Sennheiser MKE 440 - The BEST on Camera Microphone? 

Great review! You hit all the marks on what one needs to know. The A-B-C audio comparisons were the most helpful. Thanks! Big thumbs up from me.

Great demo clips. I could clearly hear the immersiveness of the MKE-440 on my monitor speakers - whow, what a difference. Was exactly the video I was looking for to press the "Buy-Button".

Great vid this is what makes RU-vid so great to pick out tech. If these were all in a store it would be impossible to make a well informed pick.

I've had this mic for several years and it's been amazing. People often comment about the sounds on the videos it's been used for. It also takes a beating. The only issue I've had is the battery door not always making proper contact and the mic not working. With the dead cat on you can't always see if the green light is on. It's led to missed audio. Its odd shape makes it more difficult to pack in a backpack but, it's sturdiness does allow it to be stashed in outer pockets in a freezer ziplock bag.

I bought this mike upon your recomendaten - it's awesome as promised!

You have really helped me with this extremely well presented review. Thank you very much for this.

Very nice presentation! Thank you! I have some Sennheiser microphones now and I will be slowly a fun from them...

awesome review, really useful information

Interesting. I will wait for the 2nd generation. The product is at least 6 years in the market and I agree the lack of screw in cable and auto off/on is anoying.

Top review, getting one of these I think for live music video streaming. Thanks 🙏

I have this mic and can confirm that this is the effect it creates. That you're in the middle of what your filming in terms of audio 🙂

Glad i found your review. Been looking to get one for years but the thought of the cables hardwired in worries me a lot when it comes to longevity (cable breaking etc). Hows your experience thus far after a year owning the microphone?

amazing video!!

man me as a retail specialist can see how a good speecher u are!! i liked the part u explain how it will sound in comprison with other mics at 4:45 , very professionally done :) good job.

Wow a slight grin came to my face when I heard the band audio switch. Very nice indeed.

THX. I own the 440 and love it. A next version should have the cable and the on-switch on the back but that´s all I could complain about. (with a short lens and in bright sunlight you may miss when the cable hangs right across the lens....). The 400 is likely my next pick, with a Zoom F1 and unclippable extreme lightweight combo.

That is a great review indeed, and it really is useful for sure. But one point must be corrected : this microphone is, by no means, a professional device. Sure, some smaller companies may use it, for ambiance or crowd or highly echoey rooms recordings. Don't get me wrong, Sennheiser really is one of the best companies specialized in sound capture and reproduction. I own a HD25 headphones, and enjoy it on film sets like 95% of sound engineers and technicians, and shall probably see it last for 20 more years as it's build like no other headphones. The K6/ME microphone handles/capsules system is what you can find best for sound takes of any forms, as its versatility makes it perfect for... everything. Sennheiser have been in business for decades, they are a reference for monitoring and analyzing microphones as well as headphones. Rode is a relative newcomer and made themselves famous for the last 15 years only by designing gear for smaller-sized creations. Rode makes good stuff, indeed, but they miss out on many points : most of their range is consumer-oriented, most items are fragile and not meant for rigorous uses, capsule manufacturing varies so much that two similar microphones inherit different sensitivity spectrums to an extend they do not sound the same, suspension systems are often on the cheap side, their real pro items are oftent discontinued or hardly available (the superb Stereo VideoMic X is sometimes hard to get), etc. Sennheiser is way ahead when it comes to pro-graded gear. But this MKE 440 was designed for Vlog-like work, or smaller-sized filming production. It was made to cut the grass under Rode's feet and their compact made-for-video models, and try to seize some shares of the Chinese imported crappy "sound-things" market. Then, what this microphone does best is creating a precise and well-defined stereophonic sound "image". In concert halls it does wonders, by rejecting reverbering sounds, which oftent create "loops" and saturation on smaller microphones because of their tiny capsules and their desingers will to try and capture everything. Rode VideoMicro suffers from this : by trying to have a wider angle, it grabs too much of the echoing sounds, and this makes for an unaccurate stereo image. Then, those tiny electronic curcuits have a tough time trying to process all this in a clean way. The folks at Sennheiser managed to create those superb tiny hypercardioid semi-shotgun mics fitted in their MKE440, and they make wonders. Along with cleverly-designed suspensions, small but mighty. So, it may not be a real professional microphone it really is one to keep in any video-creator's bag. And expect to have it in mint conditions for some 10+ years, if not twice that.

Thank you!

Thanks for the video. What camera body / mic / post edits settings are you using?

very good job

ok i'm sold!

Great review, thanks! The palette cleanser samples in between were very helpful. Out of curiosity, what country did you shoot those park samples? Your accent seems North American but I swear those birds sounded Aussie 😆

Great mic!

