Oops!- that's AKG D3800m

  • Thread starter Thread starter Richard Monroe
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Richard Monroe

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Sorry, I mistyped a model # in a question, and got lots of views with no answers, except Big Kenny, who gave me the right #. Well, there may still be nobody that knows diddly about this mic, but I'm interested. I'll try it as a stage mic, but what I really need is one more dynamic for voiceovers. Here's the original post- corrected-

Well, we had a tough year with blown steam pipes, dead vehicles, etc., so I haven't been able to do any big purchases lately. We're in "make do with what you have" mode. I've been doing a 12 part radio play for a paying customer (woo hoo), and the large number of channels and lack of isolation has necessitated the use of a bunch of dynamics. All but one are not ideal. OK, SM7B was made for it, I own *one*. Yes I know- MD421, MD441, RE20, etc. would be really cool, but- see above declaration of poverty. I've pressed into service everything from SM57 to a D112 (which is not bad for some voiceovers, BTW), to D770, which shines in that role.
So, I had $100 to spend from a Christman present, and I saw in the case of my local GC, a D3800m tripower tagged $99.99. I asked to see it, and it was banged up pretty good (bad roadie, bad drummer). I asked if they had one in the box, and sure enough, they did. The guy didn't know his mics well, and I think the used one had been priced correctly for a used mic, but tagged as a new mic in error.

List is about $260, street price $180, $99.99 didn't seem bad, and I'm looking for vocal dynamics, so I grabbed a new one. Initial impressions- it has that Neodymium AKG dynamic sound, and is hotter than hell! Compared to say, the SM7, I had to turn the Avalon way down, or use higher impedence settings. It has excellent gain before feedback, and needs a little EQ to sound good on my voice. I actually needed to boost highs around 3K. Proximity is very linear but well defined, perhaps the best feature of the mic. I think it can be used as a tool for what I'm doing, and it may shine through the PA. I haven't set that up yet.

I'm one of the few people around here that uses AKG dynamics, but I wondered if anybody had any hands on experience with this puppy. Came with a nice airline case. I know I didn't get screwed, because if I don't like it, I can ebay it for my expenses and at least break even. Any clues?-Richie
 
I know it's an old thread.

These are great mics...so thanks to Richie for turning me on to them.

I know it's an old thread.
 
My conclusion, after several years, is that the mic rocks as a voiceover mic, if you have good technique. It's a hypercardioid, and a little unforgiving as a stage vocal mic. I use it as a live mic on things that don't move much, especially piano, where it really shines. I prefer cardioid mics for stage vocals, but the D3800m would be an excellent choice for an American Idol finalist. That's not me. I use it on piano.
 
arcaxis said:
A bunch of years ago I picked up a D3900. It's still what I consider one of my better dynamic mics. Back in 1995 I paid $160 for it.
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Yeah, the 3900 is the same mic as the 3800, except with a radical bass rolloff switch (I hate it on vocals, but it has uses on certain instruments), and a presence boost switch. The tripowers are simply some of AKG's best dynamic mics ever, that didn't sell. They utterly outclass SM57/58, beta or not, and are more comparable to Sennheiser MD421. They can still be found out there for $100 or so. They should be in the cabinet of anybody who does live sound reinforcement (are you listening, Henry?).
 
:D Yes I have 3 of the 3800's - one is broken. I picked them up ... gosh 20 years ago? Along with a D3500.
They are now in my retro collection. ;)
 
moresound said:
:D Yes I have 3 of the 3800's - one is broken. I picked them up ... gosh 20 years ago? Along with a D3500.
They are now in my retro collection. ;)
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That's about right. Introduced in 1992, the D3800 and D3900 were basically $300 mics at that time, MSRP, and the street price was about $180. That makes them $400 dynamics today. They should be in your "stick this behind an upright piano" collection. Trust me.

The cool part is that they never caught on like the Sennheiser MD421, so they never developed the vintage price. They are used $50 "buy it now" mics, and you can occasionally find them new for $100 in the flight case. You can stick one anywhere you'd use a 421. They were intended as big time vocal mics, but they shine on percussion, pianos, and cabs.
 
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