Do you have the pad switch engaged?

the c214 has a switch on the left and a switch on the right, the -20db switch was wayy too low, and the normal mode was very noisy, i tried each setting, the mic has alot of white noise on it, and the lexicon needs to be turned all the way up to get decent sound which results in very loud white noise

According to what I'm seeing at the Lexicon website, the Alpha doesn't have phantom power. So how are you powering these condenser mics?

Good call. It says right in the Apha user guide that only dynamic mics or self powered condensers are accepted. (Pg.14) I'm not real sure how the AT2020 was working for that matter.

i have phantom power III, powering the microphones, after alot of testing, the at2020 was clear and quiet, and when i hooked up the akg it was very low and noisy.....i cannot wrap my head around what is not right, i also removed the phantom power and connected an ART Tube MP OPL Preamp, which has phantom power in it, and the results were the same, a clear & quiet AT, and a very low & noisy AKG....

Is the AKG new or used? If new did you buy it on Ebay for less than $350.00. The reason I ask is it may be a counterfeit or knock off there has been a problem with this. This is a very good quality mic if it is an new, real AKG it should perform at least as well if not much better than the AT2020. AKG would not market a $650.00 list price mic with high white noise. Take a close up pic of the AKG logo on the mic and post it.

I did buy the microphone from ebay, Pro Audio Star(22,000+) store for $395.00, the microphone came sealed in its metal carrying case with H 85 shock mount, W 214 windscreen, package was sealed with paper wrapped tightly around it and shrink wrap....did i manage to get a counterfeit?
[="http://img200.imageshack.us/i/dscn0168f.jpg/"]
[/]="http://img200.image…"]
[/]
[[url=http://="http://img69.images…"]
[/]="http://img69.images…"]
[/]
[="http://img188.imageshack.us/i/dscn0162x.jpg/"]
[/]="http://img188.image…"]
[/]
[[url=http://="http://img521.image…"]
[/]="http://img521.image…"]
[/]
[="http://img6.imageshack.us/i/dscn0173e.jpg/"]
[/]="http://img6.imagesh…"]
[/]
[[url=http://="http://img63.images…"]
[/]="http://img63.images…"]
[/]
[="http://img651.imageshack.us/i/dscn0171z.jpg/"]
[/]="http://img651.image…"]
[/]
[[url=http://="http://img691.image…"]
[/]="http://img691.image…"]
[/]

I don't know whether this is counterfeit or not, but it definitely is not working correctly. You either need to contact Prostar for a replacement or contact AKG directly. AKG will be able to tell you whether its counterfeit or not.

I agree, you should return it right away. They claim to have a 30 day return policy.

It's hard to tell from the pictures if it's counterfeit as [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.akg.com/…"]AKG states in their Counterfeit Warning[/]="http://www.akg.com/…"]AKG states in their Counterfeit Warning[/] But something clearly doesn't add up.

If they are a bonafide AKG dealer, they won't be for long. AKG takes a dim view of this kind of deceptive pricing scheme. A lot of what they sell is B-Stock (which means it has been broken, damaged in shipping, returned, or refurbished (broken, returned, repaired). And there's nothing wrong with selling B-stock merchandise as long as it's clearly marked as such. A company like AKG will often sell items that have cosmetic damage, but it's bad for business to sell one that doesn't function properly. If you paid less than $599 you probably got B-stock, regardless of what the auction said under 'condition'.

The manufacturers dictate the lowest price we can advertise their products. You are free to negotiate a better price one on one with a customer, but you cannot advertise in any way shape or form a price below the price they dictate. They will warn them once before they yank their dealership.

Did you notice their pricing is all over the place? They have a C214 with 3 free cables for $359 and another C214 by itself for $599. Even though they claim the $359 model is "New in box: never opened and never used" Something is shady there.

So either;
A) they're mis-representing the B-stock merch and calling it new, or
B) they're the dumbest businessmen EVER - selling equipment for less than they paid for it, or
C) the merchandise is of questionable origin.

There is no way it isn't at least one of those things.

Good luck.

I have not had satisfactory dealings with those guys. Like Hawk said, they post multiple ads and pricing is all over the map.
I think that they're working out of the trunk of a '77 Eldorado, but I can't swear to that!

" Psssttt.....Hey kid....Wanna buy the Brooklynn Bridge? Only used once......"

