Please suggest a CHEAP 'Half decent' Microphone (would prefer Radio Mic)

Aubrey_Thicket

Hi all


I am setting up a sound system for a pensioners social club. The Bose (wall mounted) speakers were already in place. I purchased a Pulse PMH200 Amp off ebay for £70. I tried the Amp & Speakers together with my iPhone and the sound is brilliant (for what its intended use is) and the price was within the budget of the club. All we need now is a half decent microphone. The reason why I ask here is because whilst setting up the system various members/club goers etc have 'donated' Microphones what they had in their houses, in their lofts etc and out of the 3 different ones we tried 2 were absolutely useless (you could hardly hear them on full volume) and the other just didn't work. So, to test all was OK I asked my friend (who is a singer in Pubs & social clubs etc) could I test his Mic out with our system. He brought along his Mic (Senheiser) and it sounded brilliant through our Amp & speakers on 50% master volume. Therefore, it is clear we need to get a half decent Microphone. Obviously I have already checked Amazon/Ebay etc and the choice is huge. Bear in mind that we only require the Microphone for stuff like Bingo calling etc or announcements at Darts & dominoes nights. Maybe even to use it for when they have a comedian/speaker at a sportsmans dinner. Please take into account that we only paid £70 for a brand new Amp but the Amp is absolutely perfect for the small room that it works in. I would be grateful if somebody would suggest a middle of the road Microphone for the uses I have mentioned here. I'd say our budget was £30 ish. Is that realistic for a wired Mic or even better a Radio Mic?


Thanks in advance all.

Ainsley1

Before purchasing consider:
The pulse ought to be capable of using many a common mic without serious issues (it's sensitivity is not specified but should work with many general purpose mics. It doesn't not provide power on the mic cable so is unsuitable for those using phantom 48v power. The mic inputs are the three pin xlr sockets not the jack sockets.

One or more of the mics might have been faulty? Confirm you are plugging into the xlr sockets? Many a mic come with xlr plugs on their cable, at the mic end, but have a jack plug at the amp end so will only plug into an insensitive connection on the amp. You can get convertors quite cheaply or a cable that is xlr at both ends to sort the problem.
....continued

Ainsley1

Available widely but see http/cpc.farnell.com/pulse/pls00033/microphone-handheld-dynamic/dp/MP33914?MER=sy-me-pd-mi-acce

Surprisingly this mic comes with a jack plug so would need a converter or new cable (that might not be a bad idea as you could buy a longer one!)

If you do need to get a new mic:
Consider a dynamic mic. No power needed, usually rugged, fine for PA.
Condenser/capacitor mics can be better quality but often less rugged, will need to be battery operated ones (you have no phantom power) and more expensive.

Do go for a cardiod pickup pattern mic to reduce unwanted feedback from the speakers.
Many a decent mic for your purposes available (and longer correct cable) available for your budget often second hand ones auctioned off quite cheaply to try out or as a spare. So yes very realistic budget for a PA wired mic.

If you decide to get a radio mic there are several cheap ones in your budget but those will probably not be of very good quality at that price. Radio mics can, especially the poor ones, be prone to interference from other radio transmissions such as passing taxis, people's mobile phones etc.

Go along to your local Maplin store and have a look. Not sure if they will demonstrate for you?

However I would first consider the issues initially raised!

Aubrey_Thicket

Aggghhhh, thank you Ainsley. I just noticed something from your post. When my friend brought his professional Microphone he used an XLR cable. The Microphones I was using had the cable fixed into the microphone and had a Jack plug at the end.


Is this likely to be why the sound was junk from these 'hobby' mics?

paddyrg

The little jack and XLR mics levels are different, so that would probably explain it.

Forget a cheap radio mic, instead get a vocal mic and quality XLR cable (maybe with a spare). The best mics are expensive but frankly it's diminishing returns after £30-odd.

BTW the reason you want an XLR rather than jack or minijack is that the amplifier and XLR mic will (should) be 'balanced'. That means the signal is decoupled from ground by a teeny transformer at either end so any electrical noise or interference (mains, usually) affects both lines, which then cancels itself out. In short you'll get a far clearer signal without that awful 50Hz mains hum buzz

Aubrey_Thicket

Nice one Paddy!

Would you be kind enough to suggest a decent microphone around the £30 mark. There's millions on EBay and Amazon and I would have no idea how to determine a good un from a bad un

Cheers

Aubrey_Thicket

To muddy the Waters even more there are some microphones for sale at cpc farnell for less then £4. I'm not suggesting that these are excellent but they seem to have a lot of attributes that the more expensive ones have AND the
Connection is XLR. Why so cheap??

System

Heil HM12.

Owain_Moneysaver

Cheap microphones can be very susceptible to handling and breath noises. They can also sound really nasty with uneven frequency response (which often makes voices sound thin and reedy and exacerbates feedback).

This one's about £15, metal body, on/off switch, described as hypercardioid (so should be more resistant to feedback)
http://cpc.farnell.com/pulse/pm580s/dynamic-vocal-microphone/dp/MP34629

A table stand will be useful eg
http://cpc.farnell.com/qtx-sound/188-079uk/desktop-microphone-stand-telescopic/dp/ST03623
will accomodate people of different heights

A spring clip holder is easier for people to use and make less handling noise
http://cpc.farnell.com/qtx-sound/188-140uk/microphone-holder-spring-clip/dp/MP35056

Aubrey_Thicket

Owain

Thank you for the advice. I'll probably buy that one. Price is great too.

paulpud

The Shure SM58 is a very popular tried and tested microphone but costs close to £100.

The Behringer XM8500 is widely regarded as a very good substitute for the Shure mic and costs under £20. I've used both the Shure and the Behringer and there isn't a great deal of difference between them.