All user reviews of 4/5 for the Sennheiser MD 421-II

The Sennheiser MD 421 II is a cardioid dynamic microphone that has been around for quite a long time. One of the cool things about this mic is that it has a bass roll off switch but it doesn’t say exactly what frequencies its rolling off though. These go for around 350 to 400 dollars or so online now (not brand new). They are worth every penny considering the quality you will get with this mic.


OVERALL OPINION

There has been a lot of changes to the MD 421 II from the previous models. The 421 is built a lot tougher than the previous models and has a sleeker design to it. You will love using this mic if you can fit it into your budget. It will deliver a very clear clean sound with no feedback and as I said before there is a several position roll off switch.

I haven tried a few other models of this microphone and most of them are the same to be honest. They all provide a pretty good quality. In my opinion I wouldn’t get this mic just to record some stuff from home with. Its too expensive, unless you are work thing with some time of record deal or decent budget. Its not worth spending that much for a home set up when there are a ton of other mics that sound similar to this one that will cost a fraction of the price you will spend for this mic.

Overall, its a great mic not really anything bad to say about it. They also have a anniversary version of this mic that is gold plated. It looks real nice, but it’s the same as this mic don’t like they goldish colar fool you. So if you have a budget and can afford to get this mic I say go for it. If you don’t want to sped that much money look into some cheaper mics that will provide the same quality as this mic will.

Has a 5 knotch bass control. Very directional design. This is a classic mic known for rugged build and reliability as well as a high quality performance. I know these are typically used for drums in the studio but I use mine for voiceovers mostly. I run a weekly podcast with a couple of buddies and I have 4 of these on tap just for that purpose. It works pretty great for this application although not the end all be all of voice mics. I expect the MD421 would be even better as a live voice mic due to its lack of feedback or noise. I can never get it to feedback no matter what I do. They are very clear and have a nice response range.

I've also used this mic for some oddball uses like recording congas and even wind instruments. I still remember the day I was asked to run sound for an outside festival and I used a couple of these to mic the percussionist of a band that was playing. At one point it started raining fairly hard and the band kept going. A lot of the mics on stage started to malfunction noticeably but the MD421's didn't seem to have any issues. They got pretty wet too. 3 years later I still have them and they aren't in any worse shape.

OVERALL OPINION

This is probably one of my favorite mics for really loud situations or situations where feedback is prone to happen. It won't feedback ever in my experience. The odd shape can be an issue if you don't have the proper clip at hand. And the clip it does use it very annoying. At the end of the day it's a great reliable mic for a number of odd uses. Just don't fall too in love with it. It doesn't work for everything. Still, well worth the price and I think everybody should get one or two at least. They will likely outlive you regardless of whether you take care of them.