Sennheiser e 609

This mic is a very low cost, very good sounding mic, but only for very specific applications. It is a side address dynamic mic by Sennheiser which was designed to be used to record loud, mid-heavy heavy sources. Obviously the major intents are going to be guitar cabinets and horn instruments. The pickup pattern on this mic is a supercardioid, so there is some very steep rejection of the sides and back on this mic. You will get a very defined picture of your source, which is great since you often want to have a very isolated sound for your guitar and horn tracks. It has a great SPL handling capability, so you can crank your amp all the way up without breaking this mic up. It doesn't have a low-roll off or a switchable polar pattern. The output tends to be a little low, so it seems like a pad is not necessary even though this mic is meant to record loud events. You will connect this with an XLR cable and you don't need any phantom power. As for the sound, think of an SM57 but move the focus of that mic an octave lower. This mic is great for when you want guitars to sound powerful, because it really makes the mids and low mids sing. The SM57, which is usually the traditional guitar amp mainstay, can make isolated guitars sound a little hollow at times, whereas guitars through this mic are much more full.

OVERALL OPINION

I used this mic at a friend's home studio and was not expecting much, but I was very surprised at the great guitar tone we were able to get very quickly. Actually, the sound coming out of the amp itself was not nearly as nice as what came through the mic, so you could definitely argue that the frequency curve of the mic itself is like a nice EQ for electric guitars. It is only around $100, and it's very handy for guitar tracks and the occasional trumpet solo. I recommend checking it out.

The Sennheiser E 609 is a microphone specifically built with guitar amps and cabinets in mind. When the standard for mic'ing anything goes, "Just put a Shure SM57 on everything and EQ it to make it fit better later," it can understandably get a little obnoxious to do so repeatedly, and because the SM57 is a workhorse microphone, mic'ing up most things with the SM57 falls just ever so slightly short of perfectly ideal.

Enter the Sennheiser E 609. It is a dynamic microphone with a supercardioid pickup pattern, so you can count on it picking up just what is in front of it. The Sennheiser E 609 boasts a comparatively impressive frequency response of 40-18,000 Hz, so you can count on it to pick up a few more of the nuances of a guitar through an amp than the Shure SM57, which only goes up to 15,000 Hz.

The microphone itself is unique in design, being very low profile, and side address. This makes it incredibly inconspicuous when using on stage or in the studio, and in the short time I had access to it, I found that having an E 609 in front of the guitar amp was more of a godsend than I thought. Its low profile makes sure that the E 609 never gets in the way, unlike the SM57 which will protrude from the amp. When working in cramp spaces, I can only imagine how much more secure one would feel.

The sound itself is very impressive. The SM57 is by no means a bad guitar amp microphone, but comparatively to the Sennheiser E 609, it sounds downright hollow. You just have to imagine the SM57 sound, but richer, and at the same time, a bit crispier. The low mids pop out with a sizzle that I did not previously know the low mids could have.

OVERALL OPINION

For roughly the same price as an SM57, you can have a dedicated guitar amp microphone. It's not the workhorse that the 57 is, but if you're completely aware of what you want to mic things up with, you shouldn't have to worry about not having an ideal microphone anyway. If you desperately need a guitar amp microphone just to have a guitar amp microphone, this is a great choice over the vaunted SM57.

- What kind of microphone? miking guitar / amp ... but works well on Toms and other percussion
- What technology? dynamic

OVERALL OPINION

- How long have you use it? 2 years
- What is the particular feature you like best and least? More prcis a SM57 for clean sounds and crunch
- With the exprience, you do again this choice? yes

Large diaphragm microphone designed special like for miking guitar amps. Compact design. Silver on the input side. Black on the audience side. I play loud rock guitar and I am very picky about the tone of my rig being accurately sent to FOH. I use some effects in my signal path and want them to make the trip out front too! Sound techs like 'em too!

Bought two of them at Piano's N Stuff in Blawnox, north of Pittsburgh. I think I picked them up for just under a $100.00 each since I was buying two.

<a href="https://www.nstuffmusic.com">https://www.nstuffmusic.com</a>

I use two combos in my live set up. Any two of the following: Marshall 5175, Fender Studio Lead. Tech 21 Trademark 60. Hughes and Kettner Attax 80 or Gallien Krueger Backline 100. You put the E609 in front of the speaker, close up and you are done. The sound of the rig comes out front, not the mike (yes, I'm talking to you Mr. SM57). I put relatively high SPL into these knuckleheaded looking mics with no breakup. That's good.

you can't polish a turd. If your tone blows this microphone will not cure it.

Well made mic by a good company. Both of mine have about a hundred gigs on them and two recording sessions. No complaints.

You will not break the bank on this mike and should be very happy with the results. I you are not satisfied, please keep the wonder whisk as our free gift.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com