Thank you so much for making this video. I just spotted a like-new black U87 for sale for a very good price. Everything looked legit down to the outer cardboard box and owner's manual. But the serial number sticker was on the top of the wooded box, not the side. This is the 3rd one the seller has posted so it seemed a little fishy to me.
There are also a lot of lower quality fakes I've seen, but they're a lot easier to identify. This video foucuses on the most common fake U87Ai I've seen lately (2021)
There’s so many more visible differences. The main smoking gun is the soldering, on the fakes the soldering is very blobby, whereas the genuine one has very neat soldering.
I watched another more recent video with all these fakes. The fake ones are enormously improved (thanks to these kind videos? :-D Good suggestion to the fakers ). The real thing, now, it's slightly difference in the color of the badge (very slight, not more so evident as in the past) and, more important than the strong/weak colors inside: the transformer's label is now at its place ... but the ferrite-core double coli of the Hartley oscillator on the DC-DC-Converter board is the recogn-sign. They still use 2 separate impedances rather than such ferrite-core impedance. One day perhaps they will use the Würth type, but it has also different aesthetic than the original one. The capsule is a K67/K87-type and even the sound is very very similar (that video compares the sound of the 2:real vs fake). Just a bit of higher noise-floor with the fake; i'm convinced they don't even calibrate the Rs at the JFET T1 (of course).
Yes, better to buy any of those than a fake clone. At least with Rode and Blue you are getting a quality product. Some of the good clones (WA87, etc) are also good. But the counterfeit 87's should be avoided, they are very poorly made and are made to deceive customers... also illegal.
Sennheiser has a new market, sell cheap Chinees industrial made Neumann u87ai s as fake. As cheap as possible. I think they have learned that from shure sm57 mics. Iam questing somewhat…
But the sound its at least ok? For that price? The different directional patterns works? I ask you cause its not for real professional studio works, just for homestudio and little works. Thanks
Hi, it works and the sound is OK, but you can find much better microphones for $600 or so, and I would not expect the fake U87 to last very long. I would recommend Shure SM7B, AKG C214, Neumann TLM 102, Shure KSM32, A4040, AT4050. Or look at a used condenser microphones.
Thank you so much for making this video. I just spotted a like-new black U87 for sale for a very good price. Everything looked legit down to the outer cardboard box and owner's manual. But the serial number sticker was on the top of the wooded box, not the side. This is the 3rd one the seller has posted so it seemed a little fishy to me.
There are also a lot of lower quality fakes I've seen, but they're a lot easier to identify. This video foucuses on the most common fake U87Ai I've seen lately (2021)
Thank you for this. Phew!
lol same here! I jumped on one for a very decent price without first checking. 😅
There’s so many more visible differences. The main smoking gun is the soldering, on the fakes the soldering is very blobby, whereas the genuine one has very neat soldering.
Thanks for the video. Dodged a bullet today.
There are more and more fake U87's out there, and some of them are starting to look more convincing than the ones I showed in this video. Be careful!
I watched another more recent video with all these fakes. The fake ones are enormously improved (thanks to these kind videos? :-D Good suggestion to the fakers ). The real thing, now, it's slightly difference in the color of the badge (very slight, not more so evident as in the past) and, more important than the strong/weak colors inside: the transformer's label is now at its place ... but the ferrite-core double coli of the Hartley oscillator on the DC-DC-Converter board is the recogn-sign. They still use 2 separate impedances rather than such ferrite-core impedance. One day perhaps they will use the Würth type, but it has also different aesthetic than the original one.
The capsule is a K67/K87-type and even the sound is very very similar (that video compares the sound of the 2:real vs fake). Just a bit of higher noise-floor with the fake; i'm convinced they don't even calibrate the Rs at the JFET T1 (of course).
Wonderful review
This is really helpful
It is better to purchase original NT1a, NT2a, blue baby bottle, blue baby bird inspite of purchasing any clone.
Yes, better to buy any of those than a fake clone. At least with Rode and Blue you are getting a quality product. Some of the good clones (WA87, etc) are also good. But the counterfeit 87's should be avoided, they are very poorly made and are made to deceive customers... also illegal.
@ELIAS lool, no.
Sennheiser has a new market, sell cheap Chinees industrial made Neumann u87ai s as fake. As cheap as possible. I think they have learned that from shure sm57 mics. Iam questing somewhat…
But the sound its at least ok? For that price? The different directional patterns works? I ask you cause its not for real professional studio works, just for homestudio and little works. Thanks
Hi, it works and the sound is OK, but you can find much better microphones for $600 or so, and I would not expect the fake U87 to last very long. I would recommend Shure SM7B, AKG C214, Neumann TLM 102, Shure KSM32, A4040, AT4050. Or look at a used condenser microphones.
Hi, do you know what seller you worked with to get the price you did?
It was a one time score, definitely not repeatable!
the most obvious difference between the genuine and the fake is the price .. lol !!
You sound like Fred Rogers. I'd sell that voice bro
Ha! That's a first for me, maybe I should!
Hello. What website did you buy this fake u87 from ?
Aliexpress
@@sergeychaplin1813 Can you send me the Link please?
the one he has isn't fake
That's a fake one...
Thank you!!
How much did you buy yours for?
I'd rather not say on here, but it was cheaper than I've ever seen one sell.
Maybe the real one is the scam😂
Could be.... could be...