Sennheiser MD441 Mic --- Help !!!

[philboy]

Hello evryone! Does anyone know this microphone well? If so please help! I just purchased a second-hand Sennheiser MD441-U on eBay, and i suspect it is not working properly. Compared to my SM-57, it has very weak output. I really have to crank the gain all way up to hear a normal speaking level, and i need to speak very close to the microphone to hear something. Also, the microphone is extremely bright and thin sounding,
even with the "bright" switch OFF. Also, the bass roll-off switch has very minor impact on the sound as the microphone is so bright sounding and has poor low end. Also, placed in front of my Fender Rhodes Suitcase piano cabinet, in comparaison, I can't have my SM-57 to
distort since the cabinet is not powerful enough, but the MD441 distorts rapidely with less SPL. I heared and read several people say that it was the ultimate microphone to mic a cabinet, and that it is a coloured microphone, but it is way, way too bright and thin sounding and has very very weak output. Something must be wrong... Anyone experienced with this microphone???

Any help really appreciated...

regards

Phil

 

[tubedude]

Damn this stupid fucking site.... if you take more than 12 seconds to type you gotta sign back in and lose it all, fucking junk...
anyway...
the mic is well known low output. Thats natural, no problem.
If its sounding tinny and nasty, then thats NOT natural, and should be looked at. Find someone with a known properly working one and compare them.
Sennheiser will rape you on the service if it needs a new capsule, but they will look it over for $35.
Hope it works out for ya, its a great mic, among the best.

 

[Han]

The 441 is a very nice sounding mic with a full low end and a reasonable output.

There is definitely something wrong with your 441 and I hope it'll be something with wiring. A new capsule will cost you quite some bucks.

Find a good tech who can help you.

I have said this before, but buying second hand mics is risky.
I once bought two D12's and I found out that one had significantly less low than the other.

It turned out it needed a new capsule and if I hadn't got two of them I would have never know that there was something wrong with that mic.

 

[eeldip]

still what are you gonna do? pay $700 for a new one?

it is probably fucked up. depending on what you paid for it, you might just want to sell it as a distressed mic. get a quote first.

you can be 100% honest and see if there are takers...

 

[tdukex]

I'd contact the seller and return it.

 

[jdier]

off topic

Damn this stupid fucking site.... if you take more than 12 seconds to type you gotta sign back in and lose it all, fucking junk...
anyway...
the mic is well known low output. Thats natural, no problem.
If its sounding tinny and nasty, then thats NOT natural, and should be looked at. Find someone with a known properly working one and compare them.
Sennheiser will rape you on the service if it needs a new capsule, but they will look it over for $35.
Hope it works out for ya, its a great mic, among the best.

Tube, about your login thing, I am wondering if it is something on your side. I never have to 'sign in' again. I think I chose some setting that keeps me signed in. Can't remember, but I know I never get the problem you are talking about

 

[philboy]

Thanks evryone. Went to my local music shop and they confirmed that the microphone was "sick"... Compared to a display unit, was night and day... The seller accepted to refund me.
I knew it was impossible that a so much praised microphone (from what i read here before buying) could actually sound so thin ...

Thanks for your advises!

Phil

 

[eeldip]

glad you got your money back.

how diga like the one in the store? hmmm... 441.

for me the sweetest smoothest vocals come from a 441, with the bass roll off adjusted to the singer, into my earthworks pre, to the dbx 242 with a boost at 10k to air the thing out.

sweet sweet high end. there is actually a lot of detail there, and when you boost it with a decent eq it is very pleasant.