AKG 460B (1982–?)
A modular condenser preamp that AKG billed as the "ultimate microphone for digital recording" - and studios actually believed it.
Overview
AKG introduced the C-460B in 1982, according to the product announcement in Modern Recording (August 1982, p.19). The announcement called it an advance of the C-450 modular condenser system "into the digital age." The 460B is not a self-contained microphone. It is a preamplifier body that takes the C-450 family's screw-on capsules. The preamp alone carried a suggested list price of $320. The announcement noted it was compatible with existing C-450 system capsules and accessories, including a new CK-3 hypercardioid capsule aimed at improved separation for multitrack work.
The preamp's published specs, per that same Modern Recording (August 1982, p.19) announcement, put the frequency range at 5 to 30,000 Hz. The top octave reaches well past what most 1982 analog chains could capture, which is why the "digital recording" pitch landed. Dynamic range was listed at 125 dB, maximum SPL at 150 dB, and signal-to-noise ratio at 15 dB with a CK-1 capsule fitted. Phantom powering is universal, 9 to 52 volts, with current draw under 1 mA and a recommended load impedance of 500 ohms. The body weighs 4.8 oz and measures 0.8 by 5.9 inches. A three-position bass rolloff gives 12 dB per octave at 50, 70, and 150 Hz. There is also a switchable attenuator offering up to 20 dB at each setting. Both controls are handy for close-miking loud sources.
AKG's own advertising, which ran in Studio Sound (November 1984, p.87 and December 1984, p.91), was blunt about the intended application: "The Ultimate Microphone for digital recording." The same ads describe the development of the C460B preamp in conjunction with the new ultra-linear CK61 cardioid and CK62 omnidirectional capsules. They also repeat the 5 to 30,000 Hz amplifier range and the 12 dB/octave bass-cut filter. A companion Studio Sound ad (March 1982, p.63) claimed the C 480 B could handle a maximum SPL of 150 dB across the full frequency range. That is the same 150 dB figure the 460B preamp carries.
Studio listings from the period show the 460B scattered through working rooms rather than trophy shelves. A Nashville facility listed in Mix (June 1993) counted a pair of AKG 460Bs alongside a pair of C414s and a shelf of Sennheiser 421s. Another Mix directory entry from the same issue lists eight AKG C-451/460B bodies in a Virginia Beach studio. A live-sound orchestral rig documented in a Recording-Engineer piece from 1991 used a pair of AKG 460Bs on gong and miscellaneous percussion. A stereo-miking survey published in Recording-Engineer (1984) lists the AKG 460B among the coincident cardioid XY pairs evaluated alongside Calrec, Neumann, Schoeps, and Milab options.
The 460B was a workhorse, not a fetish object. The modular capsule system means a used body is only as good as the capsule screwed onto it. Collectors should treat body and capsule as separate purchases with separate condition questions. The bass rolloff and pad switches are the parts that wear. The 9-to-52-volt phantom tolerance makes it unusually forgiving of oddball supplies, which helps in a rack full of vintage gear. Original list of $320 for the preamp put it within reach of project rooms as well as majors.
Treat the numbers as the company's 1982-84 claims rather than independently measured figures.
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