Last month, Sennheiser finally caved into pressure and launched its first single-sided, ear-worn microphones. Dubbed the Ear Set 1 and Ear Set 4, they are both designed for live stage shows, broadcasting studios and staging/presentations – and, they’re already claiming a victory in that category by convincing pop star P!nk to use a prototype of the Ear Set 4 recently on her Funhouse tour.

While the Ear Set 1 is particularly insensitive to pop and wind noise and therefore easy to handle, the Ear Set 4 is an ideal choice for loud stage environments where Sennheiser claims it effectively suppresses ambient noise and offers what they term as “excellent feedback rejection” (no specs though). Both microphones are very light, comfortable to wear, and very resistant to perspiration and moisture. The earclip and boom microphone can be easily adjusted to fit ear and head shape. The cable, which has low sensitivity to structure-borne sound, is very robust and has a diameter of only 1 mm.

Ah, high-quality ear sets. The microphone that we all dream of getting on-stage clients to wear. For some reason, it’s difficult, especially with older clientele – but the struggle is worth it if you can get them to do it just once. I’ve been a devotee of the Countryman ear sets for a long time, and certainly look forward to trying Sennheiser’s.
–JRR