The original series, manufactured by Georg Neumann GmbH between 1949 and 1965, employed a tube design; early U 47s used the M 7 capsule, then replaced by the K 47 from 1958.
[1] Since Telefunken ceased production of VF 14 tubes in 1957, the U 47 was discontinued in 1965 and followed by the U 47 FET in 1969; it employed the same capsule (K 47) and a similar head grille but used solid-state circuitry (discrete op-amps).
According to the microphone manufacturer John Peluso, "it's hard to find an album recorded in the 1950s or 1960s that didn't have a U 47 on it; the Beatles used the mic’ for almost every track they sang from 1962 through 1970".
[6] In 2004, the Neumann U 47 was inducted into the TECnology Hall of Fame, an honor given to "products and innovations that have had an enduring impact on the development of audio technology.
[1] Beginning in 1962, Neumann offered a direct plug-in replacement kit ("AR 47") for the featuring the Nuvistor 13 CW 4, which required minor power supply modification.