Sennheiser
ME 3
Electret / lavalier · Cardioid · 50–18,000 Hz
- A cardioid headset rated to 150 dB SPL — enough for a drummer who sings.
- Cardioid rather than omni: more gain before feedback on a loud stage, at the cost of caring where the boom sits.
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 ME 3 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 | ME 3 |
| Type | Electret / lavalier |
| Form factor | Headset |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid |
| Frequency range | 50–18,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 1.6 mV/Pa · ≈ -55.9 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 150 dB SPL (THD not stated) |
| Self-noise | — not published by the maker |
| Impedance | — not published by the maker |
| Connector | wireless bodypack |
| Powering | Bias voltage from the bodypack (bias via bodypack (10 V, 3.5 mm jack)) |
| 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 | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Theatre lav
- FOH vocal
- Monitor 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”.
ME 3 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 ME 3’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Sennheiser ME 3: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Shure
SM35
- Same job: theatre lav, FOH vocal, monitor vocal
- Same type: electret / lavalier
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: headset
- Max SPL as high or higher (153 vs 150 dB SPL)
- ≈ 3 dB less output — add about 3 dB gain
-
DPA
4088 CORE+
- Same job: theatre lav, FOH vocal
- Same type: electret / lavalier
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: headset
- ≈ 12 dB more output — about 12 dB less gain
- Check: Max SPL 11 dB lower (139 vs 150 dB SPL) — check it on loud sources
-
Shure
Beta 54
- Same job: theatre lav, FOH vocal, monitor vocal
- Same type: electret / lavalier
- Same form: headset
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Supercardioid instead of cardioid — deepest rejection at ±126°, not 180°: check where the wedge sits
- A wired XLR microphone with phantom power, not a bodypack mic
- Check: Max SPL 9 dB lower (141.4 vs 150 dB SPL) — check it on loud sources
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.