M 200/201

Thus most of its components were assigned Telefunken names (“Ela M …”) in addition to their SCHOEPS designations.

By locating the output transformer in the microphone cable, the elegantly tapered amplifier was kept small and lightweight. Television broadcasters were now an important part of the market, so reliable operation under hot studio lights was an important criterion, and a dark, less-reflective surface finish was made available.

The first type introduced was the M 200 with an omnidirectional capsule (Ela M 920 = CM 8).

The M 201 then paired the same amplifier with an ingenious capsule head (Ela M 921 = CR 1) that could be switched to omni or cardioid by combining the outputs of two smaller, internal capsules, one omni and one figure-8. In this way the omni setting remained a pure pressure transducer – characteristic of all SCHOEPS switchable-pattern capsules ever since. Many high-quality recordings made with the M 201 are prized by audiophiles and are still in circulation today, notably from the Mercury “Living Presence” series. The classic visual design of the CR 1 also led SCHOEPS to model its modern V4 studio microphone after this historic example (with its coloring influenced by the CM 51’s amplifier).