Sennheiser... Am I Missing Something Here?

Jeremy Ordan

Jeremy Ordan

Major Contributor
Hey All....

Tonight I was doing some shopping and I remembered about a store that I shop from American Musical. They do mostly guitar and stuff, but I like them because on orders under $1000 they will do 3 split payments (a great benefit for those of us who want the gear now, but can't afford it).

Well tonight I saw that they have the ME66 from Sennheiser but they sell the K6 seperately. They have the ME66 short for 209 and the K6 for 209... This is like $50 cheaper than anywhere else...

I was just wondering if you guys thought this was a scam or a great way to get the gear cheap and now. Please let me know, I want to get this ordered ASAP.

Thanks so much... I don't know what I would do if not for ya'll!!!
 
If you are comfortable with $418 for the me66/k6 you should go $530 for the Audio Technica 4073a from B&H... often they just have the kit (with short XLR and shockmount) for $549.

Either way you're looking at a little over a hundred bucks for a way better shotgun.

I've owned Me66/K6, At4073a, 416, and AKG ULS system... and of ALL of them the 4073a is the best bang for the buck... and also out of all of them only one isn't in the same ballpark on sound... the 66.
 
If you own a DVX and you want the best mic (for the lowest possible price) then get the AT-897.

I think some people enjoy owning the Azden... but I'd highly recommend that you go with the Audio Technica.

Just to let other readers of this thread know... I like Sennheiser... I'm just not a big fan of the ME line. I've owned (and like) the MKE-2 and the 416... plus numerous headphones and the G2 wireless.
 
I'm gonna see what that place has for the Audio Technica...
They are mostly guitars and stuff, but I could really use the split payments thing and putting anything else on the old Visa is just not going to happen...

It's funny, you get the camera and then all of a sudden you get gear lust and just want more and more and more...

I appreciate the comments regarding the ME66/K6. I was just astonished by the price, it was like $50 less than anywhere else, so I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a scam.

I'm going to see what else they have that falls into that range.
Thanks!
 
None of the mics ya'll mentioned are available through this store... You gotta be kidding me.

The question is, do I go for the ME66/K6 or do I save.

Devil on the left says go for instant gratification, angel on the right says... well I never listen to that one anyways...

Oh, the humanity!
 
OK... What would you say the overall difference in quality is between the 897 & 4073a is?

I am just trying to get this figured out. Would you rate the 897 above the ME66/K6?

There is a price difference, obviously between the two (you can almost get 2 897's for one 4073a) but what is the difference?
 
I'd save. I like the 897 better than the ME66 and the 4073a is miles ahead of it (to my ears). But some folks like the ME66 better than the 897 - both are good, but the sound and respond differently. If you can, try both. If you like the 66, get it, if not, don't. Mics don't have a shelf date, and you'll get many years out of your choice, so choose something you like.

Matt
 
I appreciate it. I'm going to do some searching and see what I can try to find around here to check out. Saving is not exactly my strong suit... I do appreciate the advice though.
 
If somebody likes an me66 I don't have a problem with that... I just don't care too much for it.

An 897 will sound more natural with a warmer bottom end... not "warmer" as in muddy, but "warmer" as in "sounds more like your real voice".

Did you realize you'll need a shockmount and some decent wind protection also? The mic is only about 1/2 to 2/3 of the total cash you'll need to lay out. You can do interiors with just a foam windscreen, but NOT with any of these mics listed... foam or not... These are exterior mics... and that means FUR of some kind. Rycote Softie... or similar... add $120-$135.
 
A PSC shockmount is $59 and a K-Tek KSSM with soft bands is $109 (and the K-Tek needs the hotshoe adapter for $10-$14)...

You'll need one of these also... and I always suggest the K-Tek (with soft bands) because you can use it on-cam OR on the end of a boom pole... and it's the best little shockmount anyway.
 
MattinSTL said:
Did you realize you'll need a shockmount and some decent wind protection also? The mic is only about 1/2 to 2/3 of the total cash you'll need to lay out. You can do interiors with just a foam windscreen, but NOT with any of these mics listed... foam or not... These are exterior mics... and that means FUR of some kind. Rycote Softie... or similar... add $120-$135.
Click to expand...

What happens when you use these mic indoors? Which mics would you recommend for indoor recording?
 
Get a hyper for indoors. Although, I have used the 897 in a blimp indoors with pretty good results, but I was able to control reflection pretty well. I have the Oktava kit (3 capsule) and really like it.

Matt
 
What kind of wind protection do you use for the oktava indoors. (I understand that there is no "wind" indoors, but you know what I mean!)
 
Either a small foam windscreen or the blimp, which is probably overkill, but I like blimps.
 
The blimps seem overpriced when you hold one in your hand and think about the price, but they work better then anything else.

I bought the Windtech screens for my Oktavas... which were somewhere between $40-$50... and there is NO comparison when compared to a Rycote BBG (sized 19/20mm) at $125. Sure the Rycote is over twice the price... and it works over twice as well.

Obviously I also like the Oktava for interiors. It's cheap and good... which is rare. There should be many interiors that the 897 will do, but probably never as good as the Oktava.

If you can only get ONE mic and you do mostly exteriors with an ocassional interior get the 897... if you shoot mostly inside and can only get one mic get the Oktava. Both of these mics will cross over into the other's territory... with each showing weaknesses, but still getting the job done.
 
Yes.

I used a 416 indoors successfully a few times...

I never got ONE good take indoors with an me66... and even the 4073a doesn't like any interiors that I've encountered... but like I said, performance does overlap with some mics... meaning that some interiors will work okay with an 897 and some exterior shots will work okay with an Oktava hyper.

The super-high sensitivity of the me66 and 4073a both do more harm then good for interiors... plus the 66 has a big, fat tail... not a good thing on shotguns... but the 897 is reduced sensitivity (compared to these other guns) and it also has a more natural bottom end (then the 66, but not the 4073a)... and those qualities will allow this mic to do some interiors that the other two guns can't.

Generally speaking the Oktava will be immune to these issues... but since this can never be said too much... the overall quality will be determined by the distance to the mic. If you try to use an Oktava and boom from 6' away then it will pick up a lot of echo too!
 
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