REFURBISHED Grundig GDM 316 1965 - XLR

Introduced in 1965, the GDM 316 was described by Grundig as a home-studio directional microphone and supplied with tape recorders including the TK 40 and TK 41.

This was still consumer recording equipment, but a noticeable step beyond many of the simpler microphones supplied with domestic tape machines. The GDM 316 combined a cardioid dynamic transducer, surprisingly extended specified response and an internal impedance-matching transformer in a compact, practical design.

OPTICAL CONDITION
Very good vintage condition with normal minor signs of age and use.

TECHNICAL CONDITION
A — refurbished, tested and fully functional
Original dynamic transducer and internal transformer remain in place. Converted to modern balanced XLR and fully tested.

INCLUDED
Original packaging

BUILD & DESIGN

The GDM 316 has a characteristic mid-1960s Grundig appearance: an elongated body with a broad, finely perforated metal front grille.

Internally, a small matching transformer allowed the microphone to work with different recorder input impedances. The original mounting system was equally practical, allowing handheld, tabletop or stand-mounted operation.

This example retains its original packaging, although the dedicated screw-mounted holder and tripod are no longer present.

For modern use, the microphone has been converted to balanced XLR.

SOUND

The GDM 316 has a distinctly vintage, mid-focused character, but with more upper-frequency extension than many basic consumer dynamics of its period.

The bass is restrained rather than large, while the middle frequencies carry much of its personality. Its period specification reaches approximately 17 kHz, and in our listening this translates into a surprisingly open upper range rather than the heavily bandwidth-limited sound one might expect from its appearance.

It remains coloured and unmistakably vintage — but not simply narrow.

That makes it an interesting character microphone for speech, vocals, amplifiers, percussion and experimental recording.

THE HOME STUDIO OF 1965

The historical position is perhaps the most interesting part.

Grundig explicitly presented the GDM 316 as a “Heimstudio-Richtmikrofon” — a home-studio directional microphone.

By the mid-1960s, increasingly capable tape machines were bringing more serious recording into ordinary homes. Directional pickup, broader frequency response and flexible impedance matching were no longer reserved exclusively for professional equipment.

The GDM 316 belongs directly to that transition.

THIS EXAMPLE

The original microphone system and internal transformer remain intact. It has been carefully tested, converted to balanced XLR and is ready for direct use with modern recording equipment.

Its original packaging has also survived, providing a nice connection to the domestic recording environment for which it was originally designed.

THE HOME STUDIO DYNAMIC

The GDM 316 wasn't intended to compete with the great studio microphones of its era.

It represents something different: the moment increasingly serious recording technology began finding its way into the home.

A simple, capable 1960s dynamic — and today, a genuinely useful vintage character microphone.