Sennheiser
e 965
Handheld condenser · Cardioid / Supercardioid · 40–20,000 Hz
- A switchable pattern under the grille — cardioid or supercardioid — plus a −10 dB pad and a low-cut, all on the microphone.
- 7 mV/Pa and 142 dB SPL (152 dB with the pad): condenser output with headroom for a loud singer.
- 396 g. A singer notices.
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 965 yet, so the numbers are in the spec table below.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for cardioid / supercardioid. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Sennheiser |
|---|---|
| Model | e 965 |
| Type | Handheld condenser |
| Form factor | Handheld |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid / Supercardioid |
| Frequency range | 40–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 7 mV/Pa · ≈ -43.1 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 142 dB SPL (THD not stated; 152 dB with the pre-attenuation switch on) |
| Self-noise | 21 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 50 Ω (nominal) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | Phantom 48 V |
| Weight | 396 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 | Premium |
|---|---|
| Introduced | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- FOH vocal
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 965 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 965’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Sennheiser e 965: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Shure
SM86
- Same job: FOH vocal
- Same type: condenser (handheld)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: handheld
- Max SPL as high or higher (147 vs 142 dB SPL)
- ≈ 7 dB less output — add about 7 dB gain
-
Shure
Beta 87C
- Same job: FOH vocal
- Same type: condenser (handheld)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: handheld
- ≈ 8 dB less output — add about 8 dB gain
-
Shure
KSM9
- Same job: FOH vocal
- Same type: condenser (handheld)
- Switchable pattern — set it to cardioid
- Same form: handheld
- Max SPL as high or higher (152 vs 142 dB SPL)
- ≈ 8 dB less output — add about 8 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.