AKG
C414 XLS
Large-diaphragm condenser · Omnidirectional / Wide cardioid / Cardioid / Hypercardioid / Figure-8 · 20–20,000 Hz · a rider regular
- One selector steps through nine patterns: omni, wide cardioid, cardioid, hypercardioid and figure-8, with an intermediate setting between each pair.
- Lock Mode disables every switch on the body, so the pattern, pad and low-cut chosen at soundcheck stay put through the show.
- AKG limits powering to 48 V phantom to IEC 61938 and warns against connecting it to any other supply.
Frequency response
No response curve yet.
MicSense only draws a curve redrawn from a graph the manufacturer publishes — it never estimates one from the microphone’s class. No published graph has been redrawn for the C414 XLS yet, so the numbers are in the spec table below.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for omnidirectional / wide cardioid / cardioid / hypercardioid / figure-8. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | AKG |
|---|---|
| Model | C414 XLS |
| Type | Large-diaphragm condenser |
| Form factor | Side-address |
| Polar pattern | Omnidirectional / Wide cardioid / Cardioid / Hypercardioid / Figure-8 |
| Frequency range | 20–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 23 mV/Pa · -33.0 dBV/Pa (AKG publishes one figure for C414 XLS and XLII alike and does not break it down by polar pattern (manual §6).) |
| Max SPL | 140 dB SPL (0.5 % THD; 0 dB pad; 146/152/158 dB SPL with the −6/−12/−18 dB pad. Not stated per polar pattern.) |
| Self-noise | 6 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 200 Ω (≤ 200 Ω; recommended load ≥ 2200 Ω) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | Phantom 48 V (phantom 48 V (IEC 61938)) |
| Weight | 300 g |
Specifications: AKG datasheet · last checked 2 Oct 2026. These are the maker’s published figures for this model. A dash never means zero: “not published by the maker” means the maker’s documents give no figure; “not yet checked” means MicSense has not confirmed one yet. Spotted an error? Tell us.
MicSense notes
| Price tier | Premium |
|---|---|
| Introduced | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Overhead
- Acoustic instrument
- Choir / ensemble
- Horn / brass
- Kick out
MicSense tags microphones by the job on a live stage, not by studio category — so you can filter for “kick in” or “monitor vocal” instead of working backwards from “large-diaphragm condenser”.
C414 XLS alternatives: closest in published specs
Based on published specifications only — always listen at soundcheck. These are the microphones in the MicSense library whose datasheet figures sit closest to the AKG C414 XLS’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the AKG C414 XLS: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Sennheiser
MK 8
- Same job: overhead, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (large diaphragm)
- Switchable pattern — set it to omnidirectional
- Same form: side-address
- Max SPL as high or higher (142 vs 140 dB SPL)
- ≈ 4 dB less output — add about 4 dB gain
-
Shure
KSM44A
- Same job: overhead, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (large diaphragm)
- Switchable pattern — set it to omnidirectional
- Same form: side-address
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Discontinued — may be hard to find
- Check: Max SPL 6 dB lower (134 vs 140 dB SPL) — check it on loud sources
-
sE Electronics
sE8 omni
- Same job: overhead, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same omnidirectional pattern
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Max SPL as high or higher (141 vs 140 dB SPL)
- Condenser (small diaphragm) instead of condenser (large diaphragm)
- Stick / pencil instead of side-address — mounts differently
Compare it against the alternatives.
MicSense lets you put up to four microphones side by side — spec table, overlaid response curves and polar diagrams on one screen. Free with a free Squaresmile account.