EV N/D767a, N/D967, Audix OM7 shoot-out/review

Nice post... I think that getting the 767 on a properly amplified system allowed the mic to wake up for you... glad you like it.

N/D767 and 767a are the same thing... if you want more clarity, try adding to your EVs... the OM5 or the A-T 6100a, SHURE Beta 58a...

if you want a mic that has more clarity i would second Robert L´s choice of the  audio technica AE6100 and i would also check out the sennheiser e935 and e945. they are the best dynamics ives used so far.

i have heard many good things about the beyerdynamic opus 89 and equation audio ds-v10 which is supposed to be very clear. there is also the Heil PR-22 andPR-35 which are getting rave reviews for their clarity but they are not good for noisey enviroments as they pick up loud stage/band noise. havent used those so i cant comment from experience.

to be honest im not surprised the shure sounded like crap hahaha though to be fair the sm57 is primaraly a all around mic most used for micing snare drums but still..... the only reason people still use shure dynamic stuff is either they only ever heard of the brand Shure or that they have been using it so long they know exactly how to engineer them or are are nervous/stuburn about using new gear.if you were to take a blindfolded test you would never pick the shure dynamic stuff over the other big brands dynamic stuff today.i think it comes down to the fact that all their dynamic stuff is quite old now and even in the last five years technology has really improved and they havent released anything new.

yes the 767a doesnt have the tightest of supercardiod patterns i remeber asking the EV about this as there wasnt a great deal of info on the website and he said that at 90 degress through all frequencies the 767a had a minimum of axis rejection of 4db. if you compare this to most other supercardiods today they have around 7 to 10 db of axis rejection at 90 degress through all frequencies. though on saying this i think mics with supertight patterns such as the audix OM7 may actually have there quality of tone affected by having such tight patterns so a modern ''normal'' super or hypercardiod is probably a good compromise in reasonably loud enviroments.

would be interesting to hear your feedback on the heil PR35. they are supposed to be excellent mics- almost condenser like but from what ive heard do suffer from a lack of ambiant noise rejection in  a loudish enviroment.

I never knew anyone to try a Shure 57 for vocals or drums. People use it to mic electric guitar amps mostly in the rock world. Drums are usually mic with a set of condenser or dynamic mics for that purpose. Shure make great mics.

I'm with Guitar Bum and spdate... Shure makes great mics. I also use my EV 767a and it is an excellent mic as well. I often find myself switching between them, and would definitely endorse both.

As of yet, I have no experience with the Audix, the Sennheisers, the Heil's, etc., and therefore am not qualified to comment. But in due time........

Perhaps it's just me, but in my opinion, it depends on the distinct characteristics of the "individuals" voice.

Just my two cents...

robertmetal,

I'm with you 100% on your comment about the PA/speaker/monitor that one is using relative to their choice of a mic. That's precisely why I find myself switching back and forth between my 58 and 767. I've found with my Kustom Profile II system (which is fantastic for what I "do"), that I MUST switch mics due the the various settings, particularly the "Double Take" (TM) feature of the Kustom.

"Robert", EXCELLENT posts, by the way...

Switching gears a bit : For those who find themselves switching mics as I do, and don't want the constant hassle of plugging and unplugging the mics all of the time, I'd suggest checking into the Hot Shot ABi Mic Switcher (generally priced @ $79.95). Not to be confused with the ABo or DM1 "switches", as they are different. Another nice feature is that it is PASSIVE ! Thus far, the only company that I have found that carries the ABi, is zSounds : http://www.zsounds.com.  Since I visit Guitar Center on a regular basis, I had them special order one, and the good news is they are going to "beat" the price for me.
Can't wait to pick it up this coming Monday !!!

I've tried the "Y" splitter cable in the past for that purpose, and that just didn't "cut it"..... Not only because of feedback issues and picking up other background noise, but I found that the mic would eventually cut out completely. Perhaps the "Y" cable splitters have their uses for other applications, but definitely not for mic switching.

Last edited by Nightprowler (2008-10-04 11:01:42)

I agree, the EV 767a V.O.B. ... is the secret sauce... still my preferred hand held, dynamic, wireline mic.

I recently had the opportunity to use several mics, including the Heil PR22 and PR35, as well as an OM6 and 767a. In fact, over the past two months I was able to try the following mics on our band's system in a live setting: New SM58 (made in Mexico), Audix OM2,3,5,6, Sennheiser e935, e945, e965, Heil PR20, PR22, PR35, and EV 767a.

I sing lead in a 4-pc Irish/Celtic band and have what I'd consider a clear, high baritone/low-mid tenor voice, sort of Jackson Browne-ish, especially on the high end. In response to johnlight, I actually like the Heil mics a lot, including the PR20/22. Our band recently did three Christmas shows with Claire Lynch and I had the opportunity to use her PR35 since all the rehearsals were here at my house in a large unfinished upstairs room with our band's system set up. To me, the PR35 is probably a step up from the PR20/22 but not so much so to justify the price difference that I could hear. Claire uses hers with the atten switch in the mid position (flat), but for me, I had to use it in the left position (rolled-off). The 35 has nice warmth and clean highs with good presence, but had some sibilance issues that required both Claire and myself to use a foam windscreen (which she uses all the time).

