AT-875r or Sennheiser MKE-600?

O

OldCorpse

Rockin the Boat
Looking for a shotgun mic. Will be on a boompole, going into the Tascam DR-60D. Narrative, mostly outdoors. Budget about $300. For shotguns I tentatively narrowed it down to these two (don't see the point of the NTG-2 in this case).

Quality of sound is the key, of course, but one consideration for me is handling noise, as the sound person we're going to be using is not a "pro", so a more forgiving mic might be a plus. If there isn't going to be a clear preference for the MKE-600, I'd just as soon go for the A-T875, as it's half the $.

I performed a search of the forums here, but there's not much on the MKE-600, and the threads that mention it are surprisingly unhelpful. Thanks!
 
There was a mention of it recently in THIS thread. You might want to ask TheDingo about his experiences.

I'd say your other important ingredients will be decoupling and shock mounting. Rycote lyre suspensions are quite good at isolating handling noise, and a short XLR jumper from the mic to the base of the shock mount will help decouple the cable from transmitting any thumps to the mic.
 
Thanks, Alex, I saw that thread, and I hope TheDingo chimes in. I also know he did a test with these and other mics, but that link has since expired. I am busily noting your remarks about Rycote lyre suspension and the whole boompole, suspension, windprotection series of questions is another thing I'm going to be exploring in due time.
 
Go for the AT875R I used the sennheiser lower cost mics in the past and have less than impressed so have always gone for the 416 or if on a budget the AT875.
 
To my ears, I would say the Sennheiser MKE600 generally sounds better and has more "reach" than the AT875R. ( this is the ONLY low cost Sennheiser mic that I like, the rest are pretty horrible )

The AT875R has better off-axis rejection, so it will sound better on-camera ( not the best place for any mic ) and in small reflective rooms. But I do find the lower range end of the AT875R to be thin, so I am always boosting the lower end with some EQ in post.

You can definitely record good audio with either of these mics, but the MKE600 would be my first pic when not used on camera. ( I sold my Rode NTG-2 mic after buying the MKE600, because I knew I was never going to use it again )
 
Thank you guys for all the help and opinions... though I can't say you're making it easier for me to decide - everyone makes good points, but everyone makes different points :)... maybe I should just compromise and buy both, heh :) :) :)... well, joking aside I wish I could buy both, but alas, there is so much more gear to buy, and the budget is stretched as it is. I just remember what I think Scott said in one post - the order of impact on sound from greatest to least is as follows: preamps --> mic --> recorder. I wish I could afford a mixpre-d, but I'm going to live with the DR-60D. I wish I could afford the NTG-3, but I'm going to live with ahem, mmm, err, uhm... either the AT-875r or Senn MKE-600.

This mic is going to go on a boompole, and I have the K-Tek KE-89CC (aluminum with internal coiled XLR cable). It's only 7' long and it's aluminum - I wish I could afford a 9' K-Tek that's graphite, but I'll have to live with the cheaper one. And so on. Right now I'm looking for what Alex indicated above: Rycote lyre suspensions, and decent wind protection and so on and so on and so on.
 
If three hundred is your limit, a good used 4073a might be what you're needing. Last winter I bought one from one of the usual suspects for $199. A ton of them were bought for the atlanta olympics and dumped on the market (the main reason you can find them at good prices).
 
The AT4073 is a great mic IMO, high output and sounds very good.. a little more sizzle than a 416.. but that may be desirable with a Zeppelin and other wind suppression devices. I still have one that I used for documentary work though the 90's, that endured all kinds of torture, extensive travel (air and ground), dirt, water and climates from -30 to 100+ (F) in rain forests. Never a problem.
 
lambert said:
If three hundred is your limit, a good used 4073a might be what you're needing. Last winter I bought one from one of the usual suspects for $199. A ton of them were bought for the atlanta olympics and dumped on the market (the main reason you can find them at good prices).
Click to expand...
What might be the name of one of these suspects?
 
