Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Microphone

Sennheiser is a leading manufacturer of microphones. After comparing listening tests and specifications with some other microphones in the same class, I decided to purchase it and I was very happy with the performance. The MKE600 is a versatile microphone that can be 48v phantom powered and also has an exchangeable internal battery that can power the microphone where phantom power is not available, such as direct connection to a DSLR with a 3.5mm microphone port.

Absolutely worth it.

I am kicking myself for buying a battery-powered on-camera mic for $100 less (i.e., Sennheiser MKE 400), and neglecting to realize the MKE 600 is also battery-powered. I thought it required phantom power. I already have a few phantom-powered pencil condensers and a decent shotgun, but not matching the clear quality of the MKE 600. So, take my advice. If you're looking for a good on-camera, battery-powered shotgun mic, get this one. As another reviewer said, spend once, cry once.

Don't get the kit. just get the mic.

The sound that comes off of this microphone is clear and clean. The battery powered phantom power works like a champ and has been extremely handy in situations where a powered interface isn't reasonable. I regularly use this with an Atomos Ninja V and am entirely satisfied with its performance.I received the MKE 600 as part of a kit with the H&A Professional Windshield for Shotgun Microphones. I would not recommend anyone else do this, as the windshield's performance is sub-par. But the microphone itself is stellar.

Great On Camera mic

Audio experts agree that to get the best performance a microphone should be boomed. That sounds good but is often impractical. Hence, this "real world" review.I had been using a cardioid mic and was not satisfied. You can't always boom the mic, or use multiple mics. For those situations where you need to pick up all the sound in front of the camera, but reject the rest, a super-cardioid is needed and for that, this mic excels.The audio is clean and rich. In a hard room where my previous mic would fail miserably, this mic performs beyond my hopes. The other reviews are on target. The audio is superb.I'm using this with the battery and the XLR to 3.5 mm converter. I wish it could turn on and off with the camera, but that is the only shortcoming I see.

Great Sound Quality, but Gain Hungry

I ordered this microphone primarily for recording dialogue in educational videos as part of my job. I couldn't quite afford the 416 as it is about 3x the price, but I knew I wanted something with a similar sound profile and directionality.The mic is a standard shotgun microphone, so it is very directional, and does a great job of rejecting off-axis noise. For its price-point, it is very low-noise, and has a great sound profile for dialogue. Rich and clear low end, with a bright treble and no harshness.The only problem with this microphone is that it is extremely gain hungry, and needs to be as close to your sound source as possible. This can be difficult to achieve for anything other than talking head type shots where your speaker is occupying most of the frame, ... MoreI ordered this microphone primarily for recording dialogue in educational videos as part of my job. I couldn't quite afford the 416 as it is about 3x the price, but I knew I wanted something with a similar sound profile and directionality.The mic is a standard shotgun microphone, so it is very directional, and does a great job of rejecting off-axis noise. For its price-point, it is very low-noise, and has a great sound profile for dialogue. Rich and clear low end, with a bright treble and no harshness.The only problem with this microphone is that it is extremely gain hungry, and needs to be as close to your sound source as possible. This can be difficult to achieve for anything other than talking head type shots where your speaker is occupying most of the frame, and you can have the mic boomed just out of frame around 12 inches away from the mouth.With this positioning, on my Audient iD14 interface I have to drive the pre-amps at about the 2 o'clock position to get a decent amount of gain (peaks at -20 dB, and averaging around -30 to -25 dB). I'm not sure if my unit is simply defective, or if this is par for the course so it would be great if BH Photo Video could comment on this.Other than this quirk, I do find that the microphone has an adequate quality of sound for my purposes. However, the limitations of positioning due to how much gain it needs makes it a bit inconvenient.

Love this mic, great value for money

Great mic. A significant upgrade from something like a rode videomic pro. More pro XLR connection, so you can boom it, and much better build quality. Also, if you pair it with a 32bit float zoom f3/zoom f6 field recorder, it takes EQ like a dream. Very beautiful sound when you have a 32bit float recorder w good dual gain digital preamps. Not afraid of damaging it or humidity. Its a workhorse and versatile for a reasonable price. You need to phantom power it, and I wouldn't recommend using the internal battery feature, since it can add noise with some recorders, but phantom powered, it sounds very clean. Sennheiser once again delivering good value for money and a high build quality. Definitely not a toy mic.

Professional quality Shotgun mic on budget

Excellent sound quality super-cardioid (lobar pattern) for outdoor or indoor productions. I love the results with live music recordings but also how beautifully capture speech. Having option for phantom power via an AA battery is also a big plus. Of course a proper wind cover is a must to have as well for outdoor usage, I choose the MZH600 and it fits perfectly.

Still the best mic for my use

This is my 3rd MKE 600. I have tried other mics but none have the same quality and diversity. I do a lot of run and gun type shooting. Sometimes I am within 3 feet of the subject, other times I am 10 or more feet back. It picks up the sound really well. And because of the design it can cancel out or minimize the sound from beside and behind the mic while getting a great capture from in front of the mic. The only thing I wish is that they had one that was shorter. It does not replace a lav but if you can not or do not want to use a lav this is the next best thing (for me anyway).

Super All-Rounder!

Fantastic sound, surprisingly close to 416. I boom it wireless into a GoPro, using a Zoom F3 as a preamp, or just use a AA Energizer rechargeable lithium when space doesn't allow. Not as full sound as MK 8050 but the ability to use a battery is a huge advantage. 100% woud recommend for all tasks, indoor or outdoor, until your budget allows for an MK 8050 for specific indoor vocal work.

Very clean, good dyn range, low noise

My primary reason for purchasing this mic was as a reasonable cost mic for targeted nature recording, after reading numerous blogs from nature recorders. I've been using Shure SM57 mics for all around nature recording (as well as recording a band I play in), using the Zoom F8n, and with really good results (yes, portable is relative, it all packs into a huge backpack, portable enough for me). When I needed to zoom into a narrower area sound wise, I was using a shotgun mic that had more than triple the noise of the SM57 mics (which are fairly low noise). This basically ruined recordings where I had to step up the gain for distant sounds - in other words, the SM57s still sounded good at high gain, the shotgun I was using before the Sennheiser was sounding like the ... MoreMy primary reason for purchasing this mic was as a reasonable cost mic for targeted nature recording, after reading numerous blogs from nature recorders. I've been using Shure SM57 mics for all around nature recording (as well as recording a band I play in), using the Zoom F8n, and with really good results (yes, portable is relative, it all packs into a huge backpack, portable enough for me). When I needed to zoom into a narrower area sound wise, I was using a shotgun mic that had more than triple the noise of the SM57 mics (which are fairly low noise). This basically ruined recordings where I had to step up the gain for distant sounds - in other words, the SM57s still sounded good at high gain, the shotgun I was using before the Sennheiser was sounding like the ocean at high wind. Now, with the Sennheiser MKE 600 shotgun, I can step up the gain and there's less noise even over the SM57 mics. And the sound is very compatible with the SM57s. Basically, the MKE 600 is a really nice mic. I'll be purchasing another for stereo feed when it makes sense. So, regarding nature recording and with just the MKE 600 and a good field unit (like the Zoom F8n), it's a great match.