C414 EB

The 414EB was the second-generation C414 microphone from AKG. Like its predecessor, it combined AKG’s famous CK-12 capsule with a solid-state amplifier circuit.

AKG C414EB SchematicThe EB revision introduced a 3-way high-pass filter, and upgraded the -10dB pad to include a -20dB option; both were selectable via switches on the rear of the mic body, below the microphone capsule.

The left-side switch controls the pad: 0dB, -10dB, -20dB.
The right switch controls the HPF: flat, -12dB/octave @ 75Hz, -12dB/octave @ 150Hz.

As with the original C414, the EB provided 4 polar patterns — Cardioid, Omni, Figure-of-8, and Hypercardioid — selectable via a switch below the capsule on the front of the microphone body.

AKG CK-12 Capsule Comparison, by Markus SauschlagerThe first production runs of the C414EB used AKG’s original CK-12 capsule, now known as the “brass” CK-12. To reduce manufacturing costs, AKG developed a variation that used fewer parts and an easier assembly method — notably, it used a “nylon” ring that snapped the diaphragm in place, rather than the brass tensioning ring that was screwed down.

AKG C414EB exploded view; photo by Bo Hansen, Hansen Audio, SwedenThe 414EB shipped with a stand adapter (AKG p/n SA 18/3), a foam windscreen (p/n W 26), and a plot of the mic’s frequency-response curve.