Neumann TLM 103 vs Sennheiser MKH 416 | Blind Mic Comparison & Review

A practical comparison and review of two of the top voiceover microphones in the industry, the Neumann TLM 103 and the Sennheiser MKH-416. After a blind comparison, I'll discuss the differences between the two mics in practical use from the POV of a professional who uses these microphones on a day to day basis, and the anecdotal notes from other friends and colleagues in the field.
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Coaching & Consultations:
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My Recommended Starting Gear:
➡️Rode NT1 Bundle: geni.us/jYq4A
My Favorite Mics:
➡️Neumann U87ai: geni.us/WmJI2
➡️Neumann TLM 103: geni.us/NvigA
➡️Earthworks ETHOS: geni.us/lFBYg
➡️Sennheiser MKH-416: geni.us/1Hh4c
➡️Shure KSM 32: geni.us/lFBYg
My Headphones:
➡️geni.us/AudiotechnicaATH-M50x
➡️geni.us/BeyerdynamicDT770pro
➡️geni.us/BeyerdynamicDT990pro
My Interface:
➡️Apollo Solo: geni.us/LXbkB --- sovrn.co/le1sy06
Other channels and talents I've found helpful in learning:
➡️ / podcastage
➡️ / @audiouniversity
➡️ / boothjunkievo
➡️ / @inthemix
Music by Epidemic Sound.
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#microphone #reveiw #VoiceOver #tutorial #howto #Voiceacting #professional #audio #audioengineering #audiobooks #recording

[@grantcolbster738]

Glad this video was made for others that had the same question as I did! thanks Jay, helpful as always

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Glad to help!

[@johnheiser2604]

I bought mine July 2023 after buying a TLM102. Soooooo happy with both.

[@TartanKiwi]

great video Jay! I have both mics and tend to jump between them year by year, my ears grow tired of one and wanna' switch! Both are great, just different flavor. Now, I'm saving up for the U87ai. Honestly? I don't think the U87ai will replace either mic, BUT having one in the locker means more clients are willing to look your direction and also I mean, the history of the U87 is just *chefs kiss* (yeah I'm partially getting one purely for the history of it) Uh, but anyway you've accurately described my time with both mics over the years in one handy dandy video!

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Glad you liked it! And I agree with the 87ai on all counts.

[@claudioagmfilho]

🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷👏🏻, The TLM 103 sounded better in the treated room you used, but not outdoors. For recordings that are indoors, the MKH50 performs better, while for outdoor recording, the MKH 416 or Rode NTG3 are superior, in my opinion that is...

[@Riccardo-de-Wit]

I immediately knew which one was the 103. Man, do I love the sound of that mic! I spent years finding the mic that suits my voice. First an SM7b (every radiostation in the Netherlands used them), then a Rode Broadcaster (found more often in Dutch studios now too), then the BCM705 because I thought they looked cool (they look better than they sound, I find them muffled), then the Broadcaster again, then the TLM102 (which I still use for live on air) and now the TLM103 for recording. The TLM103 is definitely my favorite. I also looked at the Ethos, as that one is deemed ‘the new kid in town’, but I still prefer the 103. Of course: for MY voice. It’s probably not for everyone. Thanks for this video! I’m happy I could distinguish them. Makes me even more confident that I do NOT need another mic 😄 (it’s getting a bit of an addiction and sales are SO tempting…).

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Thanks for taking the time to lay all that out! It's lovely to hear your thoughts/experiences with all those mics. :)

[@musar03580]

Regarding the A-B comparison, I'm so glad I invested in the TLM 103. I was quite surprised that the difference between mics was so obvious.

[@barefootaxel4847]

I really like these mike comparisons - although I don't plan to buy any new gear… I listened to the comparison on Sennheiser HD650. Mic B was so much nicer to the ears. Mic A had a lot more sibilance and sometimes felt as if a steel brush was pulled over the eardrum. Personally, I use Mic C on an MixPre which I find actually cleaner and more pleasant than the Apollo Solo, which I use for the C-Suite C-Vox.

[@Kids-worth]

I have been switching between the lct 540 & Ethos and notice I have more breath cleanup etc to do with the 540 which is a more sensitive mic. I would think the 103 similarly requires more post work.

[@seb_internet]

I forgot to mention it in the previous video but I like what you've done with the place - cool lighting! I think that as the 416 is a small diaphragm condenser mic it's not as pleasant to our ears in copy that's supposed to be quite human and intimate because it's too accurate and cold, compared to the warmth found in that of tlm 102/3. Not that that is too much of a bad thing as like you said it carries its weight when it needs to protect you from being sued!

