Neumann KMS105
A studio-grade condenser shrunk into a handheld stage mic - with all the rewards and all the caveats that implies.
Overview
The first thing you notice is the weight: roughly 300 grams of thick-walled metal. It feels less like a stage microphone than a small studio instrument. The KMS105 is Neumann's supercardioid handheld condenser, part of the "fet 100" series. It was built for one job - putting a solo vocalist's voice into a live sound system with the kind of uncolored accuracy that usually stays in the control room. Neumann's own documentation states the design goal plainly: extraordinarily true sound transduction free of coloration, with a balanced, transformerless output.
The capsule is a pressure-gradient transducer with a supercardioid pattern. The manual positions it as the choice for the best front-to-back rejection ratio. That's the opposite priority from its sibling, the KMS104, whose cardioid capsule is tuned for the best rear rejection. On a loud stage the supercardioid null sits off-axis rather than directly behind. Neumann notes the directional characteristic is retained all the way down to the bass frequencies, which is where feedback rejection in a vocal mic actually lives. The frequency range runs 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Sensitivity is 4.5 mV/Pa (that's -47 dBV re. 1 Pa), measured at 1 kHz into a 1 kohm rated load.
The self-noise figures are where the condenser pedigree shows. Neumann rates signal-to-noise at 66 dB CCIR-weighted and 76 dB A-weighted, against an equivalent noise level of 28 dB CCIR and 18 dB-A. Eighteen dB-A is quiet for a handheld. Maximum SPL is spec'd at 150 dB for less than 0.5% THD, and the transformerless, high-loadability circuit is designed so that even loud plosive sounds don't overload the front end. There's also a built-in acoustic filter, and the manual credits it with suppressing plosives while preserving the capsule's directional behavior down low. Sibilants and S-sounds come through with their natural accentuation, which is what you want from a condenser and what some engineers find they weren't prepared for.
Two practical details need attention. First, the mic is intended for close talking, so the low-frequency response is equalized to compensate for proximity effect, and there's a fixed high-pass filter built in - corner frequency -3 dB at 120 Hz, measured in the free field. That filter is not switchable. Mix (July 2000, p.146) noted in its field test that, unlike the more costly KMS140/150, the 105 does not include switchable high-pass filters or pads. That's a real limitation if you're used to tailoring a mic on the fly. Second, the body is nickel-matte or black, both finishes catalogued (008454 for nickel, 008455 for black), and it ships with an SG 105 stand clamp. The mount is a standard-sized clip, which Mix pointed out simplifies onstage setups and breakdowns. Power is standard P48 phantom at 48 V ± 4 V drawing 3.5 mA, via an XLR3F connector. The output is balanced and transformerless, with pin 2 positive.
The barrel is 48 mm in diameter and 180 mm long. The wire mesh basket protects the capsule, and the inner mesh is removable for cleaning or replacement. The acoustic filters are built from steel gauze and foam that can be unscrewed and cleaned when needed. Neumann's optional WSS 100 foam windscreens come in black, ivory, red, green, blue, and yellow. They're 90 mm across, with no disturbing resonances and only a slight effect on the top end (roughly -3 dB at 15 kHz). In pulsating air currents from a noiseless wind machine at 20 km/h, the screens measured 27 dB of wind noise attenuation without the electrical filter engaged.
On to how it was received. Sound on Sound (February 2001, p.38) framed the problem in its review: plenty of high-quality condensers excel at capturing the singing voice in the controlled environment of a studio, but achieving similar quality during a live stage performance is a far greater challenge. The KMS105 was Neumann's newest answer to it. The same review drew a line back to the KM84, noting the two share many similarities though the capsule design differs.
Here is what the KMS105 doesn't have. It has no pad, no filter switch, and no battery compartment, so it needs phantom power. The fixed 120 Hz high-pass and the proximity-effect equalization mean the mic has opinions about how close you should be, and singers who work the mic at varying distances will hear them. The supercardioid pattern demands a little more care with monitor placement than a cardioid, since the null is off-axis. And a mic this revealing flatters a good voice and exposes a bad one. The "free of coloration" claim in Neumann's literature cuts both ways in a live room full of wedges.
Collectors and working engineers tend to treat the KMS105 as a tool rather than a trophy. The thick-walled metal housing is built to survive stage use, and the manual makes a point of the design's resistance to adverse environments. The replaceable mesh and cleanable filters mean a well-used example can be brought back to spec. The KMS104's cardioid sibling and the pricier KMS140/150 sit around it in the lineup. Buyers weighing the 105 against those should know the trade: the 105 gives up switchable filtering and padding in exchange for its price position, as Mix observed at the time.
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