Re: Lavalier Mic comparison
Hi Patty, Welcome to Sound Forums!
Here is an old thread on Budget Wireless.
High school theatre was my first step into the audio world, and I'm still involved with it on occasion. I know working on a budget is tough, but there's always ways to get around it.
How many of channels are you interested in purchasing, and how many channels of wireless do you intend to use in the future? Where are you located? It would be good to know what the RF situation is like in your area.
I don't think it's worth making a large investment in wireless if your budget is under $1000 / channel (all inclusive).
With that said, when using smaller channel counts, you may be able to get by with some of the lower-end offerings. Build quality and audio quality will generally decrease with cost, while the bandwidth (frequency range) used will increase. As a result, when using larger channel counts, you need higher end wireless.
For lavs, I recommend Countryman's B3, about $150. These take a beating (sweat, makeup) very well, sound good, and will make up their cost increase pretty quickly. For a 'throwaway' lav: Shure WL93, run about $60 each. I haven't had luck with these lasting a long time, but the price is unbeatable and they can sound decent.
Where are you located? I'm sure there's a forum member near you who could chat about rentals. As others have mentioned, rentals my be the best solution for you.
