Telefunken ELAM 260 Tube Cardioid Set

The small diaphragm ELA M 260 is arguably one of the industry's finest acoustic and classical recording tube microphones, offering plenty of tone with excellent detail and clarity. While not a historically accurate reproduction of the original ELA M 260 like the Diamond Series microphones, TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik’s version of the ELA M 260 is still built with the same attention to detail and level of quality that would be expected from a TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik microphone.

In use, the ELA M 260 has plenty of tone with excellent detail and clarity. It captures sources with a natural presence, making it a fantastic tool for recording acoustic instruments of all types. Violin, cello, upright bass, drum overheads, percussion, woodwinds, saxophones, strings, and especially acoustic guitar all shine through the ELA M 260. Also, despite its size, it has also served well on vocal applications. Its unique tonal character is very well suited for a myriad of applications, both traditional and not.

The ELA M 260 system features a new circuit design based around a New Old Stock (NOS) EF732 / 5840W vacuum tube and a custom output transformer that is wound to exacting specification in the United States. The combination of these features yields a small diaphragm microphone that is unique while also bearing the qualities of the vintage microphones that it was based upon.

System Configurations & Accessories:
ELA M 260 tube microphone systems include an M 902 power supply, M 860 25’ dual-shielded TX-7 tube microphone cable with right angle female XLR connector, M 761 elastic shock mount, and hard shell zipper carrying case.

The ELA M 260 Cardioid Set system packages are supplied with one interchangeable TK60 cardioid capsule. Additional TK61 Omnidirectional and TK62 Hypercardioid capsules can be purchased and attached separately.

The ELA M 260 Master Set system packages are supplied with a set of three interchangeable capsules: the TK60 Cardioid, TK61 Omnidirectional, and TK62 Hypercardioid. With all three capsules the user can have the flexibility to record their source material in any way they wish.

Type: Pressure Gradient Condenser
Capsule: TK60, TK61, TK62 - 15 mm Edge Terminated Diaphragm
Tube Type: NOS EF732 / 5840W
Transformer: Custom Wound TELEFUNKEN T60
Polar Pattern: Cardioid, Omindirectional, and Hypercardioid (Interchangeable Capsules)
Frequency Range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz, ± 3 dB
Sensitivity: 16.5 mV/Pa ± 1 dB
THD at 1kHZ at 1Pa (Amplifier): < 0.15%
Output Impedance: 200 Ω
Maximum SPL (for 1% THD): 135 dB
S/N Ratio: 83 dBA
Self Noise (Amplifier): 11 dBA
Dimensions: 140 mm L x 21 mm Dia
Weight: 116 g
Current Draw from Mains: 55 mA
Power Supply: M 960 - 7 Pin Female XLR Input, 3 Pin Male XLR Output
Cable: M 860R - 25 ft Accusound TX-7 Cable, Right Angle 7 Pin Female XLR, 7 Pin Male XLR
Wooden Box: WB60
Flight Case: HC60 - Hard Shell Protective Case (not included), FC60S for Stereo Set, FC60T for Tri-Mono Set

US and EU parcels ship via UPS, ETA 1-7 working days from pickup day zero. That also applies to most locations worldwide.

All shipments are fully insured.

Bigger shipments requiring pallets or custom made crates ship to US, CA, JP, CN, AU and other outside of EU locations via DHL Air Freight, ETA is normally approx. 7-14 working days from pickup day zero.

Big shipments inside EU ship via different freight companies, recently mostly via ACE Logistics. Freight forwarders can use different courier companies for deliveries to final destinations.

Palletising and crating time can vary depending on the size of the shipment and packaging queue. We pack all our shipments with great care.

You are most welcome to pick your order up yourself from our Retrosonic Pro Audio showroom, studio and warehouse in Tallinn, Estonia.

We ship worldwide – contact us for a personal shipping quote or any other questions.

VAT (Value Added Tax) can be deducted if you have a company with a valid EU VAT number or if you're based outside of the EU. Non-EU buyers pay all and any import tax and duty as regulated by their local customs.