AKG 451 or AKG Blueline SE 300B - How classic is classic?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 5 мар 2020
- We take a 40+ year old AKG 451 E and give it a spin against a ten + year old AKG Blueline SE 300B. Both have cardioid capsules CK1 v CK91. Has anything changed in 40 years....
00:40 451 EB Switch
01:20 CK1 Capsule
01:53 451 in Rycote Lyre
02:08 451EB in black
03:25 451 E reading
03:50 Blueline SE300B + CK91
03:55 Blueline reading
4:02 CK91
![Chk Chk Boom - Stray Kids ストレイキッズ 스트레이 키즈 [Music Bank] | KBS WORLD TV 240719](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/63QPwqCRGcw/mqdefault.jpg)
Greetings from America! Thank you for this wonderful video! Great review.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. ppm6.
I love the way the 300b smoothly opens up in the presence frequencies. Provides a nice added dimension. Not missed with the 451, but noticed in comparison.
Hi Jamison - I believe the Blueline series to be somewhat overlooked. And a bit unfairly. The hand over from 451 to 460 didn't go universally well. TV had some 460 kit but not the ubiquity that the 451 had enjoyed. We had virtually no 460s in radio and the Blueline didn't make a mark either. We tried Sennheisers but eventually Neumann picked up the pieces with TLM 103 ruling the waves. I have a bunch of Bluelines and am very pleased with them. Austrians for preference. Ta like, ppm6.
@@ppmtv-qh9qk Noted. Thanks for sharing! 🙏 And now I begin my online marketplace search.
Happy hunting!
Just bought a stereo pair of 300b over the 451. Mostly because they’re newer and sound great, Thanks for posting.
Thanks for the post - I think the 300 series is much overlooked. And the capsule mounting system is the best ever. Many a 451 rendered useless by cross threading the capsule in a hurry. Ta like, ppm6.
As always great review Thanks for your input 😊
Thanks Sharon - did you have 451's on your station? I remember now our presentation studios had 451's with CK8s. Not something I've ever seen in other radio studios!
@@ppmtv-qh9qk Im not sure.
I think I have seen one laying around laying around
Sharon - just laying around - did you have no love for the 451? I do remember one of our orchestral music guys saying 'I never use AKG mics' Harsh I thought but there is such a thing as personal taste! Ta ppm6
Hi man our motto in the radio station is a good mic is the one that is available😁
So interesting to hear confirmation of my feelings about the Blueline series. It’s as though they sound like nothing. I’ve had 2 pair for well over 25yrs with Omni, hyperC, & cardiod capsules. When comparing them with other mics, they tend to lose out because they just don’t have much personality or coloration. Ultimately, I guess that’s why I end up utilizing them quite a bit, especially in symphonic settings, live chamber, or jazz musical settings. I find them ultimately to be very neutral and true without adding anything extra that you need to spend time in post taming. My Schoeps get used for creating that magical atmospheric quality, but the AKG blueline work very well especially if I plan on adding reverb or other efx.
Thanks for stopping by. That's a really interesting take on the Bluelines! And high praise when you have Schoeps in your kit! I'm guessing yours are made in Austria - I have a couple of later bodies and the finish isn't as good. I also have some of the personal mics but haven't used them in many a year. Must give them a try! Do you make much use of the omnis in your symphonic gigs? Ta like, ppm6.
Hi Thanks for the video, would I be right in saying the signal level of an AKG451e would be similar to say and SM57, that's what I'm finding anyway, I just bought one and perhaps wrongly supposed I would be getting alot more signal coming in, . Interesting about the warming up time, I might try that.
Hi Niall,
SM57
Sensitivity (at 1,000 Hz)
Open Circuit Voltage: -54.5 dBV/Pa* (1.9 mV)
AKG 451e
Sensitivity at 1 kHz: 9 mV/Pa (-41 dBV)
I think you were right to expect more sensitivity - according to these figures (from recordinghacks) you should be getting 13dB more loudness from your 451. Is it new, do you have another condenser to compare it. Terry's 451 in the video - would be about 40 years old!! and that age who can say how many volts are actually coming out. What is the rest of the system in terms of mic amps etc? Ta like, ppm6.
@@ppmtv-qh9qk Hi Thanks a mill, its a vintage mic (1970's) I have an AT2035 ldc which has much more signal for the same gain on my focus rite Scarlett 2i2 with the phantom switched on, ive tested in after an hour also to check if it was any different. The mic signal is clean and clear, just not that loud. I've been told they were designed for live instrument micing and maybe weren't that hot to allow for this function.
Hi Niall - the AT has quite a hot output
Cardioid (22 mV/Pa; 20 - 20,000 Hz)
And should be noticeably louder than the 451. I do wonder though if the electronics have aged a bit in the AKG and whether that could result in lower output. As long as it sounds fine then no worries but I'll ask a man who knows...Ta like, ppm6.
Our 451s where modded at the BBC with a thicker thread, as so many got wrecked.
Hi ECA - was that London OB's? Our 451's were modified by hand fisted staff like me cross threading them! I don't think we recut threads I think they just became 'non interchangeable' capsule mics! Ta like, ppm6.
How does the C451 with a C1 compare to its predecessor the C28 Series using the same CK1 capsule or the CK28?
Sorry for the slow reply Jonathan. The answer is I don't know! What have you got in the cupboard at the moment? My experience with the 451 (CK1 capsule) is limited to the classic made in Austria mics from my BBC days. Very flat, very flexible - a lot of options - very reliable - terrible threads on the capsules, easy to cross thread. Truth is they were dogs body mics, we used them on everything and they got the job done. What the new ones are like I don't know but a second hand one is very likely to be very well used and I would be cautious. We didn't have any C28s, though we did have a couple of C12s that no one used. From what I see C28s are very expensive - can you still get the tubes? Again I would be cautious. Sorry I can't be of more help. Ta like, ppm6.
Hello, the old 451’s are quite neutral sounding I’d say perfection. The 300 does have a very nice presence, but not much brighter.. I love both.. I have a pair of new 451B’s and are very sensitive. Would be a nice comparison.. cheers
Hi Astral Audio, thanks for dropping by. Great to have your info about the new 451Bs - I haven't really seen much about them, I'll look out for some if I can. I do like the old 451s but they are hard to come by in good condition here in the UK and they have become quite expensive second hand. I do like the 300s but I would agree they are not as neutral as the 451. Ta like, ppm6.
@@ppmtv-qh9qk I’ve mentioned the SM81’s in the comments on another video.. an older one of those would be great. I’m finding the 451’s slightly saturated & I suppose that’s why their so famous and have character.. 👌
Thanks for the tip, I will keep an eye out for an SM81. Ta like, ppm6.
Blueline win for sure
Hi - I too like the Bluelines - though to be fair the 451 I used had about 40 years of hard work under its belt! Thanks for dropping by. Ta like, ppm6.
@@ppmtv-qh9qk oh, yes he might be a bit tired.. The highs are still there but the mids not really. Yet it's a real capacitor... Maybe a trip to a repairman can do him some good ;)
Strangely, bluelines age quite well - for electrets! - In the school where I teach, some are almost 30 years old, and are still used in TV set exercises / music, and still sound good.
Well I'm pleased by your Blueline info as I have quite a few and I'd like them to last. Ta like, ppm6.