Sennheiser MKH 8020 Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone

The MKH 8020 is the omnidirectional capsule in Sennheiser's modular MKH 8000 series of RF condenser microphones, built for engineers who need an extremely transparent, low-noise pickup for acoustic sources. Its true omni pattern makes it the standard choice for stereo pair techniques like a Decca Tree or an OSS/Jecklin disk array, and its close-miking performance on instruments like grand piano, pipe organ, and double bass is a large part of why the MKH 8000 series has become a go-to in orchestral and acoustic recording. A 10 Hz to 60,000 Hz frequency response captures the full harmonic content of a source well beyond the audible range, which matters for high-resolution and surround formats.

Like the rest of the MKH 8000 line, the 8020 uses Sennheiser's RF (radio-frequency) condenser design rather than a conventional DC-biased capsule, which gives it very low self-noise (just 10 dB(A)) and makes it far less sensitive to humidity and temperature swings than a standard condenser - a real advantage for outdoor recording, film location work, and broadcast. The capsule module attaches to the shared MKH 8000 XLR body, so the same amplifier body can be paired with cardioid, supercardioid, wide-cardioid, or figure-8 capsules as a session demands. It ships ready to mount on a standard microphone clamp and runs on standard P48 phantom power.