Sennheiser MKH 8018 Stereo Shotgun Mic Debuts

Las Vegas, NV (April 9, 2025)—Intended for broadcasting and filming applications, the new Sennheiser MKH 8018 compact stereo shotgun microphone is the company’s latest addition to its MKH 8000 range of RF condenser mics.

The MKH 8018 features three switchable stereo modes: MS stereo mode allows the engineer to adjust the spatial imaging on a mixing desk, while the wide XY stereo and narrow XY stereo modes are premixed.

The MKH 8018 can output MS stereo for further processing in the studio or on a mixer, or—via an internal matrix—XY stereo in a wide or narrow mode without the need for an external mixer. In XY-w, the mic emphasizes the side signal to a greater extent, capturing more ambience, while for XY-n, the focus is more on the mid signal, giving the sound engineer more directionality.

Seen on the Scene: NAB 2025

The mic is said to offer moisture resistance, minimal non-linar distortion and a balanced audio signal at its transformerless, fully floating output. The MKH 8018 sports an aluminum housing to have less weight on a camera or boom pole. Also, the microphone is non-modular with a fixed XLR-5M output and integrated -10 dB pad against overdriving, filters for tailoring frequency response (which is limited to 40 – 20,000 Hz), and an additional switchable -3 dB low-cut filter at 70 Hz.

The mic comes with an MZQ 100 microphone clip, MZW 8018 foam windshield and a threaded plastic transport tube. Optional accessories include the MZS 20-1 suspension/pistol grip, the MZW 60-1 basket windshield and the MZH 60-1 hairy cover for outdoor use of the MKH 8018.