comments on shack optimus pzm's for overheads needed ?

[manning1]

ive been told recently that the shack ( I KNOW !!) optimus brand pzm mic (wedge like) at 40 bucks each are very good for drum overheads. and many other duties.
in the sprit of keeping an open mind (but as a sceptic) i searched the web....
and found one glowing reference but scant reviews.
anybody tried these ? comments ? thanks.

[max cooper]

There's a previous thread with a tad of info; I didn't realize that Optimus meant Radshack until I read your post just now.

http://gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php3?t=34825

[tINY]

They work pretty well in most cases, but you have to have them mounted on a baffle. Ususally a 12" by 12" sheet of thin plywood is enough for cymbals.

You can control the low frequency response by the size of the baffle and where you place the mic in the baffle.

The Optimus are a true bargan in PZM - not much difference at all between them and the more expensive ones. Where you see most of the difference is the "self-noise". But, drums are pretty loud so this shouldn't be a problem.



-tINY

[cultureofgreed]

I bought 2 Radio Shack PZMs in 1995ish. I love them in a kick drum or in stereo in front of a kit. I have no idea how I will replace them if they die.

[manning1]

thnx. max and tiny.

culture - i TOO have a couple of the old RS pzm's. and like them too.
thats why i'm trying to figure out how much better/worse the new optimus wedgies are.
RS is a funny company. occassionally they bring out something every few years
that is really surprising and rises above all the other consumer stuff.

[everybody's x]

I have the older optimus PZm's
that look like this

clicky clicky


they sound awesome and like I said in an earlier post they say "shure" inside them and I paid about $9 each for them

[max cooper]

Try wiring 'em up to run on four 'AA' cells instead of two.

[everybody's x]

how would you do that? And what does it accomplish?

[manning1]

x....
if you google...youll find a number of mods for the original RS pzm plate type.
including conversion to balanced. the AA *4 if i remember improves snr.
gives the circuit more oomph is the only way to describe it.

[max cooper]

I concur with what manning says about signal to noise and 'ooomph'. If I recall correctly, some of the brittleness was tamed as well.

I modded the Realistic PZM's by purchasing these 4-cell AA holders (what we refer to as a 'AA battery' is actually a 'AA' cell; the 9-volt batteries we use are true 'batteries' in that they contain a battery of cells...just a little bit of nomenclature to entertain the troops! )

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/battery-holders.htm

I cut the wire before and after the old 'AA' bracket and resoldered everything; I used a nicer connector at the termination point while I was at it. If this isn't the kind of thing you're handy with, I'd say it's worth it to pay someone to do it. If you don't know of someone who's skilled at this stuff, even a decent guitar repair and setup guy can do this and it shouldn't even cost much.

The difference is well worth the effort!