| | |  | Tools & Home Improvement | Home » » AKG PERCEPTION 120 Professional Studio Microphone for general purpose. | | | | | | | Description: | | AKG’s Perception microphones have built a strong following among musicians and engineers, proving to be among the best high-value true condenser microphones on the market today. The AKG Perception Series includes the P 120, P 170, P 220, P 420 and also the new Perception 820 Tube – each offering a switchable 20 dB attenuation pad and a low cut switch for an even wider range of miking capabilities including vocals, acoustic instruments, classical music, electric guitar amps and drums across multiple applications of studio recording, live sound and broadcast. The Perception line offers AKG’s signature “up-front” sound quality captured in a rugged precision-tooled zinc/aluminium alloy body with dent-resistant stainless steel grille screens. | | | Features: | |
• Professional condenser microphones
• Solid, roadworthy construction quality
• Designed and engineered in Vienna, Austria
• Outstanding price-performance ratio
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 9.8 inches | | Product Width:
| 3.5 inches | | Product Height:
| 7.5 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.76 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.56 inches | | Package Height:
| 3.31 inches | | Package Weight:
| 2.07 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 12 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 12 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 found the following review helpful:
Great microphone!Apr 13, 2009
By Geoff Phillips
I use this microphone to record acoustic guitar and vocals in Garageband. It's plugged into an ART Tube MP phantom power/preamp which feeds into an M-Audio Fasttrack USB. It's an affordable setup and sounds great to me.
If you are looking to record yourself in any capacity, I think this mic would do well for you. The mic picks up every overtone and nuance of the acoustic guitar and sounds MUCH better than plugging the guitar's pickup directly into the M-Audio box.
Vocal recording with this mic is shockingly accurate (to me anyway). My previous mic was an off-brand dynamic which sounded dull in comparison to the AKG. For better or worse, this mic will record you EXACTLY the way you are.
The mic is well built and feels robust. Build quality is absolutely no concern with this mic, and that is primarily what steered me away from the MXL 990.
Some considerations on buying this (or any condenser) mic:
You must have a solid stand. It's a pretty heavy mic and you don't want to test the build quality by watching it crash to the floor.
You will need a phantom power & preamp source. Phantom power alone will not do the job.
These mics pick up EVERYTHING. If you breathe funny while playing guitar you'll hear it on the recording. If you hit pickguard while strumming, this mic picks that up quite loudly. If you leave your cellphone on vibrate on the other side of the room, it'll pick that up too. SO, if you can't record in a relatively quiet room you'll be amazed/frustrated with all that you hear in the recording.
You will want to buy a pop screen if you plan record vocals at all. These mics sound best if you speak/sing directly into them (as I understand) and doing so will produce a loud "puh" sound frequently. The answer is a $20 pop screen.
Downsides to this mic are primarily in the value department. The MXL 990 includes a shock mount and carrying case at the same price. The Perception 220 has a larger diaphragm, comes with the shock mount and carrying case, looks a bit cooler and costs about $80 more. A decent shock mount will cost $40 and I have yet to find the AKG-branded case for sale by its self online, so the price difference is well made up just by the included accessories. Realistically, I don't see much of a need for the shock mount in my setup, and in the unlikely event that I carry the thing elsewhere I can just use the box/foam it came in.
Overall I'm quite pleased with this microphone. I'd give it 4.5 stars for the lack of a spider mount and case, but to me those are non-issues. This is a great mic from a great brand and I'm confident that if you buy it (and have no need for the shock mount/case) you'll be just as happy as I am with your purchase.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Lovely microphoneSep 21, 2008
By D. Joseph
I was using a USB headset microphone for my LibriVox volunteer work. A few weeks ago, I upgraded to this AKG Perception 120 condenser microphone.
It is awesome. It sounds warm and full and has an overall beautiful sound. I'm very happy with this microphone. I should have upgraded a long time ago.
One warning: be sure to purchase a stand in the same order. I ordered my stand separately, so I had to hold the microphone while I used it for the first few days. It's a heavy piece of equipment, and my arms got tired very quickly.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Excellent quality and underpricedOct 13, 2009
By TriggerHappy
I would have valued this mic far above what it is being sold. Right off the bat, the construction is pro grade, all the way. Solid metal, heavy weight and a nice mat bluish silver finish. The sound quality is excellent. It records warm and rich vocals: running through a Digidesign Mbox 2 mini. It picks up every nuance and every breath. It's almost too clear. Haven't used it to record any instruments, only voice in studio. My voice sounds better on this than other mics I've used. Very very impressed. And it was well under $100!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
great studio mic for the priceNov 04, 2010
By Gil Gildner
I'm using the AKG Perception 120 to both record & perform live. The sound is amazing. Though it's not a top-of-the-line mic (it's under $100 after all) I can definitely say that this is the single best side-access condenser mic for the price. The build quality is amazing. I've used the Perception 220, the step above this one, and honestly with a few small differences (diaphragm size and frequency cutoff) they're essentially the same mic. Both are amazing. The 120 is a bit less adept at recording guitar or stringed instruments, but it's still great. Highly recommended.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
affordable studio equiptmentNov 22, 2010
By studio freak/jaystarks
if you are trying to build an affordable home studio, this is the way to go. AKG is one of the best brands on the market. the price i paid for this mic was basically a steal! definitely a good buy!
See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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