MattinSTL
Sound Modulator
I don't think I posted any of this on here yet and since I think it may be of some use to one of our members who's about to make a choice within this spread... here it is...
First clip is the 416 and ck63... in this long (sorry) clip the 416 is always first (unless I say otherwise) and the AKG is always second... anytime you hear the exact thing twice in a row the Sennheiser was first. A couple things to note in this one: The 416 is said to be no good for interiors... okay so maybe it's not going to be good in ALL interiors... and maybe there is a better choice... but in my experience the 416 has been great for interiors 90% of the time. This clip is nothing special... it's just representative of my usual experience.
Okay now regarding the ck63... after about halfway through I go to outside use... when I'm within a couple feet of the mics the ck63 really sounds good... as distance increases you notice the more focused polar pattern of the 416 begins to shine... really this part of the "test" is kind of stupid because you shouldn't be asking a hyper to do a shotgun's job... but I just left this in for comparison.
CLICK HERE for the 416 and ck63 comparison recording... 4 minutes total length.
Second clip is the 416 and ck69 LONG... means extra extension tube screwed onto the ck69 short... again this clip is probably a little too long, about 4 minutes. I think this long clip better addresses several points about the differences in these two mics... these are issues that are better heard then simply talked about.
Perhaps I should have done some ck69 indoors, but this is all outside. This clip will show two differences in mic design right away... that has nothing to do with frequency response, etc. The 416 is considered by many to be a heavy mic... with it's thick brass shell the 416 is one of the best mics I've ever used for HANDLING NOISE... you really can use a 416 as a handheld interview mic with no worries of handling noise (unless you're a ham-fisted loon!) and that's one of the many reasons I really like the 416.
The same as in the previous clip... NONE of the variables possible with the 480b were utilized. In an active handling situation you will benefit HIGHLY from using the 70hz low cut on the 480b. It's a praise of the 416 that it's got wide frequency response and still virtually no handling noise, but handling noise is just the norm for MOST really sensitive mics... that's why there are so many excellent shockmounts designed to help. Adding in the 70hz low cut on the 480b isn't even audible for 95% of the recording you'll do, but it REALLY helps on the handling noise! Also the 416 was in a K-Tek with soft bands and the ck69 was in a Rycote Softie "boot"... and I definitely like the K-Tek better. Okay... enough about handling noise.
At times I actually like the sound of the AKG mic better! I'd say even with keeping both mics at IDENTICAL settings (which is unfair to the AKG 'cause the settings are part of the package) I still prefer the AKG at least half of the time. To my ears the AKG is smoother and more detailed... and even less like a shotgun then the 416 is.
SIDEBAR: In case you don't know my history... normally I'm not a big fan of shotguns... I didn't even begin to tolerate them until I got a 4073a... that's when I realized that a shotgun didn't have to sound like a bad cell-phone connection!
So here we have two shotguns that sound a lot like smoother cardioids or hyper-cardioids in sonic character... for me that's a GOOD thing... and as your own ears can attest... the AKG actually edges out the 416 on that smoothness and high-end detail.
The next thing to take note of is when the crickets and the AC unit nearly drop OUT when switching from the 416 to the AKG... That's quite a compliment to the AKG because the 416 is KNOWN for it's ability to "suck dialog out of the mud". So all in all you'll see why I like the AKG mics so much. I think they represent a really good value and a great sound... at ANY price... but the things a 416 does well it does really well. A shotgun mic without handling noise is unheard of... and the 416 has surprised me with it's indoor success.
So do you see my point in that other thread? I like BOTH of these mics! I like both of them for "overlapping reasons"... in some situations it's a total flip of the coin as to which one is better... and in others there will be a CLEAR winner!
If I do another "test" of these mics and utilize the AKG's switches... and then do that test in a setup that I KNOW will FAVOR the AKG... say with 150hz low cut and +6db boost... then it would STOMP the 416... but there will still be times that nothing I can do with the AKG will make it beat the 416.
You should begin to see why I say, "Be careful... mics are addictive". Okay so now click below to hear what I've been talking about...
416 is always first and AKG ck69 LONG is always second... AKG is set to match 416.
