Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Camera Microphone | Phantom & Battery Power | Switchable Filter for Wind Noise Minimisation | Black (505453)

The MKE 600 is arguably the best value for money solution used by serious video shooters requiring a high-quality shotgun microphone without a thousand-pound budget. After listening to a professional blind test comparing this with the industry standard MKH 416 and a couple of more expensive Rode mics, the MKE 600 seemed like the obvious choice; costing considerably less money, yet still offering crisp, natural audio with depth and clarity, whether indoors or out in a range of situations. It offers the option to shoot phantom power or independently with a convenient single AA battery. The XLR to Jack port with a cable plugs straight into my S5IIIX, plus it can also be plugged into a portable field recorder like a Zoom or Tascam if needed. The build quality is solid and built to last, yet light and looks the part if you are dealing with clients, which never hurts. It seems to be fairly low sensitivity, which has both pros and cons, but I turned it up to +6 gain on my Lumix and I’m very happy with the results, whether over a boom or shooting on camera. There are some negatives, but no deal breakers. Although it has the AA battery option, it gives no indication how long it will last, and could power down if you are not paying attention, so in practice it makes sense to use a fully charged battery with every shoot and power down when not needed. Maybe keep a spare in the bag as well. The case it comes with is barely large enough to take the microphone without adequate space or padding for any extra accessories, so you may need to budget for a separate case with more protection later on. The shock mount is frankly poor and rather awkward, so I picked up an alternative that is a clear improvement, offering flexibility of movement, facility for boom usage and better damping against vibrations for well under £10. The switchable low-cut filter helps reduce unwanted ambient sound, but a good-quality fur “deadcat” will be indispensable if working outdoors, just as with other shotgun mics. Sennheiser makes one for this model, but I opted for one from Rycote on sale at Amazon, and it works really well. If this ever becomes a full time job, I may get the MKH 416 or even a DPA 2017, but those represent a serious jump in cost. This gets you surprisingly close, while still offering exceptional value and quality at far lower entry cost.

Superb sound quality. Offers flexibility of use cases too, either studio based or attached to a camera when mobile. Good value purchase.

I don't know much about microphones but I know that this gives me excellent results being plugged into a zoom recorder. The noise floor appears to be much lower than the inbuilt mics so you get really clean sound at low volumes. I'm happy with it.

I am beyond impressed with its performance. The design is sleek and modern, making it look as professional as it sounds. It is also incredibly lightweight, which makes it easy to transport and use. One of the features that I love the most is the battery for phantom power, which ensures that the microphone is always ready to record in any situation. But what really stands out is the quality of sound that this microphone produces. It captures audio with immense clarity and precision, which is perfect for my needs as a content creator. Whether I'm recording interviews or capturing ambient sounds for my videos, this microphone delivers exceptional results every time. Overall, I would highly recommend this shotgun microphone to anyone who is looking for a reliable and high-quality audio recording device. It's definitely worth the investment!

I've become very fond of the MKE 600. They don't have the brilliance and sensitivity of much more expensive shotgun mics that I've used for broadcasting work, but I've never come away disappointed from using the MKE 600. It's robust, has a superb omnidirectional pickup pattern and is fuss free. It's got a surprisingly low noise floor for the price and a major bonus for me personally is I've been making a podcast in a horribly EM noisy environment which has forced me to ditch dynamic vocal mics. Shotgun mics in general just don't care and can record next to as buzzy an AC power supply as you like and the MKE 600 will ignore it. If I've any criticism at all, it's that the area of sharpest pickup is almost unforgivingly narrow, and off axis sound attenuates rapidly. That makes it great for getting a voice from across a room like any shotgun - good for singles, great for duos, but if you're putting 3 people on camera, getting them all crammed into the "sound beam" on an MKE600 can be arduous. Probably time for different/multiple mics at that point! You can get cardioid mics cheaper than this, such as the rival Rode NTG-2, but based on my experience I would strongly suggest spending the extra £40 and getting the Sennheiser. To give it it's dues, the NTG-2 is capable of sterling, competent work, but I've found the MKE pips it in pretty much every technical aspect, adding just that little extra sweetness to location sound. I don't recommend any shotgun mics cheaper than the NTG-2, and since this is only a little more money for better features, I say you should start here. This much quality sound for what is still a reasonable price in the semi-pro/pro mic market makes it a highly recommended buy!

Quite simply it is a well built Microphone. Excellent quality with brilliant results.

