Sennheiser e 902

The Sennheiser E 902 is supposed to be Sennheiser's successor to the very nice and interesting E 602. The E 902 is intended primarily for use with a kick drum, although Sennheiser advertises it, like the E 602 as a "bass instrument" microphone. I am quite sure that it will work well on bass cabinets, but it was not an application that I got around to testing it on. This review will, consequentially, cover their use on kick drums.

The Sennheiser E 902 is a dynamic microphone specifically designed to be used with bass instruments, so it will get utilized mostly on kick drums. It has a cardioid pick up pattern, which is nice, because if it gets placed in the hole of a kick drum, it will pick up some of the boominess in the kick. It has a bass-heavy frequency response from 20 Hz all the way to a respectably high 18,000 Hz.

The E 902 has a stand mount built right onto the microphone, and this resulted in considerably less hassle in setting it up inside of the hole. This mechanism is a markedly noticeable improvement over the E 602.

In my review of the E 602 II, I mentioned how the E 602 II seems to magically fix low end kick drums that had a tendency to sound boxy. In keeping true with the fact that it is a higher end microphone, the E 902 does not have this compensation built into the curve. The E 902 will make a good kick sound good, and a bad kick will continue to sound bad, so it is not a magical solution to a bad kick like the E 602 seemed to be. This particular microphone from Sennheiser tends to be very clean, very honest about the sound it imparts.

OVERALL OPINION

I like the E 902 more than the E 602, but they are differently colored. The E 902 is not designed to compensate for any bad bass signals like the E 602 is not only engineered to do, but is also advertised to do. Do your research before you buy anything, and you'll have a great kick in no time!

The e902 is a kick drum and bass amp mic. You could also use it for any other low frequency rich sources and likely have good results. I have also used this as one of two mics on a cello, and got a really great sound for a very sparse mix. The mic's frequency response definitely seems to be made to accent a kick drum. The transient on this large diaphragm dynamic mic is surprisingly fast, which is great news for drums, because you can get a deep, beefy sound without sacrificing punch. I also once strapped this to a small diaphragm condenser and used the combo on a floor tom, with very nice results. You'll have to phase align the resulting signals, but it's a great way to get a crisp top end with a huge bottom on a floor tom. The low-end on this mic is definitely hyped, but it tends to not be a problem because most people are going to EQ boost the same area anyway, so this just means you'll have to boost a little less later on in the process.

OVERALL OPINION

There are a lot of kick mics out there, and this one definitely holds its own even though it's a lesser known competitor. This is at about the same price point as the AKG D112, and I will say that I do think the AKG is a better mic overall, even though you will find some situations for which this Sennheiser can do a better job. If it's your first kick mic, I would say spend the extra $50 on a D112, but if you are just expanding your selection then you definitely won't really be disappointed with this mic. All around a pretty solid kick and bass mic. I recommend it.

Dynamic Microphone

OVERALL OPINION


For how long have you been using it?

I own one since 4 years.

Did you try many other models before getting this one?

two microphones of the same kind: a shure pg from a drum kit and an AKG D112.

What thing do you like most/least about it?

most: no need for clips, dynamics, at least: I see no bah!

I use this microphone to dub the bass amps, I tested was the bass drum but I prefer the AKG D112 (it's a matter of taste) otherwise it remains an exellent microphone that does what you request !

What is your opinion about the value for the price?
Knowing what you know now, would you make the same choice? ...

a good microphone very clear good quality workmanship that has its place on stage and hold the road!

redo this choice, of course it's already done!