the t.bone EM 9600

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Condenser Shotgun Microphone

Ideal for video, voice, overhead and choir recording
Polar pattern: Super-cardioid
Frequency range: 60 - 18,000 Hz
+48 V phantom power or 1.5 V battery
Aluminium housing
XLR jack
Dimensions: 22 x 320 mm
Weight: 130 g

Accessories included:

6 m cable
Windshield
Microclamp with hot shoe adapter and 5/8" thread
Thread adapter to 3/8"

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

3-Year Thomann Warranty

Available since January 2000
Item number 141186
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Battery Powered Yes
Directional Microphone Yes
Stereo Pair No
switchable lowcut No
switchable pad No
characteristic cardoid
Polar Pattern Cardioid
Accessories Shoe Mount, Cable, Windshield

49 €

All prices incl. VAT

Sales Rank

in Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphones

Bundles & offers

the t.bone EM 9600 Bundle

57 €

the t.bone EM 9600 Bag Bundle

88 €

Create your own bundle

starting from 222 €

Up to 8% discount

The shotgun mic with switchable modes

The t.bone EM 9600 is a budget-friendly shotgun condenser microphone designed for video production and speech applications. Housed in a sturdy aluminum body, it features a resonance tube and a dual-capsule system offering two selectable modes. In telephoto mode, both capsules operate simultaneously to deliver enhanced directivity and a tighter focus on the sound source. The package includes a 6m XLR cable, a foam windscreen, a microphone clamp for 5/8" threads, a 3/8" thread adapter, and a hot shoe mount for easy attachment to cameras.

Sounds good however it's used

The t.bone EM 9600 features a 15cm resonance tube with evenly spaced side slots, which play a key role in producing its focused directional pickup pattern. A single switch serves as the microphone's only control, enabling power and mode selection: In normal mode, the EM 9600 delivers a pleasant, voice-enhancing tone with reliable directivity. Switching to telephoto mode activates a second internal capsule that enhances the directionality and delivers a more focused capture of the sound source. As a condenser microphone, it can be powered via 48V phantom power or alternatively with a 1.5V AA battery in the built-in compartment.

For aspiring video journalists

For a modest outlay, a the t.bone EM 9600 will offer aspiring video journalists and on-camera reporters a versatile shotgun microphone with dual recording modes for variable directivity. Its focused pickup pattern makes it suitable for close-range applications, such as interviews and video production. In normal mode, voices are captured with a natural, balanced tone, while telephoto mode enhances directionality and sensitivity for isolating more distant sound sources. The built-in battery compartment enables the microphone to function without relying on 48V phantom power, providing greater flexibility in a variety of recording setups.

About the t.bone

Since 1994, the t.bone has been one of Thomann's in-house brands, and its name can be found on devices such as headphones, wireless systems, in-ear equipment, and various microphones and matching accessories. "the t.bone" products are made exclusively by renowned companies who also manufacture products for other well-known brands. This provides a clear advantage: Brand-quality products at very reasonable prices. And word gets around: One in seven Thomann customers has already bought at least one product from the t.bone.

Mount on a camera or boom

Because it features just one single control, the EM 9600 couldn't be easier to operate, making it ideal for everyday use. It comes with a microphone clamp with a 5/8" thread and a hot shoe adapter, allowing for convenient mounting on a boom pole or camera. However, its rigid construction can transmit handling noise, which may be noticeable during quieter recording situations. This can be mitigated with the use of an additional shock mount. The windscreen included here is easy to attach, stays firmly in place, and has minimal impact on sound quality. The microphone is intended for use with standard 1.5V AA batteries, as rechargeable 1.2V batteries may not deliver consistent performance.

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345 Customer ratings

5 144 Customers 4 115 Customers 3 65 Customers 2 14 Customers 1 7 Customers

4.1 / 5

features

sound

quality

Review guidelines

177 Reviews

An acceptable entry level mic

TeamM 05.02.2020

I purchased this microphone several years ago and still pull it out now and again for quick jobs where I'm not too bothered about the self noise the microphone produces.

It's a rather light mic as it's housing is made from aluminium which is great if you're attaching it to a cheap stand or mounting it on a camera (and don't want too much weight). For such a light microphone I always thought it would be easy to break but it's been dropped or has fallen with a stand a few times and still works without any noticeable difference. I personally usually a lot of my microphones for foley work. I usually grab this at times where there's potential for the mic to get damaged.

You can provide phantom power through batteries. This is great if you wanted to capture audio on something like a DSLR using a XLR to 3.5mm jack cable. I have two of these microphones. One of them I lent to a friend who used it for this exact purpose. He left the batteries he used within the microphone. By the time I had it back (probably about a week), everything inside the casing was covered in rust and the batteries themselves were leaking. I'm not sure if it was the batteries or the microphone at fault. Either way, the mic itself still works when providing phantom power through an XLR cable but I haven't tested either of them with batteries since.

If you're just getting into using mics and want this to record voice, certain types of instruments (I specifically thinking of a guitar from experience) or something like foley then this mic might not be bad to have.

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You get what you pay for

l392685 09.07.2018

For the price you pay for this mic, you simply can't expect too much. It is built quite well. You get a box and a cable for it.
Sound: it is OK, but quite noisy. It also requires quite some amount of gain which again amplifies the noise.
It is OK for interviews, but I wouldn't use it in studio. Just doesn't sound right for me. I used it couple of times for Hi Hat, but at the end never used the recording.

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good for it's price I guess

Mani Draugabani 17.11.2020

I wanted to try the t.bone mics, simply because the price is redicoulous.

But as I suspected, you always get what you pay for.

It is more then fine for reference, and maybe for interviews, but not movie quality

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Overall very good

Molly_N 28.08.2022

This rating is factoring in the price point.

I use this for field recordings (it has a shotgun switch to change polar pattern) and as a vocal mic. Its not terrible for general desktop use for calls either

outdoors, even with its wind shield it is still going to pick up wind, but some processing (eq etc) fixes that, as it can be battery operated its decently portable. It doesn't appear to eat through batteries when portable.

I pair it with the Millenium DS100 for my desktop "studio", perfectly suitable for this.

build quality is fine, wouldn't want to drop it though, I do not expect it would survive.

Other reviews mention noise, I haven't experienced this (its normally connected to a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen)

As previously mentioned, its good for its price, I don't think you'd be going wrong if this is what you can afford and its certainly good enough for the kind of vocals I record (which are going to be heavily processed anyway)

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the t.bone EM 9600

Condenser Shotgun Microphone