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REVIEWS

The following review of the Peluso 22 251 appeared in Tape Op Magazine #44:
"I was spoiled a few months ago. I did a session with a wonderful jazz vocalist. She has a smokey, classic voice. In past sessions with her I used ribbons like RCA 77dx and AEA 44c which worked out great. Then I tried something different - this Telefunken ELAM USA 251. I loved it. No way could I afford it. Then I found this small company. Peluso. They had a remake of the classic 251 for around a grand. Hm. Let's see. One of those Chinese mics, right? Yes and no I found out. I gave John Peluso a call. It turns out he's been doing repair and restoration on those classic Neumann, Telefunkens, etc mics for years. As far as how this might be distinguished from other chinese mics making the rounds, he explained to me that the work done in China is limited to the brass metal work for the body and the precision machine work for the capsule. The diaphragm and gold sputtering is done in the US or Germany. The transformer is done to spec and made by Tom Reichenbach of CineMag in the US. Everything is put together and fine tuned by John Peluso himself, guaranteeing quality control for each component of each microphone that leaves his labratory. Let's see, a 9 polar pattern tube mic that's based on the 251? I'm definitely intrigued. All of this sounds good but how does it sound? He sent me out the Peluso 22 251. There's something great about the smell of a brand new mic. I immediately unpacked it and tested it out on my voice and Taylor guitar. Wonderful. Warm. Crisp highs. Round mids. Definite flavor of the 251 I had fallen in love with. Already this was a higher class mic than most anything else in my mic locker. But the real test had to be conducted with my aforementioned singer and a comparison with some of The Hangars other mics including the Telefunken 251. I tested the mic out on my singer. Just for tricks I also poistioned my favorite AEA R84 in case this Peluso was a turkey. Well the long and short of it is that the Peluso 251 won out. Much crisper highs and round warm mids. Over the 84 ribbon?? Wow. She much preferred the Peluso too. That characteristic upper sheen I'd come to expect was there. Then I borrowed the previously mentioned Telefunken 251 and placed it against the Peluso 251. I played acoustic guitar and sang. I'm a guitarist by profession and not a singer, so this fact must be clearly taken into consideration here. I wish I could say that the Peluso won out, but alas I can't honestly say so. But it's frequency curve and sonic characteristics are definitely in the same ballpark. It didn't handle the SPLs as well and the Telefunken was a bit more round and warm. There was a slight distortion in the Peluso in the high end. But very, very slight. The Peluso has a warm response. Very round and full. It sounds great on acoustic guitar and the three voices I tested it on. Short of the real 251 thing this is a great mic on it's own and is very reminiscent of it's older and more distinguished cousin. I think the world is going to stand up and take notice of this microphone soon. I just feel fortunate that I've been among the first to check it out and put it through it's paces for a review. -Henry Robinett, www.capitaljazzproject.com"

