ear hook mics

[timtheenchanteruk]

Just topping up my mics for the radios as my stock of spares is running low, just wondered what the single ear hook ones are like for live stage use (opera/musicals, some dance schools)

 

I have the headbands at the moment, and I am very happy with them, the only problems I have had is them getting tangles in wigs etc when it comes to removing them, just wondered if the single side ones would alleviate this, or if they are not stable enough. (would probably keep with the headbands for dance schools)

 

I had a strange reaction to the headbands to start with, but most were perfectly happy with them after a night or so, and then preff3ered them to lavs in the hairline.

 

These are the ones I am looking at.

[BlueShift]

Looks like a countryman E6 copy.

 

I like the countryman E6's - they sound very nice, particularly on spoken vocals - not nearly as nice as the old 4066 for sung vocals though.

 

I havent had a fit problem with them, but often they'll need a bit of taping behind the ear

[Shez]

I've found them to need quite a bit of micropore, particularly on younger cast members as they tend to be designed for Spock sized ears! Cast will grumble a bit but tolerate them. Since switching to headband ones, they've been happier as there's generally much less taping required.

[timtheenchanteruk]

cheers, I will continue to use the headband most of the time, just wondered about a couple for long hair/wigs as an extra rather than full replacements.

 

cant afford the countrymans (I wish!!) and have been happy with the cpc headsets up to press, they last about 18 months to 2 years, thats with quite a bit of abuse.

[Solstace]

We started out with the CPC single-ear units, but found them far from universal in fit or approach. In the end we decided they were too much hassle and needed too much micropore to get them to sit right. Went for the double-ear version and things make more sense. Not tried a higher-quality brand yet - the cheap ones work too well! ;)

[Seano]

just wondered about a couple for long hair/wigs as an extra rather than full replacements.

For long hair you might do better to use toupe clips: three clips on the cable (sewn/tied to it with darning thread) and a wee bit of tape on the nape of the neck.

[ramdram]

Just done a season with a dozen or so of the double eared cheapies, which worked very well considering the price. Not too brilliant at handling high levels, which resulted in a bit of distortion just as you might expect.

 

Yes there were issues with wigs and suchlike but we had no more that three actors in any production who had to share mics so we just lived with it.

 

To a diva the teenage actresses preferred to use them and said kit was known colloquially as the "Britneys" as I'm sure you all know. Lavs in hairlines/taped to temples were universally rejected...what is it about teenage girls and their hair...have they no idea of suffering for their art...

 

Ref the one size fits all approach, these particular units were adjustable, using a tiny clear plastic hex socket spanner, which allowed for satisfactory fitting for nippers with heads the size of a coconut to adults who could have been understudy to the Elephant Man.

 

Only two or three of the kids had to be sticky taped to their headsets...the only other operational niggle was that the baked bean wind shields managed to fall off quite easily.

 

They could not stand too much rough handling and a couple had their booms bent and three or four had the plugs torn off (sort of a mini XLR). They were b*ggers to repair but one of the tech blokes managed the soldering with the "extra hands and magnifying glass" kit.

 

If your cast(s) are happy with the double ears and they work satis and they are in budget then probably best to stick with what you know.

[Ynot]

We have a mix of mic heads at the moment - from traditional lavs to the double-ears and the single ears.

 

I don't wear them personally to perform (as the days of my performance are well behind me!) but have done so when testing for faults etc.

 

The double-eared variety I myself find rather uncomfortable to wear (and I have rather shorter hair than most) although the adjustability even on the cheap CPC models is useful.

 

I tended to prefer the single-ear option because on me they sat quite nicely and securely with just a single piece of transpore tape behind my ear.

That said, as I don't perform a show with them, I can't comment on how well they manage when the talent starts to sweat as the show goes on.

 

However, there does seem to be a preference mainly for the single-eared amongst those who do.

[Bobbsy]

I quite like the over the ear position from a sound point of view. However, as has been noted, the prepared single-ear variety need some tape to be stable, so I tend to standardise on basic microphones and fit my own with "ear loop wire" (and tape) when I use that position. This gives me the option to play the the positioning when I need to.

 

Bob

[TimmyP1955]

We bought E6s for the primaries. We are transitioning to the heavier cables as the provided ones break.

 

We bought http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmpsm.htm for the secondaries. So far, so good, but we've not used them enough to definitively compare the robustness. We've not done an A-B yet - I suspect that the EQ are better, but for the $200+ difference in price (plus $50 every time an E6 cable fails)...

[graemeftv]

I think summarising what others have said:

 

the budget headband and over ear systems offer great value for money however once you are into use with semi pro amateurs with powerful voices either the mic capsule distorts or the level arriving at the beltpack transmitter is too high even when gains are reduced in the transmitter packs.

 

Any make headband suffers from being a little visible for theatre work.

Not universally fitting

Often require micro pore tape etc

Fitting time is consideration

Quality and durability of cables is consideration

Capsule size

Colour

 

 

 

The over ear systems most types and models - considerations

Better from a visibility point of view

Lighter for the performer.

Fitting tends to be a little easier

Some are more flexible than others so can improve durability

Some have large capsules

Colour match - most tend to be too light

Most tend to sit over and behind the ear and don’t grip the ear that well

 

the countryman e6 we tend not too see that much in the uk as it is not sold by that many people and the cost tends to be out of most peoples budget. However the size is good and the 3 gain options appeals to a lot of professional users.

 

The Microphone madness is a good contender as the capsule used is very good. But does not offer a gain option when ordering. And ordering from USA tends to put UK consumers off.

 

There are products on the market that don’t get spotted that often and you have to look around a bit to find them.

but you can find over ear mics that mould over the ear in a flexible way and under the ear lobe not only making them easy fit to anyone but don’t need any tape to secure them. But then the boom that runs down the face is more ridged which avoids the rather bumpy looking booms so often seen on stage as they have been remoulded so many times. The capsules used are small, offer a massive dynamic range. With various gain options. The cables used are very flexible, strong and small diameter. The length of the boom can be changed but altering the fitting around the ear.

 

the most common makes that get spoken about here tend to all have 2 or more of the downfalls mentioned and it all depends what budget you have and how important the sound is to your show, business, contracts etc