Sennheiser
MK 8
Large-diaphragm condenser · Omnidirectional / Wide cardioid / Cardioid / Supercardioid / Figure-8 · 20–20,000 Hz
- Five switchable patterns, from omni through wide cardioid, cardioid and supercardioid to figure-8.
- Same body and same 10 dB(A) noise floor as the MK 4; the dual diaphragm costs about 5 dB of output.
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 MK 8 yet, so the numbers are in the spec table below.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for omnidirectional / wide cardioid / cardioid / supercardioid / figure-8. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Sennheiser |
|---|---|
| Model | MK 8 |
| Type | Large-diaphragm condenser |
| Form factor | Side-address |
| Polar pattern | Omnidirectional / Wide cardioid / Cardioid / Supercardioid / Figure-8 |
| Frequency range | 20–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 14.1 mV/Pa · ≈ -37.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 142 dB SPL (THD not stated; pad at 0 dB) |
| Self-noise | 10 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 50 Ω (nominal) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | Phantom 48 V |
| Weight | 485 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
- Acoustic instrument
- Choir / ensemble
- Overhead
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”.
MK 8 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 MK 8’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Sennheiser MK 8: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Shure
KSM44A
- Same job: FOH vocal, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (large diaphragm)
- Switchable pattern — set it to omnidirectional
- Same form: side-address
- ≈ 6 dB more output — about 6 dB less gain
- Discontinued — may be hard to find
- Check: Max SPL 8 dB lower (134 vs 142 dB SPL) — check it on loud sources
-
Sennheiser
MK 4
- Same job: FOH vocal, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (large diaphragm)
- Same form: side-address
- Cardioid instead of omnidirectional
- ≈ 5 dB more output — about 5 dB less gain
-
sE Electronics
X1 S
- Same job: FOH vocal, acoustic instrument, overhead
- Same type: condenser (large diaphragm)
- Same form: side-address
- Cardioid instead of omnidirectional
- ≈ 6 dB more output — about 6 dB less 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.