Topic: Sennheiser?

[atleast6characters]

Anybody have any experience with Sennheiser cards?

Good/bad/recommendations/anything pertinent?

Gracias!

[atleast6characters]

I guess, in theory, I'm looking to get a hold of something comparable to AT-853's .. doesn't necessarily need to be stealth size though... anything will do

[Dede2002]

Anybody have any experience with Sennheiser cards?

Good/bad/recommendations/anything pertinent?

Gracias!

I use both HLSC-1 ( Senn MKE 40 caps cards ) and HLSO-Micro ( Senn MKE 2 caps omnis). Love them.

[atleast6characters]

Thanks, man!

[Dede2002]

Thanks, man!

No problem 

[Belexes]

Here's a good dealer for these mics:

http://www.microphonemadness.com/

[Kyle]

I use Senn ME-40s as my second strings of mics - they are an older model, came about in the '70s and were discontinued in 1994, I think. They are cards but are modular - omni (ME-20) and shotgun (ME-80) capsules are available as well. They are a full size mic, not a mini and a bit more difficult to use in low-pro situations. That being said, the are available on ebay for very reasonable prices (I got a pair about a year ago in very good shape for $99.98, and I found a mint one around Christmas for $100). They are very decent microphones and I have made many very good recordings with them. They are electret condensers and can run on +48 or a small 6v battery. Here is a link to the full set but deals can be found if you are patient...

http://cgi.ebay.com/SENNHEISER-ME-20-40-80-K2-N-Condenser-Microphone-K3-K6_W0QQitemZ230329671125QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item230329671125&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

The body that this set comes with is the K2N - it will work for your purposes but you really want the K3U

[SmokinJoe]

Will these cards really take 138db on plug in power, without a battery box, without brickwalling?  Just curious.  Well, surprised, skeptical actually.

http://store.microphonemadness.com/mmhigsencars.html

[Dede2002]

Will these cards really take 138db on plug in power, without a battery box, without brickwalling?  Just curious.  Well, surprised, skeptical actually.

http://store.microphonemadness.com/mmhigsencars.html

I guess not  .
However, I've been taping loud shows with them ( not mind freaking loud ) . No distortion at all.
But I like to keep my precious ears away from anything around 138 db anyway 

[tgakidis]

Will these cards really take 138db on plug in power, without a battery box, without brickwalling?  Just curious.  Well, surprised, skeptical actually.

http://store.microphonemadness.com/mmhigsencars.html

Joe you have been wittness to these things brickwalling.  I had always had problems with my mke40's with high gain, until i switched to a battery box for plug in power.  I would be crusing along with fine levels, then when i got home it would sound like shit.  These need the 4.7k mod (?) to prevent the brickwalling.

[Dede2002]

Will these cards really take 138db on plug in power, without a battery box, without brickwalling?  Just curious.  Well, surprised, skeptical actually.

http://store.microphonemadness.com/mmhigsencars.html

Joe you have been wittness to these things brickwalling.  I had always had problems with my mke40's with high gain, until i switched to a battery box for plug in power.  I would be crusing along with fine levels, then when i got home it would sound like shit.  These need the 4.7k mod (?) to prevent the brickwalling.

Hello,

I'm not sure if I understood. Once you moved from Recorder plug in power to a regular bb the brickwalling issues were gone? Is that what you're  saying? Just asking because I've never used Rec plug in power, only my bb or preamp. Like I said before, no problems at all with those mics.
Take care

[tgakidis]

Will these cards really take 138db on plug in power, without a battery box, without brickwalling?  Just curious.  Well, surprised, skeptical actually.

http://store.microphonemadness.com/mmhigsencars.html

Joe you have been wittness to these things brickwalling.  I had always had problems with my mke40's with high gain, until i switched to a battery box for plug in power.  I would be crusing along with fine levels, then when i got home it would sound like shit.  These need the 4.7k mod (?) to prevent the brickwalling.

Hello,

I'm not sure if I understood. Once you moved from Recorder plug in power to a regular bb the brickwalling issues were gone? Is that what you're  saying? Just asking because I've never used Rec plug in power, only my bb or preamp. Like I said before, no problems at all with those mics.
Take care

Yes.  Before tha battery box, I ran a MM stereo preamp.  I brickwalled both with & without the preamp.  I found I had to keep levels real low or SMACK!  Don't get me wrong, I got some great pulls with those mics, but I ALWAYS had to increase the dBs in post.  I have since move on to a full rig and haven't used those mics in quite a while.

[Dede2002]

Will these cards really take 138db on plug in power, without a battery box, without brickwalling?  Just curious.  Well, surprised, skeptical actually.

http://store.microphonemadness.com/mmhigsencars.html

Joe you have been wittness to these things brickwalling.  I had always had problems with my mke40's with high gain, until i switched to a battery box for plug in power.  I would be crusing along with fine levels, then when i got home it would sound like shit.  These need the 4.7k mod (?) to prevent the brickwalling.

