Sennheiser MKE 600 – Shotgun Microphone Review

For the past week I have been reviewing the Sennheiser MKE 600 – Shotgun Microphone. Having several shotgun microphones already in my arsenal, it was nice to see how it compared. I decided to use it with my Cannon 60D as the size of the MKE-600 Shotgun microphone is smaller 20mm in diameter, and 10 inches long versus my other shotgun microphones that are 22mm in diameter, and 12 inches long.

I put it head to head against a Sennheiser ME66/K6 that is priced about $800, The MKE-600 that was the reviewed runs $329.00 retail. Those familiar with the K6 series know that you can change out mic heads. This is not possible with the MKE-600 as it is a single body construction but looks very similar in outward appearance.

Comparing audio quality behind the two shotgun microphones was subtle. While the larger mic had better gain the smaller mic was maybe 3db behind on gain performance. The smaller size of the MKE-600 won out using it with my DSLR.

Overall the MKE-600 did not have any detractors and for the price has great noise isolation, with an easy to reach low-cut filter, the mic had really nice directivity as expected. The sidelobe suppression was sufficient to muffle ocean noise where we where doing the shoot. It has its own on-board AA battery slot to power phantom power.

The MKE-600 was delivered with a standard shoe mount and foam wind shield. Professionals will want to look at aftermarket Wind shields as they really do a better job than the manufacture provided one.

I am considering buying one of these for my daily use as I will be sorry to see the mic go back to the vendor.