Not much is documented about the Sennheiser MD-42I. What survives is a thin trail of period studio-trade press, and even that is messy. The model number shows up in scanned magazines as "MD2II" and "MD211". The Archive reads both as the MD-42I.
The best record is a microphone test in Studio Sound (July 1968, p.18). It described the MD-42I as a moving-coil pressure-sensitive transducer with a frequency response of 40 Hz - 20 kHz ±2.5 dB and a 200-ohm output. In the magazine's piano recording test, the microphone gave a very natural sound with a smooth, silky quality. The failings only showed up in direct comparison with a capacitor microphone, where it was less crisp under transient conditions. The same issue (p.19) printed the published response curve.
After that review, the MD-42I turns up only briefly in later trade listings. No further specification, pricing or production history has been found.
- Type: moving-coil pressure-sensitive transducer
- Frequency response: 40 Hz–20 kHz ±2.5 dB
- Impedance: 200 ohms
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