AKG C 414 B-XLS -or- AKG C 414 B-XL II - please compare

[666666]

Anyone currently own / use these mics that can report from experience?

I'd love to get a good idea of what the sonic differences are between the new:
AKG C 414 B-XLS
and
AKG C 414 B-XL II

Which mic would be better at grabbing / reproducing fast transients / dynamics?

Which mic might be considered to have more apparent depth and detail?

Which mic is less "colored"... meaning which mic is more natural / neutral?

I am not looking for technical specs and tech details... but looking only for personal accounts of the sonic behavior of these mics... and comparisons... as observed by one's ears.

Much appreciated

[666666]

By the way, I did post a similar question a long while ago but did not collect enough useful info.

If you look at the official AKG 414 brochure, the tech specs would tend to indicate that the XLII is more "colored", having a slight bump in the upper midrange. The XLS "appears" to be flatter.

But a frequency response chart isn't everything.

There's a bit of contradiction by AKG in terms of the recommended applications for the XLS and XLII... though it seems, overall, the XLII is recommended for vocals / speach... for whatever that's worth.

I'm more concerned about dynamics / transients really. Or pehaps both mics are nearly identical except for the freq response?

[Confusionator]

IMO the XLS is the better all rounder, and the XL II is one of those mics that, like dozens of others, can be "just perfect" when matched with a particular voice or some other particular acoustic source.

In other words, audition the XL II with your sources to see if it's a good match. On the other hand, just buy the XLS to have around as a utility mic when what you want is uncolored, fairly true (as opposed to "interesting") representation.

[666666]

Originally Posted by Confusionator

...just buy the XLS to have around as a utility mic when what you want is uncolored, fairly true (as opposed to "interesting") representation.

Thanks for the info.

So you feel the XLS is uncolored and fairly true. I wonder then how it compares to an AT4050 which is also said to be uncolored and fairly true.

Any opinions on the C 414 B-XLS compared to an AT4050?

Thanks again

[bluegrasser]

I've tried both. I prefer the XLS. To me it's more musical sounding than the brighter TLII.

[dannycurtean@yah]

I personally am fascinated with AKG C414 XLS. I love their proximity effect on male vocals. They sound natural, clean but warm and full while not loosing presence. GREAT for Drum OH, Vocals, Room setups, acoustic guitar (although I would go with a TLM 103 on that) almost anything. And they are great for guitar cabs paired with a SM57 -- GLORIOUS!. If you want some professionally done, un-opinionated preamp, and MIC comparisons check out The Listening Sessions - great reference to compare your favorite MICs and preamps or just to decide which is right for you. They should really expand their DB with more realistic real world MICs and preamps and also throw in your standard Mackie and Behringer or Samson mic pres and mics for comparison to the pro stuff. Other the the aforementioned run on sentence, the site is great for comparing great gear.

[Elof]

Originally Posted by 666666

Thanks for the info.

So you feel the XLS is uncolored and fairly true. I wonder then how it compares to an AT4050 which is also said to be uncolored and fairly true.

Any opinions on the C 414 B-XLS compared to an AT4050?

Thanks again

I did a shootout that included C414 B-ULS (don´t know how it compares to B-XLS), AT4050 and a few other mics. I thought the C414 was better on vox, it sounded more "full" and not as sibilant but yet more "airy" than the 4050. I also tried them on acoustic guitar, where the mids felt more solid with AT4050. On overheads, C414 was a clear winner to me, full and "fast" sounding.
I would say that these mics are both versatile, but I went for a pair of C414 B-ULS mics.