All user reviews for the Sennheiser e 604

General Description
The e 604 Is A cardioid microphone Especially Suitable For use with drums
and brass instruments.
Technical Data
Pick-up pattern .............................................. ........................ cardioid
Frequency response ................................................ .40 - 18,000 Hz
Sensitivity (free field, no load, 1 kHz )........................... 1.8 mV / Pa
Nominal Impedance ................................................ ................. 350 Ω
Min. Terminating Impedance ................................................ ..... 1 kΩ
Dimensions ................................................. ................. Ø 33 x 59 mm
Weight ................................................. .......................................... 60 g

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 4 years.
I have already tried the sm57 which does not satisfy me much.
The E904 that I find most happening everywhere, and perceived level battery.
I feel good on the perceived size of medium, or the mediums are very present and where there is little low.
Bongo / Tom small medium ... etc.
On the snare he helps out but nothing more.
Tom same.
It's not super versatile for percu but well placed on the correct item, it can be very satisfying.
Value for money, I am not commenting, it seems to me there 's better for cheaper but I have not yet been tried ....

This is a Sennheiser E 604, which is generally used as a tom mic for drums. I have used it mostly in this capacity. It's a dynamic microphone and it's better suited to capture deep frequencies like drums. It could work on guitar amps theoretically, but the fact that it comes on a drum-mounting clip makes this a difficult mic to use in that way. I have used it on snare drums as well, which provides it with a different kind of sound that I enjoyed but is actually far less versatile than an SM57. This microphone works well in the studio as well as live, in fact, it might be a great choice for live as it has the clips that can attach to the drums themselves and don't rely on stands.

OVERALL OPINION

I think that these mics are great for the price, however, I don't think I'd use them if I had other options. Considering they are best used as tom mics, they don't really hold up to the Sennheiser 421s, which are a very respected tom mic. In addition to sounding better on toms, the 421 is more versatile and can be used to great effect on guitar amps, vocals, horns and others in a live capacity. It also sounds better on snares. Basically, get this until you can afford the 421, and then sell this. Unless you really need a microphone that clips to your drums.

These dedicated snare and tom mics are pretty much just cheaper priced and cheaper sounding Sennheiser 421's. They do have some of their own virtues however. They are dynamic mics, and they will connect with an XLR cable. You don't need to have phantom power running for these ones. There is a medium sized diaphragm, which is going to help you get a larger low-frequency response for some added weight on your toms and snare. There isn't a low end roll-off switch, so you will have to hit the EQ if you want a tighter sound. The best part about these mics is the great convenience of the way they are mounted. They come set on clips that specifically designed to latch on to drum rims and not budge. They are raised from that a couple inches and are then on a pretty much 360 degree pivot, so you should be able to manage to get this mic pointing at the drum heads in any way you want. Usually with other mics there is a lot of hassle and taping to deal with, but these you can get set up in under a minute. As for the sound, it does seem to lack a little bit of clarity and richess. You get a lot of point on the drum hits, and a lot of power from the lows and low mids, but the high end detail is just not really there or it's kind of wishy-washy. You'll definitely want to make good use of overhead blending to get a balanced drum sound if you're using this for drum mics.

OVERALL OPINION

I have used these on a couple of sessions at other studios. They really don't sound as good as 421's do on snare and toms, but they are much cheaper and have convenient clips. I would probably recommend these to someone new to recording who doesn't have the budget yet to go for some of the nicer mics. These are not bad drum mics, it's just that they're not that good either. Very cheap though, so it's a good value.

I've only used my Sennheiser e604 on tom drums in the studio, but I could certainly see them being used live because of the convenient clip. Since it is a dynamic mic they would probably work on guitar amps and snare drums as well.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had my Sennheiser e604 for about a year now. My favorite part about it is that it has a clip that you can easily mount on to a drum. Although if I had the money I would prefer to have another Sennesier 421, this really does the trick on tom drums, making for a very full sound at a pretty reasonable price. I would use this on a tom drum over a Shure SM57 just because it is easier to set up, but if I had extra 421s I would definitely use those, however, until I can afford to upgrade, the e604 definitely does the job I need it to.