A milestone in the history of microphone development

• the world's first stereo condenser microphone (SM2)
• timeless, elegant design
• in its time the most expensive Neumann studio microphone
• basically consists of two KM56 (2x AC701 tubes)
• the two capsules arranged on top of each other can be twisted against each other for any stereo width
• the polar pattern can be switched over for every channel at the power supply unit
• in contrast to the SM2, which is optically and sound-wise identical, the SM23 is operated with two psu's
• manufacturing period: 1957-1966 (SM2), 1961-1966 (SM23)
• This microphone is no longer available. An equivalent alternative is a Neumann KM56 Stereo Set

Favourite applications: high quality stereo recordings (X/Y, M/S, Blumlein); main microphone for orchestras; room mic; piano/grand piano, all plucked instruments; when used for mono recordings a belated mix of the directional responses is possible