Sennheiser
MKH 8040
Small-diaphragm condenser · Cardioid · 30–50,000 Hz
- The cardioid of the MKH 8000 range: 30 Hz to 50 kHz, 142 dB SPL, and 25 g on the end of the stand.
- RF-condenser design — the series was built to survive the humidity that stops conventional condensers working outdoors.
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 MKH 8040 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 | MKH 8040 |
| Type | Small-diaphragm condenser |
| Form factor | Stick / pencil |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid |
| Frequency range | 30–50,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | -34.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 142 dB SPL (THD not stated) |
| Self-noise | 13 dB(A) |
| Impedance | — not published by the maker |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | Phantom 48 V |
| Weight | 25 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
- Overhead
- Acoustic instrument
- Choir / ensemble
- Hi-hat
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”.
MKH 8040 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 MKH 8040’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Sennheiser MKH 8040: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
sE Electronics
sE8
- Same job: overhead, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: stick / pencil
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
-
Neumann
KM 184
- Same job: overhead, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: stick / pencil
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Check: Max SPL 4 dB lower (138 vs 142 dB SPL) — check it on hi-hat
-
sE Electronics
sE7
- Same job: overhead, acoustic instrument, choir / ensemble
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: stick / pencil
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Check: Max SPL 6 dB lower (136 vs 142 dB SPL) — check it on hi-hat
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.