Pricing and availability

* Product prices and availability are updated by Equipboard every 24hrs and are subject to change. Equipboard may receive compensation for purchases made at participating retailers linked on this site. This compensation does not affect what products or prices are displayed, or the order of prices listed. For more information, please refer to our affiliate disclosure.

Description

The Telefunken V72 is a legendary studio preamp known for its warm, vintage sound that has shaped countless iconic recordings. Originally developed in the 1950s, the V72 is the epitome of timeless analog excellence, revered by audio engineers for its ability to deliver rich, detailed audio with a smooth, musical quality. This unit is famed for its tube-driven circuitry, which provides a distinctive character that can elevate any recording.

With its simple, robust design, the Telefunken V72 remains a favorite in both professional and home studios. It pairs seamlessly with a variety of microphones, bringing out the best in vocal and instrumental performances alike. The V72's resilience and reliability make it a perfect choice for those seeking to capture the warmth and depth of analog sound. Whether you're recording a delicate acoustic piece or a powerful rock anthem, this preamp ensures your tracks are imbued with a classic, high-fidelity charm.

Key Features:

  • Authentic tube-driven circuitry for a warm, vintage sound
  • Tried-and-true design from the 1950s
  • Compatible with a wide range of microphones
  • Ideal for both professional and home studio environments
  • Renowned for its smooth, musical quality in recordings
Vintage King

Vintage King

Telefunken V72 Tube Mic Preamp | VintageKing.com

Video thumbnail for Telefunken V72 Tube Mic Preamp | VintageKing.com by Vintage King

Telefunken V72 Tube Mic Preamp | VintageKing.com

Vintage King

Vintage King

Video thumbnail for Sound Test 1 of preamps Vintage Neve 1073, BAE 1073, Vintage Telefunken V72 by RustGL

Sound Test 1 of preamps Vintage Neve 1073, BAE 1073, Vintage Telefunken V72

RustGL

RustGL

Video thumbnail for Telefunken V72 Wood Lunchbox | VintageKing.com by Vintage King

Telefunken V72 Wood Lunchbox | VintageKing.com

Vintage King

Vintage King

Reviews

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Telefunken V72.

Comparisons

  • Telefunken V676 preamps compare well with vintage Neves, with notable engineer Russell Elevado swearing by them for a high-quality sound.

    Source
  • The Telefunken V76 is praised for its potential in specific applications, with some users comparing its capabilities favorably to other vintage tube gear like the RCA units.

    Source
  • The V76 and V72 are sought after for their unique sound, with some considering alternatives like the Locomotive Audio WT-72 for a similar tonal flavor.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • The V676 pair is favored for mix buss applications, offering a unique tonal color that some users find preferable to modern Neve models.

    Source
  • The V76 is considered excellent for central mix elements, while solid-state preamps are preferred for peripheral mix elements for better headroom.

    Source

Value and pricing

  • Despite being less known, the Telefunken V676 offers a comparable experience to vintage Neves without the high price tag, making it a cost-effective choice.

    Source

Features and functionality

  • Telefunken V676s are solid-state, contrasting with the tube-based V72/V76 models, and are noted for slightly colored preamp tones.

    Source
  • Tube preamps like the V76 offer a distinct sound suitable for specific musical elements, often described as thick and full with plenty of air, without noticeable saturation unless pushed hard.

    Source

User experience

  • One user notes that the Telefunken V76 can be "badass" on certain sources, particularly when used correctly, even though solid-state preamps are their primary choice.

    Source

5.0 out of 5

Based on 1 Review and 2 Ratings

5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
rodrigo_ogando

Very cool and smooth

Very nice sounding pre. Ive got mine recently, and worked with one a couple of times before. It has a fixed gain of -34db, signal is quiet, but enough for most mics. It needs an extra circuit for phantom and all the regular switches and xlr IO. I understand that it could be modified to be a v77, with -56db, but im not sure if it changes the way it sounds. Mines stock. Up to now ive use it with a tlm102, and it sounds very silky with flutes. It has some really cool vintage classical music vibes. Di bass with this is very impressive, the best ive ever heard. Very punchy, nice round attack. Mpc drum machines sound very smooth through this!

