Microphone Shootout Neumann KM184 vs Se SE8 2021

0:00 Intro
00:13 Acoustic Guitar KM184
00:42 Acoustic Guitar SE8
01:13 Mandolin KM184
02:01 Mandolin SE8
02:49 Piano KM184
03:45 Piano SE8
04:42 Electric Guitar KM184
05:35 Electric Guitar SE8
06:29 Drums KM184
07:17 Drums SE8
08:05 Uke KM184
08:33 Uke SE8
09:02 Final Thoughts
Amazon Link:
amzn.to/3Rzh15r
I recently was buying a pair of SDC's and considering both the KM184's and SE8's. I looked around for shootout videos, and they were limited. I hope this is helpful.
No EQ of COmpression applied. Mics are panned hard L & R. Arbitrary mic placement. Let me know your thoughts!

[@revevague6256]

Great playing! Both sound fantastic to me.

[@NatalieKimbro]

Amazingly helpful thank you!

[@daniannaci3258]

When I was shopping for small condenser mics for use in location recording of choirs, orchestras, concert (wind) bands, I was seeking the least bright sounding of the bunch and the SE 8’s won out by a not inconsiderable margin. High frequency harmonics generated by live, non-amplified instruments and voices can sound harsh in a digital recording and are almost impossible to remedy in post. The SE8 was the best in this regard of the many I compared and believe me, there is no loss in detail. Spend (some of) the $1k+ difference on a better microphone pre-amp or mixer. If I was still recording on open-reel analog tape, the situation might be different…

[@jameschandler4711]

Great video! It's refreshing to hear a mic shootout on a variety of instruments, each of which is a nice sounding instrument and played with a beautiful musical feel. I thought the mics were very very similar

[@jonathanfegel307]

Thanks for the kind words! Glad you found it helpful :)

[@andretim75]

for me the differences were especially noticeable with the acoustic guitar and the mandolin samples ! Here the Neumann sound just quite a bit better, more accurate, more vivid in a realistic way !!

[@christianlacheze3323]

Excellent video in all respects, thanks very much!

[@kitarnovainfo5939]

Thank You, so useful!

[@KloderTX]

Excellent comparison. I actually preferred the SE8 on the guitar and mando, but the one place the high end bump of the KM184, and maybe transients, stuck out (admittedly, old ears here) was on the drums, where you were tapping on the ride. Whether that would be a plus or minus might depend on the mix. Pretty well sold me on the SE8s. Thanks.

[@daniannaci3258]

Great, enjoyable, video, BTW!

[@richholoch8230]

Thanks so much. Very useful. SE8's easily the best bang for the buck. Nice to see at such a lower cost you are getting a decent product. In some cases each shined.

[@lavvafimusic8618]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@progressivelibertarian2570]

Thank you!

[@RWKirby-gk7mk]

Great Video Thanks

[@MatthewDovetail]

Great vid, hope you get more followers

[@jonathanfegel307]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful.

[@delsurmusic]

Thanks for the test. I think you sound very honest and I agree with you final conclusion. I Personally would pick the S8 because I think it sounds a little sweeter to my ears. Also you can interchange capsules to make them omni and you also have a pad switch and HPF. Great job sir, I will watch more of your videos!.

[@jonathanfegel307]

Thanks! I hope to make more soon.

[@Pule12345]

Both microphones sound quite similar - SE8 softer transient, KM clearer midrange.

[@MDRNMDCN]

Have a pair of both and they're both great mics! In a mix, I can't tell which SDC is on which instrument. Definitely prefer the 184s on the Uke.

[@jjantson8030]

The sE8 has a slightly more scooped mids sound which in this case makes nearly every test sound just a hair better than the KM184 imo. I’m sure the KM184 is more accurate to the room; however the sE8 is doing what I would be EQing out of the km184 had I’d been processing any of these tracks out.

[@jonathanfegel307]

Interesting observation

[@snipperacoustics]

The SE8 has a bit more colour where the KM184 is very neutral. However based on price anyone on a tighter budget I would highly recommend the SE8 certainly not a a $450 difference!

[@benoittissier58]

There is an audible difference in the highs, the SE8 is crispier, not harsh though. Difficult to tell which one is true to the original when we're not in the room. Just discovered how much life ORTF brings to a recording, even solo saxophone with unmatched mics (Rode NT1 and Behringer B5, hmm...). Appreciate this video, thanks !

