The Coronavirus pandemic has forced people to be more creative with their income flows. Several industries were hit, leaving plenty jobless. This has led some to reinvent themselves as content creators. For those that are looking to level up the audio on their content, the AKG Lyra USB mic might be the solution.

USB mics are pretty straightforward. They’re all literally plug and play. The same is true for the AKG Lyra. So, what you’ll be looking out for mostly are sound quality along with build and design.

Build and Design 

The AKG Lyra unmistakably looks like a mic. Up front you’ll see the AKG logo, and the knobs and ports are pretty straight forward too.

The base is pretty heavy and sturdy so you know it’ll stay in place on your desk or wherever you place it.

The front panel has the volume and mute controls. It also has the LED light indicators to let you know what mode it’s currently on.

Flipping over to the back, you’ll see two knobs: One to control the mode, and the other to control gain. The latter is key to determining how much of the background noise is captured by the mic. More on this later.

On the bottom are its two ports: One USB-C out to that connects to the USB device where you’ll be recording, and the other is a 3.5mm jack that functions as an input so you hear yourself and the sound on the computer.

Here’s how it looks with a USB-C cable and headset plugged in.

You can also do away with the stand and connect it with any standard or boom mic stand. AKG made sure it can have versatile mounting options.

Sound quality

I used the mic for voice calls, video calls, and presenting during zoom events. In all of the activities mentioned, the people on the other line said I came off very crisp and clear.

Of course, you don’t have to just take my word for it. I recorded very quick sample clips to illustrate the differences between no mic, with a lapel mic, and with the AKG Lyra. There were supposed to be more but I had unfortunately lost most of the recordings along with a few other treasured files while migrating from one review device to another. I digress. Here are the samples:

No mic:

With USB-C lapel mic:

With AKG Lyra:

I also tried recording with a guitar and on Tight Stereo mode:

No mic:

With USB-C lapel mic:

With AKG Lyra:

I wanted to do even a snippet of a song but my overall singing and playing isn’t up to snuff right now so these will have to do. Getting the obvious out of the way, the audio quality is very similar to what you can get with what I think is its closest competitor — the Blue Yeti.

 

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This track below was recorded (with some post processing) on the Blue Yeti and I’m pretty confident you can get the same quality with the AKG Lyra.

One thing I would say the AKG Lyra has over the Blue Yeti is the USB-C connection. I’m unsure if there’s now a USB-C version of the Blue Yeti but making the port USB-C makes it more useful if you happen to lose the cable packaged with the device. It’s just easier to look for USB-C cables now versus the micro USB Type-B on the Blue Yeti.

I’m also trying to retrieve a recording of the quick presentation I had during a product launch. I’ll include the clip here if retrieval is successful.

I had a grand time using the AKG Lyra as the pleasantly surprised reactions I got clearly showed that the device was doing its job of providing better audio. Of course, you’ll have to adjust a few settings to get things right. These were pretty easy to do thanks to how the AKG Lyra was built and designed.

Different recording options

The AKG Lyra is pretty versatile with its multiple recording modes or patterns. Here’s a quick breakdown of what each one does.

Front — Easily the most commonly used recording pattern. In this mode, the AKG Lyra captures anything from the front of the mic. This mode also reduces the sound captured from the back and the sides. It’s great for voice overs, podcasts, vlogs, gaming livestreamers, vocalists, acoustic instruments, or even just voice and video calls.

Front and Back — This is great for one-on-one interviews where you’re directly facing the person you’re interviewing. The mode captures the front and back of the microphone while reducing sound from the back. It also works for recording music where one person could be singing in front while the guitar player sits on the opposite side.

Tight Stereo — This mode uses the two microphone capsules to capture sound. AKG says it’s ideal for recording instruments with stereo spread. It’s best for when the performers are situated alongside each other.

Wide Stereo — This mode utilizes all of the microphone capsules on the AKG Lyra. This is great for ambient recording. It provides better stereo separation compared to Tight Stereo.

Is the AKG Lyra your GadgetMatch? 

As of writing, it’s currently priced at PhP 7,199 on onward.ph and US$ 149 on the official AKG website. That’s quite a price for a very specific tool. But if you find yourself needing to produce better audio, this is a gadget that will surely up the quality of your content.

For solo live streamers, this can certainly be of help but you might be better off with mics that are cheaper and don’t have the other extra recording modes. But if you do require something versatile that you can pull out during quick sit down interviews or perhaps a quick jam session, this most certainly fills that role.

If you happen to be dealing with a lot of recording or live presentations, though, this is a worthy investment. Sound quality is superb and, with the right cables, will work with most computers and smartphones you likely own and currently use.

For more great products and accessories like the AKG Lyra, visit OnWardPH or follow them through their Facebook and Instagram accounts (@OnWardPH) for you to keep posted.