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Title: Sennheiser E838 (now discontinued) liking it.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on April 09, 2021, 02:18:27 PM
I have had a Sennheiser E838 in my box of tricks for some time - purchased years ago on a deal of the day. It was hard to find anything about them online but I managed to find a couple of good reviews before I pulled the trigger and it was such a good deal, I figured that even if it was no better than the E835, it was worth the money.
When it arrived I did a quick vocal test and remember feeling pretty satisfied with it.
I have hardly touched it since then having not found a suitable job for it compared to others in my mic locker.

The new singer in the band wanted to try it so it got an airing last week -  I was impressed and so was she!
When i was doing my research back when I purchased it, mention was made that is identical to the E840 but in silver AND sounds VERY similar to the e935 (which I really like) even going so far as saying it shared many of the same components as the e935 but for far less money. Not sure about that as it seems a bit far fetched so I just did a comparison in the studio between the 2.
Same everything, gain, FX off, EQ flat. I could not tell the difference between them and nor could Chris. WOW. It's a keeper.
Title: Re: Sennheiser E838 (now discontinued) liking it.
Post by: Alec Spence on April 09, 2021, 03:40:58 PM
I remember all the same discussion years ago.  Never bought any, as they looked just too plentiful from shady looking eBay sellers - so never felt they were trustworthy.

And, thankfully, some of the recent-ish sales on the Evolution mics enabled e935s to be picked up for great prices.  I'm a big fan of them, along with all the e9xx mics - the quickest and easiest mics to throw onto a band and get a decent mix quickly, in my experience.

I'm also a believer that you really can use almost any mic you get on almost anything, just with a bit more effort - especially in low-medium end live work.  The real wins with the better gear are the ergonomics (e906 and e904, especially) on a cramped stage, and response patterns to make life much easier.

I've never once regretted investing in decent mics for my work pack - mainly Sennheisers.  Very faithful friends...
Title: Re: Sennheiser E838 (now discontinued) liking it.
Post by: Tom Roche on April 10, 2021, 12:12:01 AM
I also bought one years ago on the deal of the day.  It was for personal use and I never used it. ;D   At least I have it should my fellow band members allow me to accompany their amazing singing.  Probably not. LOL

Details:
For singers in loud bands.
The Sennheiser e 838 microphone from the evolution 800 Series has been engineered for the vocalist who needs the vocals to cut through the band. Due to its excellent acoustic properties, the e 838 mic delivers a high signal output to cut through high on-stage sound levels with ease. A gentle presence boost to even tonal response ensures vocal clarity and projection. The balanced frequency response maintains signal quality when moving on and off-axis during performance. The minimal proximity effect provides for consistently clear bass-end performance when singing closer to, or further from the microphone. The cardioid pick-up pattern provides excellent feedback rejection and good isolation from incidental rear noise. The rugged metal construction and internal damping isolates handling noise.

Frequency response: 40 - 17,000Hz
Pick-up pattern: cardioid
Sensitivity (free field, no load at 1kHz): 2mV/Pa ± 3dB
Nominal impedance 350 Ohms
Minimum terminating impedance: 1 kohms
Connector: XLR-3
Weight: 11.64oz. (330g)
Dimensions (diameter x length): 1.85" x 7.125" (47 x 181mm)
Title: Re: Sennheiser E838 (now discontinued) liking it.
Post by: Alec Spence on April 10, 2021, 05:03:24 AM
Details:
For singers in loud bands.
The Sennheiser e 838 microphone from the evolution 800 Series has been engineered for the vocalist who needs the vocals to cut through the band. Due to its excellent acoustic properties, the e 838 mic delivers a high signal output to cut through high on-stage sound levels with ease. A gentle presence boost to even tonal response ensures vocal clarity and projection. The balanced frequency response maintains signal quality when moving on and off-axis during performance. The minimal proximity effect provides for consistently clear bass-end performance when singing closer to, or further from the microphone. The cardioid pick-up pattern provides excellent feedback rejection and good isolation from incidental rear noise. The rugged metal construction and internal damping isolates handling noise.
Er, yes....?

I have to admit that the fact it's silver was also a bit of a turn-off in these days of black everything on stage.  No Swarovski coated mics for me!
Title: Re: Sennheiser E838 (now discontinued) liking it.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on April 10, 2021, 10:55:30 AM
Er, yes....?

I have to admit that the fact it's silver was also a bit of a turn-off in these days of black everything on stage.  No Swarovski coated mics for me!

The silver works best for a female - it appears to be the rage now to use colored mics especially with female singers. Shure sells replacement colored handles for some of their mics.
Title: Re: Sennheiser E838 (now discontinued) liking it.
Post by: John Fruits on April 10, 2021, 11:05:53 AM
I guess the next step would be for true Divas to have their own Pantone color.
Title: Re: Sennheiser E838 (now discontinued) liking it.
Post by: Tim McCulloch on April 10, 2021, 12:44:00 PM
I guess the next step would be for true Divas to have their own Pantone color.

I went with 18% Gray to make the video ppl happy.
Title: Re: Sennheiser E838 (now discontinued) liking it.
Post by: Richard Penrose on April 17, 2021, 05:26:38 AM
I have 5x e838’s and a sliver e840 with switch. These mics are not very well known but I love them. Before they were discontinued in the UK the price went down to £40. I bought the last one from the store near me and all the others were secondhand and I paid between £25-£35 each for those in “as new” condition!
I use these for general vocal duties when I’m doing sound for a band and am not familiar with the vocalists sound/technique in place of the SM58’s I used to use. I find the e838 to have greater clarity and detail, lower handling noise, higher output, better pop rejection and slightly less prone to feeding back than the SM58. I actually prefer the e838 to the e935 because I find the later can sound a little harsh on some voices. I also find the e838 can work really well on snare.