Karaoke Forums

I have yet to have any dented, Mcky.
As I said, I am VERY vigilant about my mics. Besides the damage that can happen to them, it just doesn't sound good if someone smacks it or otherwise causes damage (assuming the mic is already on).
I don't notice much handling noise at all on my mics. Not sure why you do.
And if I have to spend $60 per year on new mics (I doubt it will be even that much as my two are still going strong) then that's small peanuts for the value I get.
Again, my point was to let people know MY experience with these mics. I'm very pleased with them and I believe they are good value.

Are you sure anyone would?

I hate bad mics, but only once have I ever said anything to the host. That was when a guy had a $5.00 Nady mic fronting *easily* $10,000 worth of equipment. I said, "I am surprised you use that Nady mic in front of such a nice setup. It has an awful lot of handling noise." He said he got sick of drunks handling his mics. I told him I thought an SM58 wired could withstand about anything, and told him about the XM8500 in case he was interested in upgrading to a better mic that was still inexpensive.

I didn't go back to the show right away because I didn't like the way he ran it (including that). I couldn't go back later because it disappeared. The venue is great, and they have had karaoke host after karaoke host. But they have this idea of trying to appeal to everyone with dance music and trivia and stuff like that. Shows never take root there. I think a straight karaoke show would go gangbusters, and one of these days if my Friday comes open I may go after it.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Ah.... it's been awhile but we're back to "junk".

So, let me put it this way for the "junkman". What I buy works for me and what you buy is worthless to me! I don't care what you consider to be junk.

And the "best" in the hands of someone who doesn't know what to do with it IS NO BETTER THAN JUNK.

And as my partner indicated, if you really want to get down to it, if he were crazy he'd have a $30,000 rig. So, I guess anything less than that rig is junk and that's what we're all using!

I've had it happen twice. Once I did it, and once a drunk fell over and dumped the monitor on top of the mic. Of course my Friday gig gets pretty rowdy....


The XM8500 doesn't have much compared to a Nady or a PG48. But they have a lot more than the SM58 or e835. I don't like to hear people putting it back in the stand, I guess.


If they are like the XM8500, which I recommend all the time, I agree.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Quite sure. I've made friends with many of my singers and they will tell me straight up if something's not working for them, including sound, mics, or whatever.
As well, hubby uses these mics all the time for professional shows that tour into the area. Never had a complaint. Quite the opposite. Many have been pleasantly surprised by what they originally thought of as "cheap crap" just because of the brand. And believe me, some of the touring shows that hubby deals with would think NOTHING of complaining if they were amiss. Now there's some REAL divas!
Remember, I am not saying these are top-notch mics, but they are definitely equivalent to the entry level industry standard and very good value for the money.

I've used the 8500 Behringers as well as SM58s, and I agree that the sound quality of the Behringers is great for the price- nearly as good as an SM58. But the durability isn't even close. For my band, I have no problem using the Behringers, but for my karaoke shows, I stick to SM58s or Sennheiser 835s, just because the drunks at my shows are pretty hard on mics and such, even with extreme diligence on my part. I've used MANY different Behringer products over the years, and with the exception of their power amps (which I've never had a problem with, even at 2ohm loads), every product I've used sounds good and works well, until it breaks.

Bill brought out a very important point that a lot of people here over look.

.


karaoke koyote:



As a singer I prefer a wired sm58 to a $400 wireless mic. That is a personal choice, cos I don;t move much when I sing. Both wired and wireless mic have a place in any KJ set up.

_________________
I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Each to his own, that's for sure. If you like wireles great, if you like wired great... filler/ no filler.... hey it's your show, if you're working and getting paid well, super.

Computers or Disks? Once again, if your show runs smooth, you've got a following, and you're getting paid. Great!

What gauls me is when someone says, "this leads to this, and this leads to that."

Crapola.

In my area, you would be hard pressed, as a NEW KJ to walk into an establishment and expect to be taken seriously, much less get a job as a KJ without a computer. Bar owners are savy, and like filler (I would prefer the term "background") music.

