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Heil PR 35---best all around mic ever?

#42
I'm one of those crazy bastards who IS actively seeking the best vocal mic I can find. Always been curious about the Heil PR35 because I've read a lot of great reviews of it, but haven't yet had the chance to sing through one.

I'm a bassist, but I get hired because of my vocals, both lead and harmony, so mics are important to me.

My current "best I've heard" is the EV N/D 767A. Killer vocal mic, and at just over $100 a real bargain too. Beautiful response, presence and feedback rejection.

"Most over-rated mic" to me..the Shure Beta 87A I just sold. I guess I must have liked it at the time I shelled out $250 for it, but compared to the EV it sounds like mush and is much more prone to feedback on small stages.

Whatever benefit the condenser is supposed to provide in this mic is a mystery to me.

Oh well...human voices are sort of like fingerprints, no two exactly alike, so there's plenty of room for variation in which mic works best on each voice.
 
#45
JimmyM said:
Ya, I imagine Bowzer could, but we fly so much that we just use what's supplied so he's not going to bother with it. Honestly, though, he prefers Shures.

Beyer is a name that recently just came back into my consciousness. I've had a couple gigs where they mic'ed my cab with an M88. That's a badass mic on bass cabs. Never tried it on vocals but it probably has a killer voicing for girl singers.

BTW, is OK Go that band who did the video on treadmills all in one take? That's a hell of a band if it is.
Click to expand...

The M88 is an excellent all round Mic and underated IMHO.
It is excellent on vocals, bass and even kick drums as long as you aim it slightly off axis.

Well built also.:hyper:
 
#46
I don't know that I would call the M88 underrated as it's been a professional standard in one form or another since the 1960's. That said, it's a pricey item when compared to bulletproof workhorses like the SM58. But from a sound standpoint it's like comparing a mule to a racehorse. Today, the M88 is still one of the best sounding dynamic mics out there.

I jumped on the PR35 bandwagon a couple months ago and so far it's been absolutely brilliant.
 
#47
Sparkdog said:
I'm one of those crazy bastards who IS actively seeking the best vocal mic I can find.......
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me too. IMO, the best live vocal mic that i have is my Neumann KMS105. to me, sounds more like a studio mic than a live stage mic, but it doesn't feedback on stage. it's smooth as silk and outperforms all of the others that i've tried (and i've tried ALOT). unfortunately, it's also pretty expensive.

KMS105-6.jpg
 
#48
johnk_10 said:
me too. IMO, the best live vocal mic that i have is my Neumann KMS105. to me, sounds more like a studio mic than a live stage mic, but it doesn't feedback on stage. it's smooth as silk and outperforms all of the others that i've tried (and i've tried ALOT). unfortunately, it's also pretty expensive.
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+1
Also my favorite for vocal.


To answer OP , best all around mike ever , got to go with the 421.
 
#49
johnk_10 said:
me too. IMO, the best live vocal mic that i have is my Neumann KMS105. to me, sounds more like a studio mic than a live stage mic, but it doesn't feedback on stage. it's smooth as silk and outperforms all of the others that i've tried (and i've tried ALOT). unfortunately, it's also pretty expensive.

KMS105-6.jpg
Click to expand...

John, I have been getting a woody over this mic since I heard the Gilmour concert's "Find the Cost of Freedom" cut with Crosby and Nash.
I only sing backup and a few leads and it's prolly over my head.

Do you prefer the KMS 104 or 105?
 
#51
JimmyM said:
Did a gig last night where the soundman had the new Heil PR 35's for vocal mics, except for our drummer who wants a wireless, so he had a Sennheiser wireless. Wow, does this mic sound impressive! Our drummer sounded like crap compared to us! Crystal clear, almost dead flat response all the way up from 40 hz, and possibly the best S sound I ever heard in a handheld. Sounds like a condenser but it's a dynamic. Our guitarist liked it so much that he's buying one. I'm still on the fence about it because even though the sound is fantastic, you really have to get right on it. I've used a 58 all my life and I like being able to sing into it off axis and still get picked up. I tend to get a little sloppy with the mic technique during a gig because I hop around a lot. The PR 35 is very unforgiving of sloppy technique.

But boy does it sound great! And with its near flat response down to 40 hz, it would probably make a really good instrument mic as well. Didn't get to try it on a bass cab but I wanted to.

