slavco.atanasovski wrote:Hi Turtlerockers
I'm still deciding which way I want to go with the U87....VINTAGE or Ai. I thought I would see if anyone had any tips if I was to go with the vintage u87 is there anything in particular I should check or watch out for ?
Any help or feedback is greatly appreciated in advance

Cheers
Hi Slavco,
Something to check on a vintage u87 - inside the mic on the transformer is a sticker/label. On the label is a set of numbers reading 930-??. If the number is 930-19, 930-20, 930-21 then the u87 circuit board is optimised for frequency response, lowest self noise and highest headroom.
If the number is 930-18 or lower then the circuit can be updated to achieve optimal performance.
My 1977 u87 is 930-20 so no need for me to update the circuit.
Gunter can do this update easily.
Also Gunter does a mod for u87ai. The mod slightly reduces the overall gain, but increases the headroom by 7dB, so after the mod it has the same headroom as the older U87.
Compared to the older U87, the U87Ai has a much higher output gain, but also drastically reduced headroom, because it overloads the input of the internal amp quickly at high SPL.
This is one of the reasons why most people prefer the sound of the old U87 over the U87Ai - especially for vocals when it is very easy to overload the gain stage of the U87Ai with a relatively strong voice.
Having said this, if you're intending to use a u87 for vocals or higher spl signals I'd grab an older u87 with a label that reads 930-19,20,21 for best results.
Good luck!