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This is probably the most undervalued vintage mic on the tube market, considering its sound quality. The CMV 563 has a bit thinner sound than its predecessor the CMV 3 but the character is very close. This is due more to the bigger transformer in the CMV 3 rather than the circuit design.
The M55k omni which typically comes with the mic is a very special capsule; it's not round in characteristics, it's like a wide kidney, with a 6db boost around 10K. The M55K was specially designed for overhead recording of classical orchestras. There is not a better capsule for ambient recording - it sounds as you hear/feel it. The M55k is actually a more interesting capsule than the cardioid M7 because it has a diffused-field equalized 1 inch membrane which is so unique - you won't find this in any other mic. All other mics that try to simulate this have small membranes to get rounder characteristics, but this is not what you really want for overhead recording.
It's quite hard to find a matching pair of CMV 563's with M55k's, but when you have that and record a stereo overhead, it's flying away...useful for any acoustic instrument that's recorded in a good sounding room. Also interesting as a close-up on acoustic guitars or in natural reverb rooms. Modified versions give a noise floor that fulfills modern demands. It's the sweetest overhead mic in the world with M55K, and a serious competitor for many mics on vocals with the M7. It has less components in the signal chain than switchable pattern mics have.
The CMV 563 is the only real successor to the CMV 3, ( the first commercially produced condenser mic ever). It uses an M7 'bayonet' style capsule, which is the same capsule used with the CMV 3. This capsule can also be interchanged with the capsule sets currently produced by Blue microphones and Violet Design microphones.
The CMV 563 has always been produced by Neumann Gefell, and not Neumann Berlin, starting in 1956 and ending in 1971. Popular demand brought the mic back in a reissue version in 2011. Vintage versions can still be serviced by Microtech Gefell.
The M55k omni which typically comes with the mic is a very special capsule; it's not round in characteristics, it's like a wide kidney, with a 6db boost around 10K. The M55K was specially designed for overhead recording of classical orchestras. There is not a better capsule for ambient recording - it sounds as you hear/feel it. The M55k is actually a more interesting capsule than the cardioid M7 because it has a diffused-field equalized 1 inch membrane which is so unique - you won't find this in any other mic. All other mics that try to simulate this have small membranes to get rounder characteristics, but this is not what you really want for overhead recording.
It's quite hard to find a matching pair of CMV 563's with M55k's, but when you have that and record a stereo overhead, it's flying away...useful for any acoustic instrument that's recorded in a good sounding room. Also interesting as a close-up on acoustic guitars or in natural reverb rooms. Modified versions give a noise floor that fulfills modern demands. It's the sweetest overhead mic in the world with M55K, and a serious competitor for many mics on vocals with the M7. It has less components in the signal chain than switchable pattern mics have.
History
The CMV 563 was the second major microphone produced by Neumann in Gefell, after their very successful CMV 3. The letters CMV stand for 'condensator mikrofon verstarker', i.e. 'condenser microphone amplifier'.The CMV 563 is the only real successor to the CMV 3, ( the first commercially produced condenser mic ever). It uses an M7 'bayonet' style capsule, which is the same capsule used with the CMV 3. This capsule can also be interchanged with the capsule sets currently produced by Blue microphones and Violet Design microphones.
The CMV 563 has always been produced by Neumann Gefell, and not Neumann Berlin, starting in 1956 and ending in 1971. Popular demand brought the mic back in a reissue version in 2011. Vintage versions can still be serviced by Microtech Gefell.
Specifications
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