Anyone else try this mic yet? If not, you really should.
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I'm pretty picky about my mikes and had finally found what I thought would be the last one I'd ever need when I did comparisons all day about 10 years ago. The Sennheiser 845 did a great job for me and I still have three of them, but a curiosity comparison with the Audio Technica AE6100 retired my Sennheiser's to where I only use them when I'm in Japan these days.

After reading all the info I could on the Heil PR-35 there was no way I could resist trying to get my hands on one and it showed up on the porch yesterday. It'll probably be a week before I get to try it onstage but with the reviews I've read so far I fully expect it to at least hold it's own, and although I have a hard time thinking of dropping my AE6100's to backup position, I'm definitely ready to be convinced.

It's funny that even though you liked the Heil, you ultimately stuck by your faithful SM58. One of my buddies always resisted whenever I tried to get him to try my Sennheiser's or EV N-Dym's, because he felt completely comfortable with what came out of an SM58, which he was always able to find.

I'll report back after I've had a chance to plug this thing in, and especially when I can do some comparison testing to my to-date favorite, the AE6100.
 
#52
Akami said:
I'm pretty picky about my mikes and had finally found what I thought would be the last one I'd ever need when I did comparisons all day about 10 years ago. The Sennheiser 845 did a great job for me and I still have three of them, but a curiosity comparison with the Audio Technica AE6100 retired my Sennheiser's to where I only use them when I'm in Japan these days.

After reading all the info I could on the Heil PR-35 there was no way I could resist trying to get my hands on one and it showed up on the porch yesterday. It'll probably be a week before I get to try it onstage but with the reviews I've read so far I fully expect it to at least hold it's own, and although I have a hard time thinking of dropping my AE6100's to backup position, I'm definitely ready to be convinced.

It's funny that even though you liked the Heil, you ultimately stuck by your faithful SM58. One of my buddies always resisted whenever I tried to get him to try my Sennheiser's or EV N-Dym's, because he felt completely comfortable with what came out of an SM58, which he was always able to find.

I'll report back after I've had a chance to plug this thing in, and especially when I can do some comparison testing to my to-date favorite, the AE6100.
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I let my singer use my Heil back in October of last year. He won't give it back and takes it to every show. Even benefits where the PA is already set up. The EQ switch is also helpful to either have a flat response or roll off some of the lows.
He's happy, I'm happy. :)
 
#53
fokof said:
+1
Also my favorite for vocal.


To answer OP , best all around mike ever , got to go with the 421.
Click to expand...

I love the 421. It is seriously flexible! I replaced most of my vocal mic's with Audix OM5's though. I like those a lot at around $150 a throw. I'm down to a pair of old SM57's for general use. Nothing else Shure left in my system. I have a couple of Audix I5's as well - they are sort of the SM57 killer ... killer on guitar cab & snare particularly.
 
#55
Never tried a 421 and suppose I should since I'm so picky about mics, but I used to use a 441 onstage every night and although it was supremely transparent, a few comparisons later and I got a pair of Audio Technica ATM5R's, which I've never seen anywhere other than in a couple Nevada casino's back in the 80's. I loved those little mics, but decided that I was going to find the best non-condenser mic I could get, which led to my first EV's.

If the 421 is harsh in the upper mids then I think I've already got that base covered with my AE6100's and there have been no reports of anything resembling harshness coming from the PR35.

The M88 is another one I've never tried, but I did have a couple Beyer models at one time and they must have fallen short somewhere because I remember not liking them all that much and I suppose the M88 is another one I need to give a try.
 
#56
Did some singing through both the PR35 and AE6100 tonight and can't decide which one I want to take to stage next week, because they both sound great, although completely different.

Every time I swapped mics I liked what I was hearing and that has not been the case in the past, especially when I did comparisons with the 815, 835 and 845. The only thing keeping me from choosing the 845 right away was the price, but it's the one I went home with that day. With the PR35 and AE6100 I keep trying to identify which is better and all I keep finding is that they both sound and feel good, so, more testing...
 
#58
I know it's going to definitely sound different in a club, but I've been really happy with the other mics I've picked when I was able to do A/B testing with one that I already knew I liked.

My present feeling about the PR35 is that it excels where transparency is needed and I can easily see it as one of the best mics around for acoustic situations. The surprising thing to come out of these comparisons is how great the little ATM5R condenser still sounds, considering that it was designed back in the 80's and available only for a short time. It still seems that the AE6100 is possibly better for louder situations, but not sure yet, and that may also be very dependent on the sound system being used.
 

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