Sennheiser
e 914
Small-diaphragm condenser · Cardioid · 20–20,000 Hz
- The studio-grade pencil of the evolution range: 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 19 dB(A) noise and 7.0 mV/Pa out.
- Three-position pad and three-position low-cut on the barrel, so an overhead can be set up without a channel strip.
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 e 914 yet, so the numbers are in the spec table below.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for cardioid. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Sennheiser |
|---|---|
| Model | e 914 |
| Type | Small-diaphragm condenser |
| Form factor | Stick / pencil |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid |
| Frequency range | 20–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 7 mV/Pa · ≈ -43.1 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 137 dB SPL (THD not stated; 147 / 157 dB with −10 / −20 dB pre-attenuation) |
| Self-noise | 24 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 100 Ω (nominal) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | Phantom 48 V |
| Weight | 198 g |
Specifications: Sennheiser 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 | Pro |
|---|---|
| Introduced | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Overhead
- Acoustic instrument
- Choir / ensemble
- Hi-hat
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”.
e 914 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 Sennheiser e 914’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Sennheiser e 914: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Shure
SM81
- Same job: overhead, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: stick / pencil
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
-
Neumann
KM 184
- Same job: overhead, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: stick / pencil
- Max SPL as high or higher (138 vs 137 dB SPL)
- ≈ 7 dB more output — about 7 dB less gain
-
sE Electronics
RN17
- Same job: overhead, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: stick / pencil
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Check: Max SPL 6 dB lower (131 vs 137 dB SPL) — check it on hi-hat
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.