Sennheiser
SL Headmic 1
Electret / lavalier · Omnidirectional · 20–20,000 Hz
- 143 dB SPL from an omnidirectional headworn capsule — built for musical theatre, where the performer is also the loud source.
- Omni keeps the tone steady as the head turns; the trade is gain before feedback, which is why it lives on in-ear stages.
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 SL Headmic 1 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 | SL Headmic 1 |
| Type | Electret / lavalier |
| Form factor | Headset |
| Polar pattern | Omnidirectional |
| Frequency range | 20–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 5 mV/Pa · ≈ -46.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 143 dB SPL (THD not stated) |
| Self-noise | 27 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 1000 Ω (nominal) |
| Connector | wireless bodypack |
| Powering | Bias voltage from the bodypack (bias via bodypack (4.5–15 V)) |
| Weight | 7 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
- Theatre lav
- FOH 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”.
SL Headmic 1 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 SL Headmic 1’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Sennheiser SL Headmic 1: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Shure
Beta 53
- Same job: theatre lav, FOH vocal
- Same type: electret / lavalier
- Same omnidirectional pattern
- Same form: headset
- A wired XLR microphone with phantom power, not a bodypack mic
- ≈ 8 dB less output — add about 8 dB gain
- Check: Max SPL 4 dB lower (139.4 vs 143 dB SPL) — check it on loud sources
-
Sennheiser
MKE 1
- Same job: theatre lav
- Same type: electret / lavalier
- Same omnidirectional pattern
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Lavalier instead of headset — mounts differently
-
Sennheiser
MKE Essential Omni
- Same job: theatre lav
- Same type: electret / lavalier
- Same omnidirectional pattern
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Lavalier instead of headset — mounts differently
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.