live sound - Sennheiser e 865 vs Shure Beta 87A

[gtichy]

The connection on my Beta 58 recently broke, and although it's been fixed, I'm ready to upgrade after 3 years. I was curious if anyone had an opinion on these two mics.

The mic would be used for vocals at nightclubs, bars, ski lodges, weddings, fairs, etc. The mic will have to live in my gig bag, and it will be used at around 250 gigs a year, so reliability is a must.

75% of it use will be through a Mackie 808m and Mackie mains and monitors. Everyone else in the band uses a 87a or a beta 58, does the Sennheiser require drastically different gain or eq? If so, that is a drawback, since the 808 isn't always closest to the "brightest" band members, and this is usually a set up and go situation...

The reason I'm not going straight for the 87A (I've used it many times) is that although it's an improvement for me over the B58, it doesn't quite blow me away at all times. It doesn't quite get the sound per dollar ratio I expect. To my ears, the timbre of the 87a and the beta 58 are very close, but the pickup and gain are different (better for me)...I really want a mic that sounds better than everyone else in the band, honestly.

Can anyone reccomend another <$300 mic that would fit the bill?

[theom]

The new shure ksm 9 is a really nice mic.

worth checking out.
more expensive sounding than the sm87 IMHO


You may want to post your live questions on this forum.

http://srforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/f/5/0/

[gtichy]

Originally Posted by theom

The new shure ksm 9 is a really nice mic.

worth checking out.
more expensive sounding than the sm87 IMHO


You may want to post your live questions on this forum.

http://srforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/f/5/0/

Thanks for the reccomendation on the KSM 9, but it's out of my price range - looks nice, though!!

I've been trying to post at that forum, but it won't send me a confirmation e-mail to join - frustrating!!

Thanks!

[theom]

Are you sure you registerd on the site correctly?
Did you check you spam filtering on your email?
Send an email directly to the moderator explaining your problems, They will sort you out.


Happy New Year !!

You may want to check out the new Heil handheld, I have friends who are raving about it.

You need to check out lots of mics before you find the right one for yourself.

Good ones I have worked with on a national level:

AKG 535 (not used too much anymore but a great hi fi live mic) Used to be tori A's
live mic of choice before switching to KMS140.
I've seen them go cheap at guit center etc.

Audix om6 (a dynamic but great ) great for gian before feedback live.

A regular sm58 ( still a great mic ) (I dont like beta 58's much)

Beta 87a ( I like this one over the b87c)

Beyer M88 ( a ribbon mic designed for live use, Phil Collins mic of the 80's 90's.)

Neuman ksm 140 ( killer and tre expensivo)
Also their 105, but not for loud stages, the price has come down on these.

I never used any of the sennheiser live vox mics so I can't comment on them.

Originally Posted by gtichy

Thanks for the reccomendation on the KSM 9, but it's out of my price range - looks nice, though!!

I've been trying to post at that forum, but it won't send me a confirmation e-mail to join - frustrating!!

Thanks!

[YUGA]

Shure Beta57A is a very nice mic too.
I prefer it to Beta87A, Beta58A and SM58 for my voice.

Yuga

[johndough]

the ev re10........ I have no idea how why what happened... Yes it is crazy but its the closest thing to the neuman 105....

Ps the sure ksm9 has nothing on the 105

go to guitar center and try it.......... You will see what i mean.

[ramjet]

Originally Posted by theom

Beyer M88 ( a ribbon mic designed for live use, Phil Collins mic of the 80's 90's.)

.

correct me if i a wrong but the M88 is a dynamic mic not a ribbon but great mic though.

don't like beta87a mainly cause they have way to much distortion as part of the sound. i am yet to hear a great vocal sound out of one.

my sugggestion would be a plain old sm58 or 57 or beta57.

if you are into the neumann thing but can't afford it then try a RODE S1. yeah i know it is cool to hate them around here but i have heard them beside the neumann km105 ( i think this is the live model ) and it was very nice.

also in the dynamic side if things also try a Audio Technica ATM 41HE, these
are quite a cool mic as well that i really like

have fun choosing mics

[Remoteness]

Originally Posted by ramjet

correct me if i a wrong but the M88 is a dynamic mic not a ribbon but great mic though...

You are correct the M88 is not a ribbon, but with that said, ribbons are indeed considered dynamic microphones.

Now, back to the show...

[jlaco]

The Beta 87 is a nice vocal mic with the RIGHT eq! But it can also sound awful

If you can, save up for the ksm 105. Delicious mic

Also, Blue ENcore 300...thats also a very nice mic

[edwinhurwitz]

Telefunken M80. It's worked out great for me and I sold my KSM9. The price is right, as well.

[potscrubber]

I'm a fan of the e865! I always choose it if I have the choice (and it suits the artist). Sometimes it needs a small scoop in the lower mids depending on the voice. I'm a fan though, it doesn't have the tizziness that the Beta87 has, and I don't like much. I'm almost always using Meyer PA's though, which are strong in the 12K.

The KMS105 is ok but on a vocalist with bad mic technique it's just no good. The tonality changes every cm. Especially noticeable on younger female artists who are 'working' the mic. tutt

e865!

[GZsound]

The best answer is to get somewhere where you can try different mics.

Some you could check out would be Audix OM7, EV ND767, Sennheiser e835, and Heil PR30. All get pretty good reviews and are well within your budget.

But having someone else pick a mic for you when we can't hear how you sound is nearly impossible.

[Temple of Light]

E865 and E965 are both considerably smoother and better sounding and better spec'd mic's than the Shure.
I'd use Sennheiser over Shure everytime for vocals...

[Frost]

I do live sound for a living. Although the pa u are using might not show off all a better mic has to offer, it's still worth it. I don't love the beta 87 but I do love the 86 which is similar but smoother on the high end and better on the mids of a male voice. Almost a ksm9 but lots cheaper.

[Remoteness]

Originally Posted by Temple of Light

E865 and E965 are both considerably smoother and better sounding and better spec'd mic's than the Shure.
I'd use Sennheiser over Shure everytime for vocals...

I love using e965s on vocals; I sometimes prefer them to the KMS104/105s we normally use.

I'll be using Audix OM6 & OM7 mics for vocals on a live television broadcast in about two weeks...

I'll let you folks know what I think about those mics if you're interested.

[hbphotoav]

Originally Posted by Frost

I do live sound for a living. Although the pa u are using might not show off all a better mic has to offer, it's still worth it. I don't love the beta 87 but I do love the 86 which is similar but smoother on the high end and better on the mids of a male voice. Almost a ksm9 but lots cheaper.

We use a KMS104 on the worship leader and SM86s on the BGVs every week. He prefers the sound through his IEMs through the Neumann to the Beta 87a we started him on... and the 86s blend very nicely, with very similar LF cuts. The 104 sounds great through the PA (d+b T-10 arrays)... I'd like to hear a 965 and KSM9 with the 104 some day... didn't like the Audix VX10 at all.