From the start, we’ve set a goal of every Vanguard design is to meet or exceed the expectations of audio professionals. This means competing with hallowed vintage designs that can cost $10k, $15k, or even $25k, so that’s what we did at every step of the design process! Real studios, real sessions, with time-tested gear as the benchmark…nothing less would satisfy us, and the Vanguard V13 Tube Condenser took 3 years of testing and tweaking to get it right.
We’re undoubtedly biased (10 years of blood, sweat and tears into a company does that), so we’re always thrilled when others make the same comparison and arrive at a similar conclusion!
In this case, Mike Dwyer at The Bunker Recordings / BetterMixes pitted the V13 gen2 Tube Condenser ($1199 street) against some vintage heavy hitters! A Telefunken ELAM 251 (≈$25,000), Neumann U47 (≈$25,000), and Neumann U67 (≈$10,000) all stood against the V13 gen2.
How do you think we did?
Watch the video below to find out…OR use the Soundcloud player or WAV file links below that to come to your own conclusion!
Mike and Julia kindly agreed to send us the lightly mixed and raw comparison files. You can download high-res WAV file comparisons here:
MIXED Shootout Blind File 48k/24-bit
RAW Shootout Blind File 48k/24-bit
Here’s the Soundcloud playlist:
