NTG-3 and RODE Blimp - your take?

[Enzo Giobbé]

I ordered one of these kits the minute I saw Guy Cochran's post about the incredible deal he was offering to DVInfo users via the DVeStore. The order went very smoothly, and I received a confirm email a few minutes later.

Two days after I placed the order, I received the "kit" K-Tek KE110CC boom pole (really not much heavier than the K-Tek K-202CC Graphite Fiber I now use, which was a surprise to me).

One day after receiving the pole, I received the Rode NTG-3 mic. In all, three days from order to door. EXCELLENT service!

Yesterday, I gave my Sennheiser MKH-416 and the Rode NTG-3 to my production sound mixer friend to test out and give me his opinion on the differences. He also added one of his Schoeps CMIT5U mics to the mix. I am NO sound person! Two cans and a string sounds good to me.

In his opinion, the Rode is not as "sweet" as the Schoeps, and not quite as sensitive, but he liked it much better than the Sennheiser. He said the Rode has more range, and is not a "top button" mic like the Sennheiser is. He also said the Rode has a more isolated sound, and does not pick up as much off axis sound as the Sennheiser. He also noted that the differences between the 416 and the NTG-3 were very slight and subtle, and for all practical purposes, pretty much identical to each other,

We tested the mics "bare" (with just foam windscreens), since the $1 blimp offer (like almost all these types of offers) is honored by Rode after registering the mic (gets you a 10 year warranty as well).

So all in all, an excellent mic and sales experience all the way around.

[Guy Cochran]

Thanks for the glowing report Enzo!

RODE has begun shipping the $1 blimps. As of today there were 5 people who took advantage of this offer. Thank you guys. For those on the fence, if you order, we will send the Serial Number of the mic via email so you can fill out the online form right away and you'll get your blimp about 1 week faster! https://www.rodemic.com/onedollarblimp.php?pg=1

And yes, we do ship to Canada and RODE will ship the blimp there too. Cool eh!

Also, here is another audio example of the RODE NTG-3 with the Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 5D Mark II with RODE NTG-3 and Sennheiser G3 wireless on Vimeo

[Carlos Padilla]

Guy, Is this offer also for europe? I think rode offer is worldwide but don't know if yours is

[Enzo Giobbé]

Originally Posted by Guy Cochran

Thanks for the glowing report Enzo!

Hey Guy, thank you!

Great offer. I'm surprised you only had 5 users take advantage of it so far, it's really an incredible package deal. Maybe the users here are not aware that a $250 (street price) internally wired K-Tek boom pole is a part of the deal.

Got the Rode Blimp yesterday (shipped from California). It's as well or better designed and built as the Senny Zeppelins I now use, and it has a 10 warranty on it. Fantastic!

Got the complete set (K-Tek, mic, and blimp) within 6 business days of ordering it. That's great customer service!

[Guy Cochran]

Originally Posted by Carlos Padilla

Guy, Is this offer also for europe? I think rode offer is worldwide but don't know if yours is

Hi Carlos,

Thanks for asking. I just confirmed with RODE, that yes the $1 blimp can be shipped to Europe. DVeStore ships all over the world daily. I hope that you can get in on this great deal!

[Eric Stemen]

Guy that was a great comparison between the two microphones! I'm also surprised only five people here took advantage of the deal. The NTG 3 arrived first, then the boom pole arrived last Tuesday, and the blimp was sitting outside when I got home today. Man this blimp looks awesome!

Thanks again Guy for helping me out with the order I screwed up!

[Christopher Witz]

wow.... such a great deal I can't pass it up either!

Hey Guy.... Thanks for always being here... you are such a great presence around here.

witzke gallery

[Ty Ford]

Originally Posted by Enzo Giobbé

He also said the Rode has a more isolated sound, and does not pick up as much off axis sound as the Sennheiser. He also noted that the differences between the 416 and the NTG-3 were very slight and subtle, and for all practical purposes, pretty much identical to each other,

The NTG-3 has a slightly wider pattern than the MKH416. The low end is less apparent in the NTG-3.

