AKG P220 Condenser Microphone Review / Test

Buy the P220 (Affiliate Link)
Global: https://geni.us/p220

Today we're looking at another microphone from AKG's 20 series microphones, the AKG P220.

For this review, I have the mic connected directly to the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2nd gen, with the gain set at 12:30. I have done no post processing on the audio, it is all raw, but the audio was slightly boosted in final cut pro X to simply make the audio easier to listen to.

If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $150.00 on Amazon

What's In the Box

1. Hardshell Storage Box

2. Microphone

3. Shockmount (Includes: 5/8" & 3/8" adapter)

4. Extra shock mount eleastic bands

Specifications

1. Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz

2. Polar Pattern: Cardioid

3. Sensitivity: ~-34dB

4. Max SPL: 135 / 155dB

5. Equivalent Noise: 16dBA

6. Impedance: 200-ohms

7. Power Requirement: +48v +/- 4v

Performance / Features

The build quality of this mic feels awesome. It has an all metal body that feels very robust in your hand, coming in at over 1 pound. The grill also feels very sturdy and does not bend when squeezed with fingers. On the front you have two switches, a high pass filter, which rolls off frequencies at 300Hz at 12dB/octave, and a -20dB pad.

The frequency response is listed as 20Hz - 20kHz. Unlike most microphones, this does not have a natural roll off in the low frequencies. Instead it has a minor dip around 150 hz and a boost from 150 down to 500Hz peaking at +4dB, which is then rolled off at 50Hz and down.  The mids are very flat from 100Hz -  4.5kHz at which point a gradual boost begins which ends up peaking at +4dB at ~11kHz, and then rolls off up to 20kHz.

The overall performance of this mic left me a bit underwhelmed. I did really like this microphone on the acoustic guitar as it had a nice full body and then the treble and air boost added some nice percussiveness to the tone. However, on electric guitar, spoken word, and singing, I did not enjoy the mic, and the dislike all stems from the treble and air boost. The boost led to the treble frequencies sounding a bit overpower on the electric guitar, while it left the spoken word and singing sounding top heavy, a bit brittle, breathy, and sibilant. 

Pros

• Nice flat mids

• Awesome build quality

• Nice shockmount & storage box provided

Cons

• Relatively high noise floor at 16dBa

• Fairly sibilant

Conclusion

I was not terribly impressed with this microphones performance. The treble & air boost on this thing added some very unfavorable characteristics on the vocals and electric guitar. Although I did personally like this mic on the acoustic guitar, i think the tone is very specific and not very versatile. With all this being said, I don't think I can really recommend the microphone. 

If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them on the youtube video, and I will try to reply ASAP.