Sennheiser

Explore Sennheiser vintage audio equipment in the Vintage Technology Archive.

Headphones

• HD-222 — Sennheiser HD-222 closed-ear headphones, c. 1981. Measured 94 dB/mW sensitivity, 0.2 W max input by Hirsch-Houck. Thin documentation.
• HD-224X — Sennheiser HD-224X closed-ear dynamic headphone, 16 Hz–20 kHz, 200 ohms, 94 dB/mW, 252g. A 1976 studio-market closed-back.
• HD-250 — Sennheiser HD-250: sealed 600-ohm studio headphone, 10Hz–25kHz, under 5 oz, listed around $199–$239. Built for isolation.
• HD-400 — Sennheiser HD-400: late-1970s headphone, 600-ohm impedance, 88 dB/mW sensitivity, reviewed by High Fidelity and sold for under $35.
• HD-414 SL — Sennheiser HD-414SL: improved reissue of the HD 414 with impedance dropped to 600 ohms for portable sources; documented in HiFI-Stereo, May 1985.
• HD-420 — Sennheiser HD-420 open-air headphones: 18–20,000 Hz, under 1% distortion, ~600 ohms, 4 oz. Sold to broadcasters at $99 net.
• HD-44 — Sennheiser HD-44 lightweight open-aire headphones, 600 ohms/ch, 52–10,000 Hz, documented only in a 1977 headphone roundup.
• HD-440 — Sennheiser HD-440 (HD 440 II): little-documented full-sized headphone announced in 1993 at $79 as Sennheiser's least expensive full-sized model.
• HD-450 — Sennheiser HD-450 studio headphones, documented mainly through a 1993 HiFI-Stereo listing: 600 ohms, 20-20,000 Hz, $109.
• HD-490 — Sennheiser HD-490: 70-ohm open-air headphone, 18 Hz–22 kHz, 4.8 oz, triple-wound aluminum voice coils. The 400 series' portable-first flagship.
• HD-540 — Sennheiser HD-540 Reference II open-air dynamic headphones, documented in Audio (June 1992): 290 ohms, circumaural, $199. Little else is recorded.
• HD-540II — Sennheiser HD-540II (c. 1992) open-air circumaural headphones, $199 in Audio's June 1992 test: 290 ohm impedance, 6 oz. This page has production dates.

Microphone

• MD 421 — Sennheiser MD 421 dynamic cardioid mic — 30–17,000 Hz, 200Ω, 5-step bass roll-off, 385g. A studio workhorse documented from the 1960s through the MD 421 II era.
• MD-112 — Sennheiser MD-112 — a 1970s German microphone known mainly from British trade classifieds, where it sold new and boxed for £44 list, £32 on offer.
• MD-21 — Sennheiser MD-21 (1954) — the first mic to carry the Sennheiser name. A stubby omni dynamic that broadcasters kept using for decades.
• MD-409 — Sennheiser MD-409 supercardioid dynamic — the rectangular drum and guitar-amp workhorse with a noiseless switch and no low-frequency resonance.
• MD-441 — Sennheiser MD-441 supercardioid dynamic mic — 30–20,000 Hz, 200Ω, five-position bass roll-off. A condenser-grade dynamic still on snares decades later.
• MKH 30 — Sennheiser MKH 30 figure-of-eight condenser — symmetrical transducer, 40–20,000 Hz, 150 ohms, 10 dB pad and bass roll-off; the bidirectional half of an MS pair.
• MKH 40 — Sennheiser MKH 40 cardioid condenser — low-noise, high-SPL design for the digital era. Period reviews, capsule tech, and Hollywood Bowl use.
• MKH 416 — Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun condenser — the RF-principle film mic engineers trust for reach and detail. Period review notes a top-end roll-off above 15 kHz.
• MKH 50 — Sennheiser MKH 50 supercardioid condenser — 13 dBA self-noise, 40 Hz–20 kHz, RF-biased capsule. A studio workhorse for drum overheads and dialogue.
• MKH 60 — Sennheiser MKH 60 short shotgun microphone — 150g, supercardioid/lobe, 50-20,000 Hz, 48V phantom, the medium-reach MKH workhorse.
• MKH 8040 — Sennheiser MKH 8040 cardioid condenser — 30 Hz–50 kHz, 142 dB max SPL, 13 dB self-noise, modular MKH 8000 body, flat and uncolored.
• MKH 815 T — Sennheiser MKH 815 T: a 550mm RF-bias interference-tube condenser gun mic, 22 dB(A) self-noise, famously wind-proof.
• MKH-20 — Sennheiser MKH-20 omni condenser — transformerless symmetrical-capsule design, used in symphonic and broadcast stereo arrays.

