Is the Sennheiser E906 the mic of choice in its price range?

soma1975

Hi all,

Want to record some bits and pieces and would rather mic up than DI but at same time can't play too loud at home. I know I know...

I used an E906 before which sounded nice and was quite sensitive so I didn't have to blast preamp gain compared to my ancient knackered sm57. 

Is there anything else I should be looking at in that range?

Thanks in advance

Cirrus

Loads of choices and it's all subjective preference, really, but if I could approach this from a different angle, does your preamp sound bad with the gain turned up? In itself, the position of the gain knob alone wouldn't be a reason for me to switch microphone.

soma1975

The SM57 seemed to need a lot of level to sound good whereas the E906 sounded better at respectable volumes. So was cleaner overall. 

Danny1969

E906 is good for tracking at a quieter level and also very useful for rejecting drum spill when on smaller stages. In these situations it's a great mic. 

For other situations, especially tracking with no risk of spill many mic's are cheaper and some arguably better 

Stratavarious

I carry both an e609 and an SM57 to mic my rig at gigs.  The e609 gets most use because I can use it without a stand or if space is cramped.  I did not need the EQ switch on the e906.

Stratavarious

With two mics you can also experiment with placement to get a bigger sound or mix both.

Do you have condenser for acoustic/percussion/vocals?  I often use a condenser to record my Mesa boogie in my home studio. Versatile.  An AKG C214 with a pad maybe worth looking at.

soma1975

I have no other mics

soma1975

Thanks chaps. 

Winny_Pooh

I have a 906 and lots of other dynamics. IMO the Audix i5 is nicer on guitars and cheaper. I keep the 906 just in case space is tight or if I may want to mic toms.

soma1975

Nice one will have a look cheers. 

theatreanchor

Since I got an E906 for recording demos at home, I’ve not looked for anything else. 

susbemol

Another E906 fan here. It's a fab mic.

It's easy to overthink these things but in reality most decent mics should work well.

ChrisCox1994

rode do some killer affordable large diaphragm condensers that work great at low volume - i use a 906 live though, great mics

mike257

A 906 is a solid choice, but you also shouldn't need ridiculous amounts of preamp gain to get a useable level from an SM57, sounds like it might need some TLC!

bobeffect

I mike my DRRI for gigging with a 906 and trust it to be a fair representation of my tilted back amp. I spent a while testing my Helix and an Iridium to PA. I did the familiar multiple IR and built in Line 6 cab comparison and nothing compared to the accuracy and simplicity of miking the amp with the 906.

TJT1979

I have both the 906 and the 609 Silver. Use them both in live applications for guitar cabs. No recording. 

The 906 is great, and noticeably better than the 609 in my experience. The 609 has a weird EQ curve to it, whereas the 906 just sounded natural straight away. I had previously heard that the only difference is the EQ switch on the 906 but that's definitely not the case.

It's also be curious to try the Audix but for my needs the 906 is great, and I have no reason to change. 

stylesforfree

So the E906 and E609 sound very similar. The E906 has a smoother sound and it has the EQ switch which is VERY useful.

For the price on the 2nd hand market the E906 is unbeatable. But if you see an electro voice 635 pop up then just buy it because it's probably the only other £100 dynamic mic that I would use as a close microphone.

octatonic

906 is a nice mic but I usually prefer the Beyer M201, often blended with a Royer 121 or an AEA R84A.
Audix i5 is cool too but on the brighter side of things.

SM57 is usually the last thing I go for.

ChrisCox1994 said:

rode do some killer affordable large diaphragm condensers that work great at low volume

They do but it is rare that I reach for a condenser other than the Josephson E22s for micing a guitar cab.

soma1975

Thanks all

jaymenon

The SamSystems Integral microphone is also really good - but affords you just one fixed off-centre position.

maltingsaudio

Late to the party but highly recommend Beyer TG 151 my favourite for live sound against my 906,57 and Beta57