OK, because I'm an idiot, I decided... to buy both! Yes, stupid, I know. After all, if I add the cost of the AT-875r and the Senn MKE-600, that's about $480 and I could buy something decent used. But, like I said, I'm an idiot. A small twist to this is that I bought the AT-875r first, and I'm planning on using it on a short film I'll be doing next month, and after I get a bit of experience with that, I'll buy the Senn MKE-600, and then I'll compare. At that point, I'll either sell off one of them, OR, I'll keep both, because honestly, it might come in handy to have a couple of shotguns, though probably it's better to have a couple of the same kind to start off with. In any case, that's my decision. I've already placed an order on the AT-875r through B&H - it should get here sometime next week.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND GOOD ADVICE!!!

(and apologies for being an idiot and unable to make a simple decision... which is why I'll never step into a Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors, as I'd probably never again be able to step out with anything).
 
It's always good to have back-up gear during any shoot, which is why I currently own the AT-875R, Sennheiser MKE600, Sanken CS-1 shotgun mics. ( along with an AT-4053b and a pair of AT-3031 mics I picked up cheap, and some time down the road I plan on adding a Sennheiser 8060 mic to this collection )
 
OldCorpse said:
OK, because I'm an idiot, I decided... to buy both!
Click to expand...

There's no shortage of us idiots around I guess. I did almost the same kind of thing.

I just got the Tascam DR60D thinking maybe I could get by with my old TRS connector mics (Rode SVM and Rode Videomic) for awhile. But couldn't get enough gain with either. Guy in Atlanta told me not to buy anything until he looked in his closet to see what he wasn't using.

In the meantime I got "antsy" and ordered the AT 897, got it in and it works nicely. The next day I got the mic from the guy in Atlanta, price...Said put him on my Christmas card list. So I could have got by without buying one. He said it wouldn't be "purty", it's a bit of a "beat up" Sony ECM672 and guess what.

It sounds just a tad "richer" than the AT 897, but I think I'll keep and use both.
 
Heh, Bruce, I've got a full blown case of gear acquisition syndrome (GAS), so now I'm looking at all sorts of sound gear. Btw., how are you liking that AT897? I might be able to get it for about $150... is it worth getting, or is the $150 better spent elsewhere?
 
I also have an (old) Sony ECM672 w it which was given to me by cameraman whom I worked with a lot. He had used it on his (30 Ib.) Betacam rig. It's a decent sounding mic which can run on Phantom pwr or a AA batt, but it's bit heavy for boom work, so I'll probably give it away too, since I haven't used it in years.
FWIW, I recall fixing it way back when, the XLR connector came loose up and required barrel dis-assembly to tighten the connector's set screws.
 
OldCorpse said:
how are you liking that AT897? I might be able to get it for about $150... is it worth getting, or is the $150 better spent elsewhere?
Click to expand...

Haven't had a chance to really test it outdoors yet, after being in pretty bad drought for most of the last 2 years were getting over a week of light rainy weather. If you watched that video I did testing the WindJacket prototype, that thing fits over and covers all of the foam windscreen of the 897, a bit loose but I can secure it with a rubber band for a quick "wind" test.

I chose between the 875 and the 897, both highly recommended in user reviews and selected the 897 based on comments it was suited for professional broadcast applications although that might be a bit of a stretch. I also chose it for perhaps a bit more directionality although I was also impressed with the better "portablity" of the 875. A lot of people are getting good results with it with proper positioning.
 
Own both the 897 and 875. Although I like both for what they are, the 897 would get the nod unless I needed really small and forgiving, which is a virtue of the 875. One thing about the 897, (and like the Rode GH2) is they can be battery powered. If you use wireless, and use the typical G2 or G3, the standard butt plug transmitter can be used without a spendy upgrade to a transmitter which can supply phantom power.

Really between the two, the audio is close enough to call it a draw; different yes but neither stands out as much better than the other. They both are a bit tinny compared to better mics, but they are both good value at under $200.

Grant
 
Sorry zjrt02 the usual suspects in this application are the vendors whose main focus is professional sound gear for movie, tv, corporate (Trew audio, gotham, lsc, pro sound corp, etc). I got my at 4073a from location sound corp in LA off their website (used/consignment section).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top