or whoever hear me on the other end aren't going to care about whatever little min-maxxed optimisations I've made, and that's why I also understand that in the vast majority of cases it really doesn't matter THAT much. My stuff sounds fine when I do music, and I'm the best sounding guy in the discord call, but that's for me. It's funny to me that one commenter said that, if you can't tell the clear difference of what makes a Neumann great, to train your ears; to 99.9% of the population the idea of having to train your ears to make yourself want to spend an extra grand on a mic is just not something they need to worry about lol. In those cases a mic like the NT2-A is about as far as you'd ever need to go.

The funny thing about the U87 cutaway is that the most striking thing about it was the room reflections. The comparison between the NT2a and tlm103 though, feels like there's as much difference explained by being a little off axis wrt eachother. On axis, both would be brighter. The NT2a from my experience, is smooth in the highs, and doesn't suffer from the usual harshness that cheaper mics usually do. It sounds great on acoustic guitar, and as a room mic for drums. I recently used it as the side mic when sampling a darbukka to great effect.

Really easy to tell tbh, thanks for the comparison!

The TLM103 has greater dynamic range, which is apparent to a trained ear. However, only a minimal amount of EQ will bring the Rode up to the 103 experience quickly. We have an assortment of Neumann's and love them - but we also love our C414's, Electro-Voice 635A's and our Rode NT1000's. Almost every microphone has an application it excels at in a given situation. What you spend cannot change this fact. Nice exploration!

I thought all along the N2A was mic A. I'm both surprised and happy at the same time, because the better sounding mic is the cheaper one. Better sounding in the sense that it seems to have a flatter frequency response, therefore, allowing me to color the EQ to taste while mixing.

What a stunning and well-made review. Thank you

I figured it out based on sound. The warmth is what i picked up with the NT2A giveaway. I really appreciate your video. Thank you.

I'm a classical musician, used to playing string quartets and other chamber music sounds- look, honestly- I couldn't pick the difference, so I ran it through and outboard DAC- same result- Thanks!

I did get that the TLM 103 was mic A. But the only real distinction that I could tell was down in the lower register. The TLM has a smoother sound. But in the context of a mix, I’d say your choice in preamp, EQ and compression would have greater weight than the actual mic itself. For me the Rode wins for value for money. You get a multi pattern mic vs cardioid only and save $900. Great review! Happy recording!

I did guess A was the TLM 103. I've recorded vocals and guitar with a TLM 103 before, and I could recognize a certain detailed, smoothness that is very pleasing. That said, by the end of the video, the sibilance of the TLM 103 became (to my ears) a bit harsh and annoying--much more present than the Rode. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to own a TLM 103. Any sibilance issues could easily be fixed with EQ. Still, I appreciate the Rode much more after watching this video. The NT2a sounds good. Plus, the self-noise is extremely low; the functionality (with Fig. 8 and omni) is outstanding, and it comes with a shock mount and cable too. That's great value! Wait, have I just talked myself into buying a NT2a?? Yes, I think so!

While i agree with almost everything said here! But the tlm103 has been a workhorse in my studio and I literally have to do very minimal work to get the vocal to sit right and sound good on every song i use it on. If i was to use that rode the hours spent eq’ing would be a more expensive option. Cheaper mics usually come with unflattering frequencies that need to be tamed or are usually missing certain aspects that make instruments shine like warmth or presence, etc. so while im not saying you have to buy a super expensive mic to get what im talking about but dont be cheap and buy a cheap mic thinking you can fix whatever problems unless you are on a super tight budget then u have to do whatever you have to do. But people dont listen to new music with harsh vocals or muddy basslines.

Dylan’s rant is amazing and many people needa hear what he has to say 💯💯💯

Thank you guys for making this video.

Very good information.

With the nt2a you can boost freq on the mic itself

Thought mic A had more clarity than B, but with possibly a bit more sibilance. That led me to guess correctly, but I wasn't sure by any means (listening on 80 ohm DT 770s through an SSL2+). Both sounded great on spoken voice, and I could easily have been convinced one way or the other, not being a professional!

This is one of your best videos I've seen. Well done.

Thanks for this video!

See I can tell a difference between the two recordings, but I can't tell which is which at all 😂 they both sound amazing to me

I have a NT2A at home and... I didn't get it ^^ I was thinking "well the mic A is a little too much agressive in the high frequencies, so it might be the cheaper one". Now I remember reading that the TLM103 is a little too bright in some people opinion. I understand why.

after a minute i heard the pop filter you had on Microphone B and could notice that mic A had a sharper top end and came to the conclusion of which was which , if their would've been a pop filter on both it may have been more difficult too tell , I'm listening in a treated room with relatively high quality D/A converters and studio monitors.

