AKG D320B Any clues?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Richard Monroe
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Richard Monroe

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I just bought one of these puppies for cheap on ebay. It is handheld, with a 3 position bass rolloff, which leads me to believe that it was intended for studio as well as live use. I don't have it in my possession yet, hell, I don't even know if it's a low-Z mic. Well I like singing into AKG dynamics, so I figured, why not a vintage piece for cheap? Anybody have any idea when the production run started or stopped, a ballpark on a price at the time, or any actual experience with it? The only info I've found by searching is that it is on the gear list of a number of old, well established studios, and that it has broadcast applications. Hopefully I'll bring it to the jamfest.-Richie
 
Wow- Not a soul apparently. Well it's showing up Monday, I'll send you a review. God, I should start an AKG dynamic user's support group-Heh.-Richie
 
Beats me. You could fill a book with what people don't know about AKG dynamics. My guess is they may be from the same series-Richie
 
I know. You'd think there'd be some kind of comprehensive history of AKG, with details of all the different models, somewhere on the Web.

Anyway. Here's mine

d321.jpg
 
It looks remarkably............... phallic!

Where's Monty when you really need him?
 
Okay. I trawled through my meagre collection of 80s British Recording magazines and found a price guide in the June 86 issue of Home And Studio Recording which puts the D321 at £113 and the D320EB (which I would guess is a later edition of your mic) at £109. I'm guessing this is an average based on prices taken from a number of shops at the time..

As a comparison the Beyer M201 also has an ARP of £113, as does the 260. The Sennheiser MD421 (U5 model) goes for £133 and the 441 for £169 to £185 depending on whether it's a plain old U or a fancy shmancy U-3 model. The Sm57 retails for a whopping £130 and the 58 for a staggering £150.

1987 issues of International Musician And Recording World carry full page adverts for a shop called Uni Sound which has the following prices

  • AKG D321: £138
  • Sennheiser MD421: £120
  • Sennheiser MD441: £187
  • Shure SM57: £109
  • Shure SM58: £125

Confusing isn't it :D
 
Thanks a lot, Mark. Enem little shreds are useful. What have I figured out? It's older than yhe 80's, and intended to compete with the likes of a Sennheiser 421. There's some evidence at least some of the British gear sluts preferred th Sennheiser. I'm getting intrigued. I cant wait to put this mic up. I really would like to see AKG build a top flight dynamic to go up against MD441 and SM7. Are you listening AKG?-Richie
 
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dear sluts? :confused:

Incidentally, UK pricing at the time seems to be all over the place. Another shop which also has ads in IMARW, Monkey Business, has the D320B and 321 at £109 each. Of course that tells us nothing about the relative position of each mic in the AKG hierachy at the time.

It's also interesting to note that only two UK audio shops dared advertise their prices in 87. Gawd only knows what the rest were charging (Sm58? That'll be £200 sir).
 
Sorry, Mark, that's "gear" sluts. Must be one of those Freudian things. I'll tell you, that's one thing I love about Shure. I can pull up extensive tech and historical data on line regarding any piece of discontinued Shure equipment. I think I'm going to email mein freunden in Austria and see if they are in the mood to share.-Richie
 
Good eye deer!

Be sure to post any information in this thread once you've got it :cool:
 
Thanks Mark! Looks like the run started in 1978, and the D320B represents a model revision or upgrade some time after that. Most definiely a dynamic vocal mic, and the date, I think, ensures that it's a Lo-Z mic. Well it's coming tomorrow, I'll let you know if it rocks.-Richie
 
You're welcome

Now go and find me some Frequency Response Charts ;)
 
Well, I just did the first pass with this puppy on vocals, and I think I like it a lot. It's hypercardioid, with noticeable proximity boost, so you have to maintain a pretty constant position relative to the mic. It's just what I was looking for. You know, there are some songs where you want the grit of a dynamic, and that super smooth condenser just won't do. My best available dynamic is a Shure SM7B, which is great for backing vocals, but like all Shure dynamics, it doesn't really love me, and vice versa.
I've gotten better tracks out of an AKG D770, but I know I can do better for a main vocal dynamic. I'm definitely looking at Sennheiser 421 and 441, but money's a little tight right now. This mic has definitly got that AKG sound that works on my voice, and it's clearly a step up from the neodymium of the current crop of D-series mics. In some respects, the D770 is smoother, but that comes at the cost of loss of detail. This baby is just the perfect compromise. Now I have to learn to use it.-Richie
 
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