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Dan McLean Jr aka, Magic Roadie Special user Toronto, Canada 804 Posts |
There's been a LOT of talk over the last couple of years about the Countryman E6 Earset Mic. For those of you who are not familiar with this mic, I have links to it, and to all the other mics mentioned in this article, at the bottom of this posting. For a complete article on selecting a microphone, go to http://www.magicroadie.com/ .
The Countryman E6 is a very good sounding, almost-invisible-from-15-feet mic. The problem is that I've seen several of these babies break as a result of improper (yet understandable) adjustment of the boom arm. If you consider the two parts of the mic, there's the "boom arm" which extends from the ear to the mouth, and the "element" which is the part at the tip of the boom arm, and  which actually picks up the sound of your voice. Well, in order for Countryman to do such a magnificent job of making the element & boom arm so small, they've unfortunately used a very flimsy joint where these two pieces meet. You see, that joint is what carpenters call a "butt" joint, in which the two pieces are simply glued end-to-end, without any connection other than glue. There's very little structural strength with such a small, non-re-enforced butt joint. Therefore, if you try to re-direct the element by firmly holding the boom arm and then applying pressure to the tip (where the element is), you may very well break the element off! This break is irrepairable! Countryman makes it very clear that you must not try to adjust the mic in this way, but that's still the most natural way to do it, so it's easy to forget their warning, do it the wrong way, and bust your mic. It's also possible to break it while packing/unpacking the mic, or in any number of other ways. In other words, while this is a LOVELY mic, it's fragile. Another excellent mic, and a MUCH more robust one, is the DPA (Danish Pro Audio) headset. It's available in a couple of different versions, and in biege or black. FYI, it's the same one all the "on air" guys used at this year's Super Bowl. It's almost as invisible as the Countryman E6.  Both the DPA and the Countryman are world-class mics, and that's refelceted in their price. If you're looking for a lower-cost low-visibility mini-headset, try using your existing lav mic with a Sennheiser NB2 headset adapter. In my opinion, most of us don't even NEED a mini-headset! A good-quality, "regular" headset is much less expensive, and has MUCH better gain-before-feedback. You can get by with somewhat lower quality in a regular headset. For most of us, a Sennheiser ME3, a Shure WH20, or a Shure WH30 will suffice. I hope this helps! Cheers from Tornto! Dan McLean Jr http://www.MagicRoadie.com "Taking the myatery out of stage technology!"  Countryman E6 http://www.countryman.com/  DPA 4065 & 4066/4067 go to http://www.dpamicrophones.com/eng_pub/index.html and click on "products", then "miniature", then any "headband". Sennheiser NB2 Headset Adapter http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&......e+Search . Not as invisible as the DPA or the Countryman, but MUCH less money. Sennheiser ME3 Headset http://images.google.ca/images?q=sennhei......e+Search Shure WH20 http://www.shure.com/microphones/models/wh20.asp Shure WH30 http://www.shure.com/otws/gear/gear_wh30.asp
Dan McLean Jr
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kenscott Inner circle 1869 Posts |
Thanks Roadie
I would never go back to using a Shure head set again. I use the E6 now and putting my old headset on me was like playing an 8 track tape. I have NO problems with mine. Sound is unreal. Thanks for the info. ken soctt |
Dennis Michael Inner circle Southern, NJ 5821 Posts |
Thanks Roadie,
Everything you've written I've printed out for study. This is one area that entertainers should seek sound expert advice from those "who know". I see you as the "invisable" Sound, Lighting & Stage man (hand) for any magic or illusion show
Dennis Michael
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