Which would you get?

[CowboyDan]

I am looking into buying 16 new headworn microphones. I have used the Countrymen E6 isomax earsets and I have had problems with the cables but overall they are good mics. I was wondering if anyone has used the Audio-tech MicroSet or the Isomax B6 Lapel.

I am using these in an active theater department. We also work with the local community theater. So whatever I do get needs to be rather tough.

The E6 is good but as I mentioned before it can have a problem with the cables going bad. The Audio-Tech is also okay but I am worried that it will not hold up to the abuse. The B6 is more of a lapel but it is small enough that I could put it on most actors without a problem.

Anyone that give some input on one or any of these would be very helpful.

Thanks
Dan

[BNBSound]

If I had to pick, I'd probably say the Countryman. But, those spidery thin cables are going to be an issue on any mic when used frequently. Personally, I'd say stick with the tried and true Shure W93. Pinned to the hair or taped to the chin with a band aid it's usually a lot less noticeable than any boom style mic. And at less than a hundred bucks a piece, it's not a tragedy when one goes all scratchy and has to be ditched.

[BillESC]

We've had great success with the Audio Technica Microset mics. Excellent fidelity and no service issues yet.

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wi...8b2/index.html

[fosstech]

We used the B6 elements for our last musical. We had 20 of them going into Shure UHF and UHF-R transmitters. Great sounding, and really tiny! We only had one unexpectedly die on us due to a bad cable. The other one that died, the actor "killed" by snagging the cable on a piece of the set during a rehearsal without costumes. The cable ripped right out of the plug. Not too difficult to fix with a new TA4 connector, a magnifying glass, and a very fine tipped soldering iron. Be careful with the protective caps on the elements, they come off too easily and are impossible to find if they fall off at some point during a show. Make sure you have some spares. Also be sure you order some spares of whatever model you buy. You will need them at some point.

They're really great sounding mics. We did an audio recording, and the vocal quality was as good as the CD of the original cast.

The WL93's are big and they don't sound as good as the Countrymans. But you can get three WL93's for the price of one B6. We had a couple WL93's on characters that weren't as critical, and you could tell the difference.

We used 3M Blenderm tape to attach the elements to the cheek bone of the actors' faces. In places that weren't exposed, like behind the ear and the neck, we used 3M Transpore tape, which holds better but is more visible. For those who had problems with the tape sticking, we used the brown band-aid type tape, which held like skin colored gaff

[CURLS]

Ok, so without hesitation of those who are going to bash me fore saying this and disregard BUDGET. I have to say hand's down MKE2 either red dot or gold, you cannot ask a professional theatre audio guys oppinion w/o mke being said. Ok, so yes it is pricey but, on the other hand it is the industry standard for broadway, and for broadcasting talent, and even inside parabolic dishes.

Other than that rant i have had the pleasure of using mke platinums with sennheiser recievers. OH yea, I think it's impossible to not say the word BadA.. when talking about those series of lavs. And when i used those it was in a high school, and ya dont wanna know how many!

[krhodus]

We just bought 6 Countyman B6's. From just using them for the one show, they sound amazing. While we previously haven't had B6's we have had B3's since who knows when. The only problem I've ran in with them is that some of the ones that are 10-12 years old are starting to get shorts right near the connector, which doesn't surprise me considering how much they are used in the high school. Just watch out on the B6's, the cord is super thin, atleast compared to B3's or Shure lav's.

[soundlight]

We use E6 earsets, and they sound great, and work very well. We use them with Shure TX/RX stuff, not sure what model.

[PhantomD]

I've never heard of any of this CountryMan equipment.

Should that be a shock?

[SHARYNF]

Here's a link

http://www.countryman.com/

Sharyn

[jkowtko]

Originally Posted by krhodus

... we have had B3's since who knows when. The only problem I've ran in with them is that some of the ones that are 10-12 years old are starting to get shorts right near the connector, which doesn't surprise me considering how much they are used in the high school.

10-12 years? You have gotten some great use out of your B3s.

I know this is an old post, but ...

Fyi, Countryman will replace B3 connectors fairly cheaply ... from $25 to 42 depending on the connector. Give them a call 650-364-9988 and they'll tell you where to mail them in for testing and repair. They will test the mic elements for sonic quality, tell you if there are any issues, and if not, cut and resolder the connector, and then ship them back to you. And if the element is bad they will replace the entire cord for $99. It's a great deal.