Karaoke Forums

Which is the better mic?

The Sennheiser is on sale retail right now at $199 and the Shure is $298. I can get either one at cost.
What's the better deal? I'm leaning towards the Sennheiser as I've been told it's a good sounding rugged mic.

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/ho ... icrophones

http://www.axemusic.com/product.asp?num ... &PT_ID=166

I have never used a Sennheiser product, but I own that exact Shure PG58 wireless and can vouch for it.

I've had mine for about 3 years and use it in my mobile rig for private parties, weddings, etc.. It is rugged, has great range, and I've never had a single issue with interferance or any type of dropped signal.

I have probably put mine through about 40-50 gigs without a single issue.

Of course, that's with me handling the mic pretty much exclusively. If you intend for this to be a singer's karaoke mic, I'm sure it will go through more than a little abuse.

The only drawback I would see to the Shure wireless in that case is that it does have a plastic handle on the mic. It is pretty sturdy molded plastic, and would probable withstand your averge drop to the ground, but with any malicious force, I could see the plastic handle cracking.

Of course, I think most wireless mics have plastic handles, so I'm not sure if this is a drawback you might face with most of them. That little transmitting antennae on the Sennheiser would be a gonner in my bar in about a week.

Anyway, I own the Shure and would recommend it for careful to moderately stressful use! Sonically, they sound great (comparable to a wired mic in the $40-60 range), and the wireless range and transmission over multiple channels are high quality.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

Audio quality wise, the two are pretty close. At those price levels I'm more of a Shure guy (more expensive Sennheisers do outperform comparable Shures in my opinion). So from that standpoint, it's hard to say. Looking at features, here's a quick breakdown.

Both are frequency agile however the Shure supports twice as many channels so you can have more of them operating simultaneously.

Both have diversity antennas, the Sennheisers are external and made of metal so could be more easily damaged, the Shures are internal so no chance of damage however less flexibility for line of sight adjustment.

Both feature balanced XLR and unbalanced 1/4" jacks

The Sennheiser's have adjustable squelch the Shures are automatic, depends on your opinion as to which is better, the automatic squelch has always worked well for me.

The Sennheiser has an exposed antenna on the transmitter (susceptible to breaking off if dropped), the Shure is internal to the transmitter.

Both take 9V batteries.

So there's a quick comparisson, from there I'd say pick the one that suits your situation (price, features, etc) the best and I don't think you'd be unhappy with either one.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Thanks for your replies, guys!
The mic is for my use alone, so the antennae shouldn't be a real issue.
I've used the Shure mic before and I loved it, but just haven't actually heard the Sennheiser, so that's why I thought I'd come on here and ask about it.

That Sennheiser is a rebadged Trantec. I own one, but it recently failed. It eats batteries pretty bad.

I would prefer the Shure, as it is much more rugged. I would prefer the AKG WMS40 over either, for similar sound quality and much lower battery cost.

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

Hey Mcky, good to hear from someone who's used that Sennheiser. The battery issue is interesting. The PG58's I've got will get 8-12 hours on a 9V (depending on how much they're muted versus actively transmitting).

My biggest issue with the AKG's as they compare to either of the two mics being compared here is the lack of frequency agility (ability to change channels). That can be a very important feature to have, depending on your area and what frequency the mics are operating in. I have 10 channels to choose from on the PG58's, something like 40 or more on my SLX, and I've had to use that feature in a number of situations.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

That may be, but I have never had a problem nor heard of anyone having a problem.

I am sure the PG is fine, but one AA lasting 30 hours is a big difference compared to a 9V per 10 hours. That is at least 6 times the battery cost.

Durability-wise, I don't recommend the Freeport. That antenna makes me nervous as heck -- well, not any more since mine died. (I wasn't really using it anymore anyway, I use the WMS40 or my SM58.)

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

I had the Freeport. Sound quality was just "OK". Ate 9v batteries. Died after 18 months of regular use (2-3 nights per week).