Artist usage

Add artist
See how David Gilmour uses Telefunken V72

David Gilmour

Guitarist

Pink Floyd

...
Verified via Soundonsound

Used for Gilmour's vocals on On An Island, as mentioned by sound engineer Andy Jackson in this July 2006 Sound on Sound article.

"Actually, it's very straightforward — voice — nice microphone, nice mic amp, nice compressor. There you go. For reverbs I tend to be old-school and use an EMT plate. I had a couple of plates and a Lexicon Hall — that was our palette. The vocal chain starts with that Sony tube mic with the heatsink on the side, the C800G, and it is the most fantastic microphone. We have a couple of those, one in the studio and one for David to use at home, which is another reason his demos sounded so good. That feeds an old Neumann V72 mic preamp and then EAR EQs and compressors like the ones I use here in my mastering system. I would compress his voice but only fairly gently with a tickle of 2:1, then maybe do that again on the mix. That's with the exception of the rock songs of course, which were completely mashed in a Fairchild! The thing is, David makes my life easy — stick him on the phone and he sounds great! He is not a difficult person to record — great technique and a great voice."

See how Joe Satriani uses Telefunken V72

Joe Satriani

Guitarist

Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes

...
Verified via Premierguitar

Used on Engines of Creation, as mentioned in this December 11, 2007 Premier Guitar interview.

I would plug my Ibanez JS1000 guitar into various pedals and into a variety of amp heads, then into a Palmer speaker simulator. Then I used a few different mic pres – Neves, V72s, etc. Sometimes we would aim for traditional sounds, other times not. Sometimes a plug-in would do the trick and other times it’s just all the pedals we found on the floor plugged in and turned up!

See how Richie Kotzen uses Telefunken V72

Richie Kotzen

Singer, Guitarist

Poison

...
Verified via YouTube

In this video, at 2:20, Richie Kotzen shows and mentions the Telefunken V72 mic preamps

See how Trey Spruance uses Telefunken V72

Trey Spruance

Guitarist, Keyboardist

Faith No More

...
Verified via Tapeop

Well, sort of. I got a PC laptop. A Quantex, 10 gig, black monster that had a PCMCIA slot and Samplitude 3. I found a Korean company called Ego-Sys, that at the time was creating this thing called a WaMi Box — this breakout box that had S/PDIF in on it, which enabled me to hook it into my HHB Portadat, which had really good preamps. The chain was crazy: [AKG] C 414s into my Telefunken V72s, into the HHB DAT, engage the record head and then run the S/PDIF into the WaMi Box and into the laptop. And this was a portable setup. I took it with me on tour with Mr. Bungle and recorded a lot.

See how Jonathan Wilson uses Telefunken V72

Jonathan Wilson

Guitarist

Eisley

...
Verified via YouTube

Jonathan Wilson talks through the racks in his studio

See how The Dust Brothers uses Telefunken V72

The Dust Brothers

Composer, Music Producer

...
Verified via Soundonsound

Per Sound On Sound, May 2005:

I also have various Pultecs, a couple of LA2A compressors, a couple of 1176s, LA4A, RCA BA6A, Neve 1073, 1076, Neve stereo compressor, Neve mastering EQ, Manley massive/passive, Manley DI, Manley mic pres, Telefunken V72, V76, Mastering Labs mic pres, Distressor, the SSL compressor and all the great microphones.

Album Usage

The Telefunken V72 has been featured on the following albums:

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Telefunken V72, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

Universal Audio 1176LN
Universal Audio 1176LN Effects Processors
2
Akai MPC 2000
Akai MPC 2000 Keyboards, Synthesizers & MIDI
1
E-mu SP-12
E-mu SP-12 Keyboards, Synthesizers & MIDI
1
Urei 1178 Dual Peak Limiter
1
Altec 1592B
Altec 1592B Effects Processors
1
Akai MPC60
Akai MPC60 Production & Groove
1