[@jonathanfegel307]

ORTF is pretty cool! I think both mics work for a ton of applications.

[@b1j]

This was recorded more as A/B than as ORTF, which is supposed to use a 110° angle between the mics.

[@zuider77]

I thought se8 sounded a tad more recessed in the mids than the Neumann, but otherwise they were quite close! Excellent job!

[@kaiserwilhelmii1827]

Keep in mind that a pair of Klm184s is like 4 more expensive than a pair of sm8s

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Everyone knows.

[@johngerardmusic7761]

I preferred the Se8’s in every instance. They had a “sweeter” sound to me.

[@drumforfun19]

I also felt like it had better / more present low end, which I liked.

[@niles8352]

My ears from M50x said KM184 is a litle bit clean than SE8. both is not very different in terms of sound. But in terms of budget I think that make our easy to decide. Sure, the sound was very clean that it was easy to mix.

[@photronic]

Great comparisons, but even though SDC, a voice comparison would also be useful.

[@jonathanfegel307]

Ooo boy. I'd have to rally for that one.... Good suggestion!

[@vitaliygolik]

Thank you for the video!!! They do sound very similar can't really hear the difference. Maybe the SE8's sound a little more sensitive/hotter and KM184 more balanced I dunno. Have you tried Shure KSM137's?

[@gunnarpommerening8176]

Thank you for this video, for my ears the SE8 is very near to the neumann. It difficult to hear the difference. Have you ever tested the SE8 with omni characteristics?

[@jonathanfegel307]

I haven't yet, my friend has a pair at his studio across town. I plan on doing a test soon :)

[@jonathanfegel307]

I only had the cardioid versions available, I might pick those capsules up though!

[@MonitorSmith]

The KM184 are slightly better defined in the upper mids/low highs, more "open" I'd say - though this seems to even out a bit with higher sound pressure (drums). Impressive actually with the SE8 sounding so equal and rounded.

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Both mic are good. Se sounfs a little cleaner at high end.

[@bassinblue]

I honestly, barely heard a difference (Heard through my speakers in my studio). I'm definitely going for the SE. Neumann has lost their minds.

[@christianlacheze3323]

If you can’t hear a difference then you should definitely buy the se8! To me, even using my iPad Pro’s speakers, there is a definite difference: more clarity, more depth, more detail with the KM184

[@anatol1204]

Which one do you think is closer to the original sound of the instrument - amp ? Personally i something in the middle?

[@jonathanfegel307]

Hard to say. I thought they both did a good job of representing the amplifier. Both would work in a mix :)

[@geofflongford2008]

The neuman is dark and woody with subtle oak and raspberry overtones. The SE has a more rounded floral bouquet with hints of melon and vanilla overtones.

[@michaelbooz]

🤣🤣🤣

[@jonathanfegel307]

At last, a truly cultivated ear who can appreciate the fine nuances. But, musk or honeydew?

[@michaelbooz]

Great and informative video Jonathan!! Thx for making! :-)@@jonathanfegel307

[@Letsthinkthisthrough88]

So close, personally my ears preferred the Se mics. A matched set of the Neumanns are $1K more than the Se’s - how much of an increase in audio quality are you getting for that…? I would need to listen to this again and again on different monitors - but on first pass the Se’s ring true in my ears. Great comparison. Well done.

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Se mics sound clean and natural.

[@travelthebest2676]

I can here a difference even in this KZbin compressed video. The 184 sounds much better. The Se8 has much less detail sounds blurred and little focus. Good for the price tho

[@darrinsiberia]

se8 on drum overhead had more low end or maybe you played the bass drum louder on that take. hard to tell. anyway. i think what most people will get from this video is that... while there ARE differences... they are pretty subtle. anybody out there saying KM184 "blows away" Se8 is just justifying why they spent so much on them. i think i'd rather have four Se8 than 1 KM184!

[@jonathanfegel307]

Thanks for the comment! I only played the instrument once. For the video I played it back twice, once with KM184’s active, and once with the SE8’s active. Any differences you hear are the mics. You are right about subtle differences, and it comes down to what your budget and goals are.

[@jerry-berry]

Great video! I'm back to square one in choosing a sdc mic for recording acoustic guitar only (fingerstyle). I was thinking about the oktava mk 012 (since I can't afford a Neumann at the moment) but the se electronics se8 looks promising and it has low self noise which is what I need. Do you have any advice? (I've been deciding between the oktava mic, rode nt5, rode nt1a and warm audio wa-47jr)

[@jonathanfegel307]

Hey Jerry, I've used the NT5's and NT1a, haven't used those Oktava's. I have 3 mk219's which are great, love them on toms! I think the SE8's are my favorite SDC in this price range so far. Let me know what you go with!

