Rode HS1 Headset mic

[michaelyallop]

Hi There,

 

 

 

 

Has anyone used/are using the Rode HS1 headsets with radio mics?

 

I have up until recently been using the CPC £40 mics but have increasing issues with them failing. Some have been used a number of times and others just seem to have stopped working straight out of the box.

 

I wish we could go that one step further and get the DPA mics but I'm not sure we can stretch to the £400 price bracket.

 

 

 

 

Ta

 

 

 

[cedd]

The experience of a good friend with this headset has told me to keep well away. Boom holder snapped on the first use. Got through the show by using the Rode boom in a CPC headset frame. Sounds great but on the second show it was used on it came back with the locking jack connector pulled clean off the cable. We know the actor who was wearing it and can't believe she'd have abused it, especially when we've never seen a CPC headset come back missing its' connector, and especially when the Rode cable is supposed to be kevlar reinforced.

Headset adjustment seemed fiddly, requiring tools to make tweaks. Whilst this is nice in theory - set the headset once, then forget it, it does make for problems if you end up doing a swap, or a headset needs adjusting quickly mid show.

Like I said, it sounded lovely, but it's let down mechanically with thin fragile plastic parts.

 

I've just bought a couple of headsets to try out having been in a similar situation to you. I normally use either CPC or Chinese imported Proel copies. I doctor all of my headsets with new connector (mini xlr) and heat shrunk cable at either end. My main complaint has been that they're very easy to clip and distort.

 

This week I've got a Microphone Madness dual ear headset in use on Crazy For You. It sounds lovely. Very natural sound and none of the peakiness of the CPC's. The boom's way too long though. Couldn't use it on the leading lady as even with a big bend to make it go down her jawline rather than straight out from under her ear, it was stuck out way infront of her mouth.

I've also just bought a JTS CL-804i. I like it. Fully adjustable headband and boom. It has fold up ear loops which is a bit of a downer for me - I find them fiddly and another place they can get broken. I'm yet to hear it as it arrived too late to put on to an actor in this show. I'd be tempted to apply some heat shrink to both ends of the cable on it - the cable exit from the boom is through a hole that would allow the cable to do an instant 90 degree bend around quite a sharp edge, which I reckon could cause cable failure. Removable cable though so hopefully in the long run it'll save me some cash as cables fail and need replacing without having to bin whole headsets.

 

I'm still on the lookout for my perfect headset!

[Jon Wiles]

Hi Cedd

Where did you buy the MM headset from. Was it a UK distributor?

 

Cheers

Jon

[Stuart91]

Removable cable though so hopefully in the long run it'll save me some cash as cables fail and need replacing without having to bin whole headsets.

 

I tried some of the CPC models with removable cable, and discovered that the connection point can become a bit of a vulnerability - it doesn't take much rotation to make the connection come loose. The cable stays in place but the audio can become intermittent. It seemed like a bit of a liability so I've not bought any more of them.

 

I'm still on the lookout for my perfect headset!

 

Me too...

[cedd]

Well, night one with the JTS CL-804i didn't go well. Had an actress complaining about her headset being a bit uncomfortable so I decided I'd swap in the JTS to see how it behaved. I'd already tested it worked and I'd also reterminated it in a REAN mini xlr with my usual recipe of heat shrink - the original plug was the classic generic cheap mini xlr which I've learnt from experience are a common point of failure.

During the retermination I'd already noticed that the fold-over metal tabs on the strain relief were hardly gripping the cable. Gently pulling the cable allowed me to pull slack through the strain relief until the wire to the soldered joints was tight - not a great start and I'd have only given it a few uses before it would have given problems.

 

So tonight I reach for the headset and fold the ear loops up from their flat stored position. I'm not being rough on them and have already done this once so know how much force needs to be applied. One of the ear loops snaps straight off with only a little finger pressure - only enough to overcome the friction of the fold earloop hinge. There's a near 90 degree bend a couple of mm from the hinge to divert the earloop around the back of the ear. It's such a sharp bend and the wire on the surviving earloop can be seen to be flattened and deformed because it's been bent so tight - wouldn't give the second loop long before it failed too.

 

So I'm pretty disappointed really! £75 of headset broken before I even had chance to use it. Because I've reterminated it's not quite so straightforward to send it back. I'm considering just keeping the boom and attaching it to a CPC headset frame - should give the best of both worlds.