Microphones

• 421-U — Sennheiser 421-U dynamic cardioid microphone, 200-ohm impedance, 30–17,000 Hz response, listed at $129 in 1972. With production years.
• MD-211 (1960s–70s) — Sennheiser MD-211 omni dynamic studio mic, 1960s–70s. 40–20,000 Hz, 200 ohms, 125 g, $122.95 in 1974. The quiet workhorse of the MD line.
• MD-42I — Sennheiser MD-42I — a little-documented moving-coil mic, reviewed in Studio Sound (1968); 200-ohm, 40 Hz–20 kHz response.
• MD-431 — Sennheiser MD-431, a discontinued MD-series dynamic stage mic; original specs undocumented, MD 431 II specs and 1986 ad date on record.
• MKE-2002 — Sennheiser MKE-2002 binaural stereo microphone system, mid-1970s: dual condenser mikes on a stethoscope-style headrest. Find production years here.
• MKH-104 — The Sennheiser MKH-104 — a little-documented transistorized RF condenser microphone advertised in Audio in 1963 and debated in its letters pages.
• MKH-105 — Sennheiser MKH-105 — a 1963 solid-state RF condenser mic, omnidirectional, 20 Hz–20 kHz. One of the first RF-type condenser mics; little else is documented.
• MKH-404 — Sennheiser MKH-404: obscure RF condenser mic, cardioid, previewed in Audio (Aug 1965, p.85); circa 1972 surviving unit documented. Thin record.
• MKH-405 — Sennheiser MKH-405 condenser microphone; documented in the Audio Cyclopedia, though production years and full specs remain largely unrecorded.
• MKH-800 — Sennheiser MKH-800 studio condenser microphone: multipattern with 6/12 dB pad and switchable low-cut; documented in 2000–2001 pro audio reviews.
• MS-100 — The Sennheiser MS-100 is a little-documented open-air headphone from c. 1983, known from period ads and a HiFI-Stereo review of its sound quality.

Unknown

• 40-NEW — Little-documented Sennheiser 40-NEW headphone, known from a 1981 High Fidelity spec listing: 250 ohms, 96 dB SPL, semi-open, $65.
• IS-850 — Sennheiser IS-850 infrared wireless headphone system — a little-documented mid-1990s model reviewed in Audio and HI-Fi-Stereo-Buyers.

Other Models

• HD 25 — Sennheiser HD 25 closed supraural monitor — 70 ohms, 30–16,000 Hz, split headband and rotating driver for one-ear cueing. The DJ and location-recording workhorse.
• MD 421 II — Sennheiser MD 421 II — the large-diaphragm cardioid dynamic that carried the MD 421 legacy into the modern studio, prized for drums, guitars, and broadcast.
• MD 421-11 — Sennheiser MD 421-11 — the dynamic engineers clamp to kick drums and guitar cabs, cited alongside the SM7b and D112 as a serious alternative.
• MD 425 — Sennheiser MD 425 — supercardioid dynamic vocal mic from the Classic line, $395 at launch, with a shock-isolating mount that fixed the MD 421's grip problem.
• MD 504 — Sennheiser MD 504: a 60g cardioid dynamic instrument mic, 40–18,000 Hz, 350 Ω, built for tight placement and road abuse.
• MD 511/512 — Sennheiser MD 511/512 ProForce vocal mic — advertised on gain-before-feedback and durability, bundled with free HD 435 headphones in 1994. Specs undocumented.
• MD 515/516 — Sennheiser MD 515/516 — a ProForce dynamic mic pitched on feedback rejection and road toughness, advertised 1993–94 with a free HD 440 II headphone bundle.
• MD 735 — Sennheiser MD 735 supercardioid dynamic vocal mic — 50–18,000 Hz, suspended capsule, glass-composite housing.
• ME 64 — Sennheiser ME 64 cardioid capsule for the K6 modular system — 50 Hz–20 kHz, 200-ohm balanced XLR output, high gain before feedback.
• ME 66 — Sennheiser ME 66 short shotgun capsule for the K6 modular system — supercardioid low end, shotgun above 2 kHz, 50 Hz–20 kHz.
• ME 67 — Sennheiser ME 67 supercardioid mic head for K 6 / K 6 P bodies — 40 Hz–20 kHz, 50 mV/Pa, 125 dB(A) max SPL. The capsule half of a modular system.
• MKE 2 — Sennheiser MKE 2 — 1-gram sub-miniature omni lavalier with Umbrella Diaphragm, 142 dB max SPL, built for sweat-soaked stage work.
• MKH 40 P48 — Sennheiser MKH 40 P48 — low-noise cardioid condenser with symmetrical capsule, built for digital-era studios. Period reviews and studio use.
• MKH 70 — Sennheiser MKH 70 long directional shotgun condenser — 10 dBA noise floor, 40 mV/Pa sensitivity, 10 dB pad and switchable filters, favored by film boom operators.
• MKH 80 — Sennheiser MKH 80 — compact multipattern RF condenser with five electrically switched patterns, launched 1993. A flexible sleeper that never became an icon.
• MKH 816 — Sennheiser MKH 816 long shotgun — RF condenser, 48V phantom, 50–20,000 Hz, Technical Oscar 1987. A broadcast and film workhorse.