Difference between Sennheiser ME66 and MKH-416

S

sbryan

Well-known member
Obviously the 416 is of superior quality because it costs twice as much, but I was wondering how much improvement I would see if I sold my 66 for the 416. I run audio directly into the DVX, but a Tascam recorder is something I want if I ever have the option to borrow or rent one.

I'm buying the Rycote Windshield Kit #8 to fix my wind problems, I was wondering if those accessories would improve the sound of my 66.
 
the me 66 is one of the worst sounding shotguns for what it cost , for the same money you can pick up audio technica 4073 which sounding very close to what 416 give you
about rycote kit - you can pick up k-tek zeppelin for the half price
nothing that sit over the mic ever helps the sound ,for any microphone .
 
Sbryan,

Trew recently listed 4 416's on their consignment site for $700 each. Used is a good option if you're upgrading from an ME66.

Phil
 
Oleg just summed it up perfectly... if you do a search you'll find that a lot of us share this opinion. It's not audio-snobbery either... pretty much all of us with this opinion have experience with the mic. The 66 was my first "real" mic... later on I got a 4073a... I'm not sure exactly, but I think it was an old friend of mine... Bryan Beasleigh, who first suggested the Audio Technica... but anyway, I had both of them at the same time and I was shocked at the difference in sound quality.

The 66 would be a fine sounding mic if it were half the price they sell 'em for... and yes, I agree that the 4073a is getting close to the 416 in sound.

The one thing that I absolutely love about the 416 is it's utter lack of handling noise. For a shotgun that thing is dead silent... unfortunately the pattern isn't nearly as forgiving... so in the hands of an inexperienced boom op... handling noise won't be a problem, but aiming the mic properly might.

This is why a lot of soundguys end up with a Sanken CS3e... if you have the cash for a 416 (at B&H prices) then you may want to just wait and get the CS3e later on.

I still really like the 416 though... I'll probably buy another one eventually just because I'm amazed at how ham-fisted you can be with the boom pole and still not get any noise piping through.

So to sum it up (in my opinion) the 416 is a very solid choice... but if it's only a couple hundred more then I'd get the Sanken.
 
Just keep an eye on whether a used `416 is phantom-powered or T-12 powered (MKH416p = phantom, MKH416t = T-12).

Some mixers (eg. SD 302) will give you T-12 power. Otherwise, PSC makes a handy Phantom - to - T-12 adapter barrel.

The `416 is, indeed, a great mic. Its basically the mic against which other shotgun mics are measured.
 
hmmm well, I may wait and get the sanken later. really don't need a shotgun, I am almost exclusively indoors and I just use the schoeps
 
Crap! Where is this?


ptalsky said:
Sbryan,

Trew recently listed 4 416's on their consignment site for $700 each. Used is a good option if you're upgrading from an ME66.

Phil
Click to expand...
 
I really love my ME66 for stirring my coffee. However, many plastic and wooden stirring sticks do just as good a job as the 66, and cost much, much less.
 
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