Sennheiser MKE400 lost cover

[Jeremy Nicholl]

This sounds like a daft question, but...

While playing with my 5D2 in the middle of the night the foam rubber glove that covered the Sennheiser MKE400 on the camera hot shoe disappeared at some point, and is now lost forever in a snowdrift.

The mike still seems to work ok, so I assume the foam was solely there for minimal protection and/or decorative purposes.

Am I right in assuming I could replace it with any old piece of foam rubber from a hardware store cut to fit the mike? Or is Sennheiser foam rubber some high tech acoustic-enhancing variety?

Thanks in advance,

Jeremy Nicholl

[Andy Wilkinson]

Beware - there are close cell and open cell foams. I'm pretty sure mic foam will be open cell but don't know that for sure. What's wrong with getting a replacement from the manufacturer via their website - it's not going to be expensive is it???

[Jeremy Nicholl]

Originally Posted by Andy Wilkinson

Beware - there are close cell and open cell foams. I'm pretty sure mic foam will be open cell but don't know that for sure. What's wrong with getting a replacement from the manufacturer via their website - it's not going to be expensive is it???

So far as I can see they don't offer that option. To be honest the mike is so cheap that I'd buy another one if I could, and make sure I taped the cover on properly this time: I had noticed that it was loose but foolishly did nothing about it.

The problem is that I'm in Moscow at the moment I don't think I can even buy a replacement mike here, so the only solution seems to be to make a new cover with raw foam. I hadn't realised that there are different varieties though.

Thanks,

Jeremy Nicholl

[Battle Vaughan]

Realizing you are not in the US, the replacement windscreen is apparently available, as a large retailer here carries it for $US 9.95.: Sennheiser | Foam Windscreen for the MKE400 Shotgun | 528117
Presumably a Sennheiser dealer there might know of it. // Battle Vaughan/miamiherald.com video team

[Battle Vaughan]

PS the windscreen is not merely decorative, its purpose is to minimize the direct impact of the wind on the mike by diffusing it...the direct impact of wind on a mike is like a hurricane on a roof...noisy, and possibly destructive. Any acoustically-transparent foam, or in a pinch, even part of an old sock, will provide some protection until you can get a proper replacement. It's a condenser mike and those are sensitive to moisture as well....best of luck! / B. Vaughan

[Guy Cochran]

I'd just get The Sennheiser MKE400 accessory kit with the long haired windmuff - that thing is way cool for cheap. Just follow the instructions if you ever take it off. You squeeze it to release.