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Thanks!

[@robert_starling]

I got it right between A&B confirmed by the proximity test.

[@TheTechPreacher]

Great video

[@KevinlyFather]

Great comparison. I already have the 416 and have been looking for a video on how best to set it up. Do you have a video about that?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Not yet! But I’ll put it on the list :)

[@paulmccloud]

I own both. The 416 is very flat, so it works very well with almost any read. But for something that you would want to listen to for longer narration (audiobooks), it's more pleasant on the 103. It sounds more intimate and personal. It fits your voice nicely.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Thanks!

[@jarredcannon]

Just checking in... In what world is the 416 flat and the 103 pleasant??

[@paulmccloud]

@@jarredcannonMy subjective view is that his voice sounds better with the 103 because there frequency response is tailored, a bit more bass and treble, than the 416 which is more flat. I just thought it felt more pleasing. Add some EQ, and you can get whatever response you want. The proximity effect of the LDC is more pronounced in the 103, so that's another thing. You can work the mic to get a different effect. Some don't like the "airy" boost of the 103, so some object to that. Whichever one you like, that's the one for you.

[@jarredcannon]

@@paulmccloud Yeah listen no hate, but subjective or not, there are objective things about mics that we can state. The 103 doesn't have more bass than a 416, and there's nothing "tailored" about a v-shaped mic... Likewise, the LDC won't get MORE boomy than a shotgun with proximity... WRT EQ, there's a lot more to it than just FR and adjusted FR (EQ). As an example, you can EQ match two mics but they'll still sound different... And if EQ could give you anything you wanted, then why would anyone spend more than like $200 on some mic and match it to, like an 87ai or an 017 Both of them have very hyped, sibilant high ends. You can say you like one more, but a sibilant mic is never a pleasing mic. Notice how the 103 is rare in, say, the audiobook world (but not unheard of) A mic that you may be interested in given what you've said is the OC18/818 with the hard top cap removed (it causes a 5khz peak due to the design of it)

[@Underhills]

Very nice. I notice you don't use a traditional round pop filter but you called the mic cover a pop filter? Are those two things practically doing the same? Don't you find using a cover changes the character a bit? Thanks for sharing your views and for making such an authentic review.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

I have a video talking about exactly that! How to Choose the Best Pop Filter for YOU -- Tips from a Professional Voiceover Artist kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5y1gHaBd7Sko8U I’m not using them here for the sake of the camera, but normally I do use a pop filter.

[@SuperMiker78]

Wonderful voice, as always! How would the MKH 416 be for long format projects like audio books?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Well thanks! The 416 can just be a bit picky with your position relative to it which can be challenging (or at least more so than the 103) to keep consistent over several days.

[@SuperMiker78]

@@jaymyersvoiceover excellent point! Would you say sound wise-that it would be pleasing to the ears long term? Depending on the voice of course

[@jaymyers5010]

@@SuperMiker78 I’d say that’s entirely subjective! For my preference however, there are other mics I personally prefer to use. Though major audiobook studios DO use the 416 often.

[@SuperMiker78]

@@jaymyers5010 thanks Jay, I value and appreciate your opinion!

[@scottphillipsvo]

I love my 416 but I never use it for long scripts because recording pickups on it are a nightmare if you're not in exactly the same spot as when you record the original. The tone and proximity is difficult to match...so I use it for commercials and promos. I use my TLM 102 for everything else because those pickups are a breeze. These mics serve totally different purposes in my opinion but both amazing in their own right.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Solid point! I feel very much the same way.

[@ahfimiwonawun]

I could hear the difference. I’ve always felt the 416 has more… maybe resonance is the word. I’ve had both mics for years and I’ve used the 103 maybe 2 or 3 times. I don’t dislike it at all. I think what happened is that I found my favorite mic(416) and then kept buying microphones because buying them just became a habit. There’s also something I noticed about the 103 that’s different from all of my other microphones. Can you tell me if this is something you noticed as well? I use mixpre audio interfaces with my microphones. When I’m using the 103 and I’m hearing myself through my headphones, there’s a sort of… emptiness to the sound. Maybe the word is clarity. I don’t know. But it just sounds like the vacuum of space around my voice. It’s not something that matters to me one way or the other. Just something I noticed. I wondered if it had to do with the noise floor of the 103, but I also have the Nt1 and it has a lower noise floor than the 103 and yet it doesn’t have that same empty/ clear/ nothingness sound of the 103.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Glad you liked the video! And the 416 as well ;) Regarding your question, unfortunately, I'm not sure as I've never used a mixpre interface/recorder. However, I can say that I've experienced something similar when using my Zoom H6 recorder, which might simply have something to do with the headphone preamps relative to what one might find in a studio interface like the Apollo. That's just a guess though.

