Akg Guitar Amp Mic For Sale (2024 Update)

I have the AKG 414 xls. use it in my home studio ,and bring it to other studios. we have done many shoot outs against everything you could imagine either vintage or recent, even those costing ten time more, and the 414 constantly is the last choice.ruhtra

I prefer this over the XLII, Modern Sounding and great detail. Pair with a good mic pre and you will not be disappointed. But this is not a vintage voiced mic. I use on everything with 1290 Neve, 610, and stock ensamble pres.david001002

Nah, that's probably a bit of false bravado– also not alot of Irish traditions in my family, and to say that my admiration for this mic will extend to my dying day, that I will breathe my last breath holding onto it and capturing some musical performance– a nice picture, but how realistic, really? I guess I just metaphorically, in a Clint Eastwood kinda way, want to impress on you that, if we were all cowboys, this mic would be the six-shooter that everyone longed to have– lawman, outlaw, everyone in between. There's a reason it's a standard of the industry and you've heard its coolly accurate wondrous alive-sounding exceptional capture on a gabazillion records. It gets and gives you what's really there. The self noise is so low, 6 decibels, that there is no self noise. Everything comes through crisply and clearly. I will confess to you– I've cobbled together a subsistence farming kind of audio life, recording singers and ensembles, and I've always made do with gear that checked in much lower on the food chain than this. So when the house tech at a classical quartet concert had a pair of these and set them up just basically at the front edge of the stage, and offered to feed them into my tape deck, I swooned. Back in the studio mixing that performance, the 414's were smooth and airy and cast a lovely perspective on the players. Okay, that's it, I am getting myself a pair! What did I hear when I set up a pair of these for the first time in front of a guitar player? Within the ringing density of the guitar sound, a whole rainbow of colors, a detailed picture down to the granular level. The dual capsule will give you any and every polar pattern, from omni to hypercardioid, with halfway settings in between each setting! Also, four versions of low-cut roll-off, and also three levels of volume pads. A finely crafted German-engineered shockmount, and double sided (the best kind!) pop filter to affix to a mic stand. And a windsock. There are going with me everywhere from now on. Although– this overblown elaborate packaging with all this cut-out foam– no, give me all-put-together-and-ready-to-go in the smallest space, please. (I attach a picture of the pair suited up and ready for the showdown.)Joel

This microphone is fantastic for recording vocals. It picks up everything in the room clearly including the air conditioner. This is no problem as the mic has a built in filter that can get rid of the noise from the air conditioner. The included manual has a description for all of the different pickup patterns and their uses. The manual also says the C414 XLII is recommended for vocals, whereas the C414 XLS is recommended for overheads.Jared

Not sure I even received the right mic. The box was not for this product. No owners manual or any mfg.'s materials included and the box was for a different mic. Overall mic condition was good at best!Terry

This microphone is fantastic for recording vocals. It picks up everything in the room clearly including the air conditioner. This is no problem as the mic has a built in filter that can get rid of the noise from the air conditioner. The included manual has a description for all of the different pickup patterns and their uses. The manual also says the C414 XLII is recommended for vocals, whereas the C414 XLS is recommended for overheads.Jared

Not sure I even received the right mic. The box was not for this product. No owners manual or any mfg.'s materials included and the box was for a different mic. Overall mic condition was good at best!Terry

Like me, you probably run a home studio out of your living room or bedroom. This mic can be very versatile if used in a proper room with good mic placement technique. So here are some of the things I have used it on just to see how well it stood up. Acoustic Guitar- This mic gives goods results if placed where the bridge meets the neck about 10 inches away (in cardioid pattern). It's also sound good in a nice wooden room with the omni pattern engaged. Tenor Sax- I placed the mic about 14 inches away pointing down at the players hands about 5 inches left off the bell. I got a good "breathy" Stan Getz / Dexter Gordon" like tone. I would not recommend this mic for sax players with bright tones. Make sure your room has some reflection in it. Clarinet- In a nice wood floor room this sound great on Clarinet (in omni or cardioid pattern) I had the player sit and I placed the mic 2 feet away pointing at the players top hand. It sounded mince and warm. I wouldn't recommended this mic if the player has to play in the upper register a lot. Upright Bass-Place the mic about a good 12 inches away from the bass and point it just a few inches above the bridge. In a wood floor room, I got results with just the right amount of finger noise. Bongos- Make sure the pad is engaged and place the mic about a foot above the middle of the bongos. I got a good sound in a rather dead room. Grand Piano- This is a pretty good room mic for a grand piano in a nice wood room or hall( use omni pattern). It also works well for the bottom strings of the piano in figure 8 pattern Jazz Vocals- I didn't really like this for female vocals but it worked great on male vocalist with a baritone or tenor voice.Stellaloo Studios

