AKG P170 Condenser Microphone

Bought to use for vlog dialog, and i couldn't be happier. The build quality is amazing and the sound quality is surprisingly rich in the mids.Akgp170> apollo pre> cla2a> 1176> fab fltr Q> BAM!If you purchase to use on vocals dont forget to switch the SPL switch down to -20 to avoid popping.Small condenser mics dont get enough credit for their versatility. These mics give that condenser shimmer with out sound brittle and make the audio 'pop'more than the sm57.I cant say its better then a sm57, (because every quality mic has areas it shines in) but its definitely on par overall.Great job AKG, and thanks AMS!

I have had this mic for about a year. Of all the mics in this price range I find the akg p170 best for recording acoustic guitar. The frequency range is good (20Hz to 20KHz) and the mic is quiet. It picks up a good true sound of the guitar. It's well built, metal not plastic. I plan to get another one for stereo recording.

I was reluctant to believe that I could make any type of Splash using this microphone to do my first ever voice over gig, but honestly it was all I could afford at the time. It came out smelling like a rose! Of course at that price point you're not going to get anything close to a u87ai. And the noise floor in my opinion leaves quite a bit to be desired, but with the little bit of offset compression and some other tweaking, this mic can sound as good as anything Shure has on the market, or possibly even the sm58 for voiceover work.

Decent Guitar Mic

I think for the price this is a decent mic. It gives a clearer sound then what I had in my arsenal for my acoustic guitar. I've not tried it on anything else, so I haven't had a need to use the pad. I was trying large condensers on the acoustic and they were too muffled. This comes across much cleaner, maybe a little on the bright side but that's better than muddled. I'm using it to mic at the fingerboard and it gives a better, cleaner and more full bodied sound. I would note it's a little sensitive to being bumped. I found if I bump it I have to readjust the connection to get rid of a bit of hum it seems to pick up after the bump.

Good Stuff

This is a great set of mics, pristine sound incomparable in this price range. Separate them and record a true stereo field. Use them with any 3 mic technique and achieve stellar performance. Overhead mics for drums they are killer, sensitive with a quality tone very little EQ needed to bring these in the mix. Use them on a guitar cabinet in a 3 mic pattern these two above and slightly in front and a dynamic mic close to speaker and get studio fresh guitars. Pair them in the same set up with a large diaphragm condenser and record a killer vocal track thick and dripping with ambiance and tone. You could drop a bundle on some overhyped mics and get less bang for your buck but why would you want to this is good stuff

Good for hi hat

I make band practice recordings in our rehearsal space. I got one of these to try out as a hi hat mic and it sounds great. It seems durable, too. The mount we tried out failed and dropped the mic on the floor, but it was fine afterwards. Definitely use the built in pad if you're close miking.

