sE Electronics
sE8 omni
Small-diaphragm condenser · Omnidirectional · 20–20,000 Hz
- The omnidirectional sE8: no proximity effect, so it can sit close to a source without the low end building up.
- Handles 141 dB flat and 161 dB with the 20 dB pad.
Frequency response
No response curve yet.
MicSense only draws a curve redrawn from a graph the manufacturer publishes — it never estimates one from the microphone’s class. No published graph has been redrawn for the sE8 omni yet, so the numbers are in the spec table below.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for omnidirectional. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | sE Electronics |
|---|---|
| Model | sE8 omni |
| Type | Small-diaphragm condenser |
| Form factor | Stick / pencil |
| Polar pattern | Omnidirectional |
| Frequency range | 20–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 20 mV/Pa · -34.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 141 dB SPL (THD not stated) |
| Self-noise | 15 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 110 Ω (electrical) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | Phantom 48 V |
| Weight | 141 g |
Specifications: sE Electronics specifications page · last checked 2 Oct 2026. These are the maker’s published figures for this model. A dash never means zero: “not published by the maker” means the maker’s documents give no figure; “not yet checked” means MicSense has not confirmed one yet. Spotted an error? Tell us.
MicSense notes
| Price tier | Mid |
|---|---|
| Introduced | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Overhead
- Choir / ensemble
- Acoustic instrument
MicSense tags microphones by the job on a live stage, not by studio category — so you can filter for “kick in” or “monitor vocal” instead of working backwards from “large-diaphragm condenser”.
sE8 omni alternatives: closest in published specs
Based on published specifications only — always listen at soundcheck. These are the microphones in the MicSense library whose datasheet figures sit closest to the sE Electronics sE8 omni’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the sE Electronics sE8 omni: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Sennheiser
MKH 8020
- Same job: overhead, choir / ensemble, acoustic instrument
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same omnidirectional pattern
- Same form: stick / pencil
- ≈ 4 dB more output — about 4 dB less gain
-
Sennheiser
MKH 8090
- Same job: overhead, choir / ensemble, acoustic instrument
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same form: stick / pencil
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Max SPL as high or higher (142 vs 141 dB SPL)
- Wide cardioid instead of omnidirectional
-
Shure
Beta 181
- Same job: overhead, choir / ensemble, acoustic instrument
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Switchable pattern — set it to omnidirectional
- Max SPL as high or higher (149 vs 141 dB SPL)
- Side-address — aim it from the side, not the end
- ≈ 12 dB less output — add about 12 dB gain
Compare it against the alternatives.
MicSense lets you put up to four microphones side by side — spec table, overlaid response curves and polar diagrams on one screen. Free with a free Squaresmile account.