AKG C5 Mic

Reviews | AKG C5 & D5 microphones
84
T
he life of a live vocal mic is an
unforgiving one: screamed
into, spat on and dropped –
it’s tough. On top of this they
are also expected to sound good on a
wide variety of voices, reject the mass of
unwanted noise on stage and not
feedback too easily. And so it happens
that AKG release two new handheld
solutions to this age-old arena: the C5
cardioid condenser and the D5 super-
cardioid dynamic.
The C5 and D5 are made from
identical casings, which are both sturdy
and yet relatively light. Removing the
grill from the C5 reveals the PB1000
presence booster attachment; a small,
black plastic cover that clips on to the
diaphragm to create a 5db boost
between 5kHz and 9kHz to improve
vocal intelligibility.
The C5 and D5 were tested against
two similar models by Sennheiser: the
dynamic E935 and the E865
condenser. The D5 was also tested
against the classic Shure SM58.
Handling and howling
Before considering the sound, there are
two major concerns for live vocal mics –
handling noise and feedback
susceptibility. The C5 has very little
handling noise. The D5, as is typical
with dynamic mics, is a lot more noisy
in the hand.
The feedback performance of the C5
is similar to the E865, though tending
to howl-round at a lower frequency. The
D5 also has a propensity to feedback at
a lower frequency than the E935 and
SM58 and took about 6db more gain to
start the howling.
And they sound like…
The C5 was tested with the PB1000
presence booster in place, as is the
factory supplied position. What is
instantly noticeable is the lack of
popping and plosive battering that can
blight a vocal mic. The overall tone is
full with a pleasing low end, plenty of
high frequency articulation, but not
suffering from the kind of over-sibilance
that indicates a hyped HF response.
The proximity effect is obviously
pronounced, but in a way that good mic
technique can really make use of. The
cardioid pickup pattern is surprisingly
tight and doesn’t seem that much wider
than the E865, which is super-cardioid.
This means that off-axis sounds are well
attenuated, but a vocalist must be
careful to stay close to the mic to gain a
consistent level.
The D5 has a super-cardioid pickup
pattern, which makes it less prone to
feedback and the pickup of off-axis
sound sources. The sonic performance
of this mic is a lot more accurate than
the trusty ’58, with well-balanced
articulation across the vocal frequency
range and enough sensitivity to capture
dynamic extremities. In comparison to
the E935, the D5 is slightly brighter
with a fuller low end. The frequency
range and transient response render a
clear vocal performance, and the mid-
frequency fuzziness that’s common with
dynamic mics doesn’t trouble the D5.
For the vocalist in need of a good
quality mic that’ll take a sound beating,
I would happily recommend either of
these mics for live use (I also used them
for tracking guides in the studio and
was pleased with the results). I’m
confi dent that you’d be hard-pushed to
fi nd competitors out there that better
them at this price point.
AKG C5 & D5
mics
| £199 & £99
AKG claim ‘feedback is dead’ with their new mics.
Robbie Stamp checks the squeals and squawks
VERDICT
BUILD
VALUE
EASE OF USE
VERSATILITY
RESULTS
Quality build and performance
from the microphone giants that
will fl atter a wide range of voices.
WHAT IS IT?
Condenser (C5) and
dynamic (D5) stage
vocal microphones
CONTACT
Who: Harman UK (Pro)
Tel:
[phone]
Web:
akg.com
HIGHLIGHTS
1 Balanced, well-
articulated response
2 Good feedback rejection
3 Solid construction
SPECS
Capsule type:
C5: Cardioid condenser
D5: Varimotion dynamic
diaphragm
Directional pattern:
C5: Cardioid
D5: Super-cardioid
Frequency range:
C5: 65Hz to 20kHz
D5: 70Hz to 20kHz
Max. SPL:
C5: 140dB SPL (1% THD)
& 147dB SPL (3% THD)
D5: 147dB SPL (1% THD)
& 156dB SPL (3% THD)
Impedance:
C5: <200 ohms
D5: <600 ohms
Equivalent noise level:
C5: 25dB(A)
D5: 18dB(A)
Sensitivity:
C5: 4 mV/Pa (-48dBV re
1 V/Pa)
D5: 2.6 mV/Pa (-52dBV re 1
V/Pa)
(0dB = 1V/Pa at 1000Hz)
Weight:
C5: 0.345kg
D5: 0.340kg
FMU198.rev_akg 84 29/1/08 13:11:37