Just bought this mic a week or so ago, and so far I'm very happy with it - thanks for the review and recommendation. The one disappointment I have is that it didn't come with any sort of case of bag or *anything* other than the box it was sold in (which is too bulky to be a realistic case moving forward). I'm looked online a bit, and so far haven't found an aftermarket case specifically designed for this mic. I'm not sure it's the end of the world without one, but I would like to have something to protect the mic when I throw it in a backpack or my Domke bag. Can anyone suggest a source for something that's worked for them? I know there's a ton of generic electronic cases on Amazon... I'm sure there's something that will work, but I'd rather not go down the guesswork rabbit hole.

I couldn't tell much of a difference with the concert samples (with headphones), it was subtle, but the talking head samples were much more noticeable, it had depth and separation with the ambience with the 440.

Just ordered the MKE400, the size was the biggest factor for me as I haven't got tons more room on my handheld rig. If I want better sound I have xlr options

Thank you for making a sound-test a place with live music instead of just speaking.

@Mark Wiemels I love the way you handled this review of the MKE 440 - the "audio palate cleanse" was clutch! Question for you - I have an upcoming shoot where I have 2 people talking to cam indoors in different size rooms - and some have hard surfaces. Do you think the MKE 440 would handle that fine, or is it prone to pick up a lot of reflections? Just don't want to buy it and have it end up sounding echo-ey and hollow in a room that isn't treated. Until this review I had been thinking the MKE 400, but I think the pickup field would be too narrow, and I would have to Frankenstein two of them lol. So I hope the MKE 440 is the winner!

Hey thanks for this review. Would you recommend this for live footage on stage performances ?

Really well done. Thanks. How is the pick up from behind as in an interview of the interviewer? Thanks.

Quick question, if I were to be talking from behind the camera how well with this microphone pick up my voice?

Thanks for the review, I have an MKE 400 and I like it over many other ones (including the MKE 600) for field recording, because the overall versatility and sound Quality. We can really hear the distinction of what is left and rigth in your samples. Now, it is actually difficult to understand how the MKE 440 can be better thanthe one we see in the Zoom H series recorders, in terms of stereo coverage. The XY pattern, as you pointed out, help covering the sounds that are in front of each mike and since they are pointed at angle, there is less focus on what is in front of the unit, but the same should apply to the 440, right? Perhaps the angle of separation between the 2 mics is smaller than the ones in the XY pattern?. Perhaps a comparison between the Zoom H series and the MKE 440 could be a good one here?

WoW. Really amazing. I could definitely « see » in my ears.

Good review! My concern is that its not possible to connect headphones to the MKE 440 mic for checking the sound levels etc. Unfortenately my camera has no separate input for headphones. Only one input for mic. Is there any way to solve this (except buy a new camera)?

Interesting mic. I shoot a lot of motorsports where I am trying to isolate someone talking with cars sounds around subject. How do you think it would fair with something like that?

Very good review! Do you believe it will work well in vertical orientation?

Simply the best microphone review, EVER. Not going to bother shooting anymore footage before picking this mic up. Sadly, my FotoWelt pro-level lavalier mic is forever going to be relegated to its drawstring bag, coming out ONLY when I shot the odd video on my iPad. As is, the FotoWelt is night and day better than the Sony ZV-1’s onboard mic, but after watching your review, I might as well buy a new storage option for my ZV-1 just so this bad boy NEVER comes off. Subscription EARNED

Very Smart VIDEO ..... WOOOOOOOW

How about comparing it with other stereo mics instead of mono mics?

Should I Purchase this in Oct 2023 ? Or should I Purchase rode videomic NTG ? Thanks 😊

Perhaps a video comparing the MKE 440 to the Zoom SSH-6 (stereo shotgun) might be interesting. I realize engineering approach is quite different and the zoom only works on zoom product recorders, but I think they are trying to achieve similar things sonically, but through different techniques.. Pretty solid center audio with a stereo underneath.

Very cool, but I'm missing here the sound of built-in camera mics. They are stereo too (at least in my Panasonic), and could be useful as a reference.

Hi Mark, I have been a big fan of your channel for some time now - I have the Canon 50m Mark II. After watching VLOG on-camera microphones, I was keen to get hold of one. Unfortunately, where I live in Perth Western Australia. I noticed that Amazon Australia is not selling them, and B&H and Adorama do not import them into Australia either. What do you recommend as an alternative that matches the sound of the MKE 440? I can up my price range if need be.

Hola, excelente vídeo, quiero preguntar algo sobre un vídeo anterior, vivo en Colombia, y es mucho más económico el Gimball Dji Ronin SC. Recomendarías el Ronin SC para la M50 Mark ll? Gracias

To my ears, the MKE 440 sounds the best. The clarity of your voice on the MKE 440 compared to the Rode and Deity is very noticeable, especially on that one where you're beside the brook. Although, I have to say that I also like the sound that the Rode gives--because there's less clarity compared to the MKE 440, the sound relatively appears to be "soothing" to the ears, but that is not to say that the MKE 440's sound is harsh.