Due to SMT (surface mount technology) the NTG-3's shorter component leads may help it be more resistant to EMF. The grounded body of the NTG-3 surrounds the capsule more than the MKH 416. This may also help with EMF.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Due to SMT (surface mount technology) the NTG-3's shorter component leads may help it be more resistant to EMF.

Ty, that picture shows a very very old MKH 416 with a crystal.

It must be at least 10 years old, if not more.

Sennheiser stopped using crystals years ago to improve reliability.

The latest MKH 416 also uses surface-mount devices and looks totally different inside.

[Ty Ford]

Thanks for that John,

I hadn't received notice of a design change. You'd think they'd want to do that, especially if there was an obvious advantage. I wonder what else changed. I'll have to call them and see.

Having said that, the MKH 418S sounded quite a lot like my 416, with a bit more HF extension.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[Kirk Candlish]

An interesting detail to consider when reading the reviews. Is the MKH 416 an antiquated version or the current revision ?

[Ty Ford]

Kirk,

That this is the first time I've heard of a difference would tend to make me think, if there is a difference, it's not very big. Sennheiser went a different way with their MKH 50, 60 and 70 some years ago. Not everyone liked that sound. Many stayed with the MKH 416 and 816, simply because they liked the sound.

What may have bearing is if there is and difference in the rf resistance or moisture resistance.

And, John, 10 years old is not "antiquated" for a mic. Mic technology doesn't change as quickly as camera technology. In fact, some can argue that some of the older designs were not improved upon by their successors. The km 84 is much more natural sounding than the km 184.

The U 87i came into being because the company that supplied Neumann with the vacuum tube for the U 67 stopped making the tube. And there are people who prefer the U 87i
over the redesigned U 87ai. Whether that's because of the circuit change or difference in capsule age, I don't know. One person in particular is very careful about how he handles his mics, so I'm fairly certain it's not an abuse issue. I have heard the differences. I don't remember if the U 87i used a PVC diaphragm in the earlier issue, but I have heard that PVC diaphragms harden somewhat with age, which could change the sound of the mic.

Although, from Neumann:

"Electrical features
The letter A in the name indicates a more recent generation, as compared to the U 87 i microphones that were built from 1967 to 1986. Modifications apply to the electronic components of the microphone only; the capsule remained unchanged.

The present-day circuitry increases the operational headroom of the U 87 Ai by supplying the bias voltages for the capsule through a reduced resistance. The result is a higher sensitivity of 10 dB for identical sound pressure levels, and an improved S/N ratio of 3 dB."

I have emailed Sennheiser for clarification.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

I hadn't received notice of a design change. You'd think they'd want to do that, especially if there was an obvious advantage. I wonder what else changed. I'll have to call them and see.

There has not been a "design change" and an old 416 should sound the same as a new one.

However, over the years there have been small changes in the construction of the capsule and in the PCB itself.

Removing the crystal meant that the frequency would not drift with temperature and would be more rugged as there was no crystal to break if the mic. was dropped.

None of this changed the published spec.

If you want to know all the specific changes you will have to talk to the Sennheiser Service man in your country.

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Having said that, the MKH 418S sounded quite a lot like my 416, with a bit more HF extension.

That's exactly what it is - a 416 with a side mic. to do MS.

Originally Posted by Kirk Candlish

An interesting detail to consider when reading the reviews. Is the MKH 416 an antiquated version or the current revision ?

Not antiquated at all - there should be no real difference from a 416 of 1975 vintage and today.

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

That this is the first time I've heard of a difference would tend to make me think, if there is a difference, it's not very big. Sennheiser went a different way with their MKH 50, 60 and 70 some years ago. Not everyone liked that sound. Many stayed with the MKH 416 and 816, simply because they liked the sound.

The 20/30/40/50/60 symmetrical-capsule series are much better mics. far lower distortion and much quieter. People who use the MKH 60 and not the 416 find the 416 very coloured when they go to the older model.

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

What may have bearing is if there is and difference in the rf resistance or moisture resistance.

RF is the same, but the front plate makes the symmetrical series very slightly worse in moisture resistance - very very small, but there.

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

And, John, 10 years old is not "antiquated" for a mic. Mic technology doesn't change as quickly as camera technology.