Hello,

I'm not sure if I understood. Once you moved from Recorder plug in power to a regular bb the brickwalling issues were gone? Is that what you're  saying? Just asking because I've never used Rec plug in power, only my bb or preamp. Like I said before, no problems at all with those mics.
Take care

Yes.  Before tha battery box, I ran a MM stereo preamp.  I brickwalled both with & without the preamp.  I found I had to keep levels real low or SMACK!  Don't get me wrong, I got some great pulls with those mics, but I ALWAYS had to increase the dBs in post.  I have since move on to a full rig and haven't used those mics in quite a while.

Understood. Of course I don't know what kind of music you used to tape ( I assume very loud  amplified type music). I was just curious, that's all. I'm 24bit enthusiast, my levels are always peaking at -12db, so I have to boost levels in post, which is not a big deal really. Anyway, no brickwalling on my side.
Yes, I can see you move to a really full rig  . Great stuff.
Take care 

[Sunday Driver]

Does anyone think the differences in SPL handeling might be caused by a manufacturing issue? I remember when Chris Church tested a bunch of them, some needed the mod and some didn't. It was the same with the AT943s. Definitely weird. Oh, and Microphone Madness doesn't reply to e-mails...don't even bother...

[run_run_run]

Anybody have any experience with Sennheiser cards?

Good/bad/recommendations/anything pertinent?

Gracias!

They don't hold up to bubbles well....

[Dede2002]

Does anyone think the differences in SPL handeling might be caused by a manufacturing issue? I remember when Chris Church tested a bunch of them, some needed the mod and some didn't. It was the same with the AT943s. Definitely weird. Oh, and Microphone Madness doesn't reply to e-mails...don't even bother...

Atleas6characters,

I've always had flawless experiences with MM. Anyway, taking too long to reply to e-mails seems to be an usual thing for mic makers. Those a are small companies, you know.You can always call MM.
Regarding the "some needed mod and some didn't" issue, I'm not saying that that could not happen. It's possible. But I might be a lucky guy. Both my MM mics work great, no distortion or brickwalling problems. I can send you a couple of samples if you like  .
Take care

[nicegrin]

I have a few different mics among them the MM HLSC-1s. Personally I had best results recording moderately loud stuff. The HLSC-1s captures guitars beautifully. So are you mainly recording singer/songwriter stuff they will be great. For more amplified stuff with more bass I´d reccomend the SP CMC-8s (AT 943s) or the AT-853s... The bassresponse is pretty weak with the MMs.

/N

[Dede2002]

I have a few different mics among them the MM HLSC-1s. Personally I had best results recording moderately loud stuff. The HLSC-1s captures guitars beautifully. So are you mainly recording singer/songwriter stuff they will be great. For more amplified stuff with more bass I´d reccomend the SP CMC-8s (AT 943s) or the AT-853s... The bassresponse is pretty weak with the MMs.

/N

You're 100% correct  . The HLSC-1 has not earthshaking bass really. But with the criminal amount of bass in today's live music, I find this lack of low frequency quite handy. It's like a having a mild roll-off without using bass roll-off unit 

Take care

[atleast6characters]

Thanks for all the opinions and info, guys.

My situation involves a massive factory discount with Sen, so it's an issue of whether or not it's even worth it to so that route, or am I better off paying more and just finding something more heavily recommended used or new.

Thanks again

[Will_S]

How massive of a discount are we talking about?  And do you have gear with XLR inputs and phantom power?

The 8040s are nice.   

If you're looking for something to use with a miniplug input, the MKE40s could be a good choice if you're handy with a soldering iron.  Or maybe see if Chris Church will rewire them for you.

[atleast6characters]

msrp minus fifty percent.

The only gear I own is an EdirolR09hr

So, I'm flexible with how the rig is configured as I'm just going to be building my arsenal pretty much from scratch.

I'd rather have to buy another component than settle for a mic setup just because it will go straight into my Edirol.

[Will_S]

How much are you willing to spend?  Sennheiser makes some great mics.  Most would work best with a preamp between them and the R09HR, or with an all-in-one recorder with XLR inputs and phantom power.

[jobseek2001]

Pre-amp?
No amp necessary at all.
Just a tiny battery box.
Works great into the R09(HR).

[atleast6characters]

I've pretty much got the info I need to go on now... My objective is to simply find out if Sen makes something comparable to the AT853's (low end essential), and if not in the same price range is it going to even be worth it to get something majorly expensive at half off... or would some other brand with a more favorable low end be the better route. I'm thinking that just waiting on a pair of AT's in the YS will suffice for now, and maybe later down the road, when it's more practical... I'll utilize the discount and snag something for a different application through Senn... 