I ended up buying a PR20 and love it for my voice. Nice presence, balance, warmth, and clean highs with good gain and GBF for our band. Sweet mic that requires very little EQ. I cut the channel lows and mids just a bit and it's pristine. However, I do have an issue with the handling noise since like many Irish bands, we're usually seated when performing and tend to stomp our feet when we get going. On hollow stages or stages that easily transmit sound, vibrations can travel up the mic stand and through the mic. I've spoken to Bob Heil and as soon as he returns from NAMM, he wants me to send it to him so he can update it with a PR22 element.

The PR35 is a great mic, but for my needs and vocal quality, the PR20/22 does just fine. The sibilance issue seems to be a bit less with the PR20 than the PR35. I can often use the PR20 with no foam screen, but couldn't with the PR35. Bear in mind that Claire has one of the best voices on the planet and will sound good through any mic and will be able to discern slight differences between mics. Myself, I'm an ok singer not on Claire's level and couldn't tell a whole lot of difference between the PR20/22 and the PR35. So I went the less expensive way and am happy with the decision.

My favorite(s) of all those tested....Sennheiser. Sennheisers fit my voice wonderfully and I ended up buying both the e935 and e945, as did the other singer in our band. After thorough testing through our JBL MR825 mains and Mackie c200 monitors, the two Senns were amazingly clear and present with exceptional balance, each possessing a slightly different character that we love...thus the reason for buying both. Some don't like the "Sennheiser high end" but we sure do. Both mics reproduce our voices the most accurate of any of the mics tested and are just amazingly clear and present. The highs are smooth, not shrill, and the bottom ends are also smooth, not boomy. Both provide excellent cut through the monitor mix. And it doesn't hurt that the area Senn rep lives just down the street and has been great in letting me try out different mics. Said he'd bring me a Neumann KMS105 this weekend to check out. Ah, once a salesman, always a salesman!

BTW, the e965 is wonderfully smooth (needed no EQ at all) and seems best suited for slow ballads where it really shines. When I got into our more rowdy stuff, it fell a bit short. It's almost too smooth for the rowdy stuff. The e935 and e945 can easily handle all of what we do with better response for the rowdy stuff.

I wasn't bowled over by any of the Audix mics, but did like the OM6 which had a nice smooth character but required more gain than the Senns or Heils. The OM6 just didn't have the "life" and presence of the Senns or Heils. Also, I've heard too many reports of questionable Audix quality, so passed on the Audix brand. Another thing I found (and later read about from other users), the Audix mics in general seemed to distort when pushed a bit. At first I thought it was the speakers, but they're fine. Pushing the Senns past the level of the Audix create no distortion at all. Crystal clear.

Contrary to most opinions on the 767a, I wasn't impressed at all. In fact, the 767a and SM58 were the worst of the group. I don't know if I got a bad one or what, but with EQ set flat, the high end of the 767a was WAAAYYY off the charts...VERY shrill and over-exaggerated. In order to tame it somewhat, I had to completely cut the 3.5kHz, 8kHz and 15kHz sliders on the mains EQ, AND completely turn the channel treble OFF. Even then we could still hear the highs...but better without the dog-calling shrillness. Cutting these frequencies just made it sound mid-rangy and generally unacceptable....especially after hearing the wonderful clarity and balance of the Senns and Heils. I unhooked the 767a, set the EQs flat again, plugged in the Senn e935 and BAM!...fantastic. Did the same with the Senn e945 and Heils, and all sounded great. Plugged the 767a back in, started singing and again, shrill, overdone and off the charts. Everyone in the band just shook their heads, pointed at the Senns and Heils, and said, "There ya go. Those are keepers. That EV is awful and sounds like a toy."

All this does is show that there's a mic for everyone, depending on their vocal qualities, equipment, type of music, etc. What works perfectly for one won't be a good fit at all for another. And as with any electronic product, you can get a bad one. I have a feeling I just got ahold of a rogue 767a since I can't imagine any mic being THAT out of whack on the high end. But I'm not really concerned since it was returned and I'm very pleased with the mics I'm now using.

DC
Kinvara band
www.myspace.com/kinvaraband

UPDATE 3/5/10
I recently got an OM7 and it's quite possibly the best mic I've used for my voice and what we do. Hey, I couldn't pass up Rat Sound's $149 price with full return policy. After reading that it's meant for loud, screaming bands and has low output requiring a very strong sound system, I was skeptical about it working with our Gigrac 1000 mixer. But it's great. I had to crank the channel vol a bit, but there's plenty of gain and this mic sounds great whether I'm singing soft ballads or yelling out parts of seafaring songs. It can handle anything I throw at it without distortion and has a strong character with nice balance. For me, the OM5 was too bright overall, and the OM6 was too flat. The OM7 is the best of both worlds with a nice crisp high end, excellent presence, and balanced low end. This mic exudes power, yet can handle the softer stuff with excellence. No, I've not been much of an Audix fan, but this mic has changed that view. Hopefully I won't run into quality issues a few other Audix users have experienced.

Last edited by Ballyshannon (2010-03-05 09:26:19)