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Sennheiser mkh 416 vs 8060 indoors


Tambongo

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Hello!

I currently use a 416, but thinking about selling it and buying an 8060 instead. I like how the off axis response doesen't sound so filtered. I do alot of unscripted work, so it would great to not have such a noticable off axis respose. Anyways, how well does this mic do indoors compared to the 416? Most of the work I do is indoors, so it would great to have an all around mic. I guess the reflections would sound better on a 8060 because of the more natural sounding off-axis response?

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Neither of those mics are good for indoors, inside you should be using a supercardioid like the 8050 or MKH-50, or preferably the schoeps MK41. The 8060 is probably better in general but I would just keep the 416 for when you are outside and get a real indoor mic


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I confess I absolutely like the sound of the 8060 and also use it indoors a lot. To my ears it outperformed the 8050 (hypercardiod of the same series) many times even on real closeups (sounds "slimmer" in the 150 Hz area). If room acoustics are OK, the 8060 sounds like one step "closer" miked than other short shotguns, even outperforms the 416 in this respect.

But: I'd not encourage anybody to sell his one and only 416 for an 8060, because there  also some cons:

.) The 8060 is very susceptible to windnoise, for quick swings on the pole you are not covered by using the original foam. This foam also alters the sound btw, taking away much of the 8060's specific clarity and "airyness". Look for some light basket solution or some ENG style fur with mesh even for indoors, if you have to perform quick movements. For outdoor use even a rycote basked with windjammer can be critical in windy situations, the bigger the basket the safer you are. I also keep a 416 in my gear for those strong wind days. Maybe a cinela basket is the way to go.

.) not sure if Sennheiser has fixed it's manufacturing issues. There were some problems with 8060s of the first buch, one of my 8060s has stayed with Sennheiser for a considerable time back in 2012 to get repaired. Then they re-desiged the body adding a black ring as a visual mark for the new series. Thing is, that I even had one of those new mics go down after only 3 weeks of use recently. None of those issues was caused by maltreating the mics. Sennheiser is very easy with exchanges or courtesy repairs, sometimes even after the warranty has expired, but it takes considerable time to get those units fixed or exchanged. 

 

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hey Tambongo, good choice for indoor and outdoor with moderate wind. imho it is also more transparent soundwise than the original sennheiser foam windscreen. I think 15 cm is the correct length for 8060

On 29.1.2017 at 1:40 PM, Tambongo said:

Thanks for your input! I decided to buy the 8060. Can't wait to try it out :) Axel, do you think the Rycote AV softie windshield kit, would be an allright alternative for indoor use? http://www.pinknoise-systems.co.uk/rycote-av-softie-windshield-kit-for-sennheiser-mke-600-mic.html

 

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I would love to, but I have to save up some cash first. It seems strange to me that they haven't made a improved mic in respect to humidity and RF resistance 40 years later with updated technology and alot more experience..?

Actually it says right in the manual that the 8060 (and I believe all the shotgun mics from Sennheiser) uses RF coupling so it should be just as good as the 416. It's actually very old technology. That's why I will always keep my 416 and MKH50, even though I prefer the sound of the schoeps mics.


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Tambongo, as Rado says, the 8060 is rather failsafe regarding humidity and RF interference (same MKH concept). It is also really robust: I had a crash, where the 8060 on the boom literally was hammered into a tile of an acoustic ceiling when a boom op totally lost his balance control. The plastered tile broke into pieces, the 8060 (no foam!) got a little scratched, but nothing else happened. Sounded the same as ever afterwards and continued working flawlessly for the next two years. Then out of the sudden it developed a strange short inside the tube circuitry, was only working upside down but was totally dead in horizontal position.  Still with Sennheiser since late November...

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Reading through the above it becomes clear that the 8060 may not fail due to humidity, but it may fail for other reasons, so keep a 416 nearby if you can.
My 416 has been so many times, it's not even funny anymore*. The cap on the tip fell off, the screw got lost, but the mic just keeps on working. Well it would if I still used it.

* years ago on student productions, and not by myself

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