It's a very hot midrange crispy sound, good for voice isolation plus a little ambiance. For ambiance only though, it's not very open/clean sounding.

Hi and thank you. I’m recording a bushcraft videos and looking for a mic like 440. Domination in center, but without cutting sides (surrounding). Maybe you can recommend some smaller and cheaper alternative for smaller camera or iPhone 14 pro? Thanks again.

Amazing review. Thanx. I suggest to also test the mic from back in future mic reviews.

It is amazing sounding. But the fixed cable on such an expensive microphone is off putting. Could a similar sound be recorded by using 2 mke 400 or mke 200 mounted on a bracket and a Y splitter cable into the camera? This is great for music or ambient asmr sounds

Depends on what you want? But this 440 sounds good!

Hi Mark! Do you think this mic is suitable for an entire wedding event like preparation, civil and religious ceremonies, party? Because there are different needs. You need to isolate the voices sometimes and other times you want that surround sounds. Is it that versatile?

Some reviewers said that the noise floor of this mic is really disappointing considering its price...

mke 440 will be great for my hunting videos

Is this microphone good for recording live concerts? thaks

The Røde VideoMic X is missing in this comparison the condenser capsules on the VideoMic X sold separately are much more expensive than in this astonishingly well build XY-Stereo-System, theres a guitar player on RU-vid showcasing the VideoMic X in XLR configuration and its mind-/earblowing! And I guess what we are all waiting for is an ultra compact MKE400 II design lineup version plus integrated MS-Surround System… a real 3D-Stereo plus clear voice separation three channel microphone, plus a real condenser version of those as follow up of the Røde VideoMic X.

Thank you for the video, very informative. Two remarks: 1. Please stop looking at yourself, look at the lens. 2. Stop waving your arms/hands around like you are conducting an orchestra. Thank you.

How would you say this mic holds up after a year? I’ve read reviews that say the right channel has died or become static-y after a few months of use. Has this been your experience? From all the reviews I’ve watched I’m very interested in this mic! But those few negative reviews with a consistent problem has me worried.

If I want to document everyday, travel, RU-vid contents with behind and distance talk, want to move into game and music making too, I will get the Panasonic HC-X1500 camcorder 25-600mm F1.8-4 for video and Sony A7RV with 16-35mm F4 PZ mainly for photo, and audio gears I will get Sennheiser MKE 440, MKE 600, Line Audio CM4 and Deity HD-TX, are these good setup? I think better get either an actual pocketable RX100 VII camera or proper size A7RV camera since it provide better qualities and usabilities like unique 4 ways screen and also cameras in between of these sizes still need to carry in bag but I not sure should I reduce the projects I want to photograph like macro since we can just google them and let these specialists achieve them and I can just get an always with me RX100 VII? I hope there is a left handed camera so I can film on one hand and photograph on another when I want to, but I come up with the idea to film with DJI P3 when using A7RV and photograph with iPhone 15 when film with HC-X1500, good or there is alternative? I will use the MKE 440 stereo mic for video, MKE 600 shotgun mic to record elements for developments and CM4 pencil condenser for vocal and instruments and HD-TX as recorder but I not sure how to record my behind the camera commentary at same time, if I can just get one between MKE 600 and CM4 by extract mono track from one of the MKE 440 stereo mics if I don't have fully sound treated room and also if the recorder is right for me?

I wish I could hear samples of how this sounds in a loud indoor environment. I primarily shoot clubs and music festivals with loud music and heavy bass. Any idea how this mic performs in those situations?

You sold me!

Hi, i want to buy the mke 440 to record our live shows, we usually play in small stages indoors, so my question is, is it good or it will saturate if we record so close to the stage? we play metal and its loud, thanks!

Hi, Im a little perplexed as this mic doesn't seem to work with iPhone, any ideas how I can get it to work with iPhone please??

Well, the best I have is a pair of Sennheiser ME66 shotgun mics (now unfortunately discontinued) with K6p modules mounted in two cheap Superlux shock mounts on a König & Meyer stereo bar mounted with an inexpensive adapter to the flash shoe of my camera. The sound goes through two short 30 cm (1 ft) XLR cables into a Saramonic Smartrig+ which provides the phantom power, and from there directly into the camera. This setup is fairly lightweight, but not exactly inconspicuous, so I mostly use my Sennheiser MKE 440. It's not as good, but a lot easier to work with. STEREO RULES!