Having only used the microphone twice, I can say that the audio quality is great. However, the shock mount it comes with is pretty poor quality - The tightening ring broke on it's second use! I am very careful with my equipment and there was no force at all but it broke, forcing me to buy a separate one from Neewer in the meantime. Not really something you'd expect to have to do after spending £220+ I will continue to use the mic with the aftermarket mount, but i'm slightly disappointed in the overall quality of the product.

Absolutely great value for money, pair with a tascam for film quality audio, great for any occasion, will truly deliver great audio once post production as been used for a DAW. Professional level equipment. Premium quality and recognised brand. Will recommend over any wireless tech.

Très satisfait du Sennheiser MKE 600, c’est un excellent micro canon pour un usage vidéo sérieux. La qualité audio est nette, précise, avec une très bonne directivité qui permet d’isoler efficacement la voix même en environnement extérieur. Le rendu est propre, naturel, avec peu de bruit parasite. Je l’utilise principalement en tournage vidéo (interviews, travel, contenu YouTube) et il s’intègre parfaitement à un setup hybride type boîtier + cage. Gros avantage : il fonctionne aussi bien en alimentation fantôme qu’avec pile, ce qui est idéal en configuration mobile ou en vanlife. La construction est robuste, fidèle à la réputation Sennheiser, et le filtre coupe-bas intégré est très utile pour réduire les bruits de vent ou vibrations. Associé à une bonne bonnette (type deadcat), il devient vraiment performant en extérieur. En résumé : un excellent rapport qualité/prix pour ceux qui cherchent un micro directionnel fiable, polyvalent et professionnel.

Was mich am MKE 600 sofort begeistert hat, ist die herausragende Richtcharakteristik. Es nimmt den Ton von vorne präzise auf und blendet Umgebungsgeräusche von den Seiten und von hinten effektiv aus. Das ist Gold wert, wenn du Interviews führst, Dialoge aufnimmst oder einfach nur deine eigene Stimme sauber einfangen möchtest, ohne dass störender Hintergrundlärm die Aufnahme ruiniert. Ich habe es in verschiedenen Szenarien getestet – sowohl draußen mit Wind als auch drinnen mit leichtem Hall – und die Ergebnisse waren stets beeindruckend klar und detailliert. Robust, vielseitig und einfach zu bedienen Das MKE 600 fühlt sich robust und hochwertig an, was bei Sennheiser auch zu erwarten ist. Es ist kompakt genug, um es bequem auf der Kamera zu montieren, aber auch lang genug, um es an einem Boom-Arm zu verwenden. Die Phantomspeisung (48V) oder die Möglichkeit, es mit einer AA-Batterie zu betreiben, machen es extrem flexibel. Besonders praktisch finde ich den Low-Cut-Filter, der tieffrequentes Rumpeln oder Windgeräusche effektiv eliminiert. Das spart viel Zeit in der Postproduktion! Mein Fazit Wenn du auf der Suche nach einem hochwertigen Richtrohrmikrofon bist, das dir professionellen Sound für deine Video-Produktionen liefert, dann ist das Sennheiser MKE 600 eine ausgezeichnete Wahl. Es ist zuverlässig, liefert eine hervorragende Audioqualität und ist dank seiner Flexibilität für eine Vielzahl von Anwendungen geeignet. Ich kann es jedem empfehlen, der Wert auf kristallklaren und rauscharmen Ton legt. Dein Publikum wird es dir danken!

The best purchase option is Bista, it's very good. I recommend it.

I'll start by saying, there is a lot to like about this shotgun mic. It has exceptional build quality (all metal), great sound, and is probably one of the most versatile mics on offer. You can use it directly plugged in to an audio recorder, interface, camera, or even something like a Rode Wireless Go II (which acts like a wireless recorder). It needs phantom power but takes a AA battery for when you are on the go. It has a very directional pickup pattern and can be used for dialogue, VO, and to create sound effects. The self noise is very low, and the reliability of Sennheiser is second to none (they are the sister company of Neumann). Honestly, I don't see a reason to move up to the more expensive (industry standard) MKH 416. This will get you 95% of the way there and adds versatility via 1 AA battery. I would absolutely recommend this as mainly a dialogue mic (for outdoors) but can absolutely be dubbed the jack of all trades (master of some).

Je l'utilise pour différents type de tournage vidéo (court-métrage, film institutionnel, ... Et à une occasion sur l'enregistrement d'une voix off). J'en suis pleinement satisfait. Attention cependant à vérifier la pile si vous n'avez pas d'alimentation via votre enregistreur audio. Très bon rapport qualité prix