Sennheiser MKH 416-P48U3 Short Shotgun RF Condenser Microphone

The Sennheiser MKH 416 is the industry-standard short shotgun microphone for film, broadcast, television, and outside broadcast applications. In continuous production since 1999, it remains the first choice for boom operators, location sound recordists, and broadcast engineers worldwide — trusted on everything from news gathering to major live events.

Built on Sennheiser's RF condenser design, the MKH 416 is highly immune to humidity and robust in adverse climatic conditions — a critical advantage for exterior filming and reporting. Its supercardioid/lobar pickup pattern delivers exceptional directivity via the interference tube principle, rejecting off-axis noise and feedback while capturing clear, articulate dialogue and effects. Very low self-noise and high sensitivity make it equally at home in controlled studio environments and demanding field conditions.

The balanced, ungrounded output without transformer ensures clean signal transmission. The pattern is hypercardioid at low and medium frequencies, transitioning to a tighter lobar pattern above 2kHz — providing excellent reach and isolation across the full frequency range.

“We primarily use Sennheiser because we trust in their reliability and accuracy across the different individual mics. We place up to 8 MKH 416’s around the arena to capture the roar of the UFC fans in an attempt to get the energy of the crowd to translate to our viewers at home.”
— Tim O’Toole, Senior Vice President Event Production, UFC

Supplied with MZW415 windscreen and protective case. Phantom powered (48V ±4V). Matte black all-metal housing.

Technical specifications:

• Transducer type: RF condenser | Pickup pattern: Supercardioid / Lobar
• Frequency range: 40Hz – 20,000Hz
• Sensitivity: 25 mV/Pa ±1dB at 1kHz
• Nominal impedance: 25 ohm
• Max SPL: 130 dB
• Powering: 48V ±4V phantom (P48)
• Connector: 3-pin XLR | Output: Balanced, ungrounded, transformerless
• Dimensions: Ø19 x 250mm | Weight: 165g | Finish: Matte black all-metal

Sennheiser part number 001511. Supplied with Sennheiser’s 2-year warranty.

Spare parts available: Genuine MKH 416 replacement parts including windscreens, clips, and accessories are available from sennprospares.co.uk — Showcomms’ dedicated Sennheiser spare parts site.

Authorised Sennheiser Dealer: Showcomms Ltd is an authorised Sennheiser dealer with over 20 years’ experience supplying professional audio and communications equipment to broadcast, film, and events professionals.