different types of sennheiser 421...

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baniak

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I'm thinking of buying a Sennheiser 421,

however, I was just wondering what the difference between the 421's is... I see a Sennheiser 421U and a 421 II - I have seen at least 4 different suffixes... what's the difference between them all??

Thanks.
 
The newest model, the MKII, is brighter sounding than the previous incarnations. This can cause a problem with a sibilant
singer, however, it will have slightly more "snap" for use with instruments. Not all the 421's have a five position bass roll-off dial either, depends on the model suffix.
Also, some of the older 421's have a different connector than XLR.

Chris
 
If you get a 421 U that means it is older. So keep that in mind when you make your purchase. It is a great mic though, whether you get the 2 or the mkII or the U.

Beez
 
What's a good price for a used 421?

Oh yeah, and thanks for the info.
 
Anything under $150 (given that the mic is in great/good condition is very fair). If the mic is like brandnew, complete in box/case with all manuals, you might go up to $180-200... above that it isn't really worth it, since they're $300 new.
 
Unless you want a mint old "grey" 421, those can easily fetch way over $200. Supposed to have the most mellow tone of all the 421 types, and are becoming mucho collectible.

Another excellent 421 type microphone is the Beyer X1 series
(X1N, X19) that looks very similar to the 421, except it has a
slightly wider effective frequency response on top (18kHz).
Doesn't work near as well for miking vocal trios as the Sennheiser does though, as its pattern is narrower. Used to sell for less than the 421, now the prices are catching up.

Chris
 
421'a

The originals are the old whitish/grey ones and were first imported from Germany.
They started to show up in radio studios.
The second incarnation was the black one with the five position eq ring on the back and seems to be the most popular.
The newest ones sound a little brighter.
The different suffixes refer to the type of connector, the original Teuschels or xlr's.
 
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