Owen Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 Good morning all. The college I work in needs some new microphones for basic live vocal work. Obviously I could go for the good old SM58 but I am more than aware that there are better options. However, the option I am looking for is what is fine and dandy and much cheaper. There is no point in spending serious coin on micrphones because they will be abused constantly and/or be nicked. Am I happy about that? No. Am I being realistic? Yes. We also could do with a pair of 414 mics for overhead work - but the same circumstances apply to their use. Any ideas what woud work nicely but not make me cry when they are droppped? TIA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 https://www.red5audio.com/ The RVD30 is perfectly adequate for most applications you might use an SM58 for, and if you ask Red Audio nicely they will normally do a 'four for £100' deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 The Behringer version of the SM58 really is amazing for the money. You can get a pack of three in a case for around £30, honestly give an SM58 a run for its money sound wise. I've had mine for years, backing vocals, and they've been brilliant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F232784385970 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I know things have moved on somewhat since the 70s but back then one of the main selling points for the Shure SM58 was that it would take a much higher level of abuse without breaking compared to its competition. IME the cheap alternatives are fine if it is your personal microphone and you are going to look after it, otherwise it is likely to last a fraction of the time a proper SM58 will. Of course that doesn't help you if it gets stolen. If you are able to minimise the chances of the good microphone getting nicked, then in the long run they will be a better bet financially. Otherwise buy the cheapest decent sounding mics you can find and allow for the fact that you are going to have to replace them regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTypeV4 Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 +1 for the Behringer XM1800 / 8500 models.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubster Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Our singer got fed up with his mic - a well used EV- breaking and being sent off for repairs. We grabbed a couple of PRODIPE TT-1 and they are working out very well. First saw them favourably reviewed by SOS magazine. Have seen a 3pack for under €80. We have not given them the SM58 hammer test and don’t intend to but they sound and look great. Have used the Behringer 8500 too and it does a reasonable job as does it’s cheaper sibling the 1800. When longevity and sturdiness enter the equation, then Shure and Sennheiser are the gold standard but to be fair to the PRODIPE or other ‘cheapies’, haven’t had any long enough to comment. It’s great to have some cheaper, good sounding options though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Before we switched to wireless mics we swapped all our SM58's for Samson Q7's. In our opinion they sounded better and the anti feedback circuitry worked a treat. BAX do them for £24.90. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 19 hours ago, Tubster said: Our singer got fed up with his mic - a well used EV- breaking and being sent off for repairs. We grabbed a couple of PRODIPE TT-1 and they are working out very well. First saw them favourably reviewed by SOS magazine. Have seen a 3pack for under €80. We have not given them the SM58 hammer test and don’t intend to but they sound and look great. Have used the Behringer 8500 too and it does a reasonable job as does it’s cheaper sibling the 1800. When longevity and sturdiness enter the equation, then Shure and Sennheiser are the gold standard but to be fair to the PRODIPE or other ‘cheapies’, haven’t had any long enough to comment. It’s great to have some cheaper, good sounding options though! I bought a 3 pack of Prodipe TT1 Pros for £67 on Amazon and they're brilliant. I first got wind of them on PSW where all of the soundguys were raving about them. Brilliant choices. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 If you want to drop some cost but still keep the professional look/sound etc, then the sE Electronics V3 mics are very cool £50 each plus whatever educational discount you can get from dealers: https://www.seelectronics.com/se-v3-dynamic-microphone/ Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tut Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Behringer XM 8500 for me. I always use one for live vocals in preference to the 58 I keep as a spare. Often also used one in a kick drum. Robust, to my ears, a crisper sound with more pronounced hi mid and better feedback rejection than a 58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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