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Telefunken USA, LLC. was officially incorporated
in early 2001. The company actually started almost two years
prior. Toni Fishman, founder and CEO of the new company, had
an idea one day while working in the studio. After working
with numerous vintage microphones and networking with industry
specialists, he discovered that the Telefunken Ela M 250 and
251s, the famous condenser microphones from Austria, were
having problems with functionality. There are only a handful
of the original Ela M microphones left. They are highly sought
after for studio recording, and the ones still out there should
be working and usable.
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| Pattern selector switch |
The biggest problem with the microphone
is the pattern selector switch. It breaks and makes the unit
unusable. Toni decided to look into getting new switches made.
After numerous meetings and extensive research into the entire
microphone it became apparent that he wasn't going to build
just the switch. He decided to go ahead and build the whole
microphone again.
For about a year research and development
was priority. All of the team's time and resources were devoted
to rediscovering the Ela M 251 in all of its glory. This involved
lengthy reverse engineering, networking with the people who
use them and the people who repair them, and meticulously
documenting each and every part down to the last screw. The
team discovered that there was no definitive blueprint floating
around that could help in the process, so they created engineered
drawings of each part without changing a thing. Every measurement
is still in metric and each part retains its original spec.
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"Telefunken USA on a
crisp day."
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Once every part had been documented and
cataloged for the engineering staff it was time to begin production.
The biggest challenge in the entire process was the dual-diaphragm
capsule. It is considered the most complex capsule among condenser
microphones and it took all the effort of every team member
and advisor to build the famous capsule again. Every process
used to build these microphones 40+ years ago was researched,
documented and confirmed and now represents the process by
which they are made today.
Through a strong commitment to historical
specifications and a passion for building the best microphones
in the world, Telefunken USA brings you the Telefunken
Ela M 251, a tribute to the classic microphone. Other designs
are in development and will be available soon.
The company is located is South Windsor,
Connecticut and currently occupies 5,000 square feet of space
with plans to expand into an additional 10,000 square feet
designated for corporate offices and manufacturing/assembly.
The original space will continue to house our sales and research
and development offices.
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