This is the review of the comparison between two microphones from two different brands popular in the market. The comparison here is between the Blue Bluebird SL and the AKG Pro Audio C214. There are day and night differences in their price range currently which makes difference in their performances also. To know which one is good for you to buy, go to the detailed review.

Blue Bluebird SL	AKG Pro Audio C214
BUY NOW	BUY NOW
PROS	PROS
Excellent in loud volume situations. Smooth but detailed frequency response. Tight overall response, tunable. Looks much more expensive than it is.	Maximum SPL capability with minimum noise. Large-diaphragm with good sensitivity. Beautiful design. Easy to use. Affordably priced. Shock absorption mount.
CONS	CONS
No 3/8-inch thread adaptor.	Not so great for electric bass.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

Blue Bluebird SL

The Blue Bluebird SL microphone is a cardioid microphone. This microphone is heavier than it looks in the pictures, and this microphone is pretty awesome. This is an XLR microphone, so you need an audio interface to use this microphone. This microphone has one condenser capsule which performs the cardioid polar pattern. This microphone is retailing for around three hundred dollars currently on Amazon.

AKG Pro Audio C214

The AKG C214 is for around four hundred and seventy dollars as listed price but you actually can get it for about four hundred dollars currently on Amazon. I know that’s a little bit steep of a price for a microphone but it is a very big investment and usually, with the AKG higher-end microphones, you get what you pay for. This is an XLR microphone and it supports a cardioid polar pattern.

DESIGN:

Blue Bluebird SL

The Blue Bluebird SL looks almost the same as the Blue Bottle microphone which is the flagship microphone from Blue. This microphone has got a blue and aluminum color to it and a golden-colored wired grille on the top. There is the Blue logo on the front of the mic and underneath it, there are your switches to switch between the low roll-off and negative 20 dB reduction, if you want any of these. The build quality on this microphone is also good and the aesthetics were really good.

AKG Pro Audio C214

There are two switches on this mic for a little variation, the first is a low-cut switch that rolls off low frequencies below 160 Hertz and the other is a 20 DB pad switch giving you extra Headroom when you’re recording very loud sources. It comes in a solid hard case along with a shock mount, and a foam windshield. The shock mount is a very nice design, you simply slot the mic down into it, turn the grip, and it’s held very securely there, even enough to be used upside down.

As far as the build quality, everything is solid as you might expect for a more premium product. The mic itself has a heavy metal casing, the switches are not Wiggly at all, and the grille has a little bit of giving but not overly so. The shock mount whilst made of plastic has a nice feel, and the locking design is great to use.

FEATURES:

Blue Bluebird SL

The Blue Bluebird SL comes in a nicely packaged box, and it is packaged in such a way that by seeing the package itself we can assume how qualitative the product will be. When you open the actual box, you are going to get a wooden box that contains your actual microphone, then you do get a shock mount to mount your microphone, then there will be your usual manuals, and also, you get a coupon that’s giving you 20% off after you been registered in the Blue’s official website.

When you open up the wooden box, at first you are going to get quality control certification which lets you know that everything was checked. Then there is enough mesh and sponge material to protect your microphone that is inside that wooden box. When you remove all those sponges there will be your microphone. When you take the microphone out, you can actually feel the quality of it and how heavy it is. This microphone has got the looks of one of the flagship microphones from the Blue that is the Blue Botte but at a lower price than that. 

AKG Pro Audio C214

When you buy the AKG C214 you get the microphone, a nice carrying case, a shock mount, and a windscreen. As far as the build quality all of the products that come in this are just really nice, they’re built really well, the microphone itself is built really well, the grille is just a tiny bit flexible but honestly, it’s nothing really to worry about.

As far as the specs of this microphone, the first thing you usually hear about the C214 is that it’s modeled on the famous C414 and is similar in sound. That’s a bold claim given it’s almost 1/3 of the price, and there are a few microphones in the world that are said to be better than the C414. Certainly, the features are less the C214 actually uses the same one-inch dual capsule as the C4 4 but in a single diaphragm design with a cardioid only pattern. However, it’s worth remembering this even if you have many patterns available it’s quite likely that you may end up only using the cardioid pattern 95% of the time anyway in a home studio, so worth considering when you compare the price difference.

PERFORMANCE:

Blue Bluebird SL

Not only the Blue Bluebird SL looks the same as the Blue Bottle microphone, but also it sounds pretty much the same as the Blue Bottle. Definitely, for its price range, it’s not exactly the same but it’s pretty good. This microphone also performs the cardioid polar pattern very well and for the beginners who want to start their voiceovers in their home studios this microphone will definitely perform well. Actually, it sounds pretty good at a sound-treated environment more than in an open environment or normally in your home or echoey environment.

AKG Pro Audio C214

The foam windshield was surprised to me normally I find they take away too much high-end, and I prefer to use a pop filter but I have to say I liked the sound with the included windshield, and I mentally felt a little bit freer without a pop filter in my face when I was singing. Then again it’s not quite as effective with plosives in my opinion. In the low and mid ends, this microphone sounds really rich but it was the high end which I enjoyed the most, it sounds very very crisp, without sounding harsh at all.

WHICH TO BUY?

In my opinion, the AKG Pro Audio C214 is good for you to buy than the Blue Bluebird SL because, for most of us who are used to hearing microphones which cost maybe half or two-thirds of the cost of this microphone, I really do think you can hear the difference when you spend the extra money. It’s as if with those other microphones you have to kind of squeeze out every ounce of goodness from them using EQ and saturation that kind of thing, whereas with this microphone, I felt I am pretty much got what I wanted without having to mess around with it too much afterward.

Expert Reviews of Blue Bluebird SL:

By guitarcenter.com
The Bluebird SL flatters any sound source. Its proprietary hand-tuned capsule and transformerless design deliver tremendous upper-end clarity, smooth midrange frequencies, and rich lows that make every detail of your sound…

By americanmusical.com
Bluebird SL delivers a pristine, highly versatile sound that makes every detail of your performance come to life. With a high-pass filter and -20dB pad, Bluebird SL is ideal for capturing standout…

By performermag.com
Blue re-vamped part of their microphone line at NAMM and the new Bluebird SL takes a lot of its cues from some of their more high-end microphones. Yet it delivers to a much more affordable price point, perfect for small commercial…

By vintageking.com
Blue Microphones Bluebird SL delivers a pristine, highly versatile sound that makes every detail of your performance come to life. With a high-pass filter and -20 dB pad, Bluebird SL is ideal for capturing…

By bhphotovideo.com
Featuring a proprietary, hand-crafted capsule, the Blue Bluebird SL is a studio condenser microphone that builds upon its predecessor to offer a switchable 100 Hz high-pass filter and…

Expert Reviews of AKG Pro Audio C214:

By musicradar.com
The C214 is a solid performer for anyone who wants to record a variety of instruments in the studio.

By musiccritic.com
Studio miking can end up an expensive venture, especially if you buy a mic for different processes and applications. The C214 from AKG is a great middle-ground mic that provides excellent…

By topratereviews.com
It gives incredible performance for when we want clean sounding sessions without any distortion or overtone hassle. Its strength lies in how well it purifies tones. It makes working with it so much fun because it gives us maximum control…

By gearank.com
If you are looking for a vocal studio microphone that with a bit of top-end crisp, then check out the AKG C214. If you would like to see which alternatives we recommend then you’ll find them in our guide to The Best Studio Mics For Vocals.

By shout4music.com
AKG mics are known for their great builds and quality engineering, and the AKG C214 is no different. With a brighter tone and versatile sound, this mic is a reliable studio workhorse that’ll net you great results.