The following review of the Peluso 22 47 Vacuum Tube and the Peluso CEMC6 Microphones appeared in Tape Op Magazine #48:
"I wrote a review in Tape Op #44 about the Peluso 22 251 vacuum tube condenser. I was very impressed. So impressed that I wanted to check out the whole line. John Peluso, the great guy that he is, sent me a 22 47 multi-pattern, large-diaphragm, vacuum-tube condenser and a pair of CEMC-6 small-diaphragm condensers. The 22 47 is loosely modeled after the Neumann U 47 and the CEMC-6 after the Schoeps CMC line. Using big names is a great marketing ploy, but my concern was not so much how they stacked up as clones, but rather how they stacked up as microphones in general. And of course, if they at least bore any sonic characteristics to the models they aspired to emulate. Since I didn't get the CEMC-6's for a while, the first thing I did was borrow John Baccigaluppi's Neumann CMV 563 "Bottle" with a Neumann M 7 capsule. It was the closet thing I could gather for a comparison (similar to my last test with the 22 251 against a Telefunken 251). In short, I love this mic! The 22 47 is very rich and round sounding. Nice fat mids and clear highs. It compared very favorably to the Neumann while mic'ing my beautiful Taylor XXV-DR Anniversary acoustic guitar. I also tested it on some vocals, both mine and a friend's. I put both mics through a Millennia HV-3D with no compression. The Bottle with the U 47 capsule edged it out, but the 22 47 was still remarkable. I've now used the 22 47 extensively. It has become, without a doubt, the favorite mic in my own collection. I used to use an AEA R84 ribbon on my tenor player. He has a dark sound, so the AEA, even while applying EQ, was just a little too dark. On the other hand, the 22 47 is perfect. It captured the lows as well as the sparking highs. Very warm and radiant, for lack of better terms. I have yet to find something this mic doesn't sound great on. Perhaps the most telling example comes from recording vocals for this rock band I'm producing. We went to a studio for the first day of tracking lead vocals. We used the studio's Telefunken Ela M 251 through a Daking preamp and an LA-2A. Sounded beautiful. Due to scheduling conflicts, the next day we went to my house. Not a professionally-treated facility. I pulled out the Peluso 22 47 and put it through my Millennia HV-3D preamp and Peavey VC/L-2 compressor. Sounded great. The next week, the band came around for a listen. I didn't say anything, but I thought the tracks with the Peluso sounded much better. Suddenly, the leader said, "I don't know about you, but I think the vocals with the less expensive mic sound way better!" Then everyone agreed. So from then on, we tracked the rest of the vocals, lead and background, at my house with the Peluso. I also need to say, especially in relationship to my erstwhile review of the 22 251, this session had extreme dynamics. This singer really screamed and put some serious stress on this mic. The 22 47 handled the high SPL with aplomb. And actually, the 22 251 did as well in subsequent uses. Not even the slightest bit of distortion whatsoever. This is a great mic, regardless of any comparisons to the U 47. It definitely has the same or similar sonic stamp as its namesake, but as in all things, it also has its own. I've been using the CEMC-6 on a variety of sources. Unfortunately, I didn't have a Schoeps to compare it with. But by this time, I wasn't really interested in making the comparison. I was convinced the Pelusos were mics of a caliber to be reckoned with, regardless. As room mics for a jazz vocalist and acoustic pianist, the CEMC-6's worked very well. They soon replaced the Shure SM81, Oktava MK-012, and AT4050 mics as my preferred drum overheads. I've used them on acoustic guitar with great results. I loved them on acoustic piano. I recently used them on first and second violins in a recording I did of my jazz band playing with a string orchestra. I've also used them as a spaced pair in front of an orchestra with quite favorable results. The CEMC-6 comes with a cardioid capsule and has an integrated three-position pad (0, -10, and -20 dB) and a three-position shelving filter switch (linear, 75, 150 Hz). All this for $324.50. You can get additional capsules (wide cardioid, omni, hypercardioid) for $85 each. A great value. I don't think you're going to find anything else of this quality at this price. So I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I bought all the Peluso mics sent to me. No small feat for someone on a jazz musician's salary. But I couldn't let them go out of my house. They'd already paid for themselves. They're now my "go to" mics for many applications. ($1265 direct for 22 47, $324.50 for CEMC-6; www.pelusomicrophonelab.com) -Henry Robinett, www.capitaljazzproject.com"