These are good and bad and I've been using 2 of them. I give it 3 stars since they both do not work so well. So it's more like a 50/50 review. 1 of them always has a humming which when you touch the microphone on the top the humming goes away. Sounds like a grounding issue right, nope, no matter where its plugged into the humming is there. The other mic sometimes will decide to pick up all sound from every direction, which when using for podcasting with interviews, suddenly the other person on the other microphone will then be heard on this one. Which makes for a difficulty in editing because its echoey due to this one. When they work, they sound great for podcasting, honestly I've had many people say I and the guests sound great. But too much unnecessary post production work to make the audio clean, thankfully I know how, but I shouldn't need too. Will be looking into other microphones soon.H.E.D.C.

The media could not be loaded. First off, I do voiceovers and voiceacting as a second job. The one thing that seemed to be impacting the quality of work I was landing was the noisiness of my recording setup. While I use a very good USB, the AudioTechnica ATR2020, every fan my workstation used was in the background. I created a custom recording booth lined with sound proofing tiles and a cover, still heard all the noise. Switch to a laptop to see if the problem was ambient sound or mic sound – boom, it was the digital sound through the mic. Once I did a lot of testing, I decided to try an xlr with an xlr to usb input. I tried a couple, wasn't happy with the vocal tones or the noise levels, then I took a chance on this one since it was on sale and under my budget limit. With this and the Neewer xlr to usb converter, it worked perfectly. Barring me forgetting to turn on the xlr converter – powered, by the way – I've had no problems with it. The sound quality goes well with my alto voice and despite living off a busy main street, the directionality is perfect at keeping noises outside the house off my recording. I use an Altron pop filter enclosure to keep things as silent as possible and have been very happy with the overall vo results. And so have my clients because bookings are the real metric for me. Less auditions + better clients = win. You still need to know how to clean your noise levels but all in all, just a fantastic mic for midlevel vo actors or podcasters.G.M.

I have the AKG 414 xls. use it in my home studio ,and bring it to other studios. we have done many shoot outs against everything you could imagine either vintage or recent, even those costing ten time more, and the 414 constantly is the last choice.ruhtra

I prefer this over the XLII, Modern Sounding and great detail. Pair with a good mic pre and you will not be disappointed. But this is not a vintage voiced mic. I use on everything with 1290 Neve, 610, and stock ensamble pres.david001002

Nah, that's probably a bit of false bravado– also not alot of Irish traditions in my family, and to say that my admiration for this mic will extend to my dying day, that I will breathe my last breath holding onto it and capturing some musical performance– a nice picture, but how realistic, really? I guess I just metaphorically, in a Clint Eastwood kinda way, want to impress on you that, if we were all cowboys, this mic would be the six-shooter that everyone longed to have– lawman, outlaw, everyone in between. There's a reason it's a standard of the industry and you've heard its coolly accurate wondrous alive-sounding exceptional capture on a gabazillion records. It gets and gives you what's really there. The self noise is so low, 6 decibels, that there is no self noise. Everything comes through crisply and clearly. I will confess to you– I've cobbled together a subsistence farming kind of audio life, recording singers and ensembles, and I've always made do with gear that checked in much lower on the food chain than this. So when the house tech at a classical quartet concert had a pair of these and set them up just basically at the front edge of the stage, and offered to feed them into my tape deck, I swooned. Back in the studio mixing that performance, the 414's were smooth and airy and cast a lovely perspective on the players. Okay, that's it, I am getting myself a pair! What did I hear when I set up a pair of these for the first time in front of a guitar player? Within the ringing density of the guitar sound, a whole rainbow of colors, a detailed picture down to the granular level. The dual capsule will give you any and every polar pattern, from omni to hypercardioid, with halfway settings in between each setting! Also, four versions of low-cut roll-off, and also three levels of volume pads. A finely crafted German-engineered shockmount, and double sided (the best kind!) pop filter to affix to a mic stand. And a windsock. There are going with me everywhere from now on. Although– this overblown elaborate packaging with all this cut-out foam– no, give me all-put-together-and-ready-to-go in the smallest space, please. (I attach a picture of the pair suited up and ready for the showdown.)Joel

