Sennheiser
e 604
Dynamic · Cardioid · 40–18,000 Hz · a rider regular
- 60 grams on a rim clamp: the reason a five-piece kit can be miked without a forest of boom stands in front of the drummer.
- The clamp is the part that fails, not the capsule — carry spares, not spare mics.
Frequency response
Redrawn from Sennheiser’s published response graph (approximate, ±2 dB) on the fixed MicSense scale — 20 Hz–20 kHz, −20 to +15 dB — so two microphones can be compared at a glance. No image is copied; it is a guide to the shape, not a measurement. Drawn for: 0°, 1 m (solid); the dashed 0°, 5 cm curve is not used. The maker’s graph (FREQUENZGANG graph, Produktdatenblatt p.2 (German edition; dBV, normalised to 0 dB at 1 kHz)).
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 604 |
| Type | Dynamic |
| Form factor | Clip-on |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid |
| Frequency range | 40–18,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 1.8 mV/Pa · ≈ -54.9 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | — not published by the maker |
| Self-noise | — none (passive capsule) |
| Impedance | 350 Ω (nominal) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | None (dynamic) |
| Weight | 60 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 | Mid |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1998 |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Snare top
- Snare bottom
- Toms
- Horn / brass
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 604 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 604’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Sennheiser e 604: max SPL not published by the maker.
-
Shure
SM57
- Same job: snare top, snare bottom, toms
- Same type: dynamic
- Same cardioid pattern
- Similar published response shape (≈ 1.1 dB apart on average, 100 Hz–10 kHz)
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Needs a stand or a clamp — the original clips on
-
Audix
i5
- Same job: snare top, toms, horn / brass
- Same type: dynamic
- Same cardioid pattern
- Similar published response shape (≈ 3.5 dB apart on average, 100 Hz–10 kHz)
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Needs a stand or a clamp — the original clips on
-
sE Electronics
V BEAT
- Same job: snare top, toms
- Same type: dynamic
- Same form: clip-on
- Similar published response shape (≈ 1.5 dB apart on average, 100 Hz–10 kHz)
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Supercardioid instead of cardioid — deepest rejection at ±126°, not 180°: check where the wedge sits
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.