I don't think I could tell the difference on phone speakers like someone here said he did, but I picked up mic A (TLM) as the better sounding one on my studio monitors with no doubts. So, yeah, TLM the better mic for sure, but not in a way that would make that quality difference proportional with the price difference. If you're into optimizing costs, you know what you should get. If you just want a better choice for your art, even if it doesn't make sense economically, go with the Neumann.

nice video, guys... finally, it all comes to the musicallity of the artist and how he deals with his "brush"... thanks for the sincerity

Neumann sound amazing vs the RODE! It sounds bigger, brighter and deeper at the same time but controlling the mid range so classy. Great voice btw!!

Even on a cheap Logitech laptop speaker, I identified the mics in a second. I just received the TLM 103 a few minutes ago! ;)

I stopped the vid at 3:48 to write which I think is. They both sound really good.., but the bass response of the 103 is so classy, that I think is the Mic A. Also, I thought, through my current headphones, that the Mic A handled the breaths better also.., which usually are one of the difference within High End Mics and less expensive mics (to my ears when I work with both expensive and less expensive mics). But either way, the B also sounds really really really good.

excellent production - organized, articulate, with excellent production qualities

I actually was able to tell which was which. NT2A picks up a little room noise and has a slight tininess to it in comparison with the 103. It still sounded really good, and is an amazing piece of equipment, but there is a slight difference. The 103 had just a bit more clarity, and the lows were a little better on it. At least with your voice. As you both pointed out, other voices will sound different. Having both doesn't hurt!

i was convinced that mic a is the tlm because it sounds a lil warmer when u pay attention and it picks more of the s-sounds up than the n2a. (I was watching over my macbook speakers) cool video thanks! :)

What a beast Dylan is!!! What a speech. He talks sense big time. Amazing

I think the differences are boosted by the compression you guys added to the sound, but yeah Mic A has a more present High-end and maybe more "fat" in the 100Hz-200Hz

yup, i got it, dude the A has a ton more detail crispness and its just way cleaner, also sounds more wide, while the other one compared, it sounds as if you put a filter and cut the top high frequencies

I’m surprised and not surprised with mics and a and b. Part of me thought that mic A was the nt2a because of the greater presence of sibilance, which that mic is kind of know for and also my experience from owning 2 of them. But I also thought it could be mic B and maybe be less present due to a bit of proximity effect in comparison with the placement of the Neumann. Either way, I preferred mic b, because it was smoother in the high end. Just my preference in this case.

The high end was so much clearer on the TLM... sounded like it had an exciter built in compared to N2A

Cheers! 🤘😉

I could hear just a little more bass in the voice with the TLM103. It's one of the reasons I like the U87. It is surprisingly subtle, tho.

I guess right from the first words you spoke. There is quite some difference in the frequency responce. The TL is more dynamic with clearer sound also more body..... overall the better mic. in the demo

The NT2A was the orange in the apples to apples comparison. Multiple pickup patterns are nice, but uselessness for what both, the TLM103 and the U87ai are intended for. To answer your question though: Yes, I clearly heard a difference. On your voice, your room, the TLM103 had a stronger mid tone to it. And it had it without pulling out weaknesses in sound quality, if you EQ’d the NT2A. That might be a plus, IF that’s fitting to your voice. That’s not for me to decide. Can I guess from it how they sounded for my voice? Hardly… our voices are quite different. But it’s a data point. With enough examples/ voices I could take an educated guess.

This is 💯 true. I’d ditch my Neumann and use my cheap AKGp220 and just spend more time processing it, but artists first question is often “what mic do u use for vocals?” So frustrating. That being said I loveeeeee my Neumann TLM 49

I could tell the difference the rode miles are a little on the darker side. While the Tlm 103 is bright and supper clear . Great video Made me see how much I really need that tlm 103 😊

Dylan is 100% right. After a certain point, no decent mic will make anyone sound better than they already sound.

Neumann has a special form of natural sound. If you know the TLM103, you can hear it very fast.

To my ears the Neumann had more of a presence boost which sounded nice, but it also had more distortion. The NT2A was smoother but could have used a little bit of sparkle or air not the top to make it a little more range and engagement.

I just thought the mics combnation was just the opposite. I thought the clearr one was the Rode and the darker was the Neumann. And I am happy to have failed because the one I like is the RODE.

I was not sure which mic was which, but I preferred A, which turns out to be the TLM 103. It had better "resolution". While the B - NT2A sounded compressed, restrained.

I guessed correctly..The 103 is full with a a very subtle high end absent from the Rode. I like the TLM 102 too

I'm curious how similar NT2A would sound to TLM103 if the right boosts were made in the hi-end and presence regions.

