United has announced the UT Vintage87, a premium large-diaphragm condenser microphone that promises ‘the unmistakable sound and essence of one of history’s most in-demand studio microphones to a more accessible price’.
The UT Vintage87 removes the pattern-select circuitry found in the original classic, yielding a truer, hotter, and cleaner cardioid response. A switchable output filter blocks RF and EM interference, ensuring consistent performance in today’s recording environments.
‘Sometimes people assume that because you make a less expensive version of a product that you have cut some corners in terms of quality of ingredients,’ says United co-founder, Chad Kelly. ‘With The UT Vintage87, we have cut no corners whatsoever. It’s built from the same components as the UT Twin87 inside and out; we just eliminated features some users may not need. We made no compromises at all; it has all the warmth, balance, and consistency of the classic, while removing the barriers that usually keep microphones like this out of reach.’
UT Twin87, at the heart of the UT Vintage87 is United’s custom K87-style dual-diaphragm capsule, the UT-K87. Precision milled from brass, skinned with 6μm (micron) Japanese PET film, and finished with a 24k gold-sputtered membrane, each capsule is assembled in a strict clean-room environment. It’s a modern, high-efficiency design that faithfully captures the robust, well-balanced character of the original classics.
Supporting the capsule is a large-core, custom-wound, US-made output transformer developed by United. Inspired by early German transformer designs, but rebuilt without any of the size or mass limitations, the UT transformer uses all-nickel laminations and nearly four times the metal mass of typical 87-style mic transformers. The result is unmatched headroom, an open and three- dimensional sound, and a low-frequency response that remains fully intact on even the longest cable runs.
Components rarely found at this price include polystyrene, tantalum, multilayer ceramic, and WIMA film capacitors; tight-tolerance metal and carbon film resistors; and individually selected transistors throughout the circuit.
Key Features:
- Faithful reproduction of the vintage German studio mic.
- Custom 24k gold-sputtered dual-diaphragm/dual-backplate K87-style capsule.
- Switchable RF filter (first time on a vintage-style, ‘87-style mic).
- True-cardioid pattern — slightly hotter, more pure, and boasts a better signal-to-noise ratio than the classic original.
- Custom-wound, American-made United transformer.
- Clean, clear, articulate, open sound.
- Low noise, high headroom and dynamic range.
The United UT Tube67 will ship to dealers worldwide in Q1 2026 with a US MAP of US$399 and an EU SSP of €529.00 (inc. 19% VAT).