Press

09.09.2011 - Amsterdam/Wedemark

Sennheiser shows MKH gun microphones

At the IBC in Amsterdam, audio specialist Sennheiser is showcasing its MKH 8060 and MKH 8070 shotgun microphones for broadcasting. Both microphones can be used in analogue set-ups or – in combination with the MZD 8000 digital module – as digital AES42 microphones. The very compact MKH 8060 is a versatile short-gun microphone, equally at home on or off camera, while the long MKH 8070 rifle microphone is a specialist for more distant sound sources and is the perfect choice for sports reporting and nature recordings. Both models feature a natural and very lifelike sound, as off-axis sound is attenuated without colouration. Their radio-frequency condenser principle also makes both microphones extremely weather-resistant, ensuring that they can cope even with climatically difficult conditions, such as extreme cold and moisture.
 

A versatile all-rounder that is ideal for both on and off camera use: the MKH 8060 short-gun microphone

“For the MKH shotgun microphones, a natural, lifelike sound was very important for us,” explained Kai Lange, Product Manager Professional Wired Microphones at Sennheiser. “Sound engineers are often faced with the problem that gun microphones can colour the sound if they are not aimed precisely at the sound source. This is a disadvantage particularly in interview situations, as the character of the speaker’s voice is altered. For that reason, the MKH 8060 and MKH 8070 are designed in such a way that the sound signal only becomes quieter if the sound source does not lie on the axis of the microphone. The sound itself remains completely natural.” This is especially important when indoors where off-axis room reflections can colour the sound; this effect is minimised with the new design of the interference tube in the microphones.

 

Both condenser microphones work on the RF principle that Sennheiser has been using for 50 years and has developed to absolute perfection. The benefits of this principle and the symmetrical capsule design of the MKH series are extremely low inherent self-noise, which means that even the finest sound structures remain intact, high climatic resistance, transparency, low distortion and relatively high output signal voltages. RF microphones are inherently fully floating and balanced and do not require an additional balancing circuit or transformer to protect them from external interfering signals.
 
MKH 8060 – the versatile all-rounder
The MKH 8060 lives up to its name as a short gun: the microphone measures just 14.5 cm and weighs a mere 112 g with XLR module, making it ideal for use as a camera or boom microphone. Its range of applications includes outdoor recordings, studio applications for film and television or as an audience microphone for mixing audience reactions. “We are setting a new industry standard with this microphone,” explained Kai Lange “It is compact, light, easy to handle and really has an exceptionally natural sound.”
 

MKH 8070 – the specialist for distant sound sources

The MKH 8070 rifle microphone is a specialist for distant sound sources

The MKH 8070 rifle microphone features an extreme directivity that enables even very distant sounds and events to be reliably recorded. For broadcasters, this microphone is an ideal tool for sports events, as well as for film and television recordings, both in the studio and outdoors. It is also especially useful for nature and wildlife recordings. “In sports broadcasting, the MKH 8070 is like an ‘ear’ into the stadium. A whole new world of sound opens up to the TV audience: they can hear the sound of the ball, comments by players and so on. Sports broadcasts become ‘alive’ with sound, and the viewer can take centre seat.”

 

Digital module and filter accessories

The screw-on MZD 8000 digital module

As a member of the MKH 8000 family, both microphones are modular and can easily be combined with the MZD 8000 digital module, thus turning them into digital microphones according to the internationally agreed AES42 specifications. In combination with the DMI 2 portable interface from Neumann, the shotgun microphones are ideal for mobile, digital broadcasting. Also available is the MZF 8000 filter module which features a switchable -10dB pad and a switchable roll-off filter that further suppresses any wind noise that might penetrate a ‘hairy’ cover and basket windshield.

 

For especially unobtrusive use of the MKH 8060, the XLR module of the microphone can be removed and the microphone head connected to a remote cable or extension tube. Thus, the microphone can be mounted onto smaller cameras or used for more unobtrusive fixed positioning in a TV studio. All microphone modules are Nextel-coated to avoid irritating light reflections.
 

Visit Sennheiser at the IBC, Hall 8, Stand D 50
 

The Sennheiser Group, with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. The family-owned company, which was established in 1945, recorded sales of around €468 million in 2010. Sennheiser employs more than 2,100 people worldwide, and has manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA. The company is represented worldwide by subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as by long-term trading partners in many other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones and monitor loudspeakers), and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centres).
 
Download press release:
press_release_090911_en.zip (760 kB)
 

You can find all the latest information on Sennheiser by visiting our website at www.sennheiser.com.
 

 
Technical data of the MKH 8060 short shotgun microphone

Pick-up pattern	super-cardioid/lobar
Frequency response	50 Hz bis 25 kHz
Sensitivity	−24 dBV/Pa (63 mV/Pa)
Maximum sound pressure level	129 dB SPL
Equivalent noise level	11 dB(A) (DIN-IEC 651) 23 dB (CCIR 268-3)
Nominal impedance	25 Ohm
Min. terminating impedance	2 kOhm
Phantom power	48 V ± 4 V (P48, IEC 61938)
Current consumption	3,3 mA
Diameter	19 mm
Length	145 mm 178 mm mit XLR-Modul MZX 8000
Weight	80 g 112 g mit XLR-Modul MZX 8000
Operating temperature	−10°C bis +60°C

Technical data of the MKH 8070 long shotgun microphone

Pick-up pattern	lobar
Frequency response	45 Hz bis 20 kHz
Sensitivity	−19 dBV/Pa (112 mV/Pa)
Maximum sound pressure level	124 dB SPL
Equivalent noise level	8 dB(A) (DIN-IEC 651) 21 dB (CCIR 268-3)
Nominal impedance	25 Ohm
Min. terminating impedance	2 kOhm
Phantom power	48 V ± 4 V (P48, IEC 61938)
Current consumption	3,3 mA
Diameter	19 mm
Length	432 mm 465 mm mit XLR-Modul MZX 8000
Weight	300 g 332 g mit XLR-Modul MZX 8000
Operating temperature	−10°C bis +60°C