The Sennheiser MK 4 Digital is the thoughtfully adapted USB version of the analog MK 4.
At $399, it represents the top of the price and quality range for USB microphones that we've seen thus far—mics that sound better than this are typically going to be XLRs made for studio setups.
Luckily, the MK 4 Digital sounds fantastic, and uses Apogee analog-to-digital conversion to ensure its entire signal path is respectable.
It easily earns our Editors' Choice for high-end USB mics.
Design
More so than any other USB mic we've tested, the MK 4 Digital ( at Amazon) looks, feels, and behaves like a pro-level condenser mic.
As we mentioned, there's a good reason for this—it's based on one.
Internally, behind its metallic mesh grille, the MK 4 Digital utilizes a gold-plated 1-inch capsule, recording in a cardioid pattern.
It can record signal at sampling rates of 44.1/48/88.2/96kHz, and bitrates of 16 or 24 bits, with a frequency range of 20Hz-20kHz.
Most pro condenser mics are going to be XLR, and often the mic is designed to work with a shock mount that is not included but more or less crucial.
In the USB mic world, the desktop stand is fairly standard.
It feels a bit like Sennheiser didn't get the memo in that regard—the MK 4 Digital is a USB mic that arrives with only a mic stand mount to affix to a mic stand or desktop stand (not included), a padded tote, and two cables.
One of the cables is standard USB, the other terminates in Lightning connection for recording directly to iOS devices.
Sennheiser makes all sorts of accessories specifically for the MK 4 Digital—a pop filter, a shock mount, a carrying case, and a windscreen, but you won't find any of them inside the box.
Compared with, say, the Beyerdynamic Fox, which has a built-in windscreen and desktop stand, it's understandable that you might wonder just why the MK 4 Digital costs twice as much.
The answer is: Unlike many USB mics, the MK4 Digital comes about as close to pro-level as you can get while still utilizing an ultimately digital signal (rather than an XLR connection).
First off, there's an XLR version of this microphone, and it's cheaper.
That tells you something off the bat—if the digital version were the same price, we'd know that somewhere in the chain, something was compromised.
The output of this mic uses built-in A-to-D conversion from none other than Apogee.
So what you essentially have is the MK 4, with its own high-quality audio interface built in that bypasses the need for an XLR cable and does its own digital conversion.
Other USB mics have analog-to-digital conversion on some level, but they don't all use the high-quality capsule the MK 4 Digital does, nor do they necessarily entrust their output conversion to a leader in the field like Apogee.
The shock mount, pop filter, and other accessories cost extra, as they do in the pro world, because this is essentially a pro-level mic with a customized digital output.
So, while the pricing can seem counterintuitive compared with the rest of the USB realm (and even, at first glance, the mic it's based on), Sennheiser decided to keep this mic build as professional as possible, and that's not going to result in a low price.
And yes, this means that in order to use the MK 4 Digital, you need a mic stand, as well.
And while the shock mount is optional, it's highly recommended—the capsule is sensitive and this will keep the mic suspended and make it less likely to pick up desktop rumble, or any other vibrations in the room.
What about gain? Most USB mics have a gain knob built in, but the MK 4 Digital has no gain knob and no headphone jack.
Thus, you'll be setting the gain in your recording software.
If there's an actual oversight in the design, this might be it—a gain knob on the mic or cable, since the mic is designed to bypass Mic Pres, would be useful.
As for compatibility, the MK 4 Digital works with recent Mac and Windows platforms, as well as iOS devices.
Performance
Simply put, on some level, most of the USB mics we've tested sound like digital mics.
That doesn't mean there aren't great-sounding mics in this realm, but whether they use DSP or not, none of them really stacks up to the audio quality of the MK 4 Digital.
The MK 4 Digital is essentially an entry-level XLR condenser that, in the world of USB mics, sounds excellent.
It has the perfect blend of near-transparency mixed with subtle crispness in the high-mids, delivering ideal clarity for vocals.
It will sound even better when equalized and compressed (depending on what gear or plugins you use, and what kind of mix you're going for).
You can use the proximity effect to get some deliciously deep, growly vocals in a close scenario, and the MK 4 Digital is also a solid instrument mic.
Addressing the mic off access will tamp down some of the high-mids and highs and provide a smoother, mids-focused signal.
Many pro-level studios use Apogee audio interfaces for their input/outputs, so having Apogee handle the digital conversion here is no small detail.
What you end up with is a clear signal that you can be assured is converted in an ideal manner.
One question I often get asked about any expensive audio gear is: Will anyone actually hear the difference? The answer is yes, but not always right away.
Sometimes you need to train your ears to the good stuff, and then once they're used to it, go back and listen to your voice through a sub-$100 USB mic and you'll definitely notice a strong difference.
Conclusions
If what you're really after is a more typical all-in-one USB mic that still delivers quality sound (for less money), the Blue Raspberry and the Shure MV51 are both solid options, as is the aforementioned Beyerdynamic Fox.
And if your budget is much lower, the Blue Snowball Ice delivers solid audio for just $50 (Blue mics don't use DSP, so they stand out a bit in the USB mic world).
If you're looking to take your music or podcast to a higher level, but you have an all-digital setup and can't use XLR mics, the Sennheiser MK 4 Digital is absolutely worth the price.
It gets you pretty close to XLR quality, and nabs our Editors' Choice in the process.
Pros
Pure, clear audio signal with no DSP.
Apogee handles the internal analog-to-digital conversion.
Professional build.
Can record directly to iOS devices with included cable.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Sennheiser MK 4 Digital delivers excellent audio fidelity, coming closer to a pro, XLR-style model than any other USB microphone we've tested.
