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Moosevoice · Club 300 Joined: 16 Nov 2012 Posts: 390 Location: Iowa

Help me out here. Is there only one type of Sennheiser 416 shotgun?
I've seen them listed on sites with model number '...MKH 416' and on other sites as '...MKH 416 P48'
What's the difference?
Is there a difference?
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2016 2:24 pm Post subject:

The MKH-416 P48 is the one most people use. P48 stands for 48 volt phantom power. It gets its power through the mic cable from whatever it's plugged into, provided that device can supply phantom power.

The other, less common, model is the MKH-416 T. That requires a separate unit to supply power to the mic.
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Eddie Eagle · M&M Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 2393

The T is an inline transformer that connects from the xlr and has a xlr output on the mic cable.
They are about 3 inches long.

Glenn Moore · Been Here Awhile Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 240

I recently bought a brand new 416 since my original one is almost 7 years old and I started having lots of pops and clicks which I was thinking could be the mic. I figured I could get a new one and use the old one as a backup or sell it. I sent the old 416 in for service since it had been a couple years since it was first serviced and they guy told me it was perfect and nothing wrong with it after he did some testing. Then, when I got it back, I did a side by side with the new 416 vs. the old one. There was a major difference between the 2. The old one was nice and clean with clarity and that punch that the 416 is known for. The new one? Not even close. Sounded good but not near as good as the old one. So I sent the new one back and saved my self over a grand. I learned that just because it is new doesn't mean it is better and not all 416's will always sound the same with your gear.

Ed Fisher · Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2016 9:38 pm Post subject:

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

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Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

There's also a little known discontinued model called the 416 T-F. I bought one by mistake on ebay once. It has a totally flat frequency response. Way flatter than the 416 P48.

heyguido · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2016 6:37 am Post subject:

The T runs on 12 volts... And has a separate 12 volt power supply. The 3in inline transformer Eddie describes is an aftermarket add on that can be sourced through B&H, among others, which allows you to use 48v phantom power by stepping it down to 12v.

My T came from a film production house, and came with a separate inline power supply that can run on a stack of button batteries... For field recording... The original purpose of shotgun mics. Ninja

I've used mine on a few occasions to do just that for video location shoots.

In studio, I run the aforementioned inline transformer.
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DenaliDave · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2016 12:27 pm Post subject:

And sadly, there are are MANY fake 416's coming out of China. If you do an eBay search, you may see these MKH-416's going for insanely low prices. If the seller/location is in China -- buyer beware!

To make matters worse, people that buy these knock-offs then turn around and re-sell them on eBay from within the USA. They've realized they bought a fake microphone and want to get rid of it. They neglect to mention it's a knock off...

Here's a good article with pictures to help you spot a fake MKH-416:

http://www.ps-news.net/2015/01/28/identify-fake-sennheiser-mkh-416/

As far as I know, there aren't any knock offs of the "T" model, and there are some good bargains here and there on eBay with those. Assuming one doesn't mind using an adapter!
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Glenn Moore · Been Here Awhile Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 240

Clutter Ash.....they did not charge me for it since they saw nothing wrong with it after testing. Two years ago they changed the capacitor in it and of course they charged me for that. Even with a new capacitor I did not notice a difference in sound back then. Maybe that is why they gave me a break this time because it really did not need servicing at all. All I paid this time was for the shipping to get it there and get it back. They will always charge for that of course.

Glenn

Ed Fisher · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2016 4:46 pm Post subject:

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

In my experience having sent several mics to Sennheiser/Neumann, it's around $100 if nothing is wrong and they spec it out. They checked out my U87ai and just did some minor cleaning of the capsule and it was something like $107.

I also sent an older Senny 415 I once owned and another Neumann mic and each time they said "we tested it, nothing needed" and it was around $100.

So in my experience they did not gouge me or try to saddle me with unnecessary repairs.

Moosevoice · Club 300 Joined: 16 Nov 2012 Posts: 390 Location: Iowa

I'm KINDA getting the feeling that the new 416's aren't the same sounding as the older ones.
Is that the case?
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Glenn Moore · Been Here Awhile Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 240

In my personal experience they were not the same. Your Mileage May Vary:-)