Just scored a Sennheiser 441, cheap!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter tubedude
  • Start date Start date
Nix that part about being exacly alike..my bad.

The 441 pictured is decidedly squared off and rectangular.
The 421 pictured has a shorter windscreen and is very round.

Hopefully you did indeed get a 441 winning bid.

Hit me over the head with a Radio Crap Mic...you must keep one around for just such an ocasion.:o
 
Don't worry about it. You bought a 441. You just got the -2 model instead of the -U model.

That might even be a sub-model number since it has the XLR connector instead of the Tuchel.

Sennheiser will know what the general response of the mic is without the roll-off. I would tend to think that it will be flat from around 70Hz all way out to around 8K give or take. The response kind of varies slightly until around 19K and then falls about 7dB to 20K.

The folks at Sennheiser will graph your mic if you request it. Hopefully, yours will come with the graph included. Most people tend to loose these along the manual.
 
Hey Senn,
You dont happen to have a 409 or e609 do ya? I want to buy a 409, since I've used it and loved it, but the 609 supposedly is different. If you know where ican get one, let me know. If it sounds the same as the 409, or at least REAL close, I'm going to get one. Super duper guitar amp mic. Its like it EQs it just right for heavy sounds. Real nice. If you have an e609, you should let me borrow it for a day and see if its what I want. My local dealer has one but wont break it out, and he wants a tad too much for it too, like $239...
I'll keep you posted on this 441, though, you seem to be pretty interested in Sennheiser mics.
 
I've got the MD 441U. It seems like I have to give it more preamp than any other dynamic I've owned. Does anyone know if this is a common trait to this mic? And I'm talkin' a lot of preamp....
 
It is a common trait... small price to pay for what you get out of it, according to most people:
Hard as hell to overload
Sounds fantastic, rivals many good condensors
really smooth mids and top
great on many sources

What do you think of yours, otherwise? I hear the roll off clouds the sound up some. Cant wait to toy around with it.
 
Reply from Sennheiser, I feel much better now. Its on the way.

Subj: MD441-U / Black Fire 541

The two mics used the identical capsule and suspension w/ brilliance
switch. The BF541 was designed with extra moisture protection and no bass
filter control. The Black Fire series was produced for market who might
not need all the "bells & whistles" and might desire a low profile on
stage--mainly sound reinforcement applications. I guess it didn't do so
well here in the states, so you don't see so many out there.
All being said, there is no bass roll-off on your mic.
If you feel you are hearing decreased low frequency response, you may be
detecting a voice coil rub--the diaphragm isn't moving well with the bass.
The cost to have the microphone evaluated is $35. If you require a new
capsule, the cost is no less than $300 for parts and associated labor.

If you have the opportunity to A/B the mic with an MD441-U (bass control
set to M) they should sound the same. You may try switching the
brilliance switch to the left (less brilliant) and see if it helps you to
get the sound you desire.

Feel free to contact me for more assistance.

Best regards,
 
To Tubedude: I like my 441 so far. I've only had the chance to use it on a guitar cabinet. I did a little test with it for vocals and it seemed like the major amounts of preamp I had to use made it a little noisey. That's why I asked that question. I have the 3D Mic CD and theirs wasn't noisey at all. I guess I wasn't taking my noisey room into consideration. You can hear my guitar sounds on the MP3 page. Look for the one that says "Punk Rock". It's a mix of the 441 and an Audix D2.
 
I had read some of the earlier posts but could not reply at work without my password.

That's good news about your mic.

The 441 does have a rather low output compared to most dynamics, but it is very quiet and a very efficient design. Rather like a condensor.

Crank up the pre! You'll love it.

No I don't have a 409 or a 609. I'm looking at an MKH-110 though. I might have to bid on that one.

I love Sennheiser mics. German engineering at its finest.
 
Haha I have you beat...

Original MD441U for $89. It was given to me in poor shape and I fixed it up and got its insides refurbished for 50 bucks, then a clip for 35 + tax. I am really happy too, although I haven't gotten a chance to use it for recording.

