Microphones Microphone Madness Mics

[MisterTim]

This is a review of Microphone Madness mics based on my experience in the last year or so of using them.

PLEASE SEE THE ADDENDUM

Little bit of background: high school theater, 8-channel TOA wireless system (circa 1990) and 8 channels of EW100G2. We have Countryman E6s on all the Sennheisers now and I wanted to also put E6s on a few of the Toas. My boss overruled me and bought the MM-PSM Pros instead. (6 of them)

We got them 13 months ago, and this is my summary:

1. Build quality is awful. The microphone itself is, for lack of a better word, very 'floppy.' It feels like it is trying to emulate the flexibility of the E6i and failing miserably. I cannot make it stay on anybody's head without tape.

2. The cable is awful. Several of the mics already have holes in the jacket just from kinking. The ones that don't have holes are bumpy and twisted up. (yes I realise this is from accidental abuse and improper cable handling, but the E6s have been subject to at least twice the use, so my judgement is in comparison to the E6)

3. They apparently have very little water toleration. Just a few days ago one completely died from sweat. The wearer was not even a heavy sweater; I dried it out for a few days with no luck.

4. Frequency response is decent, though lacking a bit in the high end. Overall they sound like what they are, that is, E6 knockoffs.

5. Both the capsule cap and the cable are perma-attached. Warranty is 1-year.

Considering the primary users are students, these mics get a relatively high level of abuse. However, I always use the E6s first, and this is only the second show I have had to pull any of the MM-PSMs out. Every single one of the E6s works perfectly, even the ones that are now 4 years old. As far as the company itself goes, I have no knowledge.

This goes without saying, but YMMV.

Edited: The Countrymans do not have a lifetime warranty as previously stated (and later removed)

Addendum: My review is partially based on an MM-PSM costing $180 and an E6/E6i costing $275, because this is what we paid for them. Mathematically speaking, I will certainly not get anywhere near 65% of the use out of the MM-PSMs that I have out of the E6s. Based on the more correct average prices of $100 and $300 respectively, I can see the MM-PSM being a more justified purchase, though I still stand by my original opinion that it is not worth it.

 

[mbenonis]

Hi Tim, welcome to CB! I asked Tim to join and post this after he posted it to the theatre-sound list-serv.

Mike

 

[bishopthomas]

Wow, that's too bad. I had hoped to be able to root for the underdog... Not that the build quality alone isn't enough, but to judge the sound of them: Did you use them with the Sennheisers or only the TOA? Just making sure that you were comparing apples to apples and that the sound of the transmitter had nothing to do with the loss of high end. Thanks for the review and welcome to Control Booth!

 

[gpforet]

I have never been able to get Countryman E6s to stay on without tape either, so the MM mics are no different there.

Here's something interesting that happened in the last few years. When I first started purchasing Countryman mics they were nearly $700 ea. with cable. When I was first introduced to the MM line of knockoffs and had experienced their performance, it was a no-brainer that when extremely limited in budget, I could buy 7 MMs for the price of one Countryman.

Today, things are different. Because of companies like OSP, and MM, Countryman is no longer considered the only viable choice, and as a result, their prices have come down significantly. Today, Countryman E6s can be purchased for less than $400 (the lowest prices I've seen are 349.00) so that's a little more than 3 times the price.

It is my understanding that the E6 comes with a 1 year warranty and that some dealers are extending that to two years. Where did you get the information about Countryman and a lifetime warranty?

If it was my money, and I was working with high school, and community theatre, I could not justify the cost of Countryman. I simply do not see how I could justify the costs. In my opinion, the MMs deliver 90% of what a Countryman delivered for around 25% of the costs. If I was producing a touring show, with a very large budget and REQUIRED top shelf performance, than I would insist on Countryman.

Regarding abuse, the school director should be informing the actors that if they are seen abusing equipment, they will be deprived of the opportunity to use the equipment and the show will suffer. I've seen wireless taken away, the show suffer, the cast be upset, and the next show everyone was far, far more cautious about handling the gear, and for the most part policed themselves. Accidents happen, but I let each actor know how much money they are wearing and if they break it, they will have to do without.

This is a review of Microphone Madness mics based on my experience in the last year or so of using them.

Little bit of background: high school theater, 8-channel TOA wireless system (circa 1990) and 8 channels of EW100G2. We have Countryman E6s on all the Sennheisers now and I wanted to also put E6s on a few of the Toas. My boss overruled me and bought the MM-PSM Pros instead. (6 of them)

We got them 13 months ago, and this is my summary:

1. Build quality is awful. The microphone itself is, for lack of a better word, very 'floppy.' It feels like it is trying to emulate the flexibility of the E6i and failing miserably. I cannot make it stay on anybody's head without tape.