Great for Studio Recording of Pin Drops

Upgraded from SM58s for the drum overheads and these are obviously a whole different animal. Beast is more like it because they pick up EVERYTHING. Too much so in a way, these are probably best for quiet instruments rather than a drum set like I'm using em for. But when you find the sweet spot a pair is really sweet! The -20db switch sounds kind of muffled so I pulled back the mics instead, got em in a sort of spread X/Y config high over the drums, like closer to the ceiling than the drums, otherwise they clipped. Now they sound great, you have to play quiet but every little nuance comes out in the mix. Makes SM58 overheads sound like tin cans if you're looking for more definition with the cymbals and rim shots. On purpose or not they're gonna come thru loud and ... MoreUpgraded from SM58s for the drum overheads and these are obviously a whole different animal. Beast is more like it because they pick up EVERYTHING. Too much so in a way, these are probably best for quiet instruments rather than a drum set like I'm using em for. But when you find the sweet spot a pair is really sweet! The -20db switch sounds kind of muffled so I pulled back the mics instead, got em in a sort of spread X/Y config high over the drums, like closer to the ceiling than the drums, otherwise they clipped. Now they sound great, you have to play quiet but every little nuance comes out in the mix. Makes SM58 overheads sound like tin cans if you're looking for more definition with the cymbals and rim shots. On purpose or not they're gonna come thru loud and clear. Stick clicks, mis hits, bashed cymbals - these mics will not hide your flaws. It all comes through.At this price point I honestly don't know enough about the expensive AKG's that look a lot like these to know what the difference is. Far as I know these sound awesome and a friend who does sound for festivals wants to borrow 'em for flutes, strings, other analog instruments he said so I figure he knows what he's talking about. To be honest I'd have to wonder about these picking up TOO MUCH on stage, but it was his 58's I borrowed so one good turn deserves another.I would have gone 5 stars but there's no bag or keepsake for these, they are just gonna roll around in the mic case until I figure something else out. But Musician's Friend gave me a great deal on a pair of these so overall I am really quite satisfied.One more thing, not sure what's up with the -20db switch. Sounds like under a pillow switch, actually. I got better results with a -20db switch on a direct box, which also you're gonna need for phantom power anyway if you're not plugged into the board direct. That's my ignorance and lack of experience there, I thought phantom power was sort of supposed to "transfer" or whatever through an effects box or compressor/limiter, but I musta been wrong because I'm not finding it working like that. Had to bypass all my rack goodies and go direct to the mixer, the dynamic mics leave more room for pre-signal fiddling, I guess. Shows how little I know. So if you're just learning like me you might want to make sure about your phantom power setup if you're gonna upgrade from dynamic mics to condensers. I thought I was in the know but after the purchase, well that is when I approached this part of the learning curve. :)So in a nutshell if you have tons of experience, you can probably hear why these mics are the price they are. So four stars. If you're like me upgrading from dynamic mics, the sensitivity is going to blow you away and everything you tried with the dynamics just won't apply. And if you are a novice like me, getting these mics is kind of like buying a motorcycle that's too big for you. They are going to teach you a lot but you can easily get into trouble. And these are just too nice not to have a keeper bag, AKG. So four stars.

Great mic for voiceover if used right

Great deal on an open box mic. Its practically brand new. Its one hell of a mic for voiceover, even though its designed for musical instruments. As long as you use it off axis for voice, it can almost pass for an MKH 416. I own a 416! The P170 rejects reverb quite well and avoids the phase cancellation of the mkh 416. However, the p170 is incredibly sensitive to plosives even from a distance. You cant talk directly into mic AT ALL. The good thing is you dont have to worry as much about reflective surfaces with this mic. This mic is great for rooms with limited acoustic treatment.

Simply unprecedented quality for the price.

Simply unprecedented quality for the price. Is it perfect? No, but again, for the price, I can't think of a better small diaphragm condenser microphone. Easily beats out the Samson C02, that thing has a terrible noise floor, the AKG P170 has not shown any perceivable noise, even at moderate-high gain levels. Works well for voices (a bit lacking in low end, but still very good for most voice tones), and works well for instruments (that's what it's made for). There are better microphones out there, and if you have a higher budget, I would recommend you look for something a bit nicer, but at this price it's hard to say no to. I have far more expensive mics in my kit, and I picked this up just as a backup, and I am content.

WARNING: DON'T USE PHANTOM POWER.

I learned the hard way that this type of microphones are NOT supposed to be used with Phantom power. Before you connect it to a mixer or a DAW interphase, make sure your Phantom power is off, otherwise you can damage internal components just like I did. Fortunately I had purchased an extended guarantee that was valid at the time of the incident so I got a replacement, but keeping up with extended guarantees can be very costly on the long run, so you better get use to double checking every time you connect.Other than that, this is a wonderful mic to use with acoustic guitar and it is awesome with acoustic bass guitar. My only big complaint is the design itself. The finishing is so soft and the shape so straight that nothing guarantees it won't slip from a mic clip ... MoreI learned the hard way that this type of microphones are NOT supposed to be used with Phantom power. Before you connect it to a mixer or a DAW interphase, make sure your Phantom power is off, otherwise you can damage internal components just like I did. Fortunately I had purchased an extended guarantee that was valid at the time of the incident so I got a replacement, but keeping up with extended guarantees can be very costly on the long run, so you better get use to double checking every time you connect.Other than that, this is a wonderful mic to use with acoustic guitar and it is awesome with acoustic bass guitar. My only big complaint is the design itself. The finishing is so soft and the shape so straight that nothing guarantees it won't slip from a mic clip or shock mount. Therefore the 4 stars. Some areas of rugged or rubberized finishing would have solved the problem in my opinion, but then again, I'm a musician, not a designer.