Congrats on a fine mic though, if it is indeed a 441
Beezoboy
 
Insides refurbished for $50, eh? I'd say you got took. What did they "refurbish"? Sounds odd... Sennheiser wont even look at it for less than $35. I hope it sounds like it should since someone has been messing around inside of it.
$89 is cheap though, thats a great deal. Hell, mine was a great deal.
I am kind of looking at it like it has even MORE character since it is rare and different :)
 
Got it today (along with a Beyer Soundstar MKII).
Easily the strangest looking and biggest mic I have ever owned. This thing is like 8 feet long. It does still have the leathery stuff on it, wasnt sure if it would or not. Seems to be in good shape, doesnt smell like smoke, and I'm about to go record some guitars with it and talk into and all that fun stuff.
All in all, looks much better than the chrome one, IMO...
The Beyer looks just like a Beyer ribbon, like an ice cream cone...
I'm like a kid in a toy store today...
 
Congrats on a fine mic for a fine deal. I absolutely love my 441, I've used it on everything from VOvers to gunshots to kick drums. It hasn't always been the perfect mic for the job, but more often than not it is.

I usually end up using it in all the apps that you would normally use a 57. It rocks on guitar cabs.

Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."
-Thomas Jefferson-
 
Congrats on your new mic. You will love it. You'll love it so much you'll wonder why you waited so long to buy one. You'll love it so much that you'll buy another, and then another. You'll love it so much that...well, you get the idea. I'm hooked on these mics like the others in this forum are hooked on condensors.

I'd gladly trade the all-black for the roll-off feature on the original any day, but either way it's still the finest dynamic ever made. I guess you really didn't know how big this mic is. That's why it is a PITA to use on a drum kit sometimes. It's awesome on snare and hat and good for toms too if you can shoehorn one in on a stand.

There's so damn much you can mic with it and it comes out sounding great.

Miking an acoustic guitar with a 441 is condensor-like. You'd swear you had a condensor in front of the guitar when the tape was rolling.

If you want to hear it on a vocal pick up any Nicks album or Fleetwood Mac. Or you could do a search in the MP3 clinic for some amateur uses by myself.

Post back on your experiments. I want to hear your opinions and first impressions.
 
Dude, are you still dickin' around with that 441???

C'mon man, inquiring minds want to know!:D
 
tubedude, who sold you that Soundstar MKII, it's a piece of junk.
Wait a minute... I sold it to you.
Man, those Soundstar MKII's are terrific!

Have fun,
Chris
 
A quick run about with both mics on a Mackie preamp revealed 2 killer sounding mics for less than $320.
The Soundstar really does sound good, and looks cool too.
It has a much hotter output than the 441. In my situation sitting there with open back headphones its hard to get an idea right off the bat of what they sound like, but both seem smoother than my other mics. In order to get hot levels on the 441 with my normal speaking voice, the gain had to be turned all the way up. Thats pretty high. I foresee an RNP with 72db gain plugged into this thing with excellent cables between. What a sweet chain it will be.
After that, a Great River MP1-NV and I am done with this crap.

Oh, my 441 does have the brilliance switch, but no rolloff. It seems to not make a whole lot of difference with it switched, but a little. Kind of adds some air. Can't wait to mic up some guitars and see what happens. Wish it had a hotter output though. Its really low.
 
On my TASCAM console the trim is always maxed out using the 441, but it sounds just fine and the gain is perfect.
 
After I got mine reconditioned the output became much better. I was complaining on this board about a weak output as well. Mine is much higher than an sm58, but you just have to get pretty close to it.

The reciept did say that is had a loose wire inside that they had to reconnect.

I haven't gotten to use mine all that much yet, but I'll be getting an Aardvark Q10 in the coming days and then I'll get to use it a good bit. Maybe we should all do some posts in the MP3 clinic with this mic for comparison or something.

Beezoboy
 
Did you have Sennheiser do it? The basic refurb was $85? What was done? Capsule replacement is $300 in that sucker!
 
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