The following review of the Peluso CEMC-6 appeared on NicksPicks.com:
"John Peluso...long time schoeps repair man and vintage microphone tweaker has decided to design his own line of modular condenser "pencil" mics. His company, Peluso labs, is probably best known for his large diaphragm tube and solid state mics. A new modular system is a welcome addition to the selection available to the taper crowd, a demanding market (though small). Good news! John did us a favor here. These mics have been described as sounding like a schoeps collette system (by certain vendors) and the name of the preamp body and various capsule options are certainly similar..or exactly the same... as their German counterparts. My review kit came to me in a very sturdy and handsome metal breifcase. Its even got a combo lock on it...just in case. The widscreens were sort of silly, and my kit only came with a single one. I never used any screens with them...even outside w/the omnis, so no big deal there. Right off the bat, let me say that they do not sound like a schoeps CMC6 system, although they do share some characteristics. Both have a wealth of options. The Peluso mics have 4 capsules to choose from at the moment, but there are more in the works. This is a system that will be expanded upon in the years to come. As far as the sound of these mics is concerned, that is where the similarity ends. Well....sort of. The bass responce of these CEMC mics is massive. Very impressive sounding in its robust re-interpretation of the low end of the spectrum. I can easily compare that favorably to a schoeps cmc6/mk4. It really is that good! Other aspects of the mics sound are a very smooth sounding mid range, though perhaps not the "ultimate" in that regard, but better than anything else in this price range...and well beyond for that matter. The high end is non fatigueing and detailed. Overall, I found the mics to be very transparant...but not dry. Lively...but not colored really. They just sounded "real" to me where ever I used them. I ran through all of the capsules, and thought that the cardioid cap is one of the best i've heard. Easily smoking any other condenser mic out there under a grand. And rivaling others that cost more than that. To my ears and experience with other various mics, I thought they sounded a lot like an MBHO603, but with a much nicer bottom end response. These mics have an extended frequency range that goes lower than you can hear...and higher than most stereo's can ever reproduce. What that gives you as the user is a set of mics that is really nice for 24bit recording where this extended range might come into play. For the nitty gritty tapers who want to know how they stack up to other mics out there, let me offer you my opinion. · way better than the Oktava MC-012. Not even in the same league · nicer to my ear than the AKG blueline (which i find horribly colored) · on par with a Neumann KM184, but more transparent. · Not as detailed as the AKG c480, which I still feel is one of the best concert taping mics for the money. Smoother sounding overall though. fwiw · a better bargain than the MBHO's. · Studio Projects C4, need not apply. The build quality of these mics also should be discussed, and this is the *only* part in my review where you will find my opinion drift from anything less than a ravingly good. But before I critique, lets consider where these mics are coming from. The body of the preamp assembly is from a chinese mic. The elements are mylar from Germany. The others parts and pieces come from all around. John refereed to these as truly a "world mic", with all the parts being the cream of the crop from various venders around the globe. All of these parts are then assembled by hand at Peluso Labs. The capsules (hand cut diaphragms) are matched up with very nice B&K calibration equipment at the factory, guaranteeing a perfect sonically matched set when you order. There is no huge factory, assembly line or anything like that. Quality control is tight, but there is a lack of refinement that you get with AKG, Neumann, Schoeps or any of the other megga companies out there. For that matter, does Neumann even make their own mics anymore? I thought I read somewhere that they farmed out to Sennheiser. But...I digress. pictured: Omni directional, wide-cardioid, cardioid and hyper cardioid capsules for the CEMC6 condenser. The CEMC6 mic body has two switches on it. One is for two selectable attenuations of -10db and -20db. The other is to engage the 75hz or 150hz roll off ...something I recommend when using the omni capsule. Like I said, the bass response is huge, and that roll off seems perfect for these mics when you are recording anything thumpy, or moving a lot of air. The switches protrude from the mic body, which can easily be turned on/off by accident when handling the mics. John mentioned to me that he is going to start recessing this switch to eliminate this problem. My other little nit pick with them was the screen grill inside of the mic body housing near the threads. Its a little "home made" looking. The pins on the capsules and mic bodies are not straightly aligned on mine. Some are ...while others are not. Still, they make good contact and everything works flawlessly with my review kit ...which included all 4 pairs of capsules currently offered. All of the capsules sound amazingly good. The cardioid is as good as any other out there, and can run right along with the "big guns" in the industry. The hyper cardioid caps was my least favorite. It was a tad anemic sounding to me. Lots of presence, detail, no nasty off axis coloration that I could hear..but not quite as nice as the other hyper card caps from other mics. The wide-cardioid capsule is very smooth sounding. Basically, its an omni with a -10db attenuation after a certain degree of off-axis. I'm not sure exactly where that happens, but no matter. It sounds great! Only the omni and hyper caps have the polar pattern stamped on the metal. Not sure why that is, but I would guess that this is due to the way the metal bodies come to Peluso. Perhaps they are like that from the get go...who knows. its not really important as you can easily distinguish between them by looking. Looking to the Future Things are busy at Peluso labs, from what I hear. There are a number of new options for the CEMC6 mics in the works, though details are slow to come out and time frames are a year away..give or take. None the less, good news abound! An active cable system, detaching the capsule from the preamp assembly, is one of the projects currently being worked on. Also on the drawing board is a multi-pattern vertically orientated capsule with omni-card-and figure of 8 patterns. Believe me when I say that I will own that!! another new line of active cable microphone is also currently in testing...and will probably see the light of retail day sooner than later. This is a microscopic sized cardioid that will actually live up to "pencil sized" condenser. No kidding..the size of a standard pencil! If it sounds as good as its big brother, then it will be a popular mic for low profile operations. I have no doubt. Giant killers? I'd say so. With those higher end mics, you are paying for the way that they sound. They all have their own flavor, and that might be *exactly* what you want in your mics performance. They will give some of the higher-end condensers a run for their money. But when you get down to it...and if your stereo can resolve the difference, then you'll hear that this $500 odd pair of mics is not quite the same as a $2k pair. But if you are looking to get a great sounding pair of mics for cheap money, then you'd be fool hardy if you didn't give these a serious listen. And doing that is no more difficult than pointing your browser to the live music section of archive.org. Do a search on "peluso" and you'll find examples up there from every capsule. Way to go Peluso Labs. You offer a 5 star product in the CEMC6 condenser. Type: Condenser Pressure Gradient w/ 20mm capsule Frequency Range: 19Hz/25Khz Polar Pattern: Cardioid w/ removable capsule Sensitivity: 10mv/pa Impedance: 200 ohms SPL: 156 db w/ 20db pad Equivalent Noise: 14db (A-weighted) Power Requirements:Phantom - 48v +- 4v Current Consumption< 3.0 MA Size: 22mm x 164mm Weight: 134 g"