More Telefunken Preamps

Avalon VT-737SP

$1,643.00 - $4,199.00

# 1

Rank

Matthew Bellamy Skrillex Chris Stapleton
106 artists using
API 512c

$840.37 - $977.00

# 2

Rank

Kevin Parker Jack White Ray Toro
33 artists using
AMS Neve 1073

$3,394.26 - $4,115.00

# 4

Rank

Kevin Parker Billie Joe Armstrong John Mayer
86 artists using
Focusrite ISA One

$515.00 - $699.99

# 5

Rank

Mac DeMarco Lil Peep Bonobo
10 artists using
Universal Audio 4-710D

$1,750.00 - $1,999.00

# 6

Rank

Ray Toro Dijon Oneohtrix Point Never
10 artists using
AMS Neve 1073LB

$945.57 - $1,285.00

# 7

Rank

Chris Martin Lorn Manny Marroquin
14 artists using
Radial Tonebone PZ-Pre

$333.00 - $464.00

# 8

Rank

Chris Cornell James Taylor Masaru Teramae
11 artists using
Rupert Neve Designs 511

$777.00 - $849.00

# 9

Rank

Josh Dun Oliver Ackermann Bibio
5 artists using
AMS Neve 1073DPA

$1,890.00 - $2,830.00

# 10

Rank

Avicii Steven Wilson Matt Berry
12 artists using
AMS Neve 1073 SPX Preamp / EQ

$1,699.00 - $2,095.00

# 11

Rank

Geddy Lee Keshi Andy Morin
9 artists using
Warm Audio WA73-EQ

$729.00 - $899.00

# 12

Rank

George Clanton nothing,nowhere. Josh Turner
6 artists using
Focusrite OctoPre MkII

 

# 13

Rank

Kevin Parker Brian Eno Ulrich Wild
5 artists using
Focusrite ISA Two

$795.00 - $999.99

# 14

Rank

Frank Ocean Yuki Kajiura Sick Individuals
3 artists using
ART Tube MP

$45.00 - $129.99

# 17

Rank

Mac McCaughan Tobin Sprout Andre .S
5 artists using
Audient ASP880

$800.00 - $1,799.99

# 18

Rank

Tim Henson Alex Rüdinger Shook
5 artists using
Art Tube MP Project Series

$143.00 - $169.00

# 21

Rank

mndsgn James Petralli Mirrored Theory
3 artists using
Great River ME-1NV MIC PREAMP

$1,150.00 - $1,500.00

# 22

Rank

Matt Didemus Andy Schichter
2 artists using
ART Pro MPA II

$492.00 - $579.00

# 24

Rank

Josh Turner Ivan Julian Zac Tiessen
3 artists using
Warm Audio WA12

$300.00 - $449.00

# 25

Rank

George Clanton Jonwayne
2 artists using
Vintech Audio X73i

$1,200.00 - $1,375.00

# 26

Rank

Joe Bonamassa Kashiwabara Yuzuru Headscan
3 artists using
Warm Audio TB12 Tone Beast

$649.00 - $699.00

# 29

Rank

Mandrax Icon
1 artist using
BAE Audio 1073 MP

$1,233.00 - $1,370.00

# 30

Rank

Mk.gee Deadmau5 Travis Scott
12 artists using
API 3124+

$2,542.50

# 31

Rank

Aphex Twin Toru Kitajima Hozier
17 artists using
sE Electronics DM1 Dynamite

$68.40 - $109.00

# 32

Rank

Logan Paul
1 artist using
Triton Audio FetHead

$55.99 - $79.95

# 33

Rank

DJ Jino
1 artist using
Avalon VT-747SP

$3,866.00

# 34

Rank

Armin Van Buuren Owl City Diplo
13 artists using
ART Voice Channel

$447.34 - $689.99

# 36

Rank

Matuê Nico Astegiano
2 artists using
BAE Audio 1084

$1,200.00 - $3,945.00

# 37

Rank

Kevin Shields The Weeknd Justin Meldal-Johnsen
7 artists using

Community setups

Similar

Gear Guides

  • Added to Equipboard on by

    reifg
    reifg

    Gear IQ 303