Upton Microphones 251 Tube Condenser Microphone

Shipping was a nightmare. Shipped to the wrong address and I asked for it to be packed in a safe package which it wasn't. Not happy.

I've owned a lauten audio eden and a manley ref c for several years. Each of which have their own. Character and voice.
The upton 251 is definitely a mic in its own lane.
The sound of the upton is smoother, less harsh and detailed that the other mics I own are not.
I can honestly say that the upton is probably my most liked mic.
I find myself reaching for it 1st when I have an artist come by to lay down vocals. It's definitely worth the purchase.
Great mic!

Love it! I was in the market for a high end, quality microphone and upon research I landed on this after looking at 251 “clones”. Before my purchase a month ago I never even heard of Upton! Of what you can find online, it seems everyone had nothing but good things to say about the Upton 251. It was one of those “if you know, you know” type of situations. I was skeptical at first being I never heard of this brand, I didn’t see it on other big retailers websites such as Sweetwater & guitar center (although that should never be your deciding factor), and lastly the price. I was hesitant spending 4K+ on a microphone I never heard of when there are cheaper/trusted pro level options like U87, Manley Ref C, Etc. Ultimately I took the leap and ordered the Upton knowing I had 30 days to send it back if I didn’t like my purchase. AND WOW. It really does exceed expectations! The sound is so full and cuts through the mix! So much body with just the right amount of high end! I took it over to my buddies studio who has a Telefunken ELA M251 reissued model and we did a shoot out which proved to me I made the right choice AND saved 5k LOL. I also hear Dallas Upton is very responsive and will even tweak the capsule to your liking if ever needed which is a plus to any paying customer.

THE ONLY REASON I GAVE 4 STARS was due to receiving my microphone without one of those nice wooden boxes high end mics come in! Sounds so small but really is a BIG bummer especially when you paid what everyone else paid that did receive them. I freelance and travel so carrying this big pelican it was sent in is really inconvenient. Stephen at Vintage King said there was not any smaller carrying options he could find for me unfortunately. Hopefully when Upton starts manufacturing them again I can go redeem the one I never received.

Besides that, great sounding microphone. Would recommend this to anyone in the market for a 251 clone or anyone just looking for a high end mic to add to their locker.

This is a perfect microphone for me as a vocalist! It has a nice top end that cuts through but has the girth as well. It also records electric and acoustic guitar exceptionally well! These are the best 251 clones made by far!

This mic is perfection. Built like a tank and sounds like a 251, smooth but crispy with balanced mid range. Very high quality and works amazing with processing and EQ- it’s sounds like what you expect to hear on a finished vocal.

An absolutely incredible microphone! You won’t be disappointed :-)

I’ve been owning this mic for the past 3 months and I couldn’t be happier to share my experience.
I was looking for the perfect Pop/rnb/rap/country vocal mic, but also a great solution to record acoustic guitars.
After multiple comparisons between, Mojave ma-1000, telefunken tf-51, sony c-800g, manley cardioid, telefunken elam 251 us and Upton 251
on both male and female singers every mic had a distinctive and different sound. I loved the Sony, the tf51 and obviously the tf elam251, but the Upton sounded always a little more “perfect” and finished than the others, especially in the mix, it always tends to find its space very easly.
I use it with a 1073 and a tubetech cl1b, this chain on this mic really gives me a huge body, presence and nice sparkle on the top end without ever being sibilant. From my tests the Upton sounds almost identical to the elam251 but with a little more body and I’d say more pleasant high frequencies. Amazing results also on guitars.

Totally digging it!!! Put a lot of time to research this with many varied opinions etc. taking about it is one thing actually using it is a whole other experience. Made the right decision and thanks to Josh for his patience and direction as always.