Sennheiser E 902

Looks: It has an integrated mic holder, it's compact and easy to place on an instrument, it's elegant and precisely built. I've always liked those dark blue grills on Sennheiser e9XX series.

Sound: It will do any kick drum sound you can imagine. It has a punchy low end, a surprising amount of sub bass content and a snappy top end, making it perfect for any kind of music. With a touch of EQ you can make it a little bit more mellow in the highs, thus more suitable for softer genres of music. It has great directionality control. Put it on a floor tom for that extra oomph and power on every hit. It's my favorite for rock, metal, hip-hop, pop, and - with right placement and some eq - even jazz. Put it close to the beaters - snap will tear through any wall of guitars. Put it just at the bass drum port hole - you'll get a nice, balanced sound, that'll let you work with different players on the same kit.

In comparison to other mics in this category, e902 has it all. To my ears it outperforms:
the B52a - the honky-chonky classic
the D6 - Sennheiser has more top end detail and has more low end extension than the D6, also it's more ergonomic and has an integrated holder
the D112 - Sennheiser has a tighter pattern control and has that instant sound profile - the D112 is more of a "carve your own response" kind of mic. Which is also great, I love the D112, it's just more suitable for bass guitar in my opinion.

It's the ultimate live performance kick and floor tom microphone. And it was since it came out I think 20 years ago. With the recent price drop it deserves a resurgence in popularity.

It was my first ever microphone that I bought with my own money. That particular one sadly got stolen a few years ago. Now I have a couple of them and they do exactly what the first one did for me. They put a big smile on my face throughout the soundcheck. And I hope that they do it for the audience as well!

One of my 2 go-to's for a kick mic, either as a "kick-out" or as a standalone solution. Nice size, gets plenty of sub considering. Have also used on floor tom, and on bass instruments with great results.
Compact, sleek but rugged design, and a little warmer than the 600 series.
I often have an "A" and "B" kit on festival shows, and I like to use this on modern kits alongside a 901.
Rider friendly enough, with many guest/touring engineers being quite the fans of the 900 series.
An excellent alternative to the Shure beta52a, and versatile enough to not be strictly a kick drum mic.
Would recommend.

After using a set of Samson mics I decided it was time for an upgrade. Having been in a local recording studio which uses the E902 (among others) I had had some experience with the mic itself.
After connecting this up in my home studio the difference between my old and this is immense. The lack of spill it picks up and the clarity has made me want to use it over any other.
Using this on the reso head to the bass with the E901 inside gives a really nice balance between attack and bass resonance.
I would recommend this mic to anyone and everyone.