sE Electronics sE8 Review
Small-Diaphragm Condenser Pencil Microphone
Highlighted Customer Reviews
Showing 1 to 12 of 12 Reviews
Excellent Small-Diaphragm Condensers
sE Electronics sE8 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone (Matched Pair)
Reviewed by Tony on B&H Photo Video
When I received these mics I had a slightly mixed first impression. The case was nice but the slots for the mics left them very slightly loose. The foam windscreens fit the mics perfect and are more uniform than many I've seen. The fit and finish of the spreader bar is less than stellar and the mic clips are pretty basic. The fit and finish of the mics themselves is excellent. After just a bit of testing I was grinning and couldn't be happier with my purchase. The sound is silky smooth and very natural. I prefer a neutral sound from a mic, and these deliver. I haven't done a ton of testing yet, but from my initial testing I'm extremely pleased with the sound. What sound profile you prefer is fairly subjective, but I think these are going to be great for me. The main thing that impressed me with these mics is the low noise floor. I tested these along side a Rode NT5. Based on the specs I hoped the noise floor would be better, but it's night and day. My NT5 has a noise floor that isn't terrible, but it never impressed me. Maybe I just got a poor sample. Either way, after making test recordings I listened first to the NT5. When I switched to the sE8 my eyes went wide because it was not a subtle difference. The sE8 has a far lower noise floor. They are a bit heavier, if that's an issue for you. With the adjustable pads and high-pass filters, smooth sound and low noise these mics are versatile and offer great performance. Not the cheapest out there, but highly recommended for the price. ... More
Quiet, Clear, Brilliant, and Affordable
sE Electronics sE8 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by Brian B. on Reverb
When I found this open box sE8 true condenser microphone on Reverb I jumped at the opportunity. I recently acquired sE's updated X1 S Large diaphragm microphone based on the Neumann K67 capsule,. That microphone impressed me for its low for self noise and smooth vocal response. For recording plucked instruments, I wanted to complement the X1 S with a small diaphragm mic, so I had been shopping for the sE8. Like the X1 S, the sE8 has impressive specs for its price. In particular I wanted to keep the self noise under 20 dBA, and the sE8 beats that by 7dB. Even more expensive mics don't come close to 13dBA self noise. When I received the mic the overall construction of the mic impressed me. Its all steel casing feels very solid, and the XLR connection fits very snug. The sE8 includes a very secure custom mic stand clip so I feel confident hanging this mic over my dobro. For live sound the mic also features -10/-20 dB pad, and low/high end roll-off. (Features that I have not used, 'cause -- you know -- no live music right now. ) This mic sounds great for guitar and dobro. When used by itself it just seems to have a bit more attack than the large or medium diaphragm mics, but it still sounds full and even across the spectrum. When used in combination with the X1 S in a stereo mix it gives the recording much more presence. The only negative I have found so far is that it records at a lower level than my other microphones. This really isn't an issue since its low self noise allows for more gain at the pre-amp. At this point I am very pleased with this purchase. While I can't compare this mic to more expensive models, it far outshines the other mics I have tried in the under $200 arena. ... More
Natural sound, nicely developed
sE Electronics sE8 Small Diaphragm Microphone Stereo Pair
Reviewed by Chris on Guitar Center
Completely happy with this twin set of sE8 short microphones for recording acoustic guitar. There's great reproduction, very clean, and quiet. This is a great product for stereo recordings. Also part of the deal is a nice transport case with a stereo mic holder and clips. I had my choice of many mics. After hearing so many I chose this one because it was as good as so many of the other top brands. Looking for acoustic guitar recording mics?- this will do it.
Great bang for the buck!
sE Electronics sE8 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by Leon H. on Reverb
I like it. It's probably the most honest microphone I own. In other words, it's a "what you put in is what you get out" kind of microphone. It doesn't seem to hype anything. It's also very quiet. I know everyone's ears are different and sound is a subjective thing... but I think it's a great bang for the buck and can hold its own with more expensive microphones. I don't own a Neumann KM 184 so I can't compare it directly to that. But I have owned Oktava MK-012s and I prefer the the sE8 to them. ... More
Nice mics, but slightly higher noise floor
sE Electronics sE8 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone (Matched Pair)
Reviewed by Thomas on B&H Photo Video
I was very excited to hear these mics next to Neumann KM-184's. Overall the recording quality is on par with the KM-184s, but the sE8's have a slightly higher noise floor or hiss than the KM-184s. I compared both into a Midas MR-18 mixer and Presonus 1810C, and both showed the same results. Again, this is baseline noise in a quiet room, with both sets of mics connected concurrently with exactly the same preamp settings and no EQ applied. With any higher level input (voice, instrument, whatever) I would say they are almost indistinguishable. Overall good price point for a very comparable pair of small condensers. ... More
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Favorite for toms
sE Electronics sE8 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by Matt W. on Reverb
Much better than the previous SDC offerings from sE. This has huge, deep extended bass like the Oktava MK012, but with much cleaner and more linear treble, pretty Neumann-ish. The sensitivity and SPL handling is insane (with the dual pads and dual low cuts), and off-axis response is quite good for this price range -- I love them for close-miking snare and toms. To me they sound significantly better than the KSM141, MK012, SM81, or NT5, and cover all the same applications and more.
More Self-Noise than expected
sE Electronics sE8 Small Diaphragm Microphone Stereo Pair
Reviewed by PRNDL on Guitar Center
Bought to try to get higher-quality recordings of an acoustic guitar in my studio that isn't as silent as I'd like it to be...I hoped these would be more directly focused and reject off-axis noise but they actually picked up more than the other mics I had been using. Furthermore, there was noticeable self-noise thrown into the mix. The sound quality was alright, but just didn't do what I needed them to do.
A/B's against my Neumann 184's and they are great!
sE Electronics sE8 Small Diaphragm Microphone Stereo Pair
Reviewed by Gairo on Guitar Center
Bought these on a recommendation and they did not disappoint. I own a set of Neumann 184's and these are just as clean and clear. I used them for my acoustic and moved my Neumanns to the overheads on my acoustic drums. These are very clear, clean, detailed with no noticeable high-end noise. Great deal!
very accurate mic, great for stringed instruments
sE Electronics sE8 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by Marc D. on Reverb
Really great mic for guitar, ukulele, violin. Really captures the sweetness of these instruments well. The HPF is a nice feature if you don't already have that built in to your interface or if you use it live. I never found an occasion to need the attenuator - it sits at 0dB all the time for me. Don't bother with the foam ball. It completely kills the tone of this mic. I don't know if the foam is too dense or what, but it sounds terrible. I would rather rig up a pop filter.
Love it.
sE Electronics sE8 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by Matthew L. on Reverb
This is a very quiet, clean, true to source mic. I'm using it for steel string acoustic and I love it. It's my first mic and i'm very pleased.
Great little mic
sE Electronics sE8 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by Rob S. on Reverb
The sE8 mic was a great purchase, This is my second one of these mics. Great for acoustic guitar. I'm a big fan of sE. The quality is unbeatable for the price and to get one used in perfect condition was too good to pass up. I'm hoping to use them as a stereo pair, but I haven't tried it yet.
sE Electronics sE8 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Pencil Microphone
Reviewed by Sarah M. on Reverb
This is a great product! Looking forward to using it on strings.