I didn't say that, Kirk did. I consider my 24-year old MKH 20/30/40 as new mics.

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

In fact, some can argue that some of the older designs were not improved upon by their successors. The km 84 is much more natural sounding than the km 184.

It's not that different - the 84 rolls off earlier than the 184 and the sensitivity is different. When you take both of these into account, the differences are far smaller than first thought. (Though personally I prefer the MKH 40 and MKH 8040).

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

The U 87i came into being because the company that supplied Neumann with the vacuum tube for the U 67 stopped making the tube. And there are people who prefer the U 87i over the redesigned U 87ai. Whether that's because of the circuit change or difference in capsule age, I don't know. One person in particular is very careful about how he handles his mics, so I'm fairly certain it's not an abuse issue. I have heard the differences. I don't remember if the U 87i used a PVC diaphragm in the earlier issue, but I have heard that PVC diaphragms harden somewhat with age, which could change the sound of the mic.

The differences between the U87i and U87Ai are extremely small after you have taken the gain difference into account. You will find more differences between different U871s than differences from the Ai - don't forget that sticky deposits will build-up on the diaphragm over the years which will affect the sound - people tend to forget this.

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Although, from Neumann:

"Electrical features
The letter A in the name indicates a more recent generation, as compared to the U 87 i microphones that were built from 1967 to 1986. Modifications apply to the electronic components of the microphone only; the capsule remained unchanged.

The present-day circuitry increases the operational headroom of the U 87 Ai by supplying the bias voltages for the capsule through a reduced resistance. The result is a higher sensitivity of 10 dB for identical sound pressure levels, and an improved S/N ratio of 3 dB."

I have emailed Sennheiser for clarification.

If you really want to know the differences, talk to Martin Gathard at Sennheiser UK (mgathard) - Martin has been servicing Neumann mics for over 30 years and knows more about them than almost anyone.

Or contact Martin Schneider at Neumann Berlin.

[Guy Cochran]

Originally Posted by Kirk Candlish

An interesting detail to consider when reading the reviews. Is the MKH 416 an antiquated version or the current revision ?

Hi Kirk,

Matt put up a side by side example of a Sennheiser MKH-416 and RODE NTG-3. YouTube - Sennheiser MKH 416 vs. RODE NTG-3 I confirmed that these mics were both fairly new - they sound quite similar.

I find it astonishing that a 10 year old MKH-416 like Ty Ford's older model still sounds like new. A testament to a well designed, high quality, battle tested microphone.

It looks like there is also a similar special with the Sennheiser system this month.
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/all-thin...dec-promo.html
Sennheiser MKH416 Pro Package includes
Qty 1 MKH416-P48 Super-Cardioid Short Shotgun Condenser Interference Tube Microphone
Qty 1 MZW 415 Windshield
Qty 1 MZH 60-1 Long Hair Wind Muff
Qty 1 MZW 60-1 Blimp Windscreen
Qty 1 MZS20-1/216 Blimp Shockmount Pistol Grip

Dec Promo Price: $1,195.00

Compared to the RODE Promo until Dec 31, 2009

$699 RODE NTG-3
$1 RODE Blimp (pistol grip, blimp, long hair windmuff included)
--
Dec Promo Price: $700.00

Plus, as stated earlier in the thread, when you mention DVinfo.net in the comments field during checkout you get a free boom pole.

$700 vs. $1195 and you get a free boom pole. Not just any boom pole either - a high quality internally cabled USA made boom pole.

I'm not knockin' the Sennheiser system. It is a solid kit and has been the standard for a long time. But, man, this $1 blimp promo is just too good of a deal to pass up!
Hopefully some of the folks that have received their RODE Blimp can chime in to let us know what they think?

If you value the boom pole at $200 this is $1198 worth of gear for $700 holy cow! Now that's a special.

[Ty Ford]

"I find it astonishing that a 10 year old MKH-416 like Ty Ford's older model still sounds like new. A testament to a well designed, high quality, battle tested microphone. "

Guy,

You're showing your video bias. :) Good microphones last a LOT longer than cameras if they are reasonably well taken care of. 20 years is not long in mic years, whereas 2 years can be too long for some cameras.

Regards,

Ty Ford