Totally thought it was the other way around. The Mic B sounded a lot crisper to my ears

dylans rant about mics is amazing

Thank you, great review but yes I totally got it here on my headphones. But is that clarity in the highs worth all that extra? No but.... I have a small for profit studio I need my clients to see diamonds.... what a world. Tod

This review is 🔥🔥 Everyone gotta use the mic before knowing the use of the mic 🎤

The TLM series microphones were specifically designed for low noise as digital recorders were becoming more popular. The TLMs do sound great but what makes the U87 so popular is its tone and smoothness. The Transformer is largely responsible for this. Especially at high SPL with a very dynamic presentation. It is really hard to re-create the tone of its transformer with transformer-less design. The U87 also holds its value like no other mic.

Surprising. I preferred B and assumed it was the Neumann. B was (to me) slightly fuller, tighter, and clearer, a subtle but real difference. I doubt it would matter much in the real world--especially if part of a music mix, but in this highly focused test, I picked the Rode, for which I'm relieved as I own an NT2A :-)

Great showdown, ay I got the microphone correct. For me the tle103 sound a bit cleaner but personally I like the sound of the nta2 better!

That Neumann has more clarity and crispness. I really want one now lol

Could you test USB mics and see if they sound good compared to similarly-priced non-USB ones?

My 2 cents: I've listened to several of these condensor mic comparisons and my older ears are apparently beat to chopped meat. I've a career of professional performance, exposed to the most exclusive gear for recording and performance usage. I've dabbled in semi-professional recording on location and for live performance in a variety of venues with a variety of dynamic and condensor microphones. A recording/mixing studio has eluded me thus far. I bought my two Neumann TLM103 mics with shock mounts used at a large music reseller for less than half the new price. No disappointment with their performance or cost. I'll only add that the price and quality of music equipment made available in the last 20 years is remarkable and the process of chosing the right stuff for your needs is challenging and rewarding.

same sound! tlm has a little more bass due to the approximity effect. crasy

I just could tell because the tlm103 is closer to his mouth, so you could hear more proximity effect. the rode sounds a bit further away. beside that, quite similar!

those two guys are so on point

I loved the sound of A all the way through the video having no clue which is which . Unfortunately that sucks as its the more expensive very telling video

Neumann had a distinguished clarity and less muddy bottom than the Rode. I love Rode mics... but have an itching for that 103

At first I thought I'm for mic A but after listening very close I realised that mic B does it for me so yes mic B for me. Thanks for the awesome video man. Bless you

No, what dictates pricing is whatever the manufacturer/seller of the item figures suckers are willing to pay for a particular widget. Name/brand recognition is a HUGE factor in this. And, to be brutally honest, companies that price their product on a cost-plus model are doomed to fail.

For my ears Mic A picks up much more details of the voice than Mic B which sounds like being under a cover. Mic A is definitly more expensive than Mic B - so no wondering which one is the TLM 103.

Yep the 103 has a high fidelity that sounds super pristine

I got it. The Nuemann is warmer, with more 'presence'. Was it a lucky guess? Maybe 🙂 But I decided without hesitation. cheers!

I 100% got it right. In comparison the rode sounded quite a bit boxy. I was listening with my AirPods Pro. That was my perception at least and would notice the difference even when I would turn away. The clarity from the 103 was striking in comparison.

I picked up at @9:12 the Neumann just by the volume change when you brushed past the TLM. Hehe. Admittedly, I couldn't tell up until that point. To make it more embarrassing, I have the NT2A. To be honest, I almost got the TLM.. I notice slightly more air in the room with the Neumann in this review. So the TLM sounds more natural. Which to me is better. My honest experience with having a good mic is that it also picked up more of my mistakes. 'xD

yes... i got it!

With HD660s I can tell the one has additional warmth and should be superior, the sounds more like those Narrators in movies.

I can tell you one thing about that U87. My fathers an audio engineer (as in actual engineer, he's the guy you hire to design your studio, the other sort of engineer just drives the console) and his prize is a U87 and I can tell you straight up, that thing will give you the voice of god. That said, those Neumanns aint meant to be podcasting mics, the compression used on youtube and/or your favorite podcasting system will destroy almost any difference it makes.

Good video, I like the vibe. With headphones, I did feel that the answer was all too easy as I could see and hear that your mouth was much closer to the 103.

I picked up which one was the TLM103 right away. If I was wrong, I would have picked up the NT2A asap. But unfortunately I wasn't.

SPOILER ALERT! Wow, that was surprising. The Nt2a made the TLM 103 sound cheaper in the high frequencies. Thought the rode was Mic A the entire video, and I was thinking... buuhh the Neumann sounds a lot better, that's not fair shootout. I'm very happy, I will buy a NT2a soon.

5:53 Somehow true. However, a nice and warm voice performance will not be hired if the gear doesn‘t help enough. If no low frequencies, most probably they will not hire me. I want a microphone to capture and process my high and low frequencies properly without distorsion, like for radio-theater.

Nice one. TLM103 sounded the better one .. more open, full bodied and airy .. NT2A was bottled up . that was very clear to me.