sE Electronics sE8 Small-diaphragm Condenser Cardioid Microphone - Black

Name: sE Electronics sE8 Small-diaphragm Condenser Cardioid Microphone - Black
Brand: sE Electronics
Rating: 5 (8 reviews)

Small-diaphragm Condenser Cardioid Microphone with 80Hz and 160Hz Highpass Filters and 10dB and 20dB Pads - Black

Write your review

Item ID: sE8

sE Electronics sE8 Small-diaphragm Condenser Cardioid Microphone - Black

In Stock!

Add to Cart

Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

(800) 222-4700

What is a Sales Engineer?

Have one to sell?
Check out Sweetwater's Gear Exchange!
Learn More

sE Electronics sE8 Small-diaphragm Condenser Cardioid Microphone - Black

In Stock!

Add to Cart

Add to list

Most Popular Accessories & Related Items

Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

Amazing Small-diaphragm Condenser Mic Value!

sE Electronics handcrafts the gold-sputtered capsule for its sE8 small-diaphragm true condenser mic in the company's own clean room. The capsule's innovative back-plate design delivers a sublimely detailed, balanced sound and superior transient response as compared with other small-capsule condensers in its price range. The high end is sweet and silky smooth. Go ahead and add high-frequency EQ — you won't introduce harshness or distort the transients. The sE8's short, efficient signal path doesn't employ ICs or transformers, and this is key to the mic's remarkably natural performance in capturing acoustic instruments, such as guitar, piano, strings, woodwinds, and percussion. The sE8 is also one of the quietest mics we've heard here at Sweetwater.

Impressive quality and value

sE Electronics not only designed a great-sounding mic but also included features not found on small-diaphragm mics that cost much more! A highpass filter, switchable between 80Hz and 160Hz, lets you roll off unwanted mud and rumble, while 10dB and 20dB attenuation pads increase the mic's impressive usefulness by letting you mic more raucous sources, such as toms, snares, and electric guitar. The sE8's class-leading SPL handling capability and dynamic range ensure that you will capture every nuance of these sources without fear of overload. The high-quality build is typical sE and includes a unique diamond-cut capsule edge and gold-plated XLR connector for optimal signal integrity over many years of daily use in your studio. The sE8 is such an incredible value, and we'd advise you to go for a stereo pair — perfect for drum overheads!

sE Electronics sE8 Features:

A versatile high-performance mic for stage and studio
Handcrafted gold-sputtered small-diaphragm capsule
Accurate, nearly frequency-independent cardioid polar pattern
80Hz and 160Hz highpass filters let you roll off unwanted mud and rumble
10dB and 20dB pads allow you to mic more raucous sources, such as toms, snares, and electric guitar
Gold-plated XLR connector for optimal signal integrity over many years of daily use in your studio

Resources

Studio Microphone Buying Guide

Add Sizzle to Live Worship with Hand Drums, World Instruments, and Auxiliary Percussion

Mar 31, 2026

How to Mic a Clarinet

Oct 29, 2021

Recording Acoustic Guitar with an Apollo

Feb 25, 2020

sE Electronics sE8 Small-diaphragm Condenser Microphone Review

Sep 25, 2017

Best Small-diaphragm Condenser Mics for Acoustic Guitar

Sep 25, 2017

sE Electronics sE8 Condenser Microphone at Summer NAMM 2017

Jul 17, 2017

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Save money with FREE parts and labor
Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department

Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage

Back to navigation

Tech Specs

Microphone Type: Condenser
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Frequency Range: 20Hz-20kHz
Max SPL: 139dB-159dB (with pads)
Output Impedance: 110 ohms
Signal to Noise Ratio: 81dB (A weighted)
Self Noise: 13dB (A weighted)
Low Cut Filter: 80Hz/160Hz/
Pads: -10dB, -20dB
Connector: XLR
Power Source: 48V phantom power
Dimensions: 4.72" x 0.91"
Weight: 4.97 oz.
Manufacturer Part Number: SE8-U

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

(800) 222-4700

Contact Your Sales Engineer

Back to navigation

Reviews

4.9

Customer Photos & Videos

I don't use small diaphragm condensers very often but every once while I do need one for something and this will be my new go-to SDC for pretty much everything

I've been debating on buying this for the last like 4 years but I was like well I probably won't use it that much. But I finally bought one and I'm glad I did because this sounds really good. I also have the SE7 but this is basically a better version of that that picks up the low end a little bit better. This thing picks up fast transience and every little detail whether using it for ASMR, snare drums, recording dialog or pretty much anything else this is going to sound great

It definitely doesn't have that big sound like a large diaphragm condenser but these little guys react so much faster than a large diaphragm they pick up all those little extra details and nuances that a slower moving capsule from a large diaphragm might miss you just miss out a little bit on the low end but your average person would never know the difference so you can pretty much use this for anything you wanted. This is a super good affordable microphone

I've had two of these as a not-matched pair for about four years now. I use them as a pair all the time - the tolerance is close enough it makes no difference. They're just excellent for what they are: I got them to replace a pair of Rode NT5's and they're a definite step up in transparency. Specifically, the NT5's had a noticeable presence lift where these feel surprisingly flat and gentle in the upper mids with the addition of expansive, effortless bass. The top end on both mics is very good I think.

They're killers for all the applications you'd expect - piano, overheads, acoustic guitar, strings - but they're actually decent vocal mics as well. Oh, and sE doesn't shout about this, but you can buy these and then buy just the omni capsules after the fact and switch them out and they work perfectly. You' don't have to buy whole new mic bodies for the omnis.

I haven't tried every pencil condenser on the market that costs less than a KM84, but I would be shocked if there was one better in this price range.

This a fantastic mic. Placement is everything when recording with acoustic or electric guitar. Plan on buying a second one and have the stereo option if needed.

I'm using this microphone for different drum applications. Sounds so clean and crisp as a snare drum mic! I prefer this over a 57 or i5 any day.Works great as the over-the-snare mic in a Glyn Johns set-up,too. I'm trying this in a 3-mic overhead set-up as the center mono mic and I'm loving it! My matched pair sE8s are my favorite overheads ever. I've used them in XY and ORFT configurations. You just can't go wrong with these beautiful microphones.

I only use one mic for recording and double the parts and pan left/right. I'm using SSL2 interface with Logic Pro and the recordings sound really good with no plugins used except a very slight compression to squash down a strum that was sticking out. I've used the cheaper sE condenser mics and this mic is really much better. I don't feel like I need a more expensive mic to get a good recording, not sure if it could sound any better.