Karaoke Forums

Hey guys!

First post onto this excellent Forum, and I'm already completely-baffled, and hoping for a little advice  :O

For several years, I've been having occasional home-sessions (with the family) on an all-in-one machine; tacky, plastic, but a fun intro, nonetheless.

Recently, I decided to take a small plunge, and update to a more heavy-duty home system.

This currently comprises of a SunFly SMG Pro88 Mk II player (does anybody know what the heck the 'Jet Cue' button's for?  It's not even mentioned in the manual!), and a Meridian HA-104 150 Watt PA System:

PM-480RC Powered Mixer 4CH.
Powered Mixer with Digital Delay
150W music power (75W RMS)
Pre Amp with high and low Z input
Master level control  
Master digital echo effect section with Volume control Individual Bass, Treble and delay controls for each channel.
3 Band EQ on Main
LED Power indicator
Pre Amp CD/TAPE RCA input jacks
CD/TAPE Master level control
Pre Amp main output
390 x 178 x 248 (mm) / 8Kgs
S-10H Speaker
10" 2way Speaker (2 PCS)
100Watts / RMS
Full-Range 10" Woofer
95dB / 8 Ohm
75Hz~21KHz
Wood cabinet Black carpet finished
380 x 495 x 260(mm) / 17Kgs
Included 20ft. Speaker Cable 2pcs  

Okay - It's not a high-end setup, I'll be the first to admit, but it's a move towards something with a little more 'Oomph' for our mid-sized living-room  :hi5:

Now - onto my question; Our previous 'Toy' mic's (very lightweight, plastic, flimmy things - SoundLab 600 Ohms, Uni-directional Dynamic) had, I felt, to stay with the 'toy' player in the kids' room, and so I set out to get something a little more robust for the new living room setup.

On the advice of our local music shop, I plumped for a Takstar Pro-42 500 Ohms Uni-Directional Dynamic; connection was Cannon-Jack.

Now, on connecting this to my PA, I get....no ouput whatsoever!

Thinking it might have been faulty, I connected it to the old 'toy' player, whereupon it works perectly!

In sheer desperation, I connected one of the 'Toy' Mic's to the new Meridian PA...and they work fine (well, not fine, quality-wise, but certainly acceptably!)

As you can probably tell, I'm clueless about this stuff, but really would like a higher-quality Mic to compliment everything else.

Can anybody here please shed a little light for me as to what I'm doing wrong?  Should I have got a Cannon-Cannon cable?  Or is the Takstar Mic completely the wrong spec for the new system?

Any and all advice greatly appreciated (i'm on my knees here!)

Rob

Well under the ussumption you are across the pond?  Most of the are UK based companies, but what I could find was that mic they recommended also looks like a toy (IMO).  Yes the XLR-XLR (canon) would probably be a better option if your mixer has the input.  May want to consider another choice like a Shure SM58 or Sennheiser 835.  Not sure what these would run over there, but they are great mics, the Sennheiser might actually be a little better with that system.

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Hi Lonman - very many thanks for the input here; it really is appreciated!

Sorry - yes - I'm UK-based.  

I wasn't sure whether you meant the PA or Player Manufacturer, when you talk about the Mic they recommend?  Just seems a little odd that the really crappy, cheap ($10) Mic's work through the PA, whilst the more expensive ($35) Mic won't.

If it's relevant to the issue, the Meridian PA does accept XLR connections, as well as 'Line' (jack) connections.  Is this generally the best way to go, if a jack inout won't work with a PA?

Here's a thought (which really exemplifies my lack of technical knowledge!); the jacks on the cheap Mic's have a single black encircling their tips, whilst the more expensive Mic's jack has two of these (about an 8th of an inch apart).  Could this have anything to do with the problem?

Thanks once again for your help!

Rob

Oh sorry, I meant what the store recommended (the Takstar).  
The single black is what is considered an unbalanced phone plug (known as a TS or Tip/Sleeve).  THe one with 2 black is a balanced phone plug (know as TRS or Tip/Ring/Sleeve), and YES this could be the culprit if the mixers 1/4" jack is not balanced.   If that is the case, then you want to go with the XLR-XLR cable - at least give it a shot.

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Thanks lonman - you're a God-send!!

I'll get an XLR-XLR cable, and report back  :worship:

Rob

Hey again!

Well, got my XLR-XLR yesterday, and my mic now works like a dream with my new Amp  :oh yeah:

Huge thanks to Lonman for his advice - guess I owe you a beer, buddy  :beermates:

Cheers for now!

Rob

Alright next time i'm your way i'll look you up!!!!  

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