I have the AKG 414 xls. use it in my home studio ,and bring it to other studios. we have done many shoot outs against everything you could imagine either vintage or recent, even those costing ten time more, and the 414 constantly is the last choice.ruhtra

I prefer this over the XLII, Modern Sounding and great detail. Pair with a good mic pre and you will not be disappointed. But this is not a vintage voiced mic. I use on everything with 1290 Neve, 610, and stock ensamble pres.david001002

Nah, that's probably a bit of false bravado– also not alot of Irish traditions in my family, and to say that my admiration for this mic will extend to my dying day, that I will breathe my last breath holding onto it and capturing some musical performance– a nice picture, but how realistic, really? I guess I just metaphorically, in a Clint Eastwood kinda way, want to impress on you that, if we were all cowboys, this mic would be the six-shooter that everyone longed to have– lawman, outlaw, everyone in between. There's a reason it's a standard of the industry and you've heard its coolly accurate wondrous alive-sounding exceptional capture on a gabazillion records. It gets and gives you what's really there. The self noise is so low, 6 decibels, that there is no self noise. Everything comes through crisply and clearly. I will confess to you– I've cobbled together a subsistence farming kind of audio life, recording singers and ensembles, and I've always made do with gear that checked in much lower on the food chain than this. So when the house tech at a classical quartet concert had a pair of these and set them up just basically at the front edge of the stage, and offered to feed them into my tape deck, I swooned. Back in the studio mixing that performance, the 414's were smooth and airy and cast a lovely perspective on the players. Okay, that's it, I am getting myself a pair! What did I hear when I set up a pair of these for the first time in front of a guitar player? Within the ringing density of the guitar sound, a whole rainbow of colors, a detailed picture down to the granular level. The dual capsule will give you any and every polar pattern, from omni to hypercardioid, with halfway settings in between each setting! Also, four versions of low-cut roll-off, and also three levels of volume pads. A finely crafted German-engineered shockmount, and double sided (the best kind!) pop filter to affix to a mic stand. And a windsock. There are going with me everywhere from now on. Although– this overblown elaborate packaging with all this cut-out foam– no, give me all-put-together-and-ready-to-go in the smallest space, please. (I attach a picture of the pair suited up and ready for the showdown.)Joel

I really like these mics and occasionally look around to pick up a couple others if I catch a good deal. I think they are way underrated. They sound great, take fairly high SPL, and have a large diaphragm, a couple pickup patterns, and attenuation switches. They're also aren't SO sensitive that they pick up every outside and background sound that you don't want and then spend too much time trying to filter out in the mix. Not an issue if you have a super expensive pro studio, but even with a very well sound-treated basement, there are still house sounds and outside noises that you don't want in your recording that could get in. They also work very well as live sound mics on acoustic instruments where the overall stage volume is reasonable. Really great workhorses for the money. This was a case where I found one that appeared to be well taken care of at a good price. When it arrived, it was as clean and well taken care of as it wa described. A very happy purchase.res003lm

I bought the AKG C3000 primarily because I was looking for a decent condenser microphone, form a reputable manufacturer, within budget. I never expected a magnificent sound from this mic. But my expectations were surpassed considering the sound derived form the C3000. To begin with, this mic is solidly built in Vienna, Austria and looks elegant in black metallic finish. I use it with m101 preamp and the sound is clear and upfront. Given the price, it delivers a well defined sound. I am pleased!T&T Dale