2. The cable is awful. Several of the mics already have holes in the jacket just from kinking. The ones that don't have holes are bumpy and twisted up. (yes I realise this is from abuse and improper handling, but the E6s have been subject to at least twice the use, so my judgement is in comparison to the E6)

3. They apparently have very little water toleration. Just a few days ago one completely died from sweat. The wearer was not even a heavy sweater; I dried it out for a few days with no luck.

4. Frequency response is decent, though lacking a bit in the high end. Overall they sound like what they are, that is, E6 knockoffs.

5. Both the capsule cap and the cable are perma-attached. Warranty is 1-year.

Considering the primary users are students, these mics get a relatively high level of abuse. However, I always use the E6s first, and this is only the second show I have had to pull any of the MM-PSMs out. Every single one of the E6s works perfectly, even the ones that are now 4 years old. Even with the fact that the E6 is almost 3 times the price, in my (limited) experience it is far more than worth it for the lifetime warranty and overnight replacement alone, not to mention quality. As far as the company itself goes, I have no knowledge. We got these from our supplier, and overpaid by about $80/ea. (like I said, I tried to convince him out of it, but I like my job).

This goes without saying, but YMMV.

 

[MisterTim]

Not that the build quality alone isn't enough, but to judge the sound of them: Did you use them with the Sennheisers or only the TOA? Just making sure that you were comparing apples to apples and that the sound of the transmitter had nothing to do with the loss of high end.

No I did not use then with both wireless systems, but the AudioTechnica mics that the E6s replaced had no noticeable EQ changes between systems, only a little more noise on the TOAs.

I have never been able to get Countryman E6s to stay on without tape either, so the MM mics are no different there.

Neither have I, I should have specified E6i here.

Here's something interesting that happened in the last few years. When I first started purchasing Countryman mics they were nearly $700 ea. with cable. When I was first introduced to the MM line of knockoffs and had experienced their performance, it was a no-brainer that when extremely limited in budget, I could buy 7 MMs for the price of one Countryman.

Today, things are different. Because of companies like OSP, and MM, Countryman is no longer considered the only viable choice, and as a result, their prices have come down significantly. Today, Countryman E6s can be purchased for less than $400 (the lowest prices I've seen are 349.00) so that's a little more than 3 times the price.

I originally wrote the review under the impression that the price was $180 for the MM-PSM and $275 for the E6, because that's what we paid, so bang-for-buck comparisons are going to be a bit off, though I still stand by my opinions.

It is my understanding that the E6 comes with a 1 year warranty and that some dealers are extending that to two years. Where did you get the information about Countryman and a lifetime warranty?

I retract my statement. I had Googled left and right trying to find information on a Countryman warranty, and found nothing, but I was told it was lifetime by an audio pro who had previously returned broken mics. I just called Countryman, and it is indeed 1 year.

Regarding abuse, the school director should be informing the actors that if they are seen abusing equipment, they will be deprived of the opportunity to use the equipment and the show will suffer. I've seen wireless taken away, the show suffer, the cast be upset, and the next show everyone was far, far more cautious about handling the gear, and for the most part policed themselves. Accidents happen, but I let each actor know how much money they are wearing and if they break it, they will have to do without.

This is unintentional abuse I'm speaking of. I've never had a problem with intentional damaging of the mics.

Original post will be edited in a minute.

 

[Dillon]

As it's been said more than once...

"You get what you pay for."

 

[gpforet]

Granted, but that phrase should only be used by the person writing the check.

As it's been said more than once...

"You get what you pay for."

 

[TimmyP1955]

The Microphone Madness mics are $99.00 including shipping anywhere in the world.

E6 prices are dealer and connector dependent (Shure connectors are about $60-$75 less than Sennheiser and most others). We paid $325 for our E6/Sennheiser.

 

[jkowtko]

And get the dual-ear MM mics for $115 and they won't flop around anymore ...

 

[FMEng]

Do the MMs have field replaceable cables like the Countrymans? That alone would justify paying more.

 

[sdauditorium]

E6 prices are dealer and connector dependent (Shure connectors are about $60-$75 less than Sennheiser and most others). We paid $325 for our E6/Sennheiser.

That's about the same as we pay for our E6s...we have Senn bodypacks also.