Its a shame that there are folks like that out there and chances are they dont feel any remorse at all with stretching the 'buyer beware' to the breaking point.

I would contact them immediately and describe your problem. Also I would contact AKG America directly with the serial number and model of the mic and get their take on the situation. They probably wont handle a claim about this mechandise but you never know. Be sure and mention to the seller that you asked about your problem on an internet site and got this response.....sometimes, having a large viewing audience will prompt those in question to go the extra mile. I'm certainly not saying to use it as a wedge...just informational only....K?

i appreciate the assistance guys, i called Proaudiostar, and they are being very understanding, and im not buying into it, i gave them an earful of the whole situation, the 1 service rep guaranteed me he was gonna send me a new working model, to which i replied "the model you sent me was shrink wrapped and the paper label was across is, was that not new?" ducked the question by telling me he will personally make sure i get a working model.....If i dont get a working microphone i will simply return it and get my cash back.....i know its an expensive mic, my financial budget is kind of tight right now, so i figured an ebay seller with 20,000+ feedback cant go wrong.....anyway as im still shoppin around for this mic i stumbled into unionsquared.com which selld the mic for 399$ [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.uniquesq…"]AKG C214 C 214 Studio Cardioid Condenser Microphone[/]="http://www.uniquesq…"]AKG C214 C 214 Studio Cardioid Condenser Microphone[/]
Is this somthing where i should just pay the 500 for it, OR is there a comperable mic for under 400 that i can compensate with?

the help is much appreciated fellas

As far as checking what a legitimate price might be for a piece of audio gear, you should look at [="http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/C214/"]Sweetwater[/]="http://www.sweetwat…"]Sweetwater[/], [[url=http://="http://www.fullcomp…"]Full Compass[/]="http://www.fullcomp…"]Full Compass[/], , and [URL=http://www.guitarcenter.com/AKG-C214-Large-Diaphragm-Condenser-Mic-104989132-i1409898.gc]Guitar Center. I'd never buy anything from GC that I could help just because I don't like them but if you're looking for legitimate price ranges there you go. In this case they all have the same price. Anyone selling something significantly cheaper-and posting that price on the web-is likely either not legit or is selling b stock as new (still not legit). In either case probably not an AKG authorized seller.

In general, when an online retailer won't list their physical address in their contact info, that's usually a bad sign. It makes you wonder who they're hiding from.

Unique Squared uses the exact same DNS servers as ProAudioStar. I'm guessing they are one and the same.

The situation you may be facing is that not all Phantom power is created equally. Some condenser microphones are what we call " pre-polarized diaphragms". Your AT may not require a full +48 V DC. Your 214 is a non-polarized diaphragms and requires a full +48 V DC to function properly. This sounds like the problem you are having. A polarizing voltage of under 48 V will yield a very low output. But not necessarily with your AT? Permanently polarized diaphragms are referred to as electret condenser microphones. Those particular capsules do not need a polarizing voltage. The Phantom power is there merely to power the electronics in the microphone. In years gone by electret condenser microphones were considered to not be as high in quality. That changed many years ago with improvements in technologies. In fact some of the finest laboratory calibration microphones are electret types such as the DPA/B. & K.'s and my Shure SM 81's. They can operate on a wide range of phantom power voltages from 15 to 48 volts. Other microphones have to have 48 V such as your 214/414, Neumann U 87 and others. I think your interface does not deliver 48 V but perhaps 15 to 25 V?

Microphones 101
Mx. Remy Ann David

Looking at the photos of your AKG C214 mic I would say its a fake, because the real AKG'S dont have a blue AKG BADGE on the mic and the bodies of the real thing look black to me, thats by looking on the AKG web site and other bonifide companies selling these mics.

Man, what a world. Who would ever think this would happen to the gear industry. I should start a warning section that displays all the signs of counterfeit gear. I bet this is going to get worse. So disturbing. I bet this is happening with pres and such as well.

Apparently, also a sucker

I also purchased an AKG c214 for the incredibly low, low price of approximately $400 and was immediately disappointed with the self-noise. Compared it to several other mics and assumed that the self-noise was due to not purchasing a 414. Of course, I am WAY out of my 30 day purchase period but will now be looking for some alternative solutions. Thanks for the education on imitation gear!