Picking a vocal mic - need some help

M

Matt Duncan

Freshman
May 9, 2011
61
0
6
Concord, NC
My lead vocalist is looking to go wireless & possibly upgrade from our current mic. Little extra info- Christian rock/worship band, usually 300 or less cap venues. Singer's voice is a baritone, but also comfortable in upper bass & low tenor areas & has some raspy-ness. Mic technique is pretty good & getting better. The entire band is on IEMs & our stage volume is moderate - usually have a drum shield & guitar amps aren't parting hair in the first 5 rows. You can hear his vocal & our style on our page if that would be of help - link is in my sig.

We're currently using an e945 (wired) on him, and he's reasonably happy with the sound in his IEMs. We've also tried an e835 & e935, e965, KMS105, OM-5, b87 & of course the old sm58.

Out of them all, we liked the KMS105 best & it was the hands-down winner in our audition, but the cost of going wireless is a stretch. We could do it, but it'd take a while for him to save that kind of money. I'm also worried that it might be a bit overkill - kinda like driving a ferrari but living in a mobile home.

Realistically, we're probably down to choosing between an e945 or e965 - either capsule would be paired with a 500-G3 system. We didn't get a whole lot of time to spend with the e965, & I didn't hear a dramatic difference between them, but I'm a drummer first & an engineer second so keep that in mind.

I'd like some input from the pros on this one. What do you recommend and why?

Thanks!
 
Re: Picking a vocal mic - need some help

If you're going to go with the 965, buy the ew335g3 kit, then get a MMD-965 capsule separately. SQ is identical between the EW300/500 series, and there aren't that many features to be gained (only more pre-programmed frequencies). You'll save some money and end up with a spare capsule.

$849.00 for the EW335G3 + $499.00 for the capsule = $1348.00 vs $1449.00 for the EW500-965 G3
 
Re: Picking a vocal mic - need some help

If you can find one, listen to the Mipro ACT 707 or the new 7 series. Not a KMS105 but sort of similar sound with the condenser capsule, and wireless. Very affordable and extreme gain before feedback. I like them better than the wired SM58, B87, and E835. Have not used the others you mentioned much other than the Neumann.
 
Re: Picking a vocal mic - need some help

Matt Errend said:
If you're going to go with the 965, buy the ew335g3 kit, then get a MMD-965 capsule separately. SQ is identical between the EW300/500 series, and there aren't that many features to be gained (only more pre-programmed frequencies). You'll save some money and end up with a spare capsule.

$849.00 for the EW335G3 + $499.00 for the capsule = $1348.00 vs $1449.00 for the EW500-965 G3
Click to expand...

A good Sennheiser dealer would be able to do better than that. I know one (not me) if you'd like to talk to him.
 
Top Bottom