AKG C414 XLS Reviews

Very Nice for vocal

Not to much in the high end

Great but not for me

Very detailed sound, but didn't work for my purpose. Bought it to use on sitar specifically but turned out a combination of a C411 and an SM81 did the job better. Can't fault the 414 for this though.

The "clamp" dampens vibrations well but it is very plasticky and unsteady. Not up to par with the quality of the mic itself.

The case is nicely padded but the lid is too heavy so you can't leave it open without the whole box falling over. Dumb.

I’ve used it on vocals mostly

Very good quality and balanced .

Bought this one instead of the XLII because it’s more versatile. If you are going to record vocals you may want to go for the XLII but in my opinion both are just fine.

The chosen one

In my comercial recording studio this is the most used mic for vocals (male and female), following by the AA CM87se and the JZ BH2

Simply the best

It’s a 414, what else can I say!

A Swiss Army knife microphone

It provides excellent sound quality for any instrument recording! It is a bright microphone but it provides a good representation of the low end of instruments. Not exactly perfect as a kick microphone if you are searching for a deep and boomie sound.

AKG C414, the legendary mic

excellent sound for large diaphragm all around mic in a reasonable price and with many options like polar patterns, pad and filters.

If you use the case it comes with it is not very balanced and the case can fall back when it is wide open

Just beautiful!

Love this microphone, simply.

Just a quality mic

I've had so many condenser mics over the years. I've always resisted moving up to this price bracket, but I'm so glad i finally did, as this mic is just pure quality. Now with this, and my SM7, I'm just sorted for vocals.

Industry Standard, enough said

I spoke with an experienced producer who recommended this mic. He said he uses it for every production in one capacity or another. With nine polar patterns, bass cut and attenuation options, it's extremely versatile. And it has low self noise. It came with a very nice shock mount, pop screen and in a good quality case for transport. So far I used it for recording vocals and acoustic guitar and I'm pleased with the results. Worth the $.

Great Industry standard Mic

Super versatile mic for use on all sources - vocals to bass drums.

Great AKG quality - included accessories are top notch

Good Mic, Not Great

This is a very good mic. However I was planning on using it for vocals and I didn't like the way it sounded on mine. (I did end up finding another mic in the $500 range that represented my voice well) The XLii is supposed to be more of a vocal mic, but I didn't try that one out since I already have a c214 which is supposed to be the cardioid-only pattern version of the XLii. The c214 doesn't represent my voice well either, but that's just a personal thing, everyone needs to find a mic that fits their voice. Back to the XLS, I do love the many choices for polar patterns, which makes this thing a workhorse for instruments. I've used it on acoustic and electric cab and the results are very nice. When switching betwen some polar patterns there can be little pops which are annoying, but I don't think they are loud enough to affect anything adversely.

Exciting and versatile choices.

I am confining this review to intended, rather than, actual use as the unmatched pair I have was planned for a recording session of a small group of young children for which the session was cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Given that I had used the sister microphone that is the XLii as a mike for soloists I am sure that it will be perfect for the future task.

I would comment that the manual is particularly helpful in assisting the inexperienced user to know which application needs a C414 XLS or C414XLii. The intended purpose ( e.g. organ violin, backing vocal or speech etc. of the twenty-one listed) .) using either of them comes as “recommended” or “highly recommended” so the end choice is still a happy one. One can hardly complain when the choice is between the two good alternatives.

Warm but not as sharp as others

In a recent test, I had a couple of AKGs. It was in a space I know well, acoustically speaking, but they seemed to be lacking some treble to me. The C414 did ok, and it's certainly adjustable enough in terms of the settings, but I hoped for something sharper. The bass, on the other hand, is lovely and warm, and the overall feeling was, to my ears, very present. Sadly for the C414, I think I ended up getting a better mic for less money.

Industry Standard for a reason.

An excellent microphone. All of its modes are useful and the ability to mix them makes this an extremely versatile mic. The sensitivity is excellent and by upgrading preamps and ADCs this can be the gift that keeps on giving.

I decided to take the plunge on this as I wanted a high quality vocal mic that I could also use as a drum overhead.

So far it has not disappointed. Its crisp detailed sound, and variety of pickup patterns make it a really versatile mic. So far I've used it on vocals, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and piano, and it's sounded great on everything. If you buy one condenser mic, buy this one

Really nice sounding mic, with a large range of pattern options

I bought my C414 XLS about a year ago, I love everything about it!

The pros:

Marvelous build quality;

Pristine sound;

The ability to choose a middle term between polar patterns;

The included hard case is very sturdy.

The cons:

I can think of one con and it comes from a pro. As the C414 has a very detailed sound and is very sensible, if you have any noise getting in the room, or if the room doesn't sound good you can very clearly hear it on your recordings.

The elastic mount that comes with the XLS isn't all that great either. Wouldn't trust it too much.

Conclusion:

This microphone is a great tool to have, you can throw anything at it whether it's an instrument, vocals, folley and so on, and it'll get the job done just right.

Classic mic

Classic mic, and rigthly so

C414, nothing to say

Classic mic, you can record whatever you want with it. Have a look to its features to know if it is the mic you need. But it's a good choice and a mic of professional quality. Not so expensive