AKG Perception 100
The Perception range of microphones from AKG are aimed at the project studio market dominated by eastern manufacturers. The microphones are still designed in Austria, but built, under AKG quality control of-course, in China to keep the price down.
The Perception 100 is a large diaphragm, fixed cardioid condenser microphone powered by 48V phantom power. The Perception series includes a second model, the Perception 200 which contains two additional switches, for a low-cut filter and a -10dB pad. The Perception 200 also comes with a metal carry-case, and a shock mount.
The Perception 100 ships with only a stand adapter, however this is more than sufficient for most applications.
The specifications are pretty standard for this type of microphone, but the slightly high noise figure makes it more suitable for close-mic’d vocals and other studio uses. The microphone can handle most source sound levels other than kick drums and larger guitar cab’s which will often exceed 140 dB SPL, so the general use for this microphone would be vocals, drum overheads, strings, brass, and most acoustic instruments e.g. guitars.
Put to the test
As a vocal mic, the Perception 100 performed well producing crisp recordings with both male and female vocals. Since the mic has a cardioid pickup pattern it is important to observe, and compensate for if necessary, the proximity effect, especially since the mic has quite a warm low-end response which can get too much if the singer is very close to the mic.
It is important to use the right placement considering the polar pattern of the mic, it can often pick up other sounds from around the room. This could be an issue for many users, since the mic is intended for the project/home studio in which the recording room is not isolated from external noise.
With acoustic instruments the mic also worked well, however it did take some fine tuning of the position to get the right sound with the particular guitar and room used.
Since the Perception does have a very subtle ‘character’ of its own, it may not suit all voice types or instruments, however, the Perception 100 is well designed and built solidly, a good general purpose studio microphone. If you’ve got a little extra to spend then I would go for the M-audio Luna, but I have to say this mic will give you the most “Bang for your Buck”
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Capsule | 1” True Condenser |
| Sensitivity | 18 mV/Pa |
| Frequency Response | 20-20 000 Hz |
| Equivalent Noise | 16 dB-A |
| Polar Pattern | Cardioid |
| Max SPL | 135 dB (SPL) |
Review by Jaime Lopes for Headroom Productions
