AKG C520 Professional Head-Worn Condenser Microphone with Standard XLR Connector, Matte Black

I wanted a headset mic to wear while playing ukulele. I'm not a good enough player to be able to play without looking at the neck at least sometimes, and I also have to look at music, plus still engage with the audience. So I need to be able to move my head around while singing and still be heard on the mic. This thing does the job just fine. I was hoping it would be ok, because I really didn't want to spend a ton of money, but I wanted quality, and the reviews seemed to be decent. The one review of it being uncomfortable to wear, I honestly don't know what's up with that because it's adjustable. Maybe that person has a large head? I do have a very small head, so maybe that has something to do with it, idk. But I have tried it out and adjusted it to my liking and I don't see how it would be uncomfortable even after a long wear, but I haven't put it to that test yet. I've worn it for maybe 30 - 45 minutes while I was first just checking it out upon receipt. As far as sound quality, I have nothing to complain about. I'm just using it with a little Roland AC-90 amp. I was experiencing some plosives so I played with moving the mic farther from my mouth. I ended up having to move it a considerable distance from my mouth, which I would have thought would then affect the sound quality and/or volume, but it really doesn't at all, which is nice. Because I had a concern with wearing a headset mic that I won't be able to move away from the mic when belting out higher notes like you can with handheld, but with it moved away from my mouth not only does it eliminate the plosives but I don't blast out anyone's ear drums when I belt, yet I can still be heard just fine when I sing quietly. I think part of that is the amp, though, too - I do love my Roland amp. So I haven't actually performed with it yet, only tested it out for a bit at home. The only thing I can say is that it would probably be nice to go wireless, instead of having the wire to deal with, but it's not so bad, and I think I'd still rather deal with that than risk battery or signal issues in the middle of a performance.

I do live webcasts every week, narrate video training and have more Zoom meetings than anyone should be expected to hold. These are my go-to headsets. Audio quality is outstanding, I get regular compliments on how good my audio sounds. (I'm male and they have a very nice bass response. I have no experience using these for female voices.) Noise cancellation is OK - though I'm in a pretty quiet studio. These work best "tight" - within 2" of my mouth, but off to the side to avoid pops. The headset itself is not the most comfortable, but you don't notice after wearing it for a couple of minutes. This is the second set I've owned, I wore the first one out after five years.

I'm a drummer who wears this to both lead and back-up sing. My last wearable mic (Shure WH20XLR Dynamic Headset Microphone) was too weak and our PA would not adequately boost the signal. This one is very strong. It does pick up a lot of the drum sounds, but I have never used a wearable mic that didn't. I'm very happy with this mic.

(I'm using this mic as a massive overkill "gaming" mic. Mic->Preamp->2 channel mixer/monitor->Desktop) The included headset is wildly uncomfortable, full stop. You can probably wear it for an hour or so but even if it's well-adjusted (it doesn't adjust all that well) it will start digging into your ears after several hours of wear. The included wind-muff is 1" in diameter, and this mic loves being very very close to your mouth if you want to preserve bass, so you'll probably end up running it naked. I simply velcro-ed the mic to a regular pair of (comfy) headphones and all is well comfort wise. Vocal quality is superb, this mic puts out a VERY strong signal that requires little gain/amplification. It does pic up some ambient noise but this is (obviously) a directional mic. The C520 uses a full-size XLR connector (the C520L uses a mini XLR) and the XLR connector has a high-pass switch built-in.

No idea what the problem is. Only used this product twice and it no longer works. Would not recons. $250 down the drain.

This is a really good sounding Mic, If you are very aware of mic placement and angle, it can be very effective for flute

For some reason, AKG does not think it’s necessary or even advisable, to alert customers to the fact that this microphone requires phantom power. They believe, that when you see the words “condenser microphone“, you will just know. if you do, good for you. I’m convinced, not every customer will know that.

Nice headset mic. Works great for singing drummers. It also sounds nice too without a whole lot of EQ.

The AKG C520 has a 2.5 m (approx.) cable and connects directly to the XLR input of a mixing desk, amp etc. It's great for situations where you require good separation between the vocalist and the background, such as a keyboard player etc. It has a surprisingly good vocal quality and is a very useful addition to any home studio or live performance gear.

Una desventaja es que el cable es delgado y me parece frágil. No se puede desconectar para reemplazar. Con un cable tan delgado, me perece inevitable que se quebrara y por el precio es una lastima que no hay manera simple de reemplazarlo. Lo que lo hace terrible, sin embargo, es lo incómodo es el soporte. Aun después de ajustarlo por una hora, simplemente no podía soportarlo. Aprieta la cabeza demasiado, y el plástico alrededor del alambre metal es incómodo. El cuello del micrófono es demasiado corto, tanto que si quiero el micrófono en frente de mi boca, lo necesitara tragar, aun después de ajustarlo. Al hablar de ajustarlo, es muy difícil. Cambiar el lado del micrófono o ajustar las ganchos de oído me hizo sudar. Pensé que lo quebrara por la fuerza necesaria mover las piezas del soporte o quitar el micrófono. Quizá con otro soporte sería buen producto, pero ni siquiera podía evaluar como funciona por como se siente tenerlo puesto. Por el precio, esperaría que fuera más cómodo.

Happy with this mic.Nice round tone.

I've had this mic for a little over a year. I'm a singing drummer. Bought based on the reviews here. The mic works OK but it has a LOT of handling noise. Any movement of the cable causes significant noise, and loud pops from head movement are common. The head band is also not very comfortable, it's a little much when you're wearing it 2-3 hours. Maybe I got a bad one? I expected much more from a microphone at this price. Maybe someone from Harman wants to get in touch with me to discuss?

The boom places the microphone at the edge of your mouth. While that is effective I returned it because I wanted a boom mic that was directly in front of my mouth. The Crown CM311A was the one I ended up with.