AKG C414

AKG C414

1st Version: AKG C414comb (left)
2nd Version: AKG C414EB (center)
3rd Version: AKG C414EB-P48 (right)

The C414comb and the C414EB contained the famous "CK12 brass capsule" which was originally developed for the C12 tube microphone.

The C414comb came with a swivel mount and fixed cable.
The C414EB was the first version to incorporate an XLR connector which started to establish as standard connector in the USA (the "E"-suffix in AKG´s model names is short for "Export").

The C414EB-P48 was the first regular model featuring a black chrome finish. Background: the ORF (Austrian Broadcast) custom-ordered regular C414EBs with black housing to be unobtrusive in television work.
The C414EB-P48 runs on 48V phantom power only. It contains the infamous Nylon CK12 capsule (often wrongly called "Teflon CK12").
This capsule replaced the cost intensive brass-CK12 already by the late 1970ies during the production run of the original C414EB. All later C414-models came with the Nylon capsules.

In the mid 1980´s the C414B-ULS was introduced. It has different, technically upgraded electronics and better specs (higher sensitivity, less self noise, ect.). There was a small run of a transformerless version - the C414B-TL.

By the mid 90´s the C414B-TLII was introduced. Originally this was just meant as a market test. AKG was about to upgrade it´s tube microphone "The Tube" with a newly voiced version of the Nylon CK12 to resemble the sound of the legendary old C12 microphone more closely. The C414B-TLII was equipped with this modified capsule to examine how it was accepted by the market. It turned out to be an instant huge success and sales figures quickly outnumbered those of the original C414B-TL run. So the capsule was used in the tube model too which was then called the "C12 VR".

By 2004 the next generation of C414 models was introduced - the C414B-XLS and C414B-XLII. Replacing their respective ancestors, these microphones have further improved specs, a very effective elastic capsule suspension and electronic switches for all functions (pattern control, attenuation, and low-cut filters). It was planned to make all these functions remote controlable (hence no mechanical switches). However that remote control was never accomplished.

Irionically the very first C414 version (C414comb with CK12 brass capsule) is considered the best sounding C414 model by many engineers, closely followed by the C414EB.

AKG GmbH Vienna was shut down forever in summer 2017 by the Harman International Company. Harman continues to use the "AKG" brand name to sell copies of original AKG products that are now produced in China, Hungary, ect. Since Harman fired the genius Austrian AKG employees there is no further development on the C414 microphone line to be expected.

Anyway, the former AKG people are now reunited in the newly founded "Austrian Audio GmbH" in Vienna and continue to carry AKG´s legacy into the future.

In 2019 a new C414-related microphone was introduced - the Austrian Audio OC818.
The OC818 features a newly designed, high quality version of the CK12 capsule, called the CKR12. The CKR12 is a much closer relative acoustically to the original AKG brass CK12 capsule and definately a big step up from the cheap Nylon CK12. It has great sonic balance and an almost mix-ready sound, much more useful than it´s Nylon ring predecessors from the last decades. It sounds not as scooped as the 70´s brass CK12 but has the same heft and clarity.
The OC818 is the first microphone that is fully remote controllable via Bluetooth, and features an independent output for each capsule side (front and back).
These features give unprecedented creative freedom and prove that the innovative Austrian spirit in microphone design is still alive.


The housing design of the AKG C414 and the original CK12 brass capsule are developments of AKG´s engineer Konrad Wolf.

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