[@ianportermusic]

Thanks for the comparison but how did you find the self noise on the SE8s. Lots of review chatter around this as an issue

[@jonathanfegel307]

The pair I got were quiet. I heard that earlier versions were noisier too, like around 2018? That wasn't my experience though. These were purchased in 2020.

[@darrinsiberia]

ignore the chatter those are lazy amateur engineers. a professional can see right away for the $ this is a solid little microphone. throw it in your arsenal and you won't regret it.

[@mengskenon8090]

sE8 has softer transient. and I don't know why but sE 8 has more "natural" room sounding to me. especially piano and drum.

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

You are correct. Se mics sound natural.

[@deonlee7353]

Just curious - did you have your sE first and then the Neumann’s?

[@jonathanfegel307]

Actually, the other way around. KM184s then got the SE8s.

[@robertfontaine3650]

No on will complain about the SE8 but KM184 is fuller.

[@zaim_ipek]

SE8 has significantly better lows and slightly softer transients in the highs. The harder transients of the 184 probably translate to sharper detail. But that can easily be "too much" detail on aggressive sounding sources. For instance, the uke had some very harsh pick noise that sounded more soft and pleasant with the Se8. For the guitar cab, it felt like the KM184 was losing a lot of low end information, but some of that low end came back to life with the SE8. I disagree with one being "better" than the other. It's more of determining the specific application. Due to the better low end, the SE8 is probably better on a wider variety of sources. But on specific instruments where you want to maximize upper-mid and treble detail, the KM184 would probably be better. A good example is drum overheads. If you are close-micing the drums, you probably want the 184 because it will emphasize the cymbals slightly more while rolling off more of the low end information. But if all you have is overheads and a kick mic with maybe a snare mic, then you want the SE8 to capture more of the low end from the toms. My point is that statements like "this microphone is better" are very unhelpful and also untrue. Once you get into this level of quality, microphones are not simply better or worse. They are just more specialized to one application or another and it's a problem of finding which is best suited to the specific job and not which is "better".

[@jonathanfegel307]

Good comment!

[@zaim_ipek]

@@jonathanfegel307 Good video!

[@gunjabeans]

The very top end of the se8 sounds artificial to me and also like there is body missing in the mids. sE makes good stuff but the Neumann KM184 is STILL the small diaphragm condenser microphone all others are compared to, and it's NOT just because it says, "Neumann", on it. It is because the 184 is a very honest mic. Cool studio BTW! I really enjoyed the chicken pickin' tune you played on the electric!

[@jonathanfegel307]

Thanks!!! KM184 is a great mic no doubt about it :)

[@Marshall_EL34]

@Jonathan Fegel - Thank you.

[@matthill263]

The SE8s sound a bit 'woolly' to me.

[@jonathanfegel307]

I thought it was a bit more "bully" myself....;)

[@matthill263]

@@jonathanfegel307 I know woolly is a bit abstract.. in technical terms i'd say they have less definition in the treble and high mids and a bump in the low mids somewhere.

[@jonathanfegel307]

@@matthill263 I'm just messing around :) I was referencing Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.

[@kerokero3082]

I actually found them to be a bit 'cooly'

[@imageofsin]

@@kerokero3082 I'm selling my 184s, but i think they have a little bit more 'hair' ;)

[@user-ft1nq8nn3n]

The piano sounds like it’s 100 years old

[@jonathanfegel307]

It is!

[@ruanhdo]

Klm 184 Is better for acoustic guitar

[@abracadabra1550]

Have anyone else noticed how it's always popular to like the most affordable product in comments? 😂😂😂

[@jonathanfegel307]

🤣

[@MrNicknayme]

That’s not ORTF.

[@jonathanfegel307]

Good eye! It's not a perfect ortf. Capsule spacing is close to 17cm, but angle is off.

[@aaronfriedman8201]

It sounds bad. You seem to be using bad cables. What recorder did you use?

[@jonathanfegel307]

Hey Aaron, not sure which part you're referring to, but Apollo 8p is my recorder. What are you listening through?

[@dummy0000000]

184's make him sound like he plays better. Everything else is fixable.