R/E/P > Klaus Heyne's Mic Lab

Sennheiser MD 409, Grundig GDSM 200 differences?

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frankj:
I really like the sound of the Sennheiser MD 409 on electric guitar amps and have started shopping for one. The Grundig GDSM 200 apparently has the same capsule and I can get two of these microphones for roughly the same price as the MD 409.

I know this is a subjective question, but are these microphones almost identical in sound, due to sharing an identical capsule?

amorris:
Having just opened my 409, I would guess that if they do have the exact capsule, they should sound pretty close to the same. there doesnt seem to be any magic in the frame or enclosure of the 409. but, many times when the same capsules are used in different mics, and especially different front badges, they are technically the same capsules, only one brand has the "better" tested capsules and the other brand gets the "rejects". I dont know what the situation is here, but just food for thought.

J.J. Blair:
I have both.  I'll be darned if they aren't identical.  The Grundig was made by Sennheiser.

hopsing:
Hi

A little of topic, but related question.
I have a md 408 and somebody ( I think J.J.) wrote on this forum, that it has the same capsule as the 409. I asked Sennheiser and they said that this is not the case, since the md408 is hypercardioid and the the md409 cardioid.
Since I never owned a 409 I cannot compare myself, but I find, that the 408 has a very distinct bass rolloff from 200Hz down. making it unusable for toms and the like. On guitar it is ok sometimes since those frequencys often fight with the bass and I tend to shelf them anyway, but still it is not one of my favorites on a guitar cab (compared to a bayerdynamic m160 e.g.) and it is for sure not very versatile.
Is this rolloff the same with md409?
On the frequency charts for the md409 there seems to be a rolloff but not that much and there is no published chart for the md408 on the sennheiser website.
Thanks for help
Tobias

J.J. Blair:
Tobias, as far as I was able to determine, the coil element is the same.  I think the pattern differences were due to the aluminum casing that goes around the element in the 409 that is not present in the 408.  I used one of those 408 elements to replace a defective one in an older MD409-N, seating it inside the aluminum housing.  I haven't measured it with a scope or anything, but in A/B comparisons, it's practically identical to my MD-409-U3s.  

I know the Sennheiser paperwork shows the pattern differences between the capsules, but I'm curious if anybody still there had any experience building or designing the two.  I mean, I may be wrong, but I'll be shocked if the difference between the two capsules is anything but that aluminum casing.  

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