 

As for the MM headsets, I bought direct from the US, so had a couple of weeks wait. Tried fitting the MM to the same girl as the JTS tonight, but it's just too big and not adjustable enough - boom's a couple of inches too long for her and the loop around the back of her head sticks out a couple of inches. She's got a small head, but not abnormally so. There's normally one or two people per show with heads as small, so I need headsets that'll fit them.

[michaelyallop]

The experience of a good friend with this headset has told me to keep well away.

 

Thanks for this

 

 

I've just bought a couple of headsets to try out having been in a similar situation to you. I normally use either CPC or Chinese imported Proel copies. I doctor all of my headsets with new connector (mini xlr) and heat shrunk cable at either end. My main complaint has been that they're very easy to clip and distort.

 

I tend to do the same.

 

 

I'm still on the lookout for my perfect headset!

 

Yeah me too.

 

I tried some £25 mics from ebay with micon type connectors but them broke within the first show of use.

 

The CPC headsets used to be quite good, when they first came out at £25 each. Then the price rocketed to around £40 but the quality seemed to go the other way. I think maybe the CPC or Proel mics with a number of spares maybe as good as it gets before going to the £400 price range.

[Hilary Watts]

I doctor all of my headsets with new connector (mini xlr) and heat shrunk cable at either end.

 

Can you clarify this please since I'm anxious to minimise the time I spend repairing headsets and any tips would be appreciated?

 

When you say "heat shrunk cable at either end":

 

(a) At the plug end does the heatshrink go over the wire but inside the strain relief clamp, or does it go over the outside of the strain relief clamp but inside the plug body, or over the outside of the plug where the cable exits from the back?

 

(b) Do you put heatshrink at the mic end as well? If so do you partially cover the sides of the mic capsule or stop just short of that? (In my experience a break usually seems to occur so close to the capsule that I can't envisage how the heatshrink would prevent it?

[cedd]

I've probably gone through at least a hundred headsets over the last few years. They take some hammer!

I too had problems with the removable cables on the CPC headsets. On the JTS one I heatshrunk over the join between headset and cable - my logic being that in the event of a failure I'm likely to swap out the whole headset for a spare, rather than mess about with a cable replacement. It's normally in the few days after a run that I'd go through the headsets,check them all over and deal with any problems. At that point I'd be able to cut the heatshrink off and replace the cable. Normally though it's the mini XLR end that's failed, so I'd probably just reterminate and carry on.

I've recently started marking my headsets with a coloured band of heatshrink somewhere on them - normally the back of an earloop. It's only tiny but it allows me to date the headset's purchase. When I introduce a batch of new headsets (normally 10 at a time) I replace the mics on transmitters 1 through 10, then move all the other mics down to the higher numbered transmitters (I run 22 as my normal rig). This means that my principals always get a newer headset, with company and minor parts getting slightly older ones. Retired headsets either join the spares box or get broken for parts if they're looking tired. Often the cables go green long before the mic becomes unusable. Green cable tends to mean it's only a short while before it starts splitting, so it's time for it to go in the bin.

 

My heatshrink recipe seems to be working really well. In the run of panto we did (14 performances and 3 or 4 rehearsals) I didn't have a single headset failure (I've got a big show out this week, so watch me have a headset failure tonight having said that!). I remove the existing cheapo plug and bin it. I then heatshrink the headset end - just the joint between the headset boom and the cable. In my instance the boom terminates in a 5mm or so diameter lump, so I can shrink all the way around it. This stops the cable from being able to do a sharp 90 degree bend as it leaves the boom, which was a common failure point. I also remove the little plastic clips that attach the cable to the headset frame - they cut in to the cable causing damage. I replace this clip with a short length of binding sleeve that is threaded around the headset frame and also around the cable.

At the plug (it's actually a socket, but it's near enough for me!) I heatshrink up the final 3 inches of cable. This bulks out the cable diameter and means that the chuck on the REAN mini xlr is gripping heatshrink rather than cable outer. I also heatshrink the screen as it can sometimes come in to contact with the 10k bias resistor, causing a nice loud splat.

