Posted by: "Mike Feldman"
> Was just checking http://www.sennheiserusa.com and they no longer
> list the MHK80, just the MHK800. Also checked FullCompass, which
> just cut over to a new website (uck), and they don't list the MHK80
> any more, either, but the they show the whole series as "special order".
> I take that back, Full Compass doesn't even list the MHK20, 30, or 50.
They are hardly the only source for MKH mics. It probably is a function
of the type of customers they have. Only certain types of recording go
for the MKH. Rock and such like tends not to and that's the biggest
market in music. Places that cater to classical music recordists and
such like are more likely to have them. Even then, yes it would be hard
to find new MKH-80's as Sennheiser moved to the MKH-800.
Lentini, where I do some business, lists the MKH-20,30,40,50,60,70,416
http://www.lentinicommunications.com/
The MKH-800 replaced the MKH-80 a few years ago. Other than the extended
frequency response they are pretty much identical. Unless you need the
extended frequency response the 80 is just as good, and can be found
used for cheaper than the MKH-800.
The Sennheiser microphone brochure I have in pdf form dated 6/2002 lists
both the MKH-80 & MKH-800. I do also have individual pdf's for each of
these mics. The pdf I have on Sennheiser suspensions and windscreening
for MKH lists the MKH-80 and not the MKH-800 and is dated 12/2003.
The MKH-30 is much less common in the US than in Europe, it's hard to
find here. Both my MKH-30 came off ebay, one from Switzerland, one from
Russia. With the increasing popularity of M/S I'd somehow expect it to
turn up more in the US, but so far not.
> So I could get a pair of 800s for a tad over $5K. For a bit under
> that I could get twice as many mics with lesser specs and fixed pats.
If one chooses mics by price...
There are some other considerations in that a multipattern mic is always
some form of compromise of the same design in single pattern. Sennheiser
does a good job, but there are differences.
Of course since the MKH-80/800 can substitute for 4 other MKH mics if
you need all 4 patterns they are the cheaper deal.
> But is sounds like from Rob's evaluation that 80/800 is the ultimate
> headroom figure-8, even if it does have dual diaphragms. And maybe
> it's the ultimate omni, too.
I'd tend to agree that the MKH-80/800 are better as figure 8's then the
MKH-30. But I'd not agree that there is much difference in final results
between the MKH-20 and MKH-80/800. And, of course, in addition, for my
uses the MKH-20 is easy to put into a modified SASS, the MKH-80 I've not
even tried, it would be very hard to do.
Walt
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