Warm Audio WA-251

Warm Audio WA-251 Tube Condenser Microphone

Warm Audio has earned their great reputation by producing high quality reproductions of classic studio gear at an affordable price. On the microphone front, they have released the WA-47, WA-87 and WA-14 (modern reproductions of the classic Neumann U47, U87, and AKG C414), among others. One of their newer additions is the Warm Audio WA-251 tube condenser microphone, modeled after the legendary Telefunken ELA M 251E.

In the 1960s, you could find the legendary ‘251 in just about any top recording studio. The ‘251 is considered one of the best sounding microphones ever made, featured on many classic hits from the 60’s. Despite its popularity, a relatively small amount of these legendary microphones were actually produced. Estimates say that less than 2,000 were produced during its original production run. For these reasons, the original vintage ‘251 has become incredibly rare. This legendary microphone has been known to sell for up to $50,000.

Luckily, Warm Audio has recognized the need for an affordable modern reproduction of the ‘251 (you can keep your $50,000). While there are many reproductions of microphones as with the classic U47 and U87, the Warm Audio WA-251 (see current price) is one of the few reproductions of this rare microphone available today.

In this article, we review the WA-251. Does it capture the sought-after character of the vintage ‘251? We’ll cover the ins and outs, and pros and cons of this microphone. Yes, it’s sold at an affordable cost. But, is it really worth it? Let’s start by taking a look at this microphone out of the box.

WA-251: Look and Feel

In our opinion, the original ‘251 isn’t really the best looking microphone out there. Yet, there is definitely an incredible charm to it. It certainly looks like it came out of the 1960s. And, the same thing applies to the WA-251. The WA-251 does a great job at recapturing the look and feel of the classic ‘251. However, there are some considerable differences.

The body of the WA-251 has more of a creamy yellow color, while the original ‘251 is a bit more pale and lacking of color with a very slight tint of green. For this reason, we actually think the WA-251 has a more attractive color. Another major difference between these two microphones is their size. The WA-251 is significantly thinner than the vintage ‘251. In a way, it seems to resemble the Telefunken C12 more than the ‘251. We were actually surprised that Warm Audio did not use a body that was closer to the size of the original.

Overall, the WA-251 is a good looking microphone with lots of charm. Everything looks very polished and well-designed. The grille especially stands out, and the chrome on the bottom of the body makes the WA-251 look like a quite expensive microphone. Although it is pretty thin in shape, it feels pretty durable and well-built with some good weight to it once in your hands.

Inside the WA-251

Nothing counts more than what’s on the inside. Warm Audio seems to have worked carefully to closely model the hardware and inner-design of the WA-251 after the classic ‘251. Inside, is Warm Audio’s WA-12-B-60V capsule. Their capsule is modeled after the CK12 capsule used in the vintage original. It’s been designed to capture the creamy sound of the original with its all-brass, edge-terminated, dual backplate design with a 6 micron 24k gold-sputtered diaphragm.

The WA-251 uses transformer-balanced vacuum tube circuitry to further capture the sound of the classic original. Furthermore, it uses the American-made CineMag transformer with WIMA, Solen French, and polystyrene capacitors. And, nicely driving this microphone is a Slovak Republic JJ 12AY7 vacuum tube.

Like all of the great vintage tube microphones, the WA-251 is also powered by an external power supply unit. Warm Audio includes its own external power supply and an impressively high-quality 7-pin Gotham cable to connect to the microphone. On the front of the power supply, are the outputs and inputs and a 3-way polar pattern selector. The power supply is solid, feels very well-built, with a carrying handle on top.

In terms of hardware and design, Warm Audio seems to check all the boxes for quality. So, how does this microphone sound?

Sound of the WA-251

It would be naive if you expected the WA-251 to sound like a carbon copy of the original vintage. Nonetheless, Warm Audio has indeed done an impressive job with capturing the signature sound qualities and character of the original ‘251. It delivers a high level of clarity while retaining a creamy smooth texture with nice round and warm lows. Overall, we find the sound of this microphone to be very balanced with no clear weaknesses frequency-wise.

We also find that the WA-251 especially shines on vocals. Vocals seem to cut through the mix, requiring little post processing. The WA-251 also does a great job with loud sound sources. It boasts an impressive 132dB max SPL. The only flaw we could seem to find is that this microphone is prone to plosives and seems more affected by the proximity effect. We highly recommend using a pop-filter when recording with the ‘251.

The WA-251’s versatility extends beyond its SPL handling. The ability to cycle between polar patterns on its power supply, makes this microphone very versatile, fit for a variety of recording tasks. You can choose between cardioid, omni-directional and figure-eight patterns. Whether you want to record a larger ensemble or a solo vocalist, this microphone can get the job done. The multiple patterns also open up a variety of recording techniques. This is especially true if you have a second microphone ready to team up with the WA-251 for X-Y or mid-side stereo recording.

Other Mic Comparisons

The ability to use multiple polar patterns and the level of clarity offered by the WA-251, challenges similarly priced microphones, such as the AKG C414 XLII. The C414 is somewhat more versatile, but, when it comes to judging overall character and sound quality, we personally prefer the WA-251. We also have the same preference when comparing Warm Audio’s WA-14 (a reproduction of the vintage C414) to the WA-251.

As we said, there are very few reproductions of the legendary ‘251 available. However, one such reproduction is the Golden Age 251. Although this microphone is far more expensive than Warm Audio’s, we believe it to be inferior in terms of replicating the sound of the original ‘251. In all, we believe that Warm Audio has done a very admirable job in getting the WA-251 as close to the real thing as possible at its affordable price.

WA-251 Tech Specs

• Microphone Type: Large-Diaphragm Tube Condenser
• 3 Polar Patterns: Cardioid, Omnidirectional, Figure-8
• Frequency Response: 20hz to 20khz
• Max SPL: 132dB SPL
• Dynamic Range: 125dBA
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 80dBA
• Self Noise: 12dBA
• Output Impedance: 200 ohms
• Output Type: Balanced 3-pin XLR
• Dimensions: 9.72″ x 1.81″

What’s Included?

The WA-251 comes in a wooden presentation box and includes a shockmount, its power supply unit, and a premium 5 meter (16.4”) Gotham GAC-7 cable. Warm Audio has stated that they tested many various cables and decided to go with the Swiss-made Gotham cable to ensure the highest-quality sound. Warm Audio claims that this particular cable increases high end presence and the size of the recorded image in the stereo field by reducing phase shift (often caused by poor cables). The attention to detail, even with its included cable is a sign of the meticulousness and dedication to quality sound from Warm Audio.

WA-251 Final Verdict

Tube microphones are incredibly expensive, however Warm Audio is able to offer the WA-251 at a price in reach for the common producer. The biggest question we had was whether this would be a mediocre imitation of the original ‘251 or something truly worth the money. It’s been important throughout this whole review to note that the WA-251 is not an exact replica of the classic ‘251. The real point here is how impressively close the WA-251 can get while at its affordable price. And after review, we must say that this microphone turns out to be very impressive.

Its versatility and exceptional sound quality, with no major flaws, makes this a highly recommended microphone. We believe it outperforms most similarly priced microphones. It does fantastic on vocals. The various polar patterns also make it a flexible tool for recording. If you’re looking to upgrade from a cheap microphone to a professional quality microphone with vintage character and versatility, the Warm Audio WA-251 tube condenser microphone has our strongest thumbs up.

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