I knew it's 90s model, but didn't expect it to actually be that old. The one I got actually looked like it was made in 90s. Windscreen's plastic was broken. Obnoxiously huge plastic box was from that time, too, with a signs of wear. Coincidentally, brand on the box was "CROWN", not AKG, which I was under impression I am buying. Anyway, the mic is for the live performance. On stage. That means with a lot of crowd noise and huge speakers volume. It's not for a room recording. And especially not for a quiet studio. You've been warned.Bob277

I'm the singer/drummer in a four-piece garage band playing classic and contemporary rock. I had a good-not-great headset whose condenser was underpowered and couldn't cut through the mix. Frankly, I looked for what Justin Bieber uses (just because he's the one singer who came to mind using a headset), found the Crown 311 wired unit and did my research. Though a bit pricey, I took a leap – and haven't looked back. The sound immediately proved the price worth the investment. It cut through the mix and revealed depth and tonality that my now-back-up headset just couldn't deliver. My only complaint is that the mic needs to be almost if not touching the lips to get the best sound, and the "boom" on which the mic lives cannot be anchored in that position. So when it strays, I've developed a deliberate and visible twitch to shake it back to my lips (you'll sometimes see singers with this mic touching the boom to put it back into place). I'd like to fix that, but if that's the only issue, it's one I can live with. PS: I swear the mic is the ONLY thing I have in common with The Biebs (maybe I'm more like Phil Collins), and I promise not to spit on fans, race a rented Ferrari down Miami Beach, or generally be a jerk.Drummer/Singer Jeff

This is my second CM311 MiniXLR. I have the AKG Transmitter and Receiver for this microphone and I have had my old one for four years and just bought this new one this month. I sent my old one into AKG to have them go through it and it has taken a lot of road abuse. I baby these microphones and it has to be in your DNA if you want them to last. They are the best mic sound wise but they can be fragile unlike an SM58 that you can drop. I wouldn't recommend that with this mic. I have special cases made out of foam to house them in my rack drawers in my bass rack. But you will never find a headset mic that sounds as good as this mic. I would recommend it every time!! You just have to take good care of it.johnnyu

As a home recording artist, this mic definitely met my needs. For the longest time, I've owned the AKG Perception 120 (the old model), and I've never had a problem with this mic. The main reason to why I bought the P220 was so I can change my setup to have one mic for recording vocals (the P220) and the other mic for recording YouTube videos (Perception 120). The shock mount for the P220 is being used for the Perception 120, and it fits the mic perfectly. Both mics are basically the same size, so I figured that it would work. The build quality on the P220 is rugged and tough, and the functions are very simple. You have 2 main settings: the bass roll off, which is great if you want to record without having to deal with any unnecessary low end frequency that the mic picks up. The other setting cuts off the signal by 20db. From my experience, it's best use is if you have a noisy background, and you don't want that to bleed into the mic. It basically isolates the signal to only be heard right in front of the mic as opposed to everything in the environment. I would be lying if I said that were some things I don't like about it (because I simply LOVE AKG products) but for other people, this might be too simple of a mic compared to other more expensive mics. The sound of this mic is warmer and more direct than the AKG Perception 120, so I felt that it was better for recording vocals. However, the Perception 120 still crushes it in the studio. Some people might consider a different taste in sound compared to other mics, but for me, this mic suits my needs perfectly. The AKG Perception 120: AKG Perception P120 Professional Studio Microphone, Sliver So, here are my pros and cons: PROS: – inexpensive – simple settings – versatile (vocals, guitar, etc.) – rugged CONS (possible opinions of others): – too cheap – too simple (not enough settings) – not preferred taste of sound – too heavyA.D.W.