[@koenignero]

Thank you! What are you using in your Booth on the walls? Looks very stylish

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Thanks! The wall treatment is from Studiobricks, it’s built into their booths. I’m not sure if they sell it separately though.

[@velvet7513]

tbh the 103 just didn't have that offish artificial high end that and you can just hear a bit more noise on the 416 other than that both good mics for there recommended use

[@Kids-worth]

Good morning Jay, I have an off topic question about plugins. Activate or bypass plugins while recording. If a plugin is active while recording are the signal changes imbedded permanently in the recording; ie is it better to bypass plugins when recording ?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Morning! That's a good question, and it depends on the program/process you're using. For example, during the recording process if you are using a UAD interface, you can choose to have the plugins imbedded into the recording or not. If however you have plugins active in a recording software like Reaper or Audition, those will only apply plugins/effects either when you render the audio (in the case of Reaper) or when you apply the effects (in Audition). Having the plugins active while you record in either software will not change the recording, and bypassing them while you record will just lower the load on your computer's processing power.

[@Kids-worth]

Thanks Jay, I wasn't sure if I was double processing. I have the RCP2 and intentionally don't activate the onboard process for the reason you say about the UAD interface but I wondered about plugins. I have been whittling the recording chain down to just a few plugins that give me the sound I like. I think I have finally learned that more is not better & the all-in-one plugins are a bit of a rabbit hole: hard to tell what is really going on. Thanks again Its great to have someone knowledgeable to answer these random questions rather than trying to sift through some of the clutter of half baked opinions on YT. Cheers & have Merry NY Christmas.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

My pleasure! Glad you're finding your way to the best signal chain for you! And a very happy holidays to you as well :)

[@jarredcannon]

There's some weird resonance here in the A/B samples on both mics that make me think that they aren't a great indication of the performance of either. Owning both, I know that those mics don't resonate like that on their own (though the 103 could benefit from a riser in the basket)

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Good ear! You're not alone in noticing. My booth has some hefty resonance peaks due to its dimensions that I'm tweaking with acoustics, but for the A/B I wanted to keep it honest without any adjustments to the audio. The remainder of the video addresses the resonance in post for both mics to a degree.

[@mikebauer6917]

The TLM 103 for me.

[@AISkillBoost]

Great! What lens(focal length) are you using in the booth? Quite wide!

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

24mm 😊 it’s pretty tight quarters

[@billssharedrive6630]

So I found this shocking, and initially thought there must be a mistake here. I have always preferred the sound of the 416 and (incorrectly) picked it instantly as Mic B. Bigger, warmer, punchier, thicker, more production-ready. This comparison seems to directly contradict what I hear in Booth Junkie's comparison (kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZWokImboKaHrKc). However on closer inspection I've realised this: the 416 comes into its own for VO when used with the foam windshield which warms up the bottom end and takes away some of the harsher highs. Other comparison vids confirm that when used without the windshield, the 416 lacks body and "oomph".

[@Tewahedo]

I like B

[@colinmorrison5119]

I own the T power version of the 416 and got it wrong! In my defense I was watching on a TV without headphones. My studio is just a room full of clutter, and that seems to be more than enough for the 416. Sibilance on it seems very dependent on positioning (maybe don't point it straight at the gap in your front teeth!) and use of a pop filter. For you, yes, the 103 is definitely the better sound.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Thanks! Never tried the 416 T.

[@colinmorrison5119]

@@jaymyersvoiceover It's the same mic, just powered off 12V T power instead of 48V phantom. It needs a converter to safely use phantom power, but the encumbrance of an extra dongle doesn't matter to a static mic in a VO booth. It's a budget way into the sound of a 416.

[@zeitakulobusta9708]

@@colinmorrison5119 T often has a K415 capsule, and even with the 416, I find the T versions often sound....a hair sweeter than the modern 416.

[@suzieprater8083]

The TLM 103 sounds much better as far as sibilance.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

I agree

[@dimam4466]

TLM 103

[@koenignero]

This is the proof that the 416 is not made for Indoor

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Say more about that! I’m curious what specifics you’re thinking.