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The V72 and V76 microphone preamps from TAB/Telefunken are two of the most time honored pieces of gear in recording history. From their creation in 1950s Germany to their use in the world’s most famous studios, these beautiful, rich sounding tube mic pres have become a staple on kick, snare, vocals, bass, etc. Continue on down the page to learn about the history of these mic pres and their family of variations.
In the aftermath of World War II, the infrastructure of Germany was in tatters. As part of the overall rebuilding, the broadcast sector was reengineered from the ground up. Back in 1928, (the same year that Georg Neumann founded his company and began manufacturing the CMV 3 microphone), the electrical giants AEG and Siemens collaborated under the name Telefunken and created the V41 tube preamplifier.
The V41 became the industry-standard preamp for German broadcast, (as well as being used in the famous Magnetophon, the first open-reel tape recorder). Based on the EF12 steel cased tube (a relative of the famous VF14), the V41 had gain settings from 20-50 dB in 5 dB increments. After World War II, this preamp was modified and became the V41b, made by Telefunken, Siemens, EAB and Maihak to a standardized design. This preamp lasted until 1949 in West Germany, but was built until 1958 in East Germany by RFT, C. Lorenz AG, and Funkwerk Erfurt.
The V41 was also the forebear of a family of tube amplifiers: the V42 isolation amp; the V43 low power amp; the V44 power amp; the V46 playback amp; and the V47/V47b recording amplifier. These latter two were the broadcast standard from after the war, until about 1952, and were also used in conjunction with the V41 preamp in the Magnetophon recorder.
In 1948, an international conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark to determine radio frequency allotments for the crowded European airwaves. As West Germany was still under Allied control, it had no representative at the conference, and thus it was doled out the least-usable frequencies, in the medium-wave band. Rather than attempt to work at a disadvantage, German engineers realized that they could use the unregulated (and more importantly, unclaimed) VHF frequencies (aka Ultra Short Wave). But VHF was far more suitable for broadcast in Frequency Modulation (FM), rather than the standard Amplitude Modulation (AM). Thus Germany moved into the FM arena, and was the first country to do so on a wide scale.
The move to FM was a bold step for West Germany, because it’s inherently superior audio quality required them to upgrade their equipment. But since most of their radio network had been decimated by the war, they needed to be rebuilt anyway. Thus the need arose to engineer equipment with better signal-to-noise ratio, as well as frequency response. Part of the effort hinged on the standard pre-war pre-amp, the V41. The minor upgrade to the V41b was not good enough, so something better had to be built. And thus was born the famous V72 preamplifier.
The name TELEFUNKEN dates back to 1903. The company began as a joint venture between Siemens & Halske and AEG (Allgemeine-Elektrizitãts-Gesellschaft, or General Electric Company). Siemens & Halske was busy developing wireless communication for the German Army, while AEG was doing so for the Imperial German Navy. When a dispute concerning patents came up, German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II urged the two groups to join efforts, and the shared company TELEFUNKEN was born. The prefix "tele-" comes from the Latin word for distance, and "funken" is the German word for spark, or to make work through electric spark.
The city of Hamburg, West Germany was home to both the Broadcast Technology Institute / Rundfunktechnische Institut (RTI) and the North West German Radio/Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR). Together the RTI (later renamed IRT) and NWDR created all-new standards for broadcast equipment, including preamplifiers. These standards were later enshrined in the famous "Braunbuch" (Brown Book).
The V72 was developed by a team of engineers at the NWDR under the direction of Professor Nestler, who had once been in charge of R&D at the famous Electro Acoustic Lab (ELA) of AEG/Telefunken. The team at NWDR also developed many other famous audio products such as the EMT 140 plate reverb, the Hiller MSC2 vacuum tube, and the Neumann M49 microphone and KK47 capsule, all of which were licensed to or improved upon by these namesake companies.
Based on the V41, the design of the V72 had very similar circuitry, other than the gain control. Outwardly it was placed in the more compact "Danner" style cassette module (so-named for the K. Danner company of Berlin, maker of passive EQ's and faders). It also used more modern glass tubes; originally the EF40 (glass version of the steel EF12) in the first 300 units made by the NWDR and Maihak, and then EF804 and EF804S in the mass-production units.
The postwar design concept of German broadcasting was based around interchangeable modules for the audio path (all tube-based of course). They were thus the grandfather of the modular audio console. The V72 was only one among many modules of that time, and could be used almost anywhere in the signal chain, from mic input to line amp. However its main application was a microphone amplifier, the use it is most known for in modern studios.
The V72 is completely self-contained, having its own 220v PSU, with mains power and balanced I/O's all handled by the 12-pin Tuchel connection. Having a fixed gain of 34 dB, and maximum output of +16 dBu, the V72 was also used as a buffering amp in conjunction with a high pass filter module like the Neumann W75k (with cutoffs at 40, 80 and 160 Hz) or a passive fader like the Danner MR66/88. But its reign as the predominant preamp in German broadcast lasted only until 1955, when the higher-gain 776 was introduced, at which point the V72 was relegated to use only as a buffering amp.
After Maihak built a couple hundred V72s, Telefunken began mass production, followed in 1954 by the giant Siemens company and the smaller TAB company of Wuppertal, Germany (TAB is an acronym for Tonographie Apparatebau - literally "Tonography Apparatus Construction"). By 1963, the era of the V72 had come to an end, as the age of transistors had arrived, and it was replaced by the V72t ('t' for transistor). Siemens continued to build the V72 until 1964, and the V72b until 1966, (when Telefunken also stopped production). TAB continued to build the V72a until the mid 1970s.
V71: A half size Danner cassette, with a switchable gain from 19 to 34 dB. The smaller size required an external PSU such as the Danner style N52, (the N52a version is famous for powering Neumann mics with an AC701 tube, such as the M49 and M269). The V71 was only made by Malotki, in limited quantities.
