One in a series about the winners of Radio World’s “Cool Stuff” Award.
The C 414 mic has been around for 33 years. Judges were tickled with AKG’s updates, which include 15 enhancements.
Among the most noteworthy for broadcasters are the electronic switches for mic functions (we loved playing with them), three pre-attenuation pads and three bass roll-off filters with different filter slopes, including a 6 dB slope at 150 Hz. The C 414B-XL II is a vocal-tuned version with self-noise of 6 dB and 158 dB dynamic range.
The mic kits include a deluxe shockmount, two-stage external pop filter, external windscreen and a metal case. They carry a three-year warranty and are built by hand in Vienna, no doubt with the melody of “Edelweiss” playing in the shop.
Mics have begun to trickle out of the factory and will be widely available in June. Retail: $999 and $1,049, respectively.
Info: (615) 620-3800 in Tennessee or visit www.akgusa.com.
