Warm Audio WA-251 Tube Condenser Microphone

The Warm Audio WA-251 is a large-diaphragm tube microphone with output transformer, selectable polar pattern and a large capsule based on the well-known mic of the same delineation and used in numerous hit productions over the last 50+ years.

The WA-251 is ideal for professional and home studios as well as live and broadcast applications, and sounds great with vocals, acoustic and electric guitar/bass, drums, piano, strings, brass and woodwind, and a wide range of other sources. The microphone has been designed to offer a new generation of recording enthusiasts a classic microphone design at an affordable price.

The Capsule
Carefully manufactured by an Australian capsule manufacturer to vintage specifications, the WA-251 uses this reproduction of the original CK12 capsule, developed with a comparable hole pattern and frequency response.

The Tube
Carefully comparison of tubes from 3x manufacturers led to the choice of the Slovakian JJ 12AY7 vacuum tube due to its frequency response and it’s interaction with the circuit, providing soft and vintage colouring.

The Transformer
The WA-251 is equipped with a CineMag USA transformer manufactured in America. This transformer contributes to the preservation of the existing top-end and giant bottom-end desired by a 251-style condenser microphone.

The Cable
One component of a tube microphone that is often overlooked is the 7-pin cable that connects the microphone to the preamplifier. The manufacturer learned a lot about 7-pin cables and the drastic influences of shielding and cable cross-section on the sound of a tube microphone during the intensive listening tests of the WA-251 and other microphones. Warm Audio has chosen Gotham Audio from Switzerland as its partner in this endeavour. For the WA-251 the meticulously manufactured 7-pin high-end cable type "GAC-7" is used. The use of this cable extends the top-end presence and the overall impression of the sound especially in stereo mix by reducing phase shifts and parasitic effects that often appear in cheap cables. Gotham Cabling is quite costly, as it is a high quality cable, and is therefore a considerable extra to the WA-251 package.