I just wish the mic was smaller for my use case at run and gunusic events (using a flash and led light on camera). 😩 There's not enough on camera stereo mics out there for some reason. Azden smx 30v seems decent but no idea how good it sounds, rose stereo x is fantastic but full stereo (so different use cases), and Comica Trax shot would be awesome but sound seems lackluster. So Sennheiser mke 440 definitely is the best directional stereo mic.

When you said 'concert', that was not what I was expecting 😅

For podcast and Natural voice sound who Is Better? Rode Ntg or Sennheiser MKE 400? Thank you!!!

Good review. A small point: Sennheiser is a German company and they use the German pronunciation of their name in their marketing worldwide. It’s pronounced like Zennheiser, with a Z sound at the beginning.

What are your recommendations on noise removal? You do not show noise.

How about the self noise, is it as bad as with the MKE 400?

one issue with all stereo microphone is when walking it is all too easy to pick up the sound of your steps. So Mark what about a video of your walking and avoiding footsteps and your recommendations. Thank you Bazza

I am looking for some help and can not find anyone to answer. I need to get a mic set up hopefully on camera. It will be used in crowded gym for show choir. Like small Broadway show with a mix of performers using mics and group not using mics. I have no knowledge in this area and every time I ask on like Facebook groups I never get a good answer. I don't want to try and plug into the schools sound board. That area is very congested with a lot of moving going around. not where I want to be with my camera gear if I can avoid it.

I almost didnt buy the Shure SM7B because the audio in this video was not the greatest.. I come back a day later and watch it again just to make sure.. come to find out the mic he is using isnt even the SM7B.. LOL i just didnt look hard enough, the foam is the exact shape as the SM7B 😆. The mic you use actually hurts my ears...its very harsh. I did go out and buy the MKE440 tho. Thanks Bud!

I am using the Audio-Technica AT8024 Stereo/Mono Camera-Mount Microphone now and my sole purpose is recording not so live music from my sound system for youtube posting. I just made open baffle speakers I posted. and the living room is well saturated with 6 speakers and 3 subs, still my lp recordings on youtube are lacking. If you could let me know what wrong maybe I will order one, The problem I had with sennheiser in the past was those airy headphone's. The best, but my dog chewed them up.

Please do you know if it’s a good mic for my reflex Nikon for some videos of me playing guitar and singing, or which one is better for a lower price ? Because i just search one mic for my reflex 🙏🏼 thanks

If this was oriented vertically, could it capture voice and acoustic guitar for the purpose of keeping these somewhat separate for mixing?

Nice video. In my humble opinion, doesn't justify the 5X the cost of Rode Micro.

Now if only they had one with a rear mic along with the stereo mic upfront (3 mics total).

I would put that microphone in the funniest looking one of all. Im happy with all the other ones i have, including the 416, MKE 400 ii and videomic NTG. The 440 does sound good though.

How is this mic with lens autofocus noise? Desperately searching for a shotgun that helps with this

You should try the azden smx-30

Is it possible to extend it if I want to mount it on a boom arm but keep it connected on the camera?

Is this microphone good for record sounds of faraway placed objects ? How about wind protection ?

Dear Bro.., Make a video about Pro voice edit. please.

I heard the 440 had hiss?

I tried recording a live band and the sound was terrible any idea what settings i should have it on

I could be wrong but I would guess that that mke 440 using the same capsule as the 400, but two of them 45ish degrees off axis. Could be wrong about the capsule though. I wonder about potential phasing issues.

It would help for viewing if you didn’t look at you monitor while recording.

I didn’t notice a huge difference when I had my eyes closed 😅

Great review! This would be an easy decision except that the frequency response of the 440 doesn't go deep enough (50hz). If I were recording a concert, I would imagine that those frequencies would be missed.

MKE-440 is totally the way considering the talker isn't moving from the center at all in any direction.

Is it better than Rode videomic NTG ?

if I use this MKE 440 white Canon R5C ( do this pickup the fan noise from it? ) Hmm...

whats better for on the street interview?

Does it record a safety track?

It would help your presentation to stop talking and let the ambient sound have a chance to be heard for a short time.

How does this compare to the Rode videomic pro and x?

I love this microphone, however... This thing is such a gigantic pain in the ass to fit onto a compact camera rig because of how large and awkwardly shaped it is. From my experience, this thing has to face directly forward and be essentially perfectly level/horizontal for the "3D sound space" to work properly. This means there are only so many places to fit it onto a mirrorless camera rig, and basically all of them conflict with more necessary accessories like monitors or handles. You have to get pretty creative, or give up on a compact rig, to find a spot for this weirdo.

You should of had it against the Rode Stereo VideoMic X as a true comparison… then you would have seen the Rode Stereo VideoMic X is greatly superior.

Its a very good video, but the fact 90% of people watch RU-vid videos on mono cell phone speakers (guesstimation) might make this over kill.

Try to look into the lens. It looks like you are talking to my imaginary friend behind me.