€135 / £119 / $129, akg.com

The new affordable C-Series from AKG consists of three microphones: one small-diaphragm condenser design (C151) and two large-diaphragm models (C114 and C104). Designed with musicians, podcasters, YouTubers and streamers in mind, according to the company, this series aims to offer AKG’s signature sound for a lot less money than its higher-end microphones. The flagship C414, which is my all-time favourite mic, costs more than eight times the price of this new budget model.

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You would be forgiven for thinking the C104 is a cardioid-only version of the similar-looking C114, it features an entirely different capsule and so has its own unique sonic flavour. The C104’s capsule is a smaller (22 mm) electret condenser diaphragm design, made of a plastic foil that is nickel-sputtered on one side. This is done to prevent shorting to the back electrode, even at high SPLs. This mic’s ‘perceptible distortion’ limit (in AKG’s words) is 143 dB, so it only has a couple of dBs less headroom than the C114. A modern, transformerless FET circuit ensures low self-noise, unlike many vintage condenser designs.

Keeping things simple and affordable, there are no user-adjustable controls on the mic, so any filtering required must be performed within your preamp, interface or DAW. Phantom power is needed for all condenser mics, so be sure to engage it to make the microphone work.

Also keeping costs down, the C104 lacks the shock-mount supplied with the C114, a basic mic clip is included in the package.

For content creators, the no-nonsense, cardioid-only C104 could be the only mic you’ll ever need. While it doesn’t quite possess the hear-through clarity of far more expensive models, its tonal balance is perfectly suited to voices. There is a slight upper-mid-forward sound character that adds presence to vocals of all kinds, helping voices sound direct and distinct from background audio.

This bright balance is most welcome when vocals and lead instruments need to pop out of a mix; if used to record sounds with inherently high treble content, it might veer slightly towards being too sharp.

Further down the frequency spectrum, the mic’s tonality is well-ordered, with no muddiness or artificial bass thickening. As a cardioid mic, it does produce the proximity effect when used up-close, so voices will have a degree of chestiness that can add warmth and intimacy to performances.

Despite the lack of polar pattern options, the C104 could be happily used in a wide range of applications, and its entry-level status shouldn’t be blindingly obvious to all but the most fussy users. It’s unlikely to win many friends with those who require the utmost in transparency, professional classical recording engineers, for example, but for most pop music producers, it will cover all bases admirably.

For the price, I can think of no other mic that performs as well as the C104, especially for speech recording. Expect to see it on many podcasts and YouTube videos over the coming months and years.

Key features

• Large diaphragm condenser
• Cardioid pattern
• 22 mm electret capsule
• Weight: 375 g
• Comes with hard stand mount

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