For the past couple of years, I had been using a Nady SCM-800, as circa 50 had been the most I could spare for a vocal mic – but in the more affluent interim, I had not bothered to wonder if I could do better. Recently, I started to notice that that mic was prone to sibiliance of the "crispy" variety, though it did serve the low end of a baritone voice rarther well. I also came to realize that it was not, in fact, a "large-"diaphragm mic, but rather a "medium," and that a larger diaphragm would surely capture more nuance and presence of a voice. This time, I my budget permitted spending up to 150 on a mic. One reviewer compared the P220 to the AKG C214 as being identical in sound and performace, so I gravitated toward this one, though all the reviews of the P220 were nothing but positive. Once I got the P220 set up with my preamp/interface and my DAW, I recorded a vocal track. My suspicions about a larger diaphragm and my expectations about an AKG-brand mic were affirmed: I could hear my own voice in so much greater detail that it MADE ME A BETTER SINGER. That's how it felt, and sounded, anyway. I kept the first take, with a couple of small re-take parts. I was elated. Now I wish that I had bought the AKG P220 a LOT sooner (if it's not a new production model; I don't know). I regret not having recorded so many songs with a much better microphone for vocals. At the time, the SCM-800 had been a big "step up" from the USB mic I'd been using. Not to denigrate the Nady brand – fine manufacturer. The SCM-800 was so inexpensive because it's not exactly their best. The bass-rolloff switch on the body of the P220 reduces the "proximity effect," whereby sounds get louder as they approach the mic. For a baritone voice, this is an important detail, to avoid boominess. Sibilance with this mic is easy to tame. Home-recording vocalists: BUY AS GOOD A MIC AS YOU CAN AFFORD; EVEN GO INTO DEBT FOR AN EVEN BETTER ONE! You'll sound better now and have far fewer regrets later.Guy Dudeman

I went into B&H on a recommendation from a friend who lives in the area, didn't know what to expect. It's like Santa's Workshop in there. Super busy, packages going around above your head on like a chute/train track vibe. I was still easily able to get the attention of an associate who talked to me for a while about different condenser mic options. Actually had decided on a different mic but it wasn't in stock at the store and I couldn't wait for shipping because I needed a mic that week, so went with the AKG and honestly don't even notice that it wasn't my "first choice" because it does everything I want it to. I use it for singing and I'm really pleased with the quality of sound I get. I also use a Rode NT USB mic that I love too but I needed a mic that connected through XLR and this one is definitely at least as good as the Rode, probably better but I haven't done a comparison test.Paula

I think for the price this is a decent mic. It gives a clearer sound then what I had in my arsenal for my acoustic guitar. I've not tried it on anything else, so I haven't had a need to use the pad. I was trying large condensers on the acoustic and they were too muffled. This comes across much cleaner, maybe a little on the bright side but that's better than muddled. I'm using it to mic at the fingerboard and it gives a better, cleaner and more full bodied sound. I would note it's a little sensitive to being bumped. I found if I bump it I have to readjust the connection to get rid of a bit of hum it seems to pick up after the bump.Z

I used this product on a number of things. Timbale,Drums Overheads,Acoustic Guitars,String Quartets, Vocal Choirs,Steel Drums and well as room mic's. It comes with a 20db pad which is very helpful when recording loud percussion like Timbale,Steel Drums, and loud Drums. Make sure you have a low noise pre amp and you get really good results. I only wish it came with omni capsules or at least had that option. These mic's are great for the money.Joseph

I was reluctant to believe that I could make any type of Splash using this microphone to do my first ever voice over gig, but honestly it was all I could afford at the time. It came out smelling like a rose! Of course at that price point you're not going to get anything close to a u87ai. And the noise floor in my opinion leaves quite a bit to be desired, but with the little bit of offset compression and some other tweaking, this mic can sound as good as anything Shure has on the market, or possibly even the sm58 for voiceover work.RB

I think this microphone works incredible for recording my combo amplifier using it in conjunction with my SHURE SM57. Even the AKG P120 alone is a great sound, but together you get all the right highs, mids, and lows for a sweet smooth guitar recording for Rock N Roll and Steve Vai style solo playing. I bought this B stock and its flawless and even came with the basic mic clamp. I'll get a shock mount later. Would I buy this again or another AKG? Oh yes! It records the sound facing the amp very well while blocking out surrounding noise behind it. Built like a tank, sweet look to it, great sound, what more could you want? Pick one up. You will not be disappointed.nancy_acker77

Overall: This is a pretty good all-rounder condenser mic. I find that it seems to give a fairly pleasant tone to most sources. It sounds very good on weaker voiced vocals. The built-in optional low cut and attenuator is also nice for this price point – I bought this microphone for only 79 dollars! It's not quite the cheapest condenser on the market but I'm very happy with the price spent versus what this mic can produce. If you're on a budget this is probably one of the better mic choices, without sacrificing too much on sound quality.Eric

