Golden Age Project GA251-MKII Large Diaphragm Tube Condenser Microphone

Golden Age Project GA251-MKII Large Diaphragm Tube Condenser MicrophoneThe ELA M 251 occupies a coveted spot in the hearts of vintage microphone enthusiasts. However, finding, restoring, and keeping an original ELA M 251 in working condition isnt possible for most recordists. Luckily, the Golden Age Project created the GA 251 MKII to re produce the originals smooth, open sound. In its second incarnation, the GA 251 MKII carries multiple upgrades, including a newly designed brass bass plate, improved grille design, and

The ELA M 251 occupies a coveted spot in the hearts of vintage microphone enthusiasts. However, finding, restoring, and keeping an original ELA M 251 in working condition isn’t possible for most recordists. Luckily, the Golden Age Project created the GA-251 MKII to re-produce the original’s smooth, open sound. In its second incarnation, the GA-251 MKII carries multiple upgrades, including a newly designed brass bass plate, improved grille design, and refined internal wiring via a Rogers circuit board and point-to-point wiring. The Golden Age GA-251 MKII is handcrafted to the tightest tolerances using top-drawer materials, which results in a warm bottom end and sprightly treble response. The GA-251 MKII ships to you in a padded microphone box inside an updated metal flight case.

K251-style capsule

The build quality of the GA-251 MKII is impressive. Its machined brass body is capped off by an iron grille — a critical component that affects a mic’s sonic character. Its 34mm K251-style capsule is dual-sided to provide the GA-251 MKII with both cardioid and omnidirectional polar patterns, supplying you with tremendous latitude in your recording techniques. And for the utmost consistency from mic to mic, the Golden Age Project only uses capsules that can pass their incredibly tight tolerance specifications. They tell us that out of every 200 capsules they test, only 50 are good enough to be installed in the GA-251 MKII.

Vintage-spec tube and transformer

The GA-251 MKII employs a NOS Phillip 5840W super-low-noise pentode tube connected in triode mode in order to decrease noise and distortion. The GA-251’s amplifier boasts a new proprietary circuit designed around the NOS 5840W tube. The GA-251’s custom-designed 10:1 AMI-style dual-bobbin transformer is made from permalloy steel sheet from the USA and enameled wire from Germany. You’ll appreciate the superior quality of this transformer — it delivers a high-resolution sound with excellent sonic balance.

Capacitors and resistors

The French-made Solen coupling capacitor in the Golden Age GA-251 MKII was selected for its delicate and balanced sound and boasts MKP material with pure oxygen-free copper connections. Its NOS Siemens antique-grade polystyrene capsule capacitor was selected for its very low loss. The GA-251’s tube cathode bypass capacitor uses an ELNA OFC Cerafine high-end hi-fi capacitor from Japan, along with oxygen-free copper connections that produce a sweet and delicate character that’s especially flattering on vocals. The other capacitors specified are low-loss polystyrene types. The GA-251 MKII employs a high-quality DALE 1% metal film resistor for capsule voltage and a United States IRC plate resistor with pure copper connections. The result is a rich, full-bodied sound.

The best of vintage and modern

We all agree that vintage gear sounds awesome, but the reality is that manufacturing materials and precision back then were not up to today’s standards. With the design of the GA-251, Golden Age takes a “best of vintage and modern” approach. The internals of the mic are assembled according to this approach. The GA-251 MKII's tidier internal wiring is thanks to a premium Rogers circuit board and point-to-point wiring to the most critical components.