First clip is the 416 and ck63... in this long (sorry) clip the 416 is always first (unless I say otherwise) and the AKG is always second... anytime you hear the exact thing twice in a row the Sennheiser was first. A couple things to note in this one: The 416 is said to be no good for interiors... okay so maybe it's not going to be good in ALL interiors... and maybe there is a better choice... but in my experience the 416 has been great for interiors 90% of the time. This clip is nothing special... it's just representative of my usual experience.
Okay now regarding the ck63... after about halfway through I go to outside use... when I'm within a couple feet of the mics the ck63 really sounds good... as distance increases you notice the more focused polar pattern of the 416 begins to shine... really this part of the "test" is kind of stupid because you shouldn't be asking a hyper to do a shotgun's job... but I just left this in for comparison.
CLICK HERE for the 416 and ck63 comparison recording... 4 minutes total length.
Second clip is the 416 and ck69 LONG... means extra extension tube screwed onto the ck69 short... again this clip is probably a little too long, about 4 minutes. I think this long clip better addresses several points about the differences in these two mics... these are issues that are better heard then simply talked about.
Perhaps I should have done some ck69 indoors, but this is all outside. This clip will show two differences in mic design right away... that has nothing to do with frequency response, etc. The 416 is considered by many to be a heavy mic... with it's thick brass shell the 416 is one of the best mics I've ever used for HANDLING NOISE... you really can use a 416 as a handheld interview mic with no worries of handling noise (unless you're a ham-fisted loon!) and that's one of the many reasons I really like the 416.
The same as in the previous clip... NONE of the variables possible with the 480b were utilized. In an active handling situation you will benefit HIGHLY from using the 70hz low cut on the 480b. It's a praise of the 416 that it's got wide frequency response and still virtually no handling noise, but handling noise is just the norm for MOST really sensitive mics... that's why there are so many excellent shockmounts designed to help. Adding in the 70hz low cut on the 480b isn't even audible for 95% of the recording you'll do, but it REALLY helps on the handling noise! Also the 416 was in a K-Tek with soft bands and the ck69 was in a Rycote Softie "boot"... and I definitely like the K-Tek better. Okay... enough about handling noise.
At times I actually like the sound of the AKG mic better! I'd say even with keeping both mics at IDENTICAL settings (which is unfair to the AKG 'cause the settings are part of the package) I still prefer the AKG at least half of the time. To my ears the AKG is smoother and more detailed... and even less like a shotgun then the 416 is.
SIDEBAR: In case you don't know my history... normally I'm not a big fan of shotguns... I didn't even begin to tolerate them until I got a 4073a... that's when I realized that a shotgun didn't have to sound like a bad cell-phone connection!
So here we have two shotguns that sound a lot like smoother cardioids or hyper-cardioids in sonic character... for me that's a GOOD thing... and as your own ears can attest... the AKG actually edges out the 416 on that smoothness and high-end detail.
The next thing to take note of is when the crickets and the AC unit nearly drop OUT when switching from the 416 to the AKG... That's quite a compliment to the AKG because the 416 is KNOWN for it's ability to "suck dialog out of the mud". So all in all you'll see why I like the AKG mics so much. I think they represent a really good value and a great sound... at ANY price... but the things a 416 does well it does really well. A shotgun mic without handling noise is unheard of... and the 416 has surprised me with it's indoor success.
So do you see my point in that other thread? I like BOTH of these mics! I like both of them for "overlapping reasons"... in some situations it's a total flip of the coin as to which one is better... and in others there will be a CLEAR winner!
If I do another "test" of these mics and utilize the AKG's switches... and then do that test in a setup that I KNOW will FAVOR the AKG... say with 150hz low cut and +6db boost... then it would STOMP the 416... but there will still be times that nothing I can do with the AKG will make it beat the 416.
You should begin to see why I say, "Be careful... mics are addictive". Okay so now click below to hear what I've been talking about...
416 is always first and AKG ck69 LONG is always second... AKG is set to match 416.
Your tests are amazings Matt. Thanks 
I'm pleasant surprising with the AKG C480B and the CK63 & CK69. I'll try to prove them before I decide. 