V76: Also known as the King Daddy of mic pres. Designed and manufactured by TAB, introduced in 1956, and the head of its own sub-family. Essentially the V76 is a pair of V72's in series, capable of 76 dB of gain, (hence the name). The gain is switchable in 12 steps of 6 dB increments. The V76 has a shelf EQ at 80 Hz and 300 Hz, or a combination of the two.
There are also built-in cutoffs at 40 Hz and 15 kHz (these can be bypassed to realize frequency response from 10 Hz to 35 kHz, but it is arguable if this mod is desirable or not.). The gain circuit combines variable feedback and input attenuation to provide low noise across the gain range. The higher gain is thanks to an E83F pentode and a trio of EF804 tubes, instead of the pair found in the V72.
V76/120: Introduced by TAB in 1960, this model has a shelf EQ at 120 Hz, and also at 300 Hz, as well as the ability to combine the two settings. Nearly identical to the V76, except for the different filter choke for the cut off frequency. This unit was designed for television studios and became a standard in TV production.
V76/80: When the V76/120 was introduced, the original V76 began to be called the V76/80 to distinguish the two at a quick glance. This is why early units are engraved V76, and later units as V76/80. The changeover occurred somewhere between serial numbers 1050 to 1175. The V76 and the V76/80 are the same unit.
V76/S: Also introduced in 1960, with the 'S' standing for Schallplatte, i.e., vinyl LP. This model was marketed to disc cutting labs and provides a frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. It has multiple cutoff frequencies of 8-10-12-15 kHz, and 30 - 60 - 120 Hz. The cores for the filter inductors are made from nickel/iron alloy, rather than the ferrite cores in the normal 76/80 and /120 models, therefore their tone is different.
V76/M: This model was intended as a precision laboratory amplifier, thus the M indicates 'Messverstärker', or 'measurement amplifier' (not 'mastering' as is commonly thought). As you might expect, these were very different from the standard V76 amp, including no input or high/ low filters, an input transformer set for 10 kOhm impedance and only 60 dB of gain, available in constantly variable 1 dB increments. Precision was a must with this amp, so the frequency response is linear from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. A rare model with maybe 600 units made.
V76/F: This rare model was introduced much later and used in larger consoles with remotely controlled gain, hence the letter F standing for 'fernsteuerung', meaning "remote control'. Does not have the filters found in the standard V76/80 or 176/120.
V77: Made by Siemens, the V77 is very similar to the V72, but with a different input transformer and adjustable gain up to 80 dB. This extra gain required a different power transformer with two separate filament windings to keep the noise floor under control, although the choke coil and output transformer are the same as the V72. The V77 is housed in a single width Danner cassette, the same as the V72, and thus requires an external gain control when racking, as there is no control on the unit.
V78: Another unit very similar to the V72, but with 70 dB of adjustable gain. Made by both Siemens and TAB, these are much rarer than a 172, and often have a mod to include a gain control on the faceplate. Used more as a talkback amp, its circuitry differs enough from the V72 that the tone is lacking and is usually modded back to V72 specs for use as a mic pre.
V72A: Released in 1964, this model was designed by TAB as a successor to the standard V72. Rather than the pair of EF804 tubes, it uses one E180F and one EF95 pentode. When the V76 was introduced, the higher output would often distort a 772 being used as a buffering amp, so the V72a was designed to overcome this problem, with a variable gain from 24 to 44 dB and maximum output of +22 dBu. The V72A is a great pair to the V76, with plenty of head room to handle its high output level. It has a better signal-to-noise ratio and less inter modulation distortion than the V72, and is an excellent mastering amp.
V72B: This was the Siemens response to the same over-modulation problem solved by TAB with the V72A. In the case of the Siemens model, the tubes employed are the E88CC and the E283CC. As with its relative the V72A, the specs on inter-modulation distortion and signal-to-noise ratio are much better than the standard V72, and it is probably a better mastering amp than a mic pre.
V72S: This model by Siemens was similar to the V72, but with different circuitry. The V72S with 40 dB of fixed gain and lower input impedance, was marketed toward recording studios, being used extensively by companies like Decca and EMI, (most famously by the Beatles in the REDD 37 console). A highly regarded done of this rare module is made by Mercury Recording Equipment Company, the Mercury M72 s.
V74A: This model is similar in some respects to the V72A. Like its predecessor, the V74, it was meant as a distribution amplifier, and thus it only has a maximum gain of 10 dB, with three floating transformer balanced outputs.
V77B: This model uses a different circuit than the V72; it could be seen as a V72 modified to V77 specs (see above). There is a version of the V77b with adjustable gain from 40to 70 dB.
It is difficult to say how many V7x amplifiers were made, as some of the 'family' models may not have been numbered separately. For example, there are allegedly only about 600 V76M units made, which makes sense for a measurement amplifier, but we have seen them up to serial numbers above 5600, so it's likely that these special versions of the standard 176 were given the next available serial number in the V76 line.
That being the case, we can estimate by rounding up to the nearest hundred from the highest serial numbers we have seen here at Vintage King for the main models, where we have sold more of these preamps than anybody else in the business: 172 = 12900; V74 = 7000; V76 = 6100; V78 = 900. That comes to 26,900 units.
Vintage V76 Mic Pre vs. Universal Audio V76 Plug-In
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There are several companies that have current analog reproductions and digital emulations of the classic TAB / Telefunken mic pres. Mercury has crafted their M72m and M76m, both of which feature dual mono, tube mic pres inspired by the vintage tone of the originals. In the digital realm, there are several plug-ins options, including the Arturia V76 and Waves Audio REDD. Universal Audio has recently launched their own version of the V76 mic pre.
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