Sanken CS3 vs MKH 416

Sound Chaser

Sound Chaser

Active member
I am having trouble deciding which mic to buy for film/video. (pair)
I am very familiar with the 416, but I don't like the way it picks up rogue sibilence. On the plus side it has great presence is a little more forgiving and it is so standard that I can also use it to 'match up' for ADR.
I like the superior off axis rejection of the CS-3 and the tone is very flat but not quite as present as the 416. Over all I'd say they are a draw for sound quality. I have only used this mic once in a noisy environment...noise is noise and it still came through. (not sure how the 416 would have compared in this case)

Due to it's superior off axis rejection, a plus is I can use the Sanken for concert work for room ambience. A stereo pair is always pointed toward the back corners of the hall.

The choice is so close, I'm hoping for a good argument to sway me either way.
 
the worst thing is recording concerts with shot guns - at least if you interiors
for film work - i forgot that 416 exist - :-)
 
Neither will disappoint but for those, like Oleg, who use both there does seem to a overall favor leaning towards the CS3. Not having multiple short guns myself I have a slight, unfounded, bias towards the MKH for its reliablity. Then again we all have our own bias, real or imagined, for the equipment we own.

Cheers
 
Amen Wabbit!

You would have to be crazy to buy anything besides a cmc6u - mk41 kit with an SD302. I am really biased towards that.
 
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you would be crazy spend 1600usd on mic when you can buy acouple for film use and music , about 302 - nice to have one
 
you are a good example for advertising - sorry if you dont work with all to know the difference which not exist ,save the preach you heard from the dealers .
 
416 strengths = built like a tank, ultra-low handling noise, presence, rich and full sounding.

416 weaknesses = unforgiving pickup pattern, no bass-cut, heavy.


CS3e strengths = decent handling noise, rich and full sounding, very forgiving pickup pattern, virtually zero rear pickup, lightweight, switchable bass-cut.

CS3e weaknesses = possibly not as reliable or solidly built as a 416 (although I've never experienced a failure) and it costs more.


The only reason I have the AKG ULS system is because the 480b/ck63 is a fantastic hyper for recording music (as is the ck61 cardioid)... and since I had those already I got the ck69 shotgun... which I like pretty much, but if I wasn't getting the ck61 and ck63 I would have gone CS3e instead.

At this point I'm convinced the CS3e is the best tool for the short/mid shotgun job... I'd wager, based on the polar charts Schoeps has released for the new CMIT, that the CS3e is probably a better tool then even the new CMIT.

Audio is about control... for video nothing much ever happens in a recording studio. Control in the real world is worth prioritizing... although I wouldn't suggest a shotgun for recording music in any environment.
 
CS3e weaknesses = possibly not as reliable or solidly built as a 416 (although I've never experienced a failure) and it costs more.

That really doesn't instill confidence about dropping $1300 on a mic. Summer's in Louisiana are pretty hot and sticky, if a $1300 mic can't hack it...
 
I based that comment on this thread being a comparison between two mics... it just so happens that the 416 is exceptionally robust in construction and reliability. It's more or less a 30+ year old mic design (with "updates" of course).

Look up Schoeps and humidity... that's a $1600 mic and it's kind of popular. Some people have experienced issues and some haven't... but that doesn't seem to hurt the sales too much.

Most people have backup plans... not that you'd ever need one, but who knows? The point is that you could use a 416 to drive nails... (it's such a heavy and inert construction that you can actually handhold it for interviews w/o much of a handling issue)... and I would say the CS3e is more of a "normal" mic in comparison (construction, handling noise, etc)... a normal mic that just happens to be great for location sound.
 
Have had the 416, a few Schoeps, and the Sanken cs-3e.

The cs-3e smashes them all imho. If you can only have 1 mic, I would get a cs-3e. Schoeps are the go to high end standard for Hollywood film inside sound stages but honestly the sanken cs-3e sounded just as good to me and can be used in almost any environment to capture great dialog. It's off axis rejection is magical... go and read other reviews but go and listen to some recordings made with them with high end preamps.

The ONLY critique I would have is that the self noise of the cs-3e is a TAD more than schoeps mics, but with proper post no one is ever going to know anything other than 'holy wow that sounds amazing'.
 
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