Wireless microphones... same thing. People expect wireless.... its just the way it is. Quality wireless at that!

My comments were for the benefit of the new KJ set specifically. If you're new, just starting out... computers, quality wireless mics, the ability to adapt to your show to suit your venue (dance music?), and a good personality will quickly establish professionalism and credibility... at least in my area. ALL the top KJs in the quality venues are on computer... and get top dollar. YOUR brand of karaoke may not suit the venue your in... and when starting out it's not too wise to be picky. Adapt and overcome.

Not all of them use background music, but most do. THE TOP guy in the area uses TV theme songs... which is amusing, and gets you into a trivia with your friends between singers(i.e. you end up trying to guess what show it was from before the music cues. Completely enjoyable!).

_________________
Good music, good friends, howling good times!

I'll take a good corded mic over a cheap set of wireless mics any day of the week. I don't really care if a karaoke host is using wireless mics at all to be honest, even though I bought a really nice Shure wireless mic for my house.

Why in the world do people want to buy a mic that cost more than their speakers when it does not sound any better that its wired counterpart and cost far less?

_________________
I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Koyote

You're right but some owners. Whether there right or wrong; savy or not.. some expect Filler/not transition music. Some want people up dancing. Some want a "wall of sound" that fills the venue rather than a more subtle sound that allows everyone the opportunity to comfortably have conversation

As they say.. different strokes

Since my microphone thread a few months ago I have used my lowly Nady SP-1 corded mic many, many times and I sound great on that mic. I now have the Sennheiser e835 and it's a very good mic with low handling noise, but the difference in sound quality between the $8 Nady and the $100 e835 is slim. The e835 will still be working long after I'm dead. It's so solid and built like a tank.

I recently got an Audio Technica 200 series wireless that has excellent sound. A fraction of the price of a Shure or Sennheiser wireless, it's a solid performer. I'm sure it would be considered junk by certain people here. New it's about the same price as a wired Shure SM58. I realize now that not everyone wants or likes wireless mics, that was a big surprise to me. I would take a wireless mic over a wired mic 99 out of 100 times.

Ok, everyone has their own opinion of which is better, cordless or wired. I say to each his own. And nobody is wrong, if it works for you, terrific!!. I use the same XM8500 Behringer too, and love them to death. I own six of them, and they all work perfectly, and with no dents so far. But, just for giggles I guess, I am looking to get the three pack of Sennheiser e835 mics, just to see if anyone notices the difference. When I get them, I am not gonna tell anyone about the change, just gonna do it. Let's see then what they say.

I would however, like a good cordless headset for myself, just so I can roam the room a bit more. If anyone has any "good" suggestions about this, I would love to listen. But I really don't want to hear the bickering about other peoples suggestions either!!! DO YOU HEAR ME??? You know what I mean. I want honest input, without the name calling! Play nice people. I have set a goal, if its possible, to find a good headset for under $400.....yes??no??? Ok,,,on your mark, get set,,,,,ready!!! GO!

I have 2 Shure headset mics - one I bought on E-bay for $175 and the other through Craigslist for $100. A lot of people buy these thinking they are the cat's meow and end up selling them at a loss after they sit in their music room for a year or two and don't get used. Tthey're difficult to sing through because you don't have the freedom to pull the mic away - it can be done and I did a lot. I used it primarily when I was using discs so I had my hands free while I was pulling out and reloading and starting discs. I love them. Watch your local CL or E-bay - pick one up and try it out without spending $600...which was the cost of my first one had I bought it new.

You might consider the Samson Airline 77 system. It consists of the cr77 receiver and headset with the ah1 transmitter. The best thing about this is that there is NO beltpack! The transmitter is about the size of a small Zippo lighter and is mounted on the headset itself. It uses one AAA battery that is good for about 14 hrs. It also has an off switch and a mute switch on the transmitter. The mic boom is flexible so you can move it out of the way to eat or drink. I've seen them new on ebay (buy it now) for around $300.00, I got my used for $125 and love it. It gives me total freedom to work the bar hands free.

