Recording - April 2020 - 36

REVIEW

AKG Lyra Ultra-HD

Multimode USB Microphone
An affordable, versatile, and easy to use USB microphone,
tailor-made for anyone who creates content
REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.

yra is a new USB microphone from AKG that made its public debut
at the company's 70th Anniversary celebration last November, at
Capitol Studios in Hollywood (see the January 2020 issue for details).
Parent company HARMAN and AKG aim to put music and content creation technology into the hands of users at any skill level, with comprehensive focus on easy, intuitive use, all the right features, and great sound.

Hello Lyra

Lyra, or to get technical, the AKG
C44-USB, is billed as a high-definition
multi-mode USB microphone. The multimode designation comes from its use of
a quad-capsule array rather than a single capsule or a set of stereo capsules
like many other USB microphones. This
quartet of pre-polarized condenser capsules is arranged as two back-to-back
stereo pairs. Before we look closer at the
capsule array, let's get better acquainted
with this mic's look, layout, and specs.

Future Retro

While I've used this term in the past,
the look of Lyra is equal parts art deco,
and what people in the 1940s thought
things would look like in 2020-future
retro. It also nods to the classic rectangular look AKG is known for. The mic
measures 9.7" x 4.23" with a brushed
nickel, dark matte blue finish.
Lyra is a yoke-mounted microphone
and comes on a pre-attached desktop
stand. The desktop stand can be removed-Lyra is equally happy on a mic
stand of your choosing.

Connections and Controls

On the backside of Lyra there is a continuous gain control to set the input level.
36 RECORDING April 2020

Above that is a stepped, four-position pattern selector. The selected pattern is displayed on the front of Lyra via four blue
LED lights. Also on the front is an endless
rotary knob for adjusting the headphone
monitor level, and there's also a backlit
push button that mutes the incoming signal.
On the bottom of the mic are a USB-C
connector and a 1/8" headphone jack.
There's also a hole in the back of the mic
stand for cable routing. While Lyra uses
a USB-C connector, its transfer protocol
is USB 2.0. It's bus-powered only, and
with appropriate cabling, works with
OS X, iOS (your USB hub will need to
provide the standard 5v; may require
Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit),
Windows, and Android (OTG compatible devices only; OTG converter cable/
dongle may be required) devices.

Patterns?

While AKG calls the four available
settings 'patterns', they are not the typical cardioid, figure-8, or omni variety,
although they will in some cases offer
similar results. Lyra is essentially always
a stereo mic in terms of capture, with the
first setting, labeled Front, being the most
mono and cardioid in nature. Front offers
a gentle off-axis and rear rejection.
The setting Front & Back is similar to
a figure-8 pattern in nature, but also
omni-like as the Front & Back setting
does not offer tight off-axis nulls as a
true figure-8 polar pattern would. This
setting is what you'd use when placing people or musicians on either side
of the mic; tonal capture and level on
each side are identical.
The final settings of Tight Stereo and
Wide Stereo are variations on a theme.
Tight Stereo is a good setting when you

Frequency Response:.................................................................. 20Hz - 20kHz
Bit Depth / Sample Rate:.......................................................... 24-bit/192 kHz
Maximum SPL:...................................................................... 129dB (0.5% THD)
Power Requirement/Consumption:........................................ 5V USB / 75 mA
Headphone Impedance:.......................................................................16 ohms
Headphone Power Output (RMS):........................................................43 mW
Headphone THD:.................................................................................<0.009%
Headphone Frequency Response:............................................. 20 Hz - 22kHz
Headphone S/N Ratio:..............................................................................98dB

Recording - April 2020

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