The MKE 600 is the ideal video camera/camcorder microphone able
to handle even demanding filmic challenges. Due to its high
directivity, the MKE 600 picks up sounds coming from the
direction in which the camera is pointing and effectively
attenuates noise coming from the sides and rear. The switchable
“Low Cut” filter additionally minimizes wind noise. Because some
video cameras/camcorders do not provide phantom power, the MKE
600 can also be battery powered. A battery on/off switch prevents
the battery from discharging prematurely; “Low Batt” is
displayed.
Review: This is the best low-cost professional microphone. Better
than anything else at this price point. - The quality of this mic
matches other mics in the $800-$1000 range. If you need a truly
professional mic and cannot afford to go above this price point
then this is the one to get. This is also the only battery
powered mic I would consider. The Rode NTG2 sounds weak on AA
power and you will notice a decrease in input volume on the Rode.
The MKE-600 will still sound punchy and cut through on AA power
and one battery provides 150 hours of operational time. I find
the MKE-600 mixes well in post production with other common
on-set production mics from DPA, Schoeps, Audio Technica. Of
course the next level up MKH-416 is more than double the price
and has also has a characteristic with a big bump on the high end
frequencies which this mic will not capture, but that is unique
the 416 over other almost all other Shotgun mics. If I had to
compare, the MKE-600 sounds closest to a DPA 2017 which is a $999
mic. You can't go wrong with the MKE 600 and its versatile,
nimble, quality capabilities as both an on-camera mic or boom
mic.
Review: Very good shotgun mic! Hear how it sounds in my video
review. - I liked this shot gun mic! It is very solid and feels
professional indeed (an entry level, but very, very respectable).
I actually was interested in a less expensive shotgun mic at
first, but ended up getting Sennheiser MKE 600 and Sony PCM M10
portable recorder. I was able to compare Sennheiser with several
other microphones side by side when keeping the gain constant,
and I used 2 different recording devices - Sony recorder and
Nikon digital camera. Please check my video review on YouTube to
listen to Sennheiser MKE 600 mic in comparison with some other
mics (Please search for "Microphones compared: Sennheiser MKE
600, Bronstein BRN-900, BRN-400, Sony PCM M10, Nikon D7000" on
YouTube or follow the link in the comment below for this review).
This test was designed to compare the ability of the microphones
to record a distant (or quiet) misic. I intentionally placed the
mics fairly far amd compensated by increasing the gain on the
Sony recorder, so the noise level relative to signal is higher
compared to when speaking directly to mics. Of these microphones,
I liked PCM M10 onboard omnidirectional stereo mics for the high
sensitivity, very low self noise and fuller, crisper sound (but
it records every ambient noise), and I also liked the MKE 600
shotgun that can help isolate the sound that is natural, loud
enough and has a relatively low background hiss. I used this
Sennheiser mic with both 48V phantom power from a Mackie mixer
and 2 AA batteries (required an XLR to 3.5mm adaptor). The
performance was comparable (it is supposed to be slightly better
with phantom power, according to the specs). It is a real boon to
use AA batteries for such a mic, as I can use it with my Sony
recorder or plug directly into digital camera. In addition, the
mic comes with a nice pouch. Good job Sennheiser! The microphones
I was comparing are not in the same price price category, of
course, so it may be not a fair comparison. But I was wondering
if cheaper mics will do just fine for my purpose or I need a more
expensive one. I initially purchased a relatively cheap mic
(BRN-200), but ended up returning it, and then I got a Sony
personal recorder and also tried more expensive shotgun mics to
supress back/side noises and pickup more distant, fainter sounds
from the target source. At the time of each purchase
(January-March 2014), Sennheiser was sold at desertcart for $330,
Sony PCM M10 for $210, BRN-400 for $130, BRN-900 for $70 and
BRN-200 for $50. The price for BRN-400 recently dropped nearly
25%, and the price for Sony increased. Although the more
expensive microphones (Sennheiser and Sony) performed much better
recording low volume sounds, if you would place any of these,
even cheaper mics very close to the source and also optimze the
gain on the recording device, the quality of captured sound will
likely improve. I personally liked PCM M10 onboard
omnidirectional stereo mics for the high sensitivity, very low
self noise and fuller, crisper sound, and, of course, I also
enjoed the MKE 600 shotgun mic. I think the low frequencies,
especially for voice recording, appear to be more faithfully
rerpoduced by Sennheiser, compared to Sony recorder, so the voice
from MKE 600 sounds a little fuller. But the sound is a little
crisper when recorded with Sony recorder without a shotgun mic.
