Sennheiser e609 Silver Electric Guitar Microphone

In this post, I’m going to discuss a mic that I’ve owned for a number of years: the Sennheiser e609 (also referred to as the “e609S” or “e609 Silver”). Like its sibling and confusingly-similar named Sennheiser e906, this dynamic mic is designed for use primarily as a guitar amp mic, but you could just as easily use it on a snare drum or rack tom of a drum kit. It employs a side-address design (similar to many large-diaphragm condensers) that makes it ideal for hanging it by the mic cable from the top of an amp, with the capsule pointing straight at the speaker. Some people will try this same trick with other dynamic mics (e.g. the Shure SM57), but that generally doesn’t work as well, because the source is off-axis with relation to the capsule. So if you like doing that sort of thing for miking an amp, the e609 may be just the thing for you. Even if you’re not hanging it by its cable and are putting it on a mic stand, it’s side-address design keeps the mic cable and connector pointing up or down instead of out, allowing the mic to sit closer to the amp and more out of the way than an SM57 or other similar mic.

First, let’s look at the specs of the e609:

• Specially developed for miking guitar cabs face-on and extremely close to the signal source
• Dynamic mic
• Rugged metal body
• Advanced shock-mount design
• Super-cardioid pick-up pattern
• Hum compensating coil
• Standard 3-pin XLR output connector
• 55 x 34 x 134 mm in size
• 140g weight
• 40 Hz – 15 kHz frequency response
• 350 Ohm nominal impedance
• Made in Germany
• Includes MZQ 100 stand clip and zipper storage bag

Initial Impressions

The body of the e609 is fairly small and lightweight, although its construction still says “quality”. It doesn’t feel cheap by any stretch. The mic’s grille is fairly tightly-woven and feels strong, like it could easily handle the typical drop or smack from a drumstick. The portion of the mic’s body that is gripped by the included stand clip is fairly thin, with the diameter being somewhere between the diameter of a small-diaphragm condenser mic (think MXL 603S, 991, CAD GXL1200, or Oktava MK012) and a standard dynamic mic (SM58, SM57). The flexible, hard rubber stand clip (MZQ 100) grips the mic very tightly, to the point that you have to somewhat force it to make it fit. I can only guess it’s made this way to still grip the mic tightly, even when the mic is inverted on a stand with the head pointing toward the floor.

One side of the grille is painted silver instead of black (hence the “e609S” and “e609 Silver” designation), and it is also labeled “Front” to try and eliminate some guesswork–making it obvious which side of the mic should face the source (amp, drum, etc). However, this labeling/color-coding scheme can also be a source of confusion for some users, who think “Front” refers to facing forward toward the audience and AWAY from the amp. This is NOT how the mic is intended to be used. The “Front” (silver side) should be pointed TOWARD the source that’s being miked (guitar amp, drum, etc.). Trust me–I know what I’m doing.

In Use

I’ve used this mic for a number of years both live and in my studio. In the studio, I will often mic a guitar amp with both an e609 and an SM57 and record each mic to a different track. When mixing, I almost always prefer the sound of the e609 over the SM57 thanks to it’s high-end “bite”, with the SM57 sounding somewhat dull by comparison. However, I often use both tracks together by blending the two–setting the level of the e609 track first (making it responsible for most of the guitar tone), and then slowly raising the level of the SM57 track underneath it to reinforce the low-mids a bit. In a live setting, I typically choose the e609 both for tonal reasons and the positioning flexibility afforded by its design.

Conclusion

In summary, the Sennheiser e609 is a solid performer when it comes to miking guitar amps for both recording and live performance. It’s a compact, durable mic, and its design gives the user some additional flexibility in positioning that you won’t have with more conventional dynamic mics. It’s price is also competitive with other similar mics, making it a solid contender for electric guitar miking duties. So if you’re tired of miking your amp with an SM57 and are looking for something different, definitely check out the Sennheiser e609.