The Sennheiser MK 4 Digital is the thoughtfully adapted USB version of the analog MK 4.
At $399, it represents the top of the price and quality range for USB microphones that we've seen thus far—mics that sound better than this are typically going to be XLRs made for studio setups.
Luckily, the MK 4 Digital sounds fantastic, and uses Apogee analog-to-digital conversion to ensure its entire signal path is respectable.
It easily earns our Editors' Choice for high-end USB mics.
Design
More so than any other USB mic we've tested, the MK 4 Digital ( at Amazon) looks, feels, and behaves like a pro-level condenser mic.
As we mentioned, there's a good reason for this—it's based on one.
Internally, behind its metallic mesh grille, the MK 4 Digital utilizes a gold-plated 1-inch capsule, recording in a cardioid pattern.
It can record signal at sampling rates of 44.1/48/88.2/96kHz, and bitrates of 16 or 24 bits, with a frequency range of 20Hz-20kHz.
Most pro condenser mics are going to be XLR, and often the mic is designed to work with a shock mount that is not included but more or less crucial.
In the USB mic world, the desktop stand is fairly standard.
It feels a bit like Sennheiser didn't get the memo in that regard—the MK 4 Digital is a USB mic that arrives with only a mic stand mount to affix to a mic stand or desktop stand (not included), a padded tote, and two cables.
One of the cables is standard USB, the other terminates in Lightning connection for recording directly to iOS devices.
Sennheiser makes all sorts of accessories specifically for the MK 4 Digital—a pop filter, a shock mount, a carrying case, and a windscreen, but you won't find any of them inside the box.
Compared with, say, the Beyerdynamic Fox, which has a built-in windscreen and desktop stand, it's understandable that you might wonder just why the MK 4 Digital costs twice as much.
The answer is: Unlike many USB mics, the MK4 Digital comes about as close to pro-level as you can get while still utilizing an ultimately digital signal (rather than an XLR connection).
First off, there's an XLR version of this microphone, and it's cheaper.
That tells you something off the bat—if the digital version were the same price, we'd know that somewhere in the chain, something was compromised.
The output of this mic uses built-in A-to-D conversion from none other than Apogee.
So what you essentially have is the MK 4, with its own high-quality audio interface built in that bypasses the need for an XLR cable and does its own digital conversion.
Other USB mics have analog-to-digital conversion on some level, but they don't all use the high-quality capsule the MK 4 Digital does, nor do they necessarily entrust their output conversion to a leader in the field like Apogee.
The shock mount, pop filter, and other accessories cost extra, as they do in the pro world, because this is essentially a pro-level mic with a customized digital output.
So, while the pricing can seem counterintuitive compared with the rest of the USB realm (and even, at first glance, the mic it's based on), Sennheiser decided to keep this mic build as professional as possible, and that's not going to result in a low price.
And yes, this means that in order to use the MK 4 Digital, you need a mic stand, as well.
And while the shock mount is optional, it's highly recommended—the capsule is sensitive and this will keep the mic suspended and make it less likely to pick up desktop rumble, or any other vibrations in the room.
What about gain? Most USB mics have a gain knob built in, but the MK 4 Digital has no gain knob and no headphone jack.
Thus, you'll be setting the gain in your recording software.
If there's an actual oversight in the design, this might be it—a gain knob on the mic or cable, since the mic is designed to bypass Mic Pres, would be useful.
As for compatibility, the MK 4 Digital works with recent Mac and Windows platforms, as well as iOS devices.
Performance
Simply put, on some level, most of the USB mics we've tested sound like digital mics.
That doesn't mean there aren't great-sounding mics in this realm, but whether they use DSP or not, none of them really stacks up to the audio quality of the MK 4 Digital.
The MK 4 Digital is essentially an entry-level XLR condenser that, in the world of USB mics, sounds excellent.
It has the perfect blend of near-transparency mixed with subtle crispness in the high-mids, delivering ideal clarity for vocals.
It will sound even better when equalized and compressed (depending on what gear or plugins you use, and what kind of mix you're going for).
You can use the proximity effect to get some deliciously deep, growly vocals in a close scenario, and the MK 4 Digital is also a solid instrument mic.
Addressing the mic off access will tamp down some of the high-mids and highs and provide a smoother, mids-focused signal.
Many pro-level studios use Apogee audio interfaces for their input/outputs, so having Apogee handle the digital conversion here is no small detail.
What you end up with is a clear signal that you can be assured is converted in an ideal manner.
One question I often get asked about any expensive audio gear is: Will anyone actually hear the difference? The answer is yes, but not always right away.
Sometimes you need to train your ears to the good stuff, and then once they're used to it, go back and listen to your voice through a sub-$100 USB mic and you'll definitely notice a strong difference.
Conclusions
If what you're really after is a more typical all-in-one USB mic that still delivers quality sound (for less money), the Blue Raspberry and the Shure MV51 are both solid options, as is the aforementioned Beyerdynamic Fox.
And if your budget is much lower, the Blue Snowball Ice delivers solid audio for just $50 (Blue mics don't use DSP, so they stand out a bit in the USB mic world).
If you're looking to take your music or podcast to a higher level, but you have an all-digital setup and can't use XLR mics, the Sennheiser MK 4 Digital is absolutely worth the price.
It gets you pretty close to XLR quality, and nabs our Editors' Choice in the process.
Pros
Pure, clear audio signal with no DSP.
Apogee handles the internal analog-to-digital conversion.
Professional build.
Can record directly to iOS devices with included cable.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Sennheiser MK 4 Digital delivers excellent audio fidelity, coming closer to a pro, XLR-style model than any other USB microphone we've tested.
