ghance Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Hello, Our ageing stock of original AKG C451's have given up.. down to 1 that doesn't snap, crackle or pop. Ideally want to spend £500(ish) on a pair of something that is vaguely rider friendly & cross hireable. any suggestions? Ones I've used and been happy with:Rode NT5'sShure SM94 or SM81AKG C391 or C451 AT 4041 Others :Senn e614 - didn't like theseAKG C1000 - liked these even lessAudix / Octava / SE Electronics - haven't used.. not seen on enough riders to feel like buying Yes, I'd like a pair of C414's, but too expensive for this application. Thanks .gh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR1 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 If you only want cardioid the AKG C214 is effectively a 414 without switchable pick up patterns and they are about £500 + VAT a pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nb705 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 AKG C214s are generally rider acceptable, same with SM81s, or possibly some second hand KM184s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghance Posted April 23, 2015 Author Share Posted April 23, 2015 Ah yes.. 214's.. completely forgot. not bad suggestion. KM184's be lovely, but finding good'uns at right price tho.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Rode NT5s are nice for the money or SE2As are worth a look. Or why not just replace the C451s, a matched pair falls in budget? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave m Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Maybe not rider friendly but I have a pair of studiospares 451knock offs and they aren't bad.They sound similar to my akg s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelgrian Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 If you only want cardioid the AKG C214 is effectively a 414 without switchable pick up patterns and they are about £500 + VAT a pair. Actually a C214 has more in common with a C3000 than a C414. The C414 uses an externally biased capsule and has far lower self noise than the C214 and the C3000 which are both based on back-electret capsules. I own some C214s and in hindsight should have bought C3000s since they are cheaper and close to the same performance as the C214. The OP wanted pencil condensers I also own the current generation generation C451B and they are perfectly good. However the Rode NT5 are also good and half the price of the C451B. I don't like SE electronics mics I owned and sold a pair of SE1A, they were ridiculously noisy. Probably not rider friendly but it's also worth considering the Red Audio RV4 which extremely cheap and I've heard good reports but not used one myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 My 451s still work but, when I need more, I happily use the 391 or an sE1A or 2A. I suspect the 391 would be most rider friendly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickiefunk Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I'm using Rode NT55's and a pair of Triton Fethead (phantom version) to go with them. I picked the whole lot up for £280 secondhand and both the NT55's and Fethead's were " As New "!. The NT55's work great and the Fethead's reduce hiss when originally using high gain on the desk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Have you tried servicing them? Disassembly, clean and rebuild often works wonders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrolytic Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 KM184's be lovely, but finding good'uns at right price tho.. Line Audio Design CM3 are equivalent to KM184's in sound and much more affordable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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