The following review of the Peluso R 14 Ribbon Mic appeared in Tape Op Magazine #56:
Peluso Microphone Lab R14 ribbon mic I've learned to really respect John Peluso-designed microphones. John Peluso too. He's taken the plunge into ribbons with his brand new R14. He's not new to ribbon technology however. He's been repairing ribbon mics for years. He repaired his first ribbon, an RCA 77DX, back in 1967 and has been doing it professionally since the early '70s. And although I'm a huge fan of his condensers, like the 22 47LE, 22 47, and 22 251 (Tape Op #44, #48)-all of which I decided to purchase after reviewing them in these pages-I had my doubts about his ability to develop a great ribbon mic that can adequately compete with some of my favorites. Being a jazz guy, I use ribbons all the time. I already own the AEA R84 and Royer R?121, and I've used the RCA 77DX and AEA 44C extensively. For trumpet, alto sax, voice, and guitar, ribbons capture a sound that isn't easily replicated with anything else. Let me just say I use ribbons a lot. For all these tests, I used Millennia HV?3 mic preamps into a Metric Halo ULN?2 recording at 24?bit, 44.1 kHz. My first test pitted the R14 against the R?121 and R84 on two of my acoustics, both Taylors. One a Dreadnought 25th Anniversary-a beautiful guitar, but because it's a Dreadnought, it tends to boom in the lower register. The other a 414?CE-not the highest-end Taylor, but it gives a beautiful, crisp, rounded tone. Frankly I was blown away by the Peluso. All three mics sounded very similar in the upper mids. The R84 was a tad brighter in the top. The R14 was looser in the lower end and I'd say much warmer than either of the other mics. Bigger bottom. I had to work on repositioning it for recording the dreadnaught. I don't think it was an issue of bigger proximity effect, just more low-end presence. It takes EQ very well so if I wanted it to sound more like the Royer all I had to do was cut some lows. Because the bottom was so much bigger than with the AEA R84 or R?121, it was more reminiscent to me of the AEA 44C, a mic I'd love to own. The alto sax test was slightly more telling. With the same mics and preamps for comparison, I used Darius Babazadeh, a great local jazz alto player. We were both impressed at how similar the mics sounded. I must say that the R84 sounded more pleasing right off the bat in this test. More high end. You could discern the spit in the reed better. But the Peluso had a smoother sound. Once again, warmer and rounder. To me, there was more tone in the Peluso. I just added slightly less than a dB at around 5 kHz-not trying to pinpoint the frequency-and I got the high end I liked in the R84, but with more body. I also think the Peluso was more natural sounding. When Darius played alto in the room, it captured more closely what I heard. Now I'm really an electric guitarist, and I tested this last. One of my favorite recording amps is my trusted, old, discontinued Seymour Duncan Convertible 1x12. I can get a beautiful overdrive with it. I used the same three mics. I'm very familiar with what the R84 and the R?121 do in this situation. I'm a fan of both. I used both front and back of the mic on the Peluso and the Royer, as they give different sounds. I like to put the ribbon right up to the grill. I pulled out an old jam track I had and wailed away. Once again, the Peluso proved to be smoother. Not quite as bright, but that's not an issue for me, EQ being what it is. As a matter of fact, both the R?121 and R84 sounded a tad harsh in the upper frequencies in comparison; hyped, and actually lacking in the low end as if it was sacrificed. Not like the old vintage RCAs. The Peluso sounds like a real ribbon; more like the old ribbons. I'm really, really excited about this mic. I think this will now be my go-to electric guitar mic. I preferred it over my other ribbons-and I love all of them. I just found the R14 to be warmer and smoother. I don't know how else to describe it. It's got slightly more body. I'm a little upset now too. I'll have to figure out how to purchase yet another Peluso mic. I can't let this one go back! ($759.38 direct; www.pelusomicrophonelab.com) -Henry Robinett, www.capitaljazzproject.com