The AKG P120 has very good dynamic range for a budget microphone. Excellent for voice, and quite good for instrumentals (cello and guitar), too. I listened to every microphone in the $150-250 dollar range before making a decision, and this handily outperformed every other mic in this class. Very nice build quality, heavy and robust.Brian

Had one years ago, even tried taping the windscreen back on as it still provided a very decent sound. The improvements in the switch and changeover to AA batteries as well as the vocal attachment make it one of the most versatile mic's in my arsenal. Whether voice, amp drums or instruments, it provides clear concise and fully articulated recreation of the original source. You can find more expensive solutions but be hard pressed to find a better one.John

I love the AKG C1000. I mostly use it to mic my guitar (a Martin D18 acoustic) for live performances. I use the filter to transform it to hypercardoid and it gives the guitar wonderful tone and presence. As it is battery powered, I even use it with a phono jack into my little AER Compact 60 amp (no phantom power) People are always asking me how I get such a great guitar tone. It's simple, start with a great source (the D18 is a mic's best friend), use a great mic, and run the EQ about flat. There is not a guitar pickup on the market that can compare.Dave D.

People have very mixed opinions of this microphone. The high impedance means that you have to crank up the gain more so than with a Rode. The sound quality is somewhat muddy and muffled. It is a useful stage mic, where you need sturdy; but not so good for a studio.aristophanes1960

I think for the price this is a decent mic. It gives a clearer sound then what I had in my arsenal for my acoustic guitar. I've not tried it on anything else, so I haven't had a need to use the pad. I was trying large condensers on the acoustic and they were too muffled. This comes across much cleaner, maybe a little on the bright side but that's better than muddled. I'm using it to mic at the fingerboard and it gives a better, cleaner and more full bodied sound. I would note it's a little sensitive to being bumped. I found if I bump it I have to readjust the connection to get rid of a bit of hum it seems to pick up after the bump.Z

I used this product on a number of things. Timbale,Drums Overheads,Acoustic Guitars,String Quartets, Vocal Choirs,Steel Drums and well as room mic's. It comes with a 20db pad which is very helpful when recording loud percussion like Timbale,Steel Drums, and loud Drums. Make sure you have a low noise pre amp and you get really good results. I only wish it came with omni capsules or at least had that option. These mic's are great for the money.Joseph

I was reluctant to believe that I could make any type of Splash using this microphone to do my first ever voice over gig, but honestly it was all I could afford at the time. It came out smelling like a rose! Of course at that price point you're not going to get anything close to a u87ai. And the noise floor in my opinion leaves quite a bit to be desired, but with the little bit of offset compression and some other tweaking, this mic can sound as good as anything Shure has on the market, or possibly even the sm58 for voiceover work.RB

I think this microphone works incredible for recording my combo amplifier using it in conjunction with my SHURE SM57. Even the AKG P120 alone is a great sound, but together you get all the right highs, mids, and lows for a sweet smooth guitar recording for Rock N Roll and Steve Vai style solo playing. I bought this B stock and its flawless and even came with the basic mic clamp. I'll get a shock mount later. Would I buy this again or another AKG? Oh yes! It records the sound facing the amp very well while blocking out surrounding noise behind it. Built like a tank, sweet look to it, great sound, what more could you want? Pick one up. You will not be disappointed.nancy_acker77

Overall: This is a pretty good all-rounder condenser mic. I find that it seems to give a fairly pleasant tone to most sources. It sounds very good on weaker voiced vocals. The built-in optional low cut and attenuator is also nice for this price point – I bought this microphone for only 79 dollars! It's not quite the cheapest condenser on the market but I'm very happy with the price spent versus what this mic can produce. If you're on a budget this is probably one of the better mic choices, without sacrificing too much on sound quality.Eric

The AKG P120 has very good dynamic range for a budget microphone. Excellent for voice, and quite good for instrumentals (cello and guitar), too. I listened to every microphone in the $150-250 dollar range before making a decision, and this handily outperformed every other mic in this class. Very nice build quality, heavy and robust.Brian

