AKG C414 XLS Stereo Set Reviews

Great all-rounder

Got these mics to record a multitude of setups: piano/strings/choir.

Never heard natural from mic

Guys, that's unbelievable. Never had such a natural mic (i have tlm 103, robe nt1000, ntk (last one is really not)). Wow. Blumlein highly recommended. Plus, that mid-directional - like cardioid-supercard position. Awesome. Plus lightning fast delivery.

Great mics.

Very good microphones for studio recording. We use them as a second stereo pair for grand piano and pipe organ music recordings. They make the sound softer, fuller and more pleasing to the ears. Switchable directional characteristics allows you to customize these microphones perfectly for each instrument and room acoustics. Also ideal for other instrument recordings. I am grateful to AKG for these microphones. Thank you.

the best mic for me as violinist

I'm a violinist and the C414 is just perfect for my recording! The sound is just perfect and very clear. Five different settings could be set allow me to adapt to different occasions, such as recording at home or in a concert hall.

Clarity, Fullness, Detailed

c414 is one of the best condenser mic that has flat frequency response on the market. It is clear, full and very detailed. I used for classical recordings and upright piano recordings and it is just great.

Multiple polar patterns, dynamic range, low noise floor are the important things that makes this mic very versatile.

It is also great for overheads. However, I recommend this pair for especially piano and guitar as well.

A Classic

The C414's are a go-to mics in any studio. Perfect on drum overheads, bass and guitar amps, acoustic instruments, woodwinds, you name it. The built quality as well as the features (polar patterns, dB pad switch, low self noise etc.) are as great as you would expect. Not an instant hit on vocals due to its 'darker' frequency response (the C414 XLII is more bright), but they take EQ really well if you want to get to a more crispy sound. These mics are considered classics for a reason!

All around microphone

Awesome microphone and can be use in almost any application and instruments.

Very worth it!

Very good microphones for OH and Acoustic Guitar

The AKG C414 XLS Stereo Matched-Pair is probably one of the best options out there for drum overheads. I usually use them as an A/B pair and they really work great. These mics aren't overly bright, but they are very detailed, they can work well with both bright and dark cymbals without sounding harsh - I've seen them beat a matched pair of AKG C12.

On my acoustic guitar they sound really good too and the figure-of-8 polar pattern allows you to perfectly capture a singing guitar player without significant bleed.

On the other hand, these mics aren't that good for vocals, specially with sybilant high-pitched voices like mine. You can still work with them if you need for vocals, but that just isn't their strong point - if you want to record rock/metal vocals (belting and that kind of stuff) it might sound harsh and "metallic". They sound do sound good with some soft pop vocals.

All in all, really a great buy for OH and acoustic guitar, but not that great for vocals.

Evergreen All-rounder

My favourite all-rounder in this price range.

You can do a complete combo with them, from drums to horns and just be happy with the result.

Just sad that the company got eaten by Harman/Samsung.

Like everything else.

Top mics

Amazing microphones! One of the best ever! this a matched pair is very pro.

AKG C414 - a studio classic

Buying a pair of 414's is a pretty safe investment. Well known brand and product, always sell used for a fair price and they tend to last for years on end.

I chose to buy a new pair for a studio project as I was after a clean and closely matched pair to use in stereo recordings, with the ability to select polar patterns for different applications.

Having used a lot of previous generations of 414's, I was aware that some people dislike the newer generations sound. I can only speak for myself, but I was happy with the sound I got from this pair of mics. The stereo pair were very closely matched, much closer in terms of frequency response than many other matched pairs I own.

These new ones sound great for all things acoustic and the in-between polar patterns makes them a lot of fun to use.

My only criticism is that you can't check polar patterns, pads and filters before you send phantom power to the mics as they are indicated by LED's, I actually preferred setting these with switches as it's a hassle - particularly if you have them set up high on larger mic stands.

The mics themselves are great in terms of build quality, but the shockmounts don't last when used daily sadly. A nice touch with the stereo set though, is that AKG also include standard mic clips to put them on for use when you need to squeeze into a tight space. A quality AKG stereo bar is also included.

The flight case is also a nice touch, but the clips on these don't last. They have changed the clips for cheaper ones sometime within the last 3 years.

Overall though, these are great sounding, flexible mics which won't disappoint. My favourite application for these is acoustic piano. The only thing I rarely use these on is vocals, I tend to prefer something with more mojo (but that naturally comes with a cost).

AKG C414

Great natural sounding. Sounds very good when paired with cartec preamps.