USER COMMENTS

Just dropping you a line. I got a chance to check out you and your wife and your establishment and history on NPR recently - fantastic. Great stuff. I also wanted to let you know how I'm getting on with the LE. The more I use it, the more relaxed I am about recording. I know that might sound a bit mystical, but it's the only way I can explain it. Since putting your microphone into use, I find myself not worrying about getting the sound, or having to work as hard once it's been recorded. It's just right, and that's totally exceeded even my best expectations. There definitely is some magic involved, and I'm not even sure I want to know, but I'm glad you do. I feel that I seldom find things made these days with such attention to quality and care for usefulness and detail. I've had experiences with enough audio equipment to know that there's something you hear, and then something slightly more which is something you feel. For microphones, I've only ever felt that once before, and that was with a U-47. I was lucky enough to have had that experience without previous knowledge of what the U-47 was - it was something I experienced that made me ask what it was, and that was etched into my brain. I got that without having the stigma attached to "gear", so I've always considered it to be truly special and not just "gear-lust". Keeping that in mind, I had only a sliver of hope that I could re-experience that feeling with your microphone. The thing about that feeling is that it's not something that you have to dig at to get - if it's there, it is there and obviously there. Firing up this microphone fires simultaneously that long dormant neural path forged from that early experience and instantly the feeling is there once again. I am proud finally to own and exploit it to my personal satisfaction - it's the culmination of a journey I thought would have cost me many more years of toil and much more of my earnings. I apologize if this is too flowery but it's as close to the truth as I think I could write. Thanks. MS 4-27-2008

