Audio-Technica
AT4040
microphone
$349
Used market: $270*
Specifications
5 of 7 values have a recorded sourceExpert Audio Engineering Commentary
Tonal Profile
Externally polarised cardioid with a nickel-plated brass element baffle, a 10 dB pad and an 80 Hz high-pass; 12 dB SPL self-noise and 133 dB of dynamic range.
Gain Staging Advice
-32 dB (25.1 mV) re 1 V at 1 Pa - the two halves agree to the decimal, which is rarer than it ought to be. That is 27 dB above an SM7B and 10 dB above its own AT2050 sibling. Unlike the 20 Series, this one wants a real 48 V: the datasheet says 48 V phantom, not 11 to 52 V, so a bus-powered interface with a weak phantom supply is a genuine risk here in a way it is not on the AT2035.
* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~77% retained value). · checked on 8/5/2026