I use the AKG for a bluegrass band. The three vocalist stand around the C314 and the fiddle player has a separate mic. The sound is outstanding! The guitar sounds awesome and the upright bass and banjo have never sounded better. The band interacts better with the shared microphone. Monitors are not used. I use the cardioid pickup setting with bass roll off.Steve, a sound man

This is the mic you buy when you you want great quality without going bankrupt to buy it. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of its C414 big brother, but it's way better than it's C214 little brother and gets the job done. I have a deep bass voice and need a mic that could pick up low frequencies without loosing the harmonic overtones. I did a bit of research first and tested a few mics before settling on this one.yamdigger

I've used this product for many years going back to the regular 451 with a ck-1 capsule. this is one of the finest if not the best cymbal mics available for high hat or overheads. A bit pricey for overheads, but it is what it is. I can take one and make a snare and hat blend very well. great on anything you want to pick up hand sounds such as conga's, Horns, saxes. they're not cheap, but they are flat, very clear and transparent. you don't get a lot of the mid range metallic sound on Hat's like you do on a lot of mics. great mics all around.SteveinLR

I got this mic to record accoustic guitars, banjo and mandolin. It is a solid mic that emphasize fast transients and lifts up the high frequencies of the instrument. If you noticed that Jack Johnson has recorded most of his giitars with this mic, it will give you an idea of the type of tool we are talking about. Interestingly, although few people use SDC mics for vocals, it worked very well on my voice when using the windscreen. It delivers some nice and crisp vocals. Comparing the AKG451b to the famous Neumann SDC standard, the sound is a little thinner but in some case it actually helps fit the instrument in the mix. Basically, when this mic is the right mic for the job it is perfect.grapinet2006

I've tried a few of the top kick drum mic's , but after trying this mic hands down I fell in love with and is the best one I've use thus far , u can't go wrong with this choice ..lou5211

Just bought this for recording and live application for my bass cabinets. Build quality looks excellent. AKG have a reliable and trusted pedigree. I won't be leaving the house without it, for any professional gig!MSP74

Superior Austrian quality. None of that cheap Chinese knockoff junk. This is the real originals. Like cars, if it ain't GERMAN (Austrian) it's not the real thing. Neuman, Telefunken, AKG, they are the originals, high quality mics. The C12VR has terrific sound, and build.cootiewood

Wow, what a microphone! Fantastic clarity and detail, great for vocals and overheads and really shines with acoustic instruments. Selectable polar patterns give good options in the studio. Has to be heard to be believed…lakeland72

A few years ago I was cutting vocals with my AKG 414 TLII when a friend came by with 2 of these 214’s his church had bought. We decided to cut the harmony vocal with the 214 and compare to the 414TLII. It sounded terrible and I trashed the takes and used a TLM 67 instead. The 214 sounds like a Chinese condenser from Amazon. I understand people want the AKG pedigree for an affordable price point, but this mic is not it. You may not be able to hear it right now, but trust me and the other experienced ears that have said similar. This mic is the sonic equivalent of a sugar loaded donut. It sounds good if you have few examples to compare it to, but the sound has no “nutritional value” and will fatigue you fast. Especially if you use this for most of your tracks. It is very much worth it to not skimp on microphones. I have bought and sold many, many mics in my career so trust me and save a little longer and get something a little better. No matter what price point you’re buying at.Marty

. Used this on and off for a few years, but was never really happy with it. Very average sound…better on piano, weaker on vocals. Sold it on Ebay and picked up the C414 XLII. WOW!! On the piano it is fantastic. Vocals are excellent too. Much more detailed, nuanced, smooth sound. Really, really like the C414 XLII .Daniel

This was my first condenser microphone that I have purchased for my small in home studio. After months of research I decided upon this mic based off the price and versatility of the product. I am a full time guitarist and vocalist but have never been much on the production side, pretty much saying I know what sound I am looking for. I use this mic mainly for vocals and I’ve got to say that the recordings sound so good out of the mic that I really don’t have to do much as far as mixing goes which I love. This mic has definitely helped boost my confidence in my recording ability and I know that if the track doesn’t sound great it’s from my personal error not the mic. Overall would definitely recommendBrennan