I have never written to a manufacturer before, but I have to this time. I picked up a 22 251 through GC Pro to try on a session with a pop group I am producing called Jump 5. I was fully expecting to try this mic, be disappointed, and then return it. I was sorely mistaken. I have rented in vintage C12's. 251's, 67's, and 47's. I have to say that, although nothing could ever be the same as a $12,000 vintage mic, I don't miss my rentals at all. I am so happy with my Peluso that I have yet to switch mics for these sessions with 4 different singers (2 guys and 2 girls). I have left it on the stand in the vocal room and have retired my others to the closet. It sounds as amazing on a girl who typically "needs" a 47 to tame harsh frequencies as it does on a girl who "needs" a 251 to brighten her up. I have only one problem: now I am mad at myself that I for having no money left to try out your ribbon mic. Maybe someday...anyway, thanks for a great piece at a great price. I can get that pro sound now without losing my shirt paying for vintage rentals. 6-2-07

I am an producer/engineer based in London UK. I actually purchased your 22 > 251 just over 1 year ago from soundpure. I was mostly interested in this > mic because I had previously used the Elam 251 and loved it. I currently > sold half of my mic collection because your mic rendered most of them > useless. I just wrote this message to send congrats on a wonderful mic! 5-30-07

Just wanted to say I'm VERY HAPPY with the R14, just finished a test session - used it on drums and acoustic guitar - the thing is soooo sweet and so balanced - it's possible I won't need compressors that much anymore! We used the front side, the back side and in the middle (8) - all sides have their own personalities but the balance is always there! I attached a couple of clips - forgive the playing, we were after the sound :-D I will definitely save up for Peluso's other mics! have to have his C12, 251 and 2247 models. thanks man! HATS OFF to Mr. Peluso for a nice mic! Island Code 4-12-07

Hi I just bought one of your 2247 short body mic's from sound pure and wanted to let you know how amazing it sounds I have been using many other mic's adk ,akg oktava etc the peluso mic sounds so rich and smooth on vocals it is now my go to vocal mic I have produced 130 records and recently had a fairly big hit with clap your hands say yeah. Adam Lasus 2-22-07

Now that I have a nice booth to test mics properly, I had a chance to test your mic in a perfect room , I was loaned 3 other high end mics yesterday to check out for possible purchase. One was Microtech Geffell's UM92.1 ,retail 3500 the other one called a korby red kat retail around 3500 and finally korby's interchangeable capsule system.I had all 4 capsules there 251 which was the best of all of them by the way, there U47, there U67, There C12. The mic with one capsule around 4500, all 4 capsules arounf 6700.Iwent through an Avalon M5 class A fet pre no eq, through an apogee rosetta converter. The result was your Mic won over all of them. Second runner up was the korby 251, but your mic smoked the others. Nicer detailed highs , airy top without being harsh, nice fat bottom. and just right in the mids. I had a feeling a lot of these mics onthe market today with 4 to 7 thousand dollar price tags where overpriced mics appealing only to audio snobs who generally speaking have no musical talent. I can sing and it was my voice that I used to test these mics. I have a great ear and i have been listening to music in detail for over 40 years. I do not care about specs, fancy namesetc.you built one great god damn microphone! And I will never part with it. And I cant wait to tell the audio snob who delivered these to me what I thought. I will now be a spokesman for your mics. at least the 47. I hope you do not change a thing about this mic and hopefully keep your prices reasonable so a lot of guys can afford a great mic.
Joe Tansin 2-14-07

And thanks for a great Mic, I purchased the 22 47 LE from Sound Pure the other day and it sounds great. The 22 47 LE has really given me the warm smooth sound I wanted, in fact I am going to sell my U87. 2-26-07

I just wanted you to know that I’ve had the 2247 SE for a few weeks now and I have to say it’s a beautiful thing! I just love it more and more with each session. It’s exactly what I was looking for. Extremely smooth and perfectly balanced. I can’t praise it highly enough. I shall also be looking at buying a P12 in the not too distant future. 3-19-07

"I spent a couple of hours in the studio last night laying down some tracks with the 22 251. All I can say is.... DIYAAAAMNNN!!! This mic is what the doctor ordered, no question. This is the mic I've been looking for, it's crazy, I laid down some female vocals (so easily and smoothly) with layers, etc. we didn't even have to EQ anything, absolutely astounding. I am going to be spreading the word around Vancouver for you...count me in as a convinced endorsee! I can go on and on about it, but you'll get e-mails for days. Thank you SO much, I definitely will be expanding my collection with more Peluso stuff in the future." 12-19-06