 

[jkowtko]

Do the MMs have field replaceable cables like the Countrymans? That alone would justify paying more.

Look at the economics -- for the price of one E6 and a replacement cable you can buy four MMs. This allows you to start by buying two MMs, keep one on hand as a spare, and you can handle three breakages total before you reach the cost of an E6. Ruin one E6 element and you're out $300+.

Don't get me wrong -- I like Countryman, and use the B3's exclusively for our loose lavs. Countryman has a great repair policy on the B3s. But they do not have the same policy on the E6s, so I would hesitate to buy the E6 unless it is a hands-down winner on sound quality for the specific need.

There have also been issues with the E6 connector making noise when moisture gets in ... for theatrical uses, a bit safer not to have a connector along the cord.

 

[mbenonis]

Look at the economics -- for the price of one E6 and a replacement cable you can buy four MMs. This allows you to start by buying two MMs, keep one on hand as a spare, and you can handle three breakages total before you reach the cost of an E6. Ruin one E6 element and you're out $300+.

Don't get me wrong -- I like Countryman, and use the B3's exclusively for our loose lavs. Countryman has a great repair policy on the B3s. But they do not have the same policy on the E6s, so I would hesitate to buy the E6 unless it is a hands-down winner on sound quality for the specific need.

There have also been issues with the E6 connector making noise when moisture gets in ... for theatrical uses, a bit safer not to have a connector along the cord.

Sound quality is also an issue. It isn't always a matter of "put a mic on him/her"--in many cases, that mic needs to sound good. This past summer I spent an hour with a single actress trying different mics to see which sounded best, because she was young and had a very unique voice. Ended up using an E6, over a DPA believe it or not.

I'm not saying this is the case for all theatres--far from it, in fact--but cost isn't always the motivating factor.

 

[MisterTim]

E6 prices are dealer and connector dependent (Shure connectors are about $60-$75 less than Sennheiser and most others). We paid $325 for our E6/Sennheiser.

I'm not sure where Shure came in, as I was talking about Sennheiser connectors, but ok.

There have also been issues with the E6 connector making noise when moisture gets in ... for theatrical uses, a bit safer not to have a connector along the cord.

A small piece of spike tape fixed this the one time we encountered it. I'd say this is a small price to pay for at least having a removable cable. Though the newer E6s we have are designed a little bit differently around that connector, I'd assume it's to address this problem.


I realise that I'm fighting a losing battle here, and maybe I somehow got 6 MM-PSMs that are crappier than normal, but I've had 1 dead element and 2 broken cables out of 6 MMs used in 2 shows. 1 dead cable so far out of 3 E6s that have been now used in 6 shows. That's $300 in dead MMs, and $50 in dead E6.

 

[jkowtko]

I've had 1 dead element and 2 broken cables out of 6 MMs used in 2 shows. 1 dead cable so far out of 3 E6s that have been now used in 6 shows. That's $300 in dead MMs, and $50 in dead E6.

Have you contacted MM about replacing the units with dead elements? If it was purely product defect and not actors ruining the elements with hairspray, etc, then they should replace them.

When I spoke to someone there a few weeks ago, MM said their theatrical market is really picking up steam, so I would expect they would be keen to help you be successful, and also know where their product is most vulnerable w.r.t. cord breakage.

 

[MisterTim]

Have you contacted MM about replacing the units with dead elements? If it was purely product defect and not actors ruining the elements with hairspray, etc, then they should replace them.

When I spoke to someone there a few weeks ago, MM said their theatrical market is really picking up steam, so I would expect they would be keen to help you be successful, and also know where their product is most vulnerable w.r.t. cord breakage.

I did call them, but it was out of warranty so they wouldn't replace it; I didn't bother asking about repair. And I'm 99% sure it was sweat that caused the problem anyway, as it had previously sounded 'underwater.'

As far as MM goes, I'm sure that they realise what parts their corner-cutting affects. And it wasn't really a specific part, just that the cable is low-quality in general and doesn't handle the twisting and kinking bound to happen on someone's body.

 

[museav]

Granted, but that phrase should only be used by the person writing the check.

Unless the person writing the check thoroughly understands all the potential implications, then I don't really agree with this. In my experience, often the person writing the check is not aware of the potential implications nor are they the one who will be held responsibile when there is a problem. I run into this all the time, people who feel they are doing their job if they cut costs while not even considering the possible affect on any other aspects. It goes right to the common discussion here about theatres that don't work because the people writing the checks and making the decisions were addressing the dollar amounts involved rather than the actual values.