The Most Expensive Mics Ever Sold on Reverb | From the Archives

Classic mics, like classic instruments of any kind, live dual lives. They can still be put to work by professionals, but they're also investments, whose values rise and fall with condition, rarity, and speculation of future desirability.

The mics below are all among the most expensive mics ever to pass through the Reverb marketplace. But, since few among us will ever have a chance to own one of these ourselves, we're also sharing some of the more affordable alternatives companies make today.


Telefunken ELA M 250E

If not the absolute greatest vocal mics ever made, the mics within the M 250/251 family are certainly strong contenders. This particular microphone is an original ELA M 250E from the 1960s that was owned and well-maintained by New York's ADR Studios for decades. In December 2020, it sold for $35,000, making it the most expensive single mic to ever sell on Reverb, at least so far.

Other ELA M 250Es have sold on Reverb for $24,999 (in 2019) and $24,000 (in 2020). Check out the Reverb Price Guide graph and transaction history on our ELA M 250E product page to see this full pricing history.

Alternatives for the rest of us: The ELA M 250E is part of a larger family of mics, which includes non-E versions, the 251, and the 251's own variants. Less expensive takes on this style include the Warm Audio WA-251, Peluso 22 251, Golden Age GA-251, Mojave MA-1000, ADK Z-Mod Z-251, and other mics from boutique manufacturers. The modern-day, US-based Telefunken currently makes its own ELA M 251E too.

Telefunken ELA M 251E

Next up is another member of the M 250/251 family; this time, an original 251E, which sold for $30,000 in October 2021. These mic models are nearly identical, with the 251E actually being the more versatile option, since it offers a figure-eight polar pattern in addition to the omni-directional and cardioid patterns of the 250E.

If there's anything to account for this 251E selling for $5,000 less than its 250E sibling—beyond just finding a motivated buyer at the right time—it's that this particular 251E listing came with a vintage-correct but non-original power supply.

Other 251s have sold on Reverb for $21,500 (in 2019), $21,000 (in 2017), and $20,000 (in 2020), among other prices. Check out the Reverb Price Guide graph and transaction history on our ELA M 251E product page to see this full pricing history.

Alternatives for the rest of us: Again, the Warm Audio WA-251, Peluso 22 251, Mojave MA-1000, ADK Z-Mod Z-251, and modern-day Telefunken ELA M 251E are all modern options. If you want the full 251 experience, you should avoid the Golden Age GA-251 and other clones that do not offer a figure-eight polar pattern setting.

Sony C-800G

Sony C-800Gs are a must-have mic for many successful pop and hip-hop artists and studios. At about $11,000 new, they're certainly not built for the up-and-comers. But if that's the new price, why did this one sell for nearly $26,000?

It comes down to supply and demand. While technically still in production, new C-800Gs have been on backorder for years, with manufacturing delays that predate the pandemic. So in that time, used models have commanded and continue to command higher prices. This never-used, in-the-box C-800G from 2014 took the top spot so far when it sold in September 2020 for more than double the new price.

Other Sony C-800Gs have recently sold on Reverb for $20,400 (in 2020) and $17,500 (in 2022), all among lower prices too. Visit the Reverb Price Guide graph and transaction history on our C-800G product page to see all of this pricing history.

Alternatives for the rest of us: JJ Audio Akita, Warm Audio WA-8000, and Golden Age Premier GA8000.

Neumann U 47 Complete w/ Pelican Road Case Owned by Ben Folds

Vintage Neumann U 47s are some of the most sought-after mics on Earth, and this one had some celebrity pedigree to push it over the edge. Whose, you may ask? Ben Folds'. While he may not have the sultry voice of Frank Sinatra or other singers that made the U 47 the premier mic of the 20th century, Folds could very well have rocked the suburbs with this very mic, saying he used it on nearly all of his recordings. It sold through The Official Ben Folds Reverb Shop in 2019 for $25,500.

Other vintage U 47s have sold on Reverb for $21,000 (in 2022), $20,000 (in 2019), and $17,500 (in 2022), among other prices. Check the Reverb Price Guide graph and transaction history on our U 47 product page to see all of this pricing history. And you can learn a lot more about vintage 47s in our buyer's guide.

Alternatives for the rest of us: Perhaps the most-cloned mic in the world, there are 47-style mics created in every price range: Warm Audio WA-47, BeesNeez Arabella, Telefunken TF47, Peluso 22 47 SE and LE, Pearlman TM-47, Flea 47, Wunder Audio CM7, Telefunken U47, and more.

AKG C 24

The Telefunken ELA M 250/251 mics were originally based on the AKG C 12. So maybe it's a little bit of an injustice that the highest price paid for a vintage C 24—AKG's dual-capsule, stereo version of the C 12—is below that of a 250 and 251. Like the top-priced 250 above, this C 24 came from New York's ADR Studios. It sold for $25,000 in December 2021.

Other C 24s have sold for $23,000 (in 2022) and $14,790 (in 2019), among lower prices. Check the Reverb Price Guide graph and transaction history on our C 24 product page to see all of this pricing history.

Alternatives for the rest of us: The closest you can get to a C 24 today is Telefunken's modern AR-70 or Manley Lab's Gold Reference Stereo. But if you're just interested in owning a stereo large-diaphragm condenser, there are other options, like the Avantone Audio CK-40 and Vanguard Audio Labs V44S.

AKG C 12

The C 12—the aforementioned model for the Telefunken ELA Ms and the standard, one-capsule design behind the dual-capsule C 24—is a truly influential mic, known for its large frequency range and sensitivity to detail. This particular C 12, which was from the first production year of 1953, sold for $18,750 in 2021. It was modded by Klaus Heyne, a global authority on tube condenser mics and a name you'll see again and again on listings who have been repaired or modified in Heyne's shop.

Other C 12s have sold on Reverb for $16,950 (in 202) and $16,250 (in 2021), among other prices. Check out the Reverb Price Guide graph and transaction history on our C 12 product page to see this full pricing history.

Alternatives for the rest of us: Avantone Audio CV-12, Warm Audio WA-CX12, Peluso P-12, Flea Microphones 12, and AKG's current C12VR.

Neumann M249b

Another classic mic modded by Klaus Heyne, this vintage Neumann M249b has a Neumann K49 capsule and a AC-701 tube, which is common to many classic German and Austrian mics. One like it was famously used by Aretha Franklin for some of her best-known recordings. This particular M249b sold on Reverb for $18,000 in 2022.

Alternatives for the rest of us: The M249b was a variant of a larger M family of mics by Neumann. Alternatives in this style include Neumann's own TLM 49, Peluso P-49, ADK Z-49, Flea 49, and more.

Brauner VM1 Klaus Heyne Edition

The last mic on our list has a name you should recognize by now: Klaus Heyne. The Brauner VM1 microphones were first released in the late '90s, though styled after the same beloved tube mics of old. The standard VM1 won its own awards and was available upon release for $4,995.

In the 2000s, 100 of these Klaus Heyne Edition VM1s were also made, with a matched pair of them selling on Reverb for $34,875 in 2017. Another pair sold for $31,000 and a single Klaus Heyne VM1 got $13,000 on its own that same year.

Alternatives for the rest of us: You can still find the original Brauner VM1s or the company's more recent VMAs for much less than these Klaus Heyne Editions.

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