[url]http//www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cmf?prodID=1847&brandID=1[/url]

Karen

OK let's see if we can get the url to work this time

[url]http//www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cmf?prodID=1847&brandID=1[/url]

Felderfrack!!! Any how it's the Samson web site.

I think it is funny how gear-snobbish some karaoke hosts and DJs can be.

I never take much stock in those type of opinions or written online reviews and you can always tell right away when reading reviews the type of person the reviewer is. The "attitude" shines (or glares) right through.

When I started KJing (even before, when I was in the planning/buying stages) this site was a GREAT resource. It still is. But the bottom line is that you need to buy/use what is best for your situation. Take all the opinions that you get and put them all together and work it out for yourself.

I have been singer and played guitar in bands... I have hosted karaoke 3-5 nights a week for a few years now. I have found that live bands/performers will be much less biased about gear reviews. This is for a few reasons... They are the star of their shows. They want to sound as good as possible. They are touring and moving their stuff around in a lot more chaotic environment. They know what holds up and survives abuse and accidents. A lot of karaoke hosts (me included at one time) use brand names and amount of money spent to try to sell themselves off as higher class/quality than the next karaoke guy...rather than really making a decision based on performance... It is karaoke. 99% of people who you are catering to do not care if your mics are Shure, Neumann, Royer, or Behringer, Samson, or Nady.

I agree that their is a minimum standard that most people should aspire to as far as gear goes... You don't want garbage that you can't depend on. I have heard a lot of people bash Behringer stuff on here. While they may or may not be as good as Mackie... they are far better than adequate and can totally keep you in business for a long time as far as dependability.

I have used Samson R21s based on reviews and they were great. I don't think they would hold up to being used as a hammer, but sounded great and held up fine for karaoke use.

I bought into the Shure movement and Shure is great. No complaints.

I have heard nothing but great things about the newer cheap stuff by the "lesser brands" such as Samson, Behringer, Nady (some of these), and another off brand I can't find at the moment that is built just like Shures for about 1/3 of the cost.
I have read tons of reviews from pro musicians who have replaced their shures with these and even talked to a few personally.

There are tons of companies who have sprouted up over the last 100 years who have taken an established product and made it better and cheaper... Why would something as simple as microphones be any different?

How many of you prefer to drive Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, VW over Ford?

_________________
~ D.J. ~
Dothan, AL 36301

My Rig:

- Shure PGX/SM58 Wireless mics (4)
- Yamaha MG-16 6 FX Mixer
- Behringer EP2500 Power Amp
- DBX 266XL Comp/Gate
- JBL MPro 15" Speakers (x2)
- Behringer 15" Powered monitor
- Compaq Laptop
- Furman Rack light
- Furman Power Conditioner

DJFrank

Amen.. I have been saying that, but never as well put as your post!

Thanks... I try

Here are some other mics I have been hearing a lot of good things about...

http://www.speakerrepair.com/Merchant2/ ... nes&cables

They are specifically designed and manufactured to sound/perform like SM58s.
The company even offers a full money back guarantee...

_________________
~ D.J. ~
Dothan, AL 36301

My Rig:

- Shure PGX/SM58 Wireless mics (4)
- Yamaha MG-16 6 FX Mixer
- Behringer EP2500 Power Amp
- DBX 266XL Comp/Gate
- JBL MPro 15" Speakers (x2)
- Behringer 15" Powered monitor
- Compaq Laptop
- Furman Rack light
- Furman Power Conditioner

Forgot to post link to the reviews....

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... +ES58/10/1

_________________
~ D.J. ~
Dothan, AL 36301

My Rig:

- Shure PGX/SM58 Wireless mics (4)
- Yamaha MG-16 6 FX Mixer
- Behringer EP2500 Power Amp
- DBX 266XL Comp/Gate
- JBL MPro 15" Speakers (x2)
- Behringer 15" Powered monitor
- Compaq Laptop
- Furman Rack light
- Furman Power Conditioner

I like the company, and have purchased a fair amount of stuff from them. I own one of those mics. They are not up to an SM58. Too much handling noise, and they lose it at high SPLs.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.