This is where the comparison gets interesting, because frequency-range specs alone won’t tell you much. Both microphones are rated from 40 Hz to 18 kHz, but they don’t deliver that range the same way.

 

 

The e 604’s upper-mid lift helps bring out the part of a tom that cuts through guitars, cymbals, keyboards, and everything else happening in a live mix. That translates into a punchy, immediate sound with plenty of stick definition.

 

For an engineer getting their tom sounds during a fast festival changeover or club soundcheck, that kind of built-in presence is extremely useful. Get the microphone positioned well, bring up the channel, make a few adjustments, and your sound is already there. 

 

 

 

The e 904 takes a different approach. It’s about giving you a neutral sonic representation of the drum. There’s less of the e 604’s pronounced upper-mid character. Instead, you decide how much attack, warmth, and growl you want with placement and EQ. 
 
Neither approach is inherently better. If you like a microphone that gives you a finished, punchy sound quickly, the e 604 makes a lot of sense. If you prefer starting closer to the raw drum and doing more of the shaping yourself, you’ll want the e 904. 

 

Yes, and they’re both amazing on snare—thanks to those same characteristics that make the e 604 and e 904 useful on your toms:   

“So, which one’s better for a snare drum?”

You already know that the answer is “That depends,” right? 

 

 

 

The e 604’s voicing delivers plenty of snare crack and definition without having to create it at the console. Its presence character naturally emphasizes some of the frequencies that help a snare speak through a dense live mix. 

 

 

 

The e 904 gives you more of that same EQ freedom to determine the balance yourself. If the snare is already bright or aggressive, starting from the 904’s neutral sound can keep you from fighting excess top-end later.

 

 

 

Definitely, but the same is true the other way around. It just depends on what you need the microphone to do. Are you sensing the pattern here? 

 

 

If you’re building a reliable live drum-mic package and need three or four tom microphones, the e 604 3-pack is nearly impossible to beat. You get compact, professional dynamic mics, simple rim mounting, and tailor-made voicing.

 

You also get a mic with decades of proven live use. That matters when you’re buying several microphones at once. A modest price difference per mic becomes much more noticeable when you’re outfitting an entire kit. 

 

 

 

The e 904 is popular when you want more control over the finished sound. Its more neutral response leaves additional room to decide where the attack, body, and presence should sit in a mix. It doesn’t make those decisions for you.

 

For studio owners, the e 904’s flexibility is especially valuable. But it’s not just a studio queen. Its metal construction also appeals to live-sound engineers, venues, rental companies, and touring crews that need microphones that can handle years being packed, unpacked, clipped to drums, knocked around stages, and occasionally introduced to a drumstick. 
 

 

 

For engineers who want additional flexibility in the studio or onstage and the peace of mind that comes with metal construction, e 904. For a fast, great-sounding, reliable live rig, the e 604 is hard to argue with.

 

And in plenty of situations, the best answer is to have multiple of both. 

The Sennheiser e 604 and e 904 are two of the most popular compact drum mics in our Evolution Series lineup, which makes sense. They share a lot of similarities. They’re so similar, in fact, that choosing between them isn’t always obvious.

 

Both are compact, dynamic, cardioid microphones designed to cover an entire kit without surrounding it with mic stands. Both handle the high SPLs that come with close-miking toms and snares. Both cover the same 40 Hz to 18 kHz frequency range. And both can use Sennheiser’s MZH 604 clip to mount directly to your drum rims.

 

So, what’s actually different? Is the e 904 worth the extra cost? Do they sound different on toms? Can you mix them across a kit? And how well do they work on snare?

 

Those are some of the most common questions drummers and engineers ask about these mics. We’ll answer them here so you can understand what each model does best and choose the right one for your kit, stage, studio, and mic locker. 

 

 

 

The e 604 and e 904 occupy different positions within our Evolution Series of microphones. Here they are at a glance:

 

 

The e 604 has been a go-to tom and snare mic for decades. We literally designed it for the job: small footprint, high SPL handling, fast setup, and a shape that keeps it out of your way when drumming. Its lightweight housing is actually durable, reinforced glass fiber, so it can survive life on a touring kit without adding much weight.

 

We voiced the e 604 to sound great with everything set flat. It has a deliberate upper-mid presence rise beginning around 2 kHz. That helps add definition and attack to drums before you touch the board’s EQ.

 

 

 

The e 904 takes the same basic concept into our higher-tier e 900 Series. Its reinforced metal housing is nearly indestructible and feels more substantial. Its internal shock-mounted capsule also helps isolate it from handling and mechanical noise.

 

The e 904’s voice removes some of the attack and “nose” of the e 604. This gives you a more neutral starting point that you can shape around the drum, the player, the room, and the mix. 

 

There’s no rule saying you have to stick to the e 604 or 904 (or any other mic, for that matter) across your drum kit.  

 

Yes, using identical mics across the kit does make life easier. You know how each microphone responds, channel-to-channel EQ decisions tend to be more predictable, and your basic approach can remain consistent.

 

For a live rig that gets set up repeatedly, that simplicity has real value. So, yes, we would recommend picking one and sticking to it.

 

BUT…

 

Drums are different from each other—the same drum can sound different in different rooms, humidity levels, with different players, etc. But let’s keep it simple.

 

A small rack tom and a large floor tom occupy very different sonic territory and ideally need different things from a microphone. One might need more attack to cut through clearly while another needs help preserving its warmth and weight.

 

That’s a perfect time to mix and match your e 604s and e 904s.

 

You might prefer the e 604’s added presence on that large floor tom that needs some extra cut and articulation. But you might think the e 904 sounds way better on a rack tom that needs less of that same snap.

 

Another kit might point you in the exact opposite direction.

 

 

 

The advantage of mixing e 604 and 904 models is that their compact size and rim-mount design make it easy to swap them in and out. You can try different arrangements without rebuilding a forest of boom stands.