AKG C414 XLS 4-stars Reviews

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.

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.

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.

What a microphone!

I bought this on a whim because I needed a high quality microphone in my home studio. In hindsight I would have bought something better for vocals as this gives more of a bright, airy sound. On an acoustic guitar, you basically can't beat it! Very nice microphone indeed!