"The mic sounds great ! It sounds/feels like it takes the vocal, wraps it in velvet and presents it to the listener in a beautiful display case for all the world to see. Works well with my voice and acoustic guitar. All in all I'm very satisfied." 12-9-06

"Very nice case and accessories and most importantly it sounds fantastic! It could be the initial euphoria but my first impression is that it sounds BETTER than my former U47 .. maybe the crispness of the new capsule compared to a 50 year old one. Anyway I am very happy." 12-4-06

"Just an update of my impressions with the 2247LE: Bassdrum - fantastic! Do you know Emmylou Harris' album 'Wrecking Ball'? Produced by Daniel Lanois. On the first song 'Where Will I Be' she has these incredible drums played by Brian Blade, featuring an ultralow bassdrum, literally with a loud fundamental at something like 30 Hz or so. I've always wanted that kind of low end on the kick, and see... it's coming right out of the 2247LE. No EQ needed. acoustic guitar - incredible!! I haven't used a single mic that offers so much detail and is so sensitive to all the music in between the actual playing. Again I strongly feel no need to use any EQ or compressor on the signal. I'm a very happy bunny with my 2247LE and it won't be too long before I'll go for more." 12-05-06

"D W darkened our door at the school here on Sunday with a U47 and a C12. I wound up selling his friend J R a 2247LE. We had a great afternoon doing little shootouts, playing with microphones and talking shop. D's got a great reputation around here and it's pretty cool he's on our side. We did an A/B with a P12 and C12 and again, identical. Incredibly so. Jaws were dropping. The 47 D brought in had been modded and had a 3 micron capsule in it. It sounded great as an ambient mic (I'm sure for foley it'd be a monster) but the LE smoked it on vocals. D did confirm that the Phase One U47 I did the last shootout with was stock. He only repaired it, didn't do anything to it otherwise. Said it was in great shape." 11-06-06

"WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Just plugged in the 2247LE and recorded a little of me own voice and I ****ed my pants! Unbelievable.... I'll be saving for the P12 now." 12-20-06

"I purchased a set of CEMC6s and an R14 from Sonic Circus about 4 month ago. I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how happy we are with these mics. I haven't managed to do a session without the R14 since we've had it. It is a fantastic mic. I'm getting *great* bocals out of this mic. The CEMC6s have been just what we were looking for in a SDC as well. Great job, great mics. I'll be picking up a tube mic or two by the first of the year. I own a studio in downtown Roanoke."
11-20-06

"I really like them a lot. I'm kinda used to the vintage 251 sound, and yours are very close to the sound you would look for from a prime condition vintage 251. I have one vintage 'funken 251, as well as a Lawson one, but yours are the ones used most now. On top of that - where would you be able to get, and how much would you have to pay for - a matched pair of 251's? I'm impressed, and very happy with them! I'd be pleased to write something in support for them if you want me to. Sjoerd (Sjoko)"

