Review on AKG Pro Audio P420 Dual Capsule Condenser Microphone - Black: Superior sound recording performance by Ronald Ingram

I really like this microphone. Amazingly good build quality, great shock absorber, selectable directivity and a really nice body. However, when I got it, it had a fairly loud 60Hz hum that got much worse as my hand got close to the mic. This was frustrating because I thought it was a poor quality mic. I even went through the return process and received an RMA from Revain. Then I noticed that if I wiggled the XLR cable a bit, the hum would sometimes go away and the mic sounded really good. On a whim I removed the case from the bottom, which was easy. In fact, I just unscrewed and removed the bottom ring. I didn't "do" anything inside the mic, unscrew the capsule, or remove the basket. I put it back together and it's been perfect ever since. No hissing, no wobbling of the XLR cable. And the sound is great for my needs. I'm not sure what changed when I took it apart, but something definitely changed. I bought it as an inexpensive way to add a figure-of-eight pattern for medium recording, but it sounds really good on a cardioid pattern. All in all, this is a great price for a solid microphone that sounds very good.