Audio-Technica AT4047/SV Review: A Sleeper That Deserves More Attention

I kind of wish Audio-Technica hadn’t called this microphone the 4047.

Why?

Because 47 is a loaded number in the microphone business. You see those two digits, and what are you supposed to think?

Neumann U47, of course.

And the Audio-Technica AT4047 isn’t a U47. It doesn’t look like a U47. It doesn’t sound like a U47.

Or does it?

Well, perhaps a little bit like a U47 FET.

And when you stop and think about what this microphone actually is, maybe the number makes a little more sense. I’m still not convinced I would have called it the 4047, but Audio-Technica made that decision quite a while ago, and I suppose we’re stuck with it.

Something a Little Different

One of the first things you’ll notice about the AT4047 is that it doesn’t look quite like most other Audio-Technica microphones. Instead of the familiar black finish, it has a distinctive silver-beige, almost bronze-colored appearance.

It’s not particularly flashy, but it does stand out.

More importantly, there’s something different going on inside.

The AT4047 is a solid-state, FET-based condenser microphone with a transformer-coupled output. That’s significant because many modern condenser microphones, including a number of Audio-Technica models, use transformerless output circuitry.

And the transformer is part of the sound.

The AT4047 was designed with a more traditional sonic character in mind, drawing on the sort of FET microphone circuitry that became popular in professional studios decades ago.

That doesn’t make it a U47 FET clone, and I wouldn’t suggest that it sounds exactly like one.

But there is a certain family resemblance in the concept: a large-diaphragm condenser with solid-state electronics, a transformer-coupled output, and a sound that isn’t necessarily trying to be as clinically transparent as possible.

Whatever Audio-Technica’s intentions were with the model number, the result is a very good microphone.

How Does It Sound?

The AT4047 has a character that I find quite appealing.

It’s a little different from some of the other Audio-Technica microphones I’ve owned. There’s a certain solidity to the sound, particularly in the lower midrange, and it doesn’t have the somewhat aggressive high-frequency character that I’ve occasionally found objectionable in models such as the AT4033.

It’s not an excessively colored microphone, but neither is it completely anonymous.

I’ve had very good results using it on vocals. It has enough presence to keep a voice intelligible and forward without making everything sound unnaturally bright.

Of course, that depends on the singer. No microphone is going to flatter every voice.

But the AT4047 has worked well often enough that I regard it as a very useful vocal microphone.

Kick Drums and Guitar Amplifiers

I’ve also used the AT4047 outside a kick drum, much as one might use a Neumann U47 FET.

And that’s an application where the comparison becomes a little more interesting.

A microphone outside the resonant head of a bass drum needs to capture considerably more than just the initial attack. You want the weight of the drum, the low-frequency development, and the character of the shell and heads.

The AT4047 can do that very nicely.

I’ve also had good luck using it on guitar amplifiers.

It’s a useful microphone when you want something with a little more body than you might get from a particularly bright condenser, without resorting to a microphone that imposes an enormous amount of its own character on the source.

It isn’t necessarily the first microphone I’d choose for every guitar amplifier, but it’s one that I’m perfectly happy to use.

And that brings me to one of the things I like most about it.

The Microphone That Gets the Job Done

The AT4047 is something of a sleeper.

Actually, I think that’s true of quite a few Audio-Technica microphones.

They don’t always get the recognition they deserve.

Part of that may be because Audio-Technica doesn’t make much of a spectacle of its professional microphones. They’re generally nicely finished, but not extravagantly so. They don’t look like jewelry, and they’re not necessarily the microphones that impress someone walking into a studio for the first time.

The company’s 50 Series is something of an exception.

The AT5040, for example, is an extraordinary piece of industrial design. Even its shock mount looks like jewelry.

But the AT4047 is a much more conventional-looking product.

It’s simply a well-made microphone that does its job.

And does it very well.

I’ve had excellent experiences with Audio-Technica microphones across a wide range of prices, including the comparatively inexpensive 20 Series. The company seems to understand how to build reliable, consistent products without charging a fortune for them.

The AT4047 is a particularly good example.

A Useful Microphone to Have Around

One of the interesting things about owning a reasonably large microphone collection is that your most expensive microphones aren’t necessarily the ones you use most often.

Sometimes you’ve already allocated a particularly desirable microphone to another instrument. Sometimes you want a different sonic character. And sometimes you simply need another good microphone without having to think too hard about it.

That’s where the AT4047 comes in.

It gets a respectable amount of use in my studio, particularly when some of the more expensive or more heavily colored microphones are already occupied.

And I’ve never regarded using it as a compromise.

It’s a microphone I’m happy to put in front of a source, and one that has rewarded me with consistently good results.

The Verdict

The Audio-Technica AT4047 is an excellent large-diaphragm condenser microphone with a useful sonic character, transformer-coupled output, and the sort of build quality I’ve come to expect from the company.

I’ve used mine successfully on vocals, outside kick drums, and on guitar amplifiers. It’s versatile, dependable, and relatively affordable compared with some of the microphones whose territory it approaches.

Does it sound like a U47?

Not really.

Does it have something in common with the U47 FET concept?

I think it does.

Would I have called it the 4047?

Probably not.

But I certainly recommend it.

In fact, I wish I had a second one.