"I was spoiled a few months ago. I did a session with a wonderful jazz vocalist. She has a smokey, classic voice. In past sessions with her I used ribbons like RCA 77dx and AEA 44c which worked out great. Then I tried something different - this Telefunken ELAM USA 251. I loved it. No way could I afford it. Then I found this small company. Peluso. They had a remake of the classic 251 for around a grand. Hm. Let's see. One of those Chinese mics, right? Yes and no I found out. I gave John Peluso a call. It turns out he's been doing repair and restoration on those classic Neumann, Telefunkens, etc mics for years. As far as how this might be distinguished from other chinese mics making the rounds, he explained to me that the work done in China is limited to the brass metal work for the body and the precision machine work for the capsule. The diaphragm and gold sputtering is done in the US or Germany. The transformer is done to spec and made by Tom Reichenbach of CineMag in the US. Everything is put together and fine tuned by John Peluso himself, guaranteeing quality control for each component of each microphone that leaves his labratory. Let's see, a 9 polar pattern tube mic that's based on the 251? I'm definitely intrigued. All of this sounds good but how does it sound? He sent me out the Peluso 22 251. There's something great about the smell of a brand new mic. I immediately unpacked it and tested it out on my voice and Taylor guitar. Wonderful. Warm. Crisp highs. Round mids. Definite flavor of the 251 I had fallen in love with. Already this was a higher class mic than most anything else in my mic locker. But the real test had to be conducted with my aforementioned singer and a comparison with some of The Hangars other mics including the Telefunken 251. I tested the mic out on my singer. Just for tricks I also poistioned my favorite AEA R84 in case this Peluso was a turkey. Well the long and short of it is that the Peluso 251 won out. Much crisper highs and round warm mids. Over the 84 ribbon?? Wow. She much preferred the Peluso too. That characteristic upper sheen I'd come to expect was there. Then I borrowed the previously mentioned Telefunken 251 and placed it against the Peluso 251. I played acoustic guitar and sang. I'm a guitarist by profession and not a singer, so this fact must be clearly taken into consideration here. I wish I could say that the Peluso won out, but alas I can't honestly say so. But it's frequency curve and sonic characteristics are definitely in the same ballpark. It didn't handle the SPLs as well and the Telefunken was a bit more round and warm. There was a slight distortion in the Peluso in the high end. But very, very slight. The Peluso has a warm response. Very round and full. It sounds great on acoustic guitar and the three voices I tested it on. Short of the real 251 thing this is a great mic on it's own and is very reminiscent of it's older and more distinguished cousin. I think the world is going to stand up and take notice of this microphone soon. I just feel fortunate that I've been among the first to check it out and put it through it's paces for a review. We completed the tests and we are amazed. John's mics were so close to the originals we had to pinch ourselves. The 22251 was especially close to the vintage C-12. The only way one can tell is the C-12 is noisier - ha. We have a CD of the tests which I can send (has several takes of Rachmaninoff playing Rachmaninoff on our wonderful 7'6" Disclavier Yamaha). Each take has John's mic on one channel and the original on the other. There is a voice over at the beginning saying what mics on what channels. Just send me an address where you'd like it sent and voila. Regards, Jack"

"Hello Mr. Peluso, I recently acquired your 2247 LE mic,(purchased by Garrison Music Moreno Valley, CA) and I have to tell you, your microphone is nothing short of AMAZING!!! I previously recorded vocals with an original (1954) U47 thru Manley Voxbox and when I received your mic I rerecorded the vocals and your mic was smoother, quieter, & louder. Even when I yelled into, it became even more beautiful (Try that with a new Neumann and believe me I did) (M149 Tube it broke up every time) So thank you. for making a REAL microphone without the BS hype that's sounds incredible and is very affordable and has physical appeal as well. Thanks Jesse"

"I just wanted to drop a note to let you know how spectacular your 2247 LE American microphone is. I recently purchased one from Soundpure (great service, by the way) and I am simply blown away by the quality of this mic. I have been recording for over 25 years, and I have used many 47s in commercial studios. I have to say that this mic not only rivals an original 47, but actually has a more open, airy top end than most of the 47s I have used, while still retaining the full bass and midrange that I am used to. You have created a mic that can bring an unprecedented level of quality to those of us with home studios that don’t have a spare $8,000 or more to spend on an original. Thanks for your commitment to producing a world class mic at a reasonable price. I can say with certainty that this will not be the last Peluso mic that I purchase. "

Re: P12 "Man, now I have to get the 251 as well. I do not see how a three thousand dollar mic could make this type of sound any better and I have used many of them. It is great for female voices, it is also great for male baritone voices where you do not need any extra mid but need some great high end. Heck - I put a thick foam windscreen on it and it still had high end to spare. Think what that does for smoothness while not losing high end. The mic is beautiful too. Take a look at one of these! Look at the inside as well - beautifully done. I think John should make a ten foot tall one as a sculpture in front of a studio. Alan"

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