[DREAMTHR]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...4807&rd=1&rd=1

For sale is the original, vintage NEUMANN TLM 170i condenser
microphone in mint condition. Yes, this is the original model,
signified by the classic purple Neumann logo. I needn't go any further
and paste stock specs here. If you're reading this listing, you already
know all there is about the TLM 170i.

Recently inspected by Sennheiser (see the photos), the capsule was
cleaned and the unit completely tested to meet factory specifications.
Obviously, it should operate and sound perfect. I have not used it
since its return from Sennheiser.

I purchased it new in 1983, for private use in my smoke-free home
recording studio. It is serial number 110. Except for some negligible
smudges on the body, there are absolutely no dents or unsightly flaws
on this microphone. Many of the photos here are magnified, detailing
any imperfections the human eye would hardly ever notice.

Included is the original Neumann XLR cable it came with. It will be
safely packaged and double-boxed. The package MUST be signed for
regardless of payment method or destination. The purchaser will be
invoiced separately for any additional signature confirmation charge.
International shipping will require a registered return receipt.

[David Satz]

DREAMTHR wrote:

For sale is the original, vintage NEUMANN TLM 170i condenser
microphone in mint condition. Yes, this is the original model,
signified by the classic purple Neumann logo.

Good luck with your auction. In general, such microphones sell on eBay
for around $1300. The K 89-based Neumann microphones haven't been as
widely acclaimed as their "sexier" sounding counterparts, sorry to say.

Also, a TLM 170 that isn't the later "R" model has no special market
value. The only possible distinct selling point for the original model
would be its discrete electronics--but the people who would normally be
drawn to that, as opposed to the TLM 170 R, which is built with hybrid
ICs, are "golden ear" types who are repelled by whole this family of
Neumann microphones anyway (U 89, TLM 170, TLM 193).

The original model uses an op-amp circuit configuration even though
it's discrete, and again, "golden ears" hate feedback amplifiers no
matter how they're configured; it's practically in their contracts.
There's no particular sonic signature involved, but because they
believe there is one, they hear one.

I think it also bothers those people that a microphone can claim to be
"large-diaphragm" and yet not have a strong sonic character like most
other large-diaphragm microphones. Singers that you record with it, for
example, tend to sound a little too much like their actual selves--not
like some magically enlarged version of themselves, which is where most
of the money is.

--best regards