Wireless headset mic

[Doranged]

Looking for a wireless headset mic that would be comparable to my Shure 58. My aim is to not have to have the microphone stand and mic. I would be using it both indoors and out. Anyone have a line on a decent unit that they are happy with in the $200 to $300 range that is comfortable and dependable.

[Bill Yellow]

My experience is that whilst headset mics can be great for speech, presentations and so on, it is difficult to find anything that works as well as a handheld for singing.

That is not just down to capsule size and weight, but the fact that good vocal mics have a directional response pattern which can be utilised by the vocalist. Headsets are very often omnidirectional and prone to feedback at music performance sound levels.

With a handheld or fixed mic, singers can get closer in or pull back according to whether they are singing softly or belting it out. A headset will also not permit this.

[pipedwho]

+1 to everything Bill Yellow said. Also, headset mics don't allow you to talk to anyone or cough without having to remember to mute it between songs.

Headset mics are fine for musical theatre where they're being continuously controlled by the guy in the sound booth.

[Photojeep]

I guess Garth Brooks has a guy in the sound booth?

PJ

[pipedwho]

Originally Posted by Photojeep

I guess Garth Brooks has a guy in the sound booth?

PJ

Being Garth Brooks, I'd expect so.

But, he sounds *SO MUCH* better when he's using an SM58 (or other handheld mic) on a stand. Then he uses distance and position to modulate the level and proximity effect for his voice. And those mics are way more directional than a headset and reject much more ambient noise.

There's no way Garth could do what he does without a headset mic as loves moving all over the stage. And needs his hands free to play the guitar, so can't just grab a wireless handheld like a lead singer that doesn't play guitar.

I tried the headset thing for a bit as a guitarist/singer, but found it was so much better for me to just use a mic on a stand since I don't need to move around when I'm singing. My voice also sounded considerably better through a Sennheiser e935, than the headset I was using.

That being said, the type of mics used in music theatre work because the stage noise/sound levels are fairly low. And since the mics are mounted at the temple or forehead, they are further away from the mouth, and therefore avoid the plosives that are the bane of headset mics. Also, there's always a guy riding the fader, so my channel was off when I wasn't 'live'.

[Dan Lampton]

I played in a band with a drummer who used one of these.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/C520

It sounded great - actually much better than an SM58. He used it wired but you can pick up a transmitter and receiver of your choice.

[pipedwho]

Originally Posted by Dan Lampton

I played in a band with a drummer who used one of these.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/C520

It sounded great - actually much better than an SM58. He used it wired but you can pick up a transmitter and receiver of your choice.

The AKG C520 was the one I used. Definitely sounds much more hi-fi and open than an un-EQed SM58 (which can sound pretty muddy if you leave it flat). The C520 is an excellent quality and great sounding microphone.

But, because of its headset nature it just never worked for me as I like to 'work' the microphone for vocal tonality. In fact, I didn't even realise I did that until I started using the headset mic and my relative mic position became static. Also, I talk informally between songs (not into the mic), and didn't like to remember to mute (and more importantly un-mute).