The Warm Audio WA87 was launched in 2016 as Warm Audio’s first microphone, and it quickly became an instant success story. It was built in effort of creating a clone of the popular U87 microphone from Neumann, while maintaining affordability. Since then, the WA87 remains one of the company’s top selling items overall, as a top quality condenser mic for bottom dollar prices. Of course, a lot has changed in audio technology since 2016, with access to new parts and constant innovation. With this in mind, Warm Audio took the opportunity to revisit its introductory microphone, and give it a 2020 update. The result is the new and improved WA87 R2 (Revision 2).
What’s New?
The WA87 R2 takes everything we’ve come to know and love from the microphone’s first edition, and expands upon it. As Warm Audio itself puts it, “Since the release of the WA-87 in 2016 we’ve learned a bunch more about microphone manufacturing, and we’ve proven that we can shatter the industry’s quality expectations at affordable prices. That experience drove us to see if we could improve the WA-87 in tangible ways without having to raise the price.” The company’s design team was dealt the difficult task of keeping a close emulation of the vintage U87 tone, while still incorporating modern components. As a result, the WA87 R2 effectively implements high-end components such as an NOS Fairchild transistor. Additionally the use of Wima and Nicicon high-bandwidth polystyrene and film capacitors ensures its ability to maintain integrity over time. Same as its predecessor, the updated mic does house the same Cinemag USA output transformer as before. However, Warm Audio promises the R2 brings a slightly increased output level, and improved frequency response.
As a whole, this newly improved edition of an already widely popular mic is absolutely welcome in our book. With this move, Warm Audio has taken its coveted mic a full step forward, and we can’t wait to hear what it sounds like. The WA87 R2 maintains the same market price of its original version, of just $599. To learn more about the updates the WA87 R2 brings, check out its page on the company website. If you’re ready to take the plunge and get the mic for yourself, you can do so using the link below.
