When I saw a superb deal on a 103 anniversary edition, I went ahead and snatched it up.  There were three reasons for this decision:

 

1. I liked the recordings I had heard. 

2.  The mic was priced below what the non anniversary 103's go for, so I knew I could recoup my investment   if I decided it wasn't for me

3.  The self noise is impeccable for critically quiet recordings. 

 

Now lets go back to our stock U87 comparison: 

 

1.  The TLM 103 had the bottom end that the stock U87 lacks. 

2.  The 103 had the detail the stock U87 lacks.  (If some feel the 103 is too bright for their tastes, I can sympathize, but I believe it is a very mixable high end, and I would describe it as detailed before I would describe it as bright.)

3.  The TLM does not have as much forward "honk" as the stock U87.

 

Sounds like most of what you would like in a mic.  On acoustic guitars, the TLM103's fat low end can be boomy, but on both male and female vocals, I think it is a first call quality mic. It sounds nothing like older Neumann’s such as the U67 or U47.  By comparison, it really is bright in this case.  Not as warm, but when the 103 marries with a particular voice, it marries, so if you want a different voice in your Neumann collection, the 103 can deliver.

 

This mic also meshes well with most tube preamps, and some compression going in helps to round it out, but believe it or not, this mic did not sound harsh with solid state pre's like the Vintech 273 or A-designs Pacifica either.  (That's partly because these are simply two of the best solid state pre's on the market!)

 

I would not recommend this mic as your only Large Diaphragm Condenser.  If you need versatility in this price range, invest in an AKG C-414 XLII,  I don't think the XLII sounds quite as good overall, but it is one of the most versatile mics you can buy for a grand. 

 

 

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