I think I just confused myself, so you probably are too... so, here are the cliff's notes

The comp models in Senn's catalog aren't coming through with what I desire about the AT's & I fully appreciate all the info

[udovdh]

Just go to Microphoen Madness and get your capsules and whatever you need.
Cheapest method for waht you asked.

[sunjan]

Just go to Microphoen Madness and get your capsules and whatever you need.

IIUC, the factory discount that the OP has, only applies to Sennheiser branded product, not third-party remodeling like MM?!
So it would have to be something that's in their current catalog, meaning the HLSC-1 is out. Right?

/J

[atleast6characters]

Yes, it's gotta be senn direct

[SmokinJoe]

As a point of reference, Jim is currently using AT-853's with 8533x phantom adapters > Denecke PS-2 > XLR to miniplug Y cable > R09HR.  That's just a bunch of spare stuff I had to loan him, and it works, but it's awkward.

If you have to order from the factory, consider K6 power supply modules with MKE40 capsules... that would give you something like the AT853's with the attached phantom adapters where the K6 modules represent the AT phantom adapters.  With the K6 power supplies, you can put AA batteries in them which will eliminate the need for the bulky blue PS-2 box and battery.  In theory you can run that Y cable from the K6's into your R09HR... but you may need to get a differently wired cable.

The problem is that you end up with an unknown entity which may or may not really sound that great... Just because things plug in together doesn't mean they work well together or have "synergy".  Some combos go together peanut butter and jelly, others don't work at all, or have a much synergy as peanut butter and mustard.

[John Willett]

The closest Sennheiser to the AT-853 is the ME 34 with MZH 30 hanger and MZC 30 cable.

At higher price is the MKH 8040 with MZL 8003 or MZL 8010 remote cables and MZH 8000 auditorium hanger.

I hope this helps.

[Dede2002]

The closest Sennheiser to the AT-853 is the ME 34 with MZH 30 hanger and MZC 30 cable.

At higher price is the MKH 8040 with MZL 8003 or MZL 8010 remote cables and MZH 8000 auditorium hanger.

I hope this helps.

Hello John,

Hope I'm not bothering you.
I'm here to learn and I gathered you to be rather nice and knowledgeable so I hope to get the information I need.
You say the closest Senn to the AT-853 is the M 34 B. Checking the link I found that ( sorry about my lack of proper knowledge) about the M 34 B: "element based on legendary KE10 capsule, used in Sennheiser's celebrated MKE 40 lavalier". In this case, why other mics ( like the HLSC 1, Microphone Madness' MKE40 based mic) could not be listed as close to the AT-853?
Thanks in advance for you help 

[John Willett]

The closest Sennheiser to the AT-853 is the ME 34 with MZH 30 hanger and MZC 30 cable.

At higher price is the MKH 8040 with MZL 8003 or MZL 8010 remote cables and MZH 8000 auditorium hanger.

I hope this helps.

Hello John,

Hope I'm not bothering you.
I'm here to learn and I gathered you to be rather nice and knowledgeable so I hope to get the information I need.
You say the closest Senn to the AT-853 is the M 34 B. Checking the link I found that ( sorry about my lack of proper knowledge) about the M 34 B: "element based on legendary KE10 capsule, used in Sennheiser's celebrated MKE 40 lavalier". In this case, why other mics ( like the HLSC 1, Microphone Madness' MKE40 based mic) could not be listed as close to the AT-853?
Thanks in advance for you help 

Very probably they could - but the OP specifically asked for Sennheiser.

Although the HLSC 1 may use a Sennheiser OEM capsule, it is not a Sennheiser in the way the OP asks.

[Dede2002]

The closest Sennheiser to the AT-853 is the ME 34 with MZH 30 hanger and MZC 30 cable.

At higher price is the MKH 8040 with MZL 8003 or MZL 8010 remote cables and MZH 8000 auditorium hanger.

I hope this helps.

Hello John,

Hope I'm not bothering you.
I'm here to learn and I gathered you to be rather nice and knowledgeable so I hope to get the information I need.
You say the closest Senn to the AT-853 is the M 34 B. Checking the link I found that ( sorry about my lack of proper knowledge) about the M 34 B: "element based on legendary KE10 capsule, used in Sennheiser's celebrated MKE 40 lavalier". In this case, why other mics ( like the HLSC 1, Microphone Madness' MKE40 based mic) could not be listed as close to the AT-853?
Thanks in advance for you help 

Very probably they could - but the OP specifically asked for Sennheiser.

Although the HLSC 1 may use a Sennheiser OEM capsule, it is not a Sennheiser in the way the OP asks.

Thanks for your reply.
Yes, it's not what the OP asked. I was just curious and, as usual, trying to learn a bit more.
Take care and thank you one more time