Of course, the most important quality of this mic is its ability to deliver a sense of presence. A good mic will help make the narrator jump out of the speakers and into the listener's living room. The Perception 100 does an excellent job of this, which makes it ideal even though it doesn't have the fullness of a high-end mic. A narrator's dialogue often must cut through busy music tracks, sound effects and wildly adverse natural sound from video. The Perception 100 will definitely help your voice-overs do this.

All in all, the AKG Perception 100 is a great microphone for any budget minded producer who wants to add powerful voice-overs to their productions. While it has a somewhat less full sound than high-end mics, its ability to deliver a pleasing sense of presence will keep your audience tuned to your narration.

The Perception 100 is definitely worth its price and certainly looks, feels and sounds like a very professional piece of audio equipment.

Capsule: 1" Large Diaphragm True Condenser
Sensitivity: 18 mV/Pa (-35 dBV)
Frequency Response: 20-20,000Hz
Equivalent Noise to IEC 60268-4 (A-weighted): 16dB-A
Signal/noise ratio re 1 Pa (A-weighted): 78 dB
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Max Sound Pressure level: 35dB
Phantom Power: 48v
Included stand adapto: Yes
Balanced XLR: yes
Net weight: 1.2 lbs.

• 20-20,000Hz frequency response
• Bright sounds
• Sturdy bod

• No low-cut or attenuation switches
• Lacks full, richer tones
• Oversized body may not fit some shock mounts

The AKG Perception 100 is a sturdy and professional microphone for the budget-minded producer. If you're looking to add a strong voice-over to your next production consider the Perception 100 as the starting point.

Mark Montgomery is a commercial television producer.

AKG Acoustics
914 Airpark Center Dr.
Nashville, TN 37217
www.akg.com

$200