Review: Sennheiser E901 Kick Drum Microphone

The E901 is a great microphone. While it's not the cheapest, at $240 it's a decent investment for most studios. If you mix live sound, you'll enjoy it's compact size and sturdiness. It's not a foolproof microphone -- you'll need to have a good-sounding source to really maximize it's potential -- but it's a great utility microphone to add a professional touch to any mix. On kick drum, it's my new favorite; you won't find a better sound, as long as the drum is well-tuned and padded. Unlike traditional mics, this microphone will not work on an unvented kick, unless you remove a head to install it.

I'll admit, whenever I'm critiquing the work of fellow audio engineers, the first thing I judge them on is their kick drum tone. I know, it's completely geeky, but hearing a fantastic kick drum in a recording or in a live sound mix, I can't help but be impressed. I also can't wait to find out what was used to make it happen.

One of the biggest trade secrets of good engineers is the use of a boundary-style microphone, inside the kick drum, either by itself or in combination with another microphone on the outside of the drum. It provides a superior body and attack, and allows for much more precise control of every element. Previously, my favorite inside-kick mic was the Beta 91; it made some absolutely flawless recordings, and always sounded great live. Unfortunately, the build quality was inversely proportional to it's sound quality.

In just over a year and a half of use, I had to replace the poorly-build preamp connector cable three times (yes, three, at a cost of $20 each -- Shure wouldn't replace a bad cable under warranty). I had to tighten the internal screws of the microphone capsule several times. And, last straw, the entire microphone element on the inside pulled out of the preamp cable. Enter the Sennheiser E901.

Build Quality

The best thing about the E901 is the build quality. It's a standard-style boundary microphone, built in a extremely sturdy metal casing. The bottom of the microphone is covered in an anti-slip coating, which helps when placing into drums or onto hard surfaces. While it's certainly bulletproof in construction, the thing that really impresses me is the built-in XLR connector.

On the E901's chief competitor, you need to have both a mini-XLR connector cable and an external phantom-powered preamp. The biggest Achilles' Heel of the Shure Beta 91 is this small cable -- it's prone to failure, even under normal use. At a cost of $20 plus shipping, replacement cables aren't cheap.

The E901 negates this worry by adding the preamp directly into the inside of the microphone body, and placing a standard XLR connector on the outside. This also improves portability, as you don't need to carry a long connector cable and preamp.

The Most Important Part: How's it Sound?

Depending on your source, you shouldn't have any problem getting the sounds you want with the E901. On kick drum, it has a spectacular low-end punch, lush mid-range, and a quick, responsive high-end while keeping resonance to a minimum. Taking a cue from Sennheiser's website, I tried the E901 on a Leslie cabinet, too -- and was very surprised at the detail. The E901 needs very little EQ on most sources; as long as what you're recording sounds good, you'll have great luck.