A familiar face in studios for decades, the iconic AKG C 414 is “new” once again. A couple of new features are cause for this reissue of a classic.
New features include LEDs that reflect signal strength, peak and polar pattern (choice as always of omni, cardioid, wide cardioid, hypercardioid, figure 8 along with stops in between) and a pattern lockout for preventing accidental changing of the chosen pattern.
The C 414 XLS and C 414 XL II (shown) retain other features inherent in the post 2004 series: high-pass filters (40 Hz, 80 Hz and 120 Hz) and pads (6 dB, 12 dB and 18 dB) and the same basic elastic-suspended side-address one-inch capsule. The difference in the models is that the C 414 XL II has a “presence” EQed into it.
