Sennheiser e945 is a great example of a great vocal mic. Made of quality, it produces an extraordinary for dynamics clear ‘n natural sound with a pleasant bit of warmth while easily cutting through the mix. This mic is not ‘picky’ about your technique, be it clean or grungy voice (or even something more extreme?). Gain before feedback is also quite very good – way better than most of the available mics on the market and if placed correctly it can handle loudest stages without problems. As a supercardioid it favors the side placement of loudspeakers where the talent is in the middle and slightly aback.
Sound & quality
The sound of e945 is nothing short of awesome. Comparing to the mainstream models like Shure SM58, this mic has a lot more clarity and detail. On the other hand, the Shure’s workhorse sounds muddy and congested. Moreover, Sennheiser e945 has less coloration and can sound great without relying much on EQ. Highs and lows both sound crystal clear. If you were considering an upgrade from SM58, then this mic would be the best candidate as it easily beats it in every aspect. Gain before feedback, noise reduction, detail and clarity, frequency response, etc.
As a supercardioid mic, e945 also offers very decent rejection, which is nowadays vital for many stages. The so common proximity effect is well addressed and compensated, nevertheless the outcome will largely depend on the timbre of your voice. To my findings, this mic will work miracles for female and tenor voices. It makes them sound fuller but also much easier to cut through – no struggles! Baritone singers will have a good body, clean and powerful sound that too goes pretty natural and undistorted. However, for bass singers with a deep voice proximity will start kicking in, making them sound sort of exaggerated.
If you do have that deep voice and are worried about getting boomy, then you may consider getting e935 instead. The difference between the two is that e935 is cardioid and e945 is supercardioid. As a cardioid, e935 offers a less pronounced proximity effect and hence may sound slightly more natural, whereas e945 will give you a better gain before feedback and superior sound rejection. To put it simply, for very loud and aggressive stages e945 will claim an advantage as being more reliable and less likely to trigger a feedback (unless pointed directly to speakers). Sennheiser e945 is also preferable for back vocals as it produces less bleed.
Build
The build of e945 delivers a gorgeous look along with a renowned German quality. Sennheiser offers a 10-year warranty for this model and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Not only does this mic withstand an inhuman amount of abuse, it also delivers stability regardless of climate or environment. E945 uses a humbucking coil, which works similar to a guitar humbucker. This makes a great deal in reducing humming noise. On the other hand, proprietary shock-mounted capsule makes it a fair bit less sensitive to shock and handling noise. Considering it will work for 10 years, this will be a very good investment!
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Can you tell me which of the three microphones would be the most compatible female voice, I `m a singer in restaurants, pubs and night clubs.
I am Alto ( Altus ) Voice type.
I’m interested in wireless mic and receiver, the question is between
– Sennheiser e935
– Shure BETA 87A
– Sennheiser e945 Supercardioid Dynamic Microphone … Thank you
I’d certainly recommend Sennheiser e945. It will be a good match for the female voice while offering that extra rejection and gain before feedback, which you will occasionally need for some stages. They have a good wireless version too on the Amazon, it’s somewhat pricey (as usual) but should give you a steady performance.
Marinela, I am curious to what you wound up buying. I am also a female vocalist (more rock and blues) and am debating which mic to buy among the ones you listed above in your comment. I am finding a lot of info for male voices and only mixed comments and reviews for which mic would be best for a female voice. I appreciate any info you have. Thanks in advance, Suzanne
Does the e945 offer more intimacy for close narration and the whispered word as opposed to the e935? …warmth and copious amounts of intimacy (very close mic) is where I’m at.
Thanks…
Sennheiser e945 definitely offers more intimacy when working very close – if that’s what you are after.
As a supercardioid it has a more pronounced proximity effect, so this is quite expected.
I have 945’s and 935’s and as you suggest, for a vocalist the 945’s rock, on a stage with guitar amps and foldback the super cardiod )which basically means it is very very directional) is essential.. Female vocalists are made to sound warm and full.. although i have never had an issue with male bass voices.. I Use the 945’s for live bands and 935’s for simple accoustic or open miic nights that i run..
Thanks for the reviews.. totally agree with everything you say.. have tried most of the mics mentioned and the flock always choose the shures .. because their mates do…
I’m the stage manager for a band with a very eclectic instrumentation and up ranging from 5 to 6 vocalists, 2 male, 3 to 4 female, at any given time. I’m also a live sound engineer and a musician though I’m a backup engineer to our normal one and I don’t perform with this band. We’ve used every microphone named in this discussion and a bunch that haven’t. The consensus between the main engineer, the head of the band, his principal second, and me is that the Sennheiser e935 and e945 are the best we’ve used in an affordable price range. Anything better would be about triple the price. We use e945 almost exclusively because we work in an acoustically less than optimal venue and we don’t want instrument bleed into the mics. We don’t have much problem with proximity, but with a really deep bass voice, I agree with the writer that we would probably use an e935 or use the channel eq at the board to shape the response to mitigate excess proximity effect.
I am a singer/composer/director/instrumentalist and have the Sennheiser 945, condenser mics, 835 wired mics, Sennheiser ewd1’s wireless mics. These mics are awesome. Use to rent out pa equipment for all occasions. The only wireless mic that own would give my Sennheiser’s a run for the money is the Shure Wireless 87a condenser mic.
Have been singing and directing of 40 years. For me and those whom used my PA. These mics listed above were used the most. I have many other brands, these are my favorite.