Sennheiser MKH 416 – Short Shotgun Interference Tube Microphone

I purchased my MKH 416 a couple years ago and it’s one of the best sounding microphones I’ve ever heard. You might expect it to sound great due to it’s $1,000 price tag. I compared it to my Audio-Technica AT8035, a comparable microphone which costs around $269, and the 416 BLEW AWAY the 8035! I expected the 416 to sound better but it makes the 8035 sound very lacking.

From their website:

The venerable MKH 416 is a compact pressure-gradient microphone with short interference tube, highly immune to humidity due to its RF condenser design. Featuring high directivity, low self noise, high consonant articulation and feedback rejection, the MKH 416 can handle difficult exterior filming and reporting conditions without any difficulty. Supercardioid/lobar pattern, matte black finish, supplied with the MZW415 windscreen.

• Pressure gradient receiver with short interference tube
• Hypercardioid at low and medium frequency
• Above 2kHz approaches lobar pattern

Have you tried this microphone?

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