Difference between a AKG D12 and D20/25

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API

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 25, 2005
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Location
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Hi.

I was just wondering if someone knows if there is any difference between these mics???
The D20/D25 have obviously a different mounting from the D12 and also some kind of filter/pad, but is there any other difference???
From the frequency curves i found on the AKG website there was some difference there.
But from what i know they share the same capsule, or is that wrong???

The D20/25 seems to be alot more expensive than the D12, so it would be great to know if there is any real difference.

Regards,
Dennis
 
Thats what i did and all i could see was that there were slightly different frequency curves.
But there were also different curves for on the different D12 archive pages so that did not tell me much.

So, the question is still up, is there a difference??
 
I think the capsules are the same.

The D20 has a built in bass roll-off filter and a better mount. The D25 is the same as the D20 but has a full shock-mount built in to the stand.

They all tend to be over-priced these days. I am waiting for a D12 in the post at the moment.
 
I did a Bassdrum-mike shootout at school with my students some weeks ago. The winner was the D12 closely followed by M88.
(Which mike to use in which application is a different case)

As for your question regarding D20/25: I don´t know
 
Hej Dennis,

I think it is same cartridge/capsule unit, in D12, D20, D25, but I´m not 100% sure.
I have repair a lot of D12 around the years, but not any D20 or D25.
There are also some other types, D30, D36 and D45, that can have a "D12 type capsule" or simmular.

Jensenmann,

Yes both D12 and D88 are a great bass or kick mikes, together with some others as Electrovoice RE20 and 666, (a fantastic nice old mike) and Sennheiser MD421.

But of course, the old rule is still valid: "use the mike, whatever sounds best"
Maybe the old telephone handset was the best choice for a particulary instrument :grin:

--Bo
 
[quote author="Rob Flinn"]I`m trying to get hold of a new capsule for my D12. It works but it`s all toppy & no bass, which isn`t great with this particular mic !![/quote]

There are some on Evilbay just now.
 
Thanks Roda. I think I`m going to buy a new capsule from AKG. I just want the mic sorted. AKG still sell replacement capsules for the D12 for roughly the cheapest you`re likely to buy the mic on ebay for. The one I have is an early version, where the normally black plastic middle bit is cast metal & metallic brown !
 
[quote author="Rob Flinn"]The one I have is an early version, where the normally black plastic middle bit is cast metal & metallic brown ![/quote]

That's good. The one I just bought has a crack in the plastic...

A wee tip - keep an eye out for any Philips or E*cholette models. They sell cheaper.
 
From what i understand now there realy is no difference in the sound of those different models.
Just the appearnce and some features.
The D20/25 seems better built with more metal parts as opposed to plastic on the D12 (at least some).

I just bought a new capsule on Ebay for about 140 euros, which is cool.
I have
 
continued.....

I have 5 D12´s and one D20 i just got, was hoping for a different flavor in the D20 but it seems that i am not going to get it.
Have to go up to the D30 and D45 which have the double capsules.

Bo, some of my D12´s have quite big bass roll off, is this a sign of the capsule have gone bad????
Or is something out of phase somewhere???

I just repaired a friends Beyer M88 today, the end of the windings on the coil were shorted and the mic sounded realy thin without bass.
Cant see anything on my mics, but could the same thing have happened to my mics???
Or do you have any other suggestions.

I also have some that sounds just fantastic!!!!!!
Its a great mic.

Dennis
 
API said:
I have 5 D12´s and one D20 ..
.. some of my D12´s have quite big bass roll off, is this a sign of the capsule having gone bad????
Or is something out of phase somewhere??? ..  Dennis

My understanding is that over time the capsule on these mic's can go out of alignment, inside the capsule assembly, so it's not moving as freely as it needs to for proper full frequency bass reproduction.

I have not opened my D25 personally, as I've been too afraid That I might damage something, but I have read elsewhere around here that this is the most common adjustment required for these mic's to exhibit the full response again.
 
Even tough the thread is old, I think I can contribute a bit. I had a few D12 of various ages and a D20 in very good condition. According to the paperwork at AKG and some old advertisements as well, the D20 is the "studio" version of the D12, because of a selected capsule. I noticed some D12 don't sound that good in comparison to my D20. So there may be something to that story. There have been a few different models of the D12, the older ones have a metal frame, the newer one with plastic. Some got slightly different capsules. If there's not much bass on that mic, it's damaged. These things are old, sometimes they die. Same for the OEM versions, on which you can find a lot of info on the net. Some model (Echolette) has the looks but not the resonant chamber, so going for an OEM you have to really know your stuff. There are some italian lookalikes that have nothing else in common. I came across a hungarian copy (rebranded?) that was very close (Austria and Hungary were one country, way back) and another that did look roughly the same and had a completely different capsule. For that you have to know somebody in Hungary who knows the Hungarian broadcast stuff inside out. Or learn the language.
 
I once took a d20 apart for repair and the capsule looked the same as the d12 one, with the exception of the top side layer of the capsule (where the diaphragm sits) was black coloured and a different material than the d12. Maybe some more difference in the internals of the capsule. But as far as sound is concerned, my d12s sound as good as the d20 i have. They all have a slight different tone in the lows and low mids and i decide to use one on the other depending on the recording.
 
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