AKG C 451 EB
Little is documented about the AKG C 451 EB in period literature. The record is thin. What survives is mostly AKG's own service documentation, which is very detailed on how the mic comes apart and what parts it takes, but says almost nothing about when it was sold, what it cost, or how it was received.
The service manual confirms the essentials. The C 451 EB is a backelectret pressure-gradient condenser microphone with a cardioid polar pattern, a 20 Hz-20 kHz transmission range, and an unloaded sensitivity of 9.0 mV/Pa (-41 dB). Capsule capacity is 36 pF. Nominal impedance is 200 ohms across 100 Hz-20 kHz, and it wants a load of more than 2,000 ohms. It runs on 48 V phantom power, weighs 125 g, and is rated for -10°C to +60°C at under 99% relative humidity. AKG lists it as compliant with EN50082-1 (1997) at criterion A.
The manual is also where the C 451 EB's modular construction really shows. The amplifier board pulls out the back once you press the connector end against a flat surface to fight the spring, and the capsule side comes apart by undoing four screws — with a real warning attached, since the cap is spring-loaded and will fly off if you let it go before the last screw is out. The membrane sits loose in the cap and shouldn't be touched; the electrode likewise. There's an insulation strip inside the cap that has to be reused or replaced, and AKG notes it isn't included with a replacement cap. The parts list covers two housing versions (old and new), two insulation bushings that only fit their matching housing tube, and an Anniversary Edition cap and housing under separate part numbers. Accessories listed include the SA40 stand adapter, W90 windshield, H50 stereo bar, and a zippered carrying case.
Period reception is hard to pin down. The C 451 EB shows up mainly as a reference point in early-2000s advertising for its successor, the C 451 B. There Mix (January 2002, p.39) ran endorsements comparing the new mic to the original C 451 EB + CK 1 combination, with one engineer saying the reissue came closer to that pairing than anything else he'd heard. The EB was respected enough to be the benchmark, but that's a mention, not a review.
Similar items on eBay
No exact AKG C 451 EB listings are live right now — these searches show current AKG and similar vintage audio gear on eBay:
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.