Sennheiser
MD 21-U
Dynamic · Omnidirectional · 40–18,000 Hz
- An omnidirectional reporter's dynamic that has been in the catalogue since the 1950s.
- Omni means no proximity effect and no handling-angle problem — point it anywhere near the mouth and it sounds the same.
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 MD 21-U 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 | Sennheiser |
|---|---|
| Model | MD 21-U |
| Type | Dynamic |
| Form factor | Handheld |
| Polar pattern | Omnidirectional |
| 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 | 200 Ω (nominal) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | None (dynamic) |
| Weight | 280 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 | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Broadcast
- Lectern / podium
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”.
MD 21-U 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 MD 21-U’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Sennheiser MD 21-U: max SPL not published by the maker · response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Sennheiser
MD 42
- Same job: broadcast
- Same type: dynamic
- Same omnidirectional pattern
- Same form: handheld
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
-
Shure
SM58
- Same job: broadcast, lectern / podium
- Same type: dynamic
- Same form: handheld
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Cardioid instead of omnidirectional
-
Sennheiser
MD 46
- Same job: broadcast
- Same type: dynamic
- Same form: handheld
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Cardioid instead of omnidirectional
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.