AKG CM311 Differoid Head-Worn Condenser Microphone

The CM311 is the headworn microphone touring engineers reach for when the stage is loud and the singer is moving. Its Differoid element - AKG's name for a differential cardioid - cancels ambient sound arriving from floor monitors and crowd, and AKG's field testing puts the result at up to 12 dB more gain before feedback than a conventional cardioid. That difference is not subtle in a mix; it is the difference between a headworn channel you can push and one you cannot.

Tonally it behaves like a good handheld rather than a thin lapel mic: full, clear, and clean at high SPL, with a 26 dB-A noise floor and a 75 ohm output. It ships in three connector builds - three-pin XLR for wired use with 18 to 48 V phantom, Shure TA4F, and mini XLR for AKG bodypacks - so the same capsule follows the performer onto whatever wireless the venue runs. A carrying case, WS-6 foam pop filter and clothing clip are included.