The most important bit of headset maintenance I do though is to sit the whole cast down for 2 or 3 minutes at the start of tech rehearsal and talk to them. My customers are all amateur groups or theatre schools, so there are a good number of people who have either never worn a headset before, or worn them for years but never been told about how to take care of them. I firmly believe that the bulk of damage happens when beltpacks are pulled out of clothing on the end of the wire, so I show them how to unplug the mini xlr and reconnect it. Some people may say that encouraging them to unplug their beltpack is asking for trouble, but in practice it seems to have helped, and I also explain that if they forget to plug it back in again, or damage their headset, then regardless of the cost of replacement the most serious outcome is that we don't hear them sing their big solo number. This tends to encourage even the most hardened diva to take care of their mic. I mention use of hairspray, not switching the pack off (mine are locked anyway!) and about sweat.

I really like being able to talk to the cast about these kind of things. It means they know who I am. I encourage them to talk to me if they have any problems or concerns, and it really has helped with failures. The theatre schools love it too because it's a bit of "value added" experience and teaching for their kids.

 

My headsets are all in the theatre at the minute, but I'll try and post a few pictures later on when I get chance.

[michaelyallop]

Thanks for this Cedd. Can I just double check the model of the mics you use? Are they CPCs code MP34267 or MIC 3200's They're about £41.

 

It'll be great to see those photos when you get a chance to get them up.

 

I too am a big believer in the 'chat' before the use of the mics. I work in an Arts college and have a similar sort of clientele to yourself. They do seem to respond well to it, obviously with the od one yawning half way through..

 

The last show I did I also had a mic runner, privileged I know, who is accustomed to wearing mics but wasn't in the current show. She would change batteries check headsets etc. if I noticed any issues before the cast went on to stage. It really helped to have someone else backstage doing all the leg work if something went wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cedd]

Ok, photos as promised;

The first one is of the heatshrink arrangement where the boom meets the cable. You can see the pink binding sleeve which secures the cable to the boom and therefore also keeps the boom straight. It makes for a soft edge for the cable to be pulled against when weight is applied to the cable or the headset is tugged. The black heatshrink continues under the binding sleeve and reinforces the join between the cable and the boom. Underneath this heatshrink you'll find another piece of clear heatshrink which strengthens the cable.

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t335/ceddison/Web%20images/CFADCE32-7F5E-42DE-AB0E-99C53E508240_zpsbzbknsq5.jpg

 

 

The next one is of the belt pack end, again with heatshrink visible and the replacement REAN connector.

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t335/ceddison/Web%20images/0ECCF3C0-0782-4262-8D4E-1F04DE36774D_zpspsjtvjd2.jpg

 

 

And finally the headset itself. You'll see that I don't use CPC ones (though do have a good number of them still - they fit smaller heads better), these are the Chinese Proel copies I mentioned earlier on. I love the knurled locking screw to secure the boom, though actors do tend to fiddle and lose them!

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t335/ceddison/Web%20images/63E41D09-F6A4-4380-BA3B-C78D992E576F_zpsodnpizjm.jpg

 

 

Hope that's helpful!

[Hilary Watts]

Thanks very much - the description and photos combined make everything clear!

[michaelyallop]

This looks great. Its certainly an excellent starting point. Thanks fro taking the time to share this. I think I maybe purchasing some Proel mics. I've seen them for about £32 which when buying 10 is quite a saving.

 

Cheers again

 

 

[Jon Wiles]

For an alternative to the CPC ones, we've been using these

Some have been with REAN connectors, some haven't.

The only problem we have had with them, is the small knurled knob that adjusts the boom can work loose. They do carry spares of these, so is't a real issue and a drop of nail varnish fixes them in place once the right length as been achieved.

The detachable cable hasn't been an issue and again, nothing a small bob of nail varnish can't fix if it does become loose.

[michaelyallop]

For an alternative to the CPC ones, we've been using these

Some have been with REAN connectors, some haven't.

The only problem we have had with them, is the small knurled knob that adjusts the boom can work loose. They do carry spares of these, so is't a real issue and a drop of nail varnish fixes them in place once the right length as been achieved.

The detachable cable hasn't been an issue and again, nothing a small bob of nail varnish can't fix if it does become loose.

 

Thanks for reminding me actually Jon.

 

These are the other type I have tried. I found that the cable broke easily at the Headset connector end. This maybe user error, as I received these half way through a run and had to replace two CPC headsets in the interval. I need to go back through my stock and check to see if they are still working or not, and maybe do the Cedd modification to them to make them less brittle in places. Non of the headsets I received had the rean connectors which was a shame.

 

I may also need to refine my 'chat to the actors' a little to explain how they should remove these mics during quick costume changes etc.

 

Some haven't been an issue, maybe that's down to the user being extremely careful with them or just plain luck.

 

mick