Microphone Comparison Shure SM58, KSM9HS, KSM9, KSM8, Audix VX5, Heil PR35

[@The-Butler]

Awesome Sean, this is exactly what I was looking for. I am spending my day off auditioning microphones. I agree with most of the others, the KSM9HS has a very nice balanced range with a clear presence. It stands out compared to the others.

[@davidrhughes]

I listened several times before deciding the KSM9HS sub-cardioid had the most balanced and pleasing sound. This decision was before reading the previous reviews, and I was surprised how many were in agreement. I've been planning to buy the KSM9 but now I am reconsidering and might get the HS model after trying to find some more comparisons. Thanks for such a helpful video comparison.

[@seanychenav]

A lot of time the proximity effect can give an impression of roominess. Subcardioid pretty much removes the proximity effect, on a KSM9 dual condenser pickup, such a winning combination!

[@davidhoover2446]

Very excellent microphone. Earthworks also has an SR314 out that is new and worth comparing.

[@danreidy9684]

Thank you Sean, that was a great comparison, You are a really good singer, I have both the Shure Ksm9 hs and the Beta 87 with aprox 6 years, both excellent microphones in their own right, I find the Ksm9 less prone to feedback set at hc...I am now going to purchase sE Electronics V7, I tried their wireless version and found it excellent. Best Regards. Dan

[@arturpessoa8066]

Man this video is so helpful! What a great idea!!!! And I think most people love the sm58 capsule. But when it comes to a comparison between KSM9HS the sm58 seems to be trash although we know it`s the best in its category. I have one sm58 and when I`m recording something with it, just gives me a sensation of no shine dull sound. I always have to equalize the higher frequencies to give my the shine it needs. Wanna the ksm9hs. what a clear sound and the delivery od details.

[@seanychenav]

KSM9HS is arguably the best live microphone to date, by any manufacturer. SM58 became part of history with the invasion of live music since the 70's, not because it will remain the best mic, but it was at the right place at the right time.

[@arturpessoa8066]

@@seanychenav Yeah for sure. That’s what I think too. And comparing sm58 with mics from other brands it just kills the others until nowadays. So it’s also still one of the greatest mic in the world about the sound and its innovative body!!! I bow down!!

[@arturpessoa8066]

@@seanychenav Can I ask you a question? If you see in the video by Loren Allred singing “Never enough” and also her with pia toscano singing “Tell him” they’re using a mic that seems a QLDX or ULXD or AXIENT but the capsule seems to be the same as neumann capsule. I really tried my head off to find out what combination is this but I have no idea since I think capsules from other brands wouldn’t fit in bodies from others also Could you check it out and find what’s happening in here?🥴😂 in the following links: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3XUh6J3p55mZpo kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4ayoZ1obqelmKs

[@seanychenav]

@@arturpessoa8066 Ha! This one is tricky and took me a while to figure out. It's a Neumann KK 204 or KK 205 capsule with an Ambient Recording HHAII-S Handheld Microphone Adapter. What gave it away is a slightly lighter shade of black at the 1/4" ring region between the bottom of the capsule (indicated by Neumann label & logo) and the top of the Shure handheld transmitter.

[@arturpessoa8066]

@@seanychenav MANNN!! I’m Wowed! This is simply incredible. I’d never know that his combination would ever fit!!! It’s awesome. Gives me the future possibility to buy a shure handheld (Which I think is morr beautiful than sennheiser ew’s mics even though they are so beautiful also) and use any capsule from shure or sennheiser or the opposite. And it’s a choice by the taste of sound probably chosen by David foster, isn’t it?? I’m excited with this idea!! Thank you so much. You have a new subscriber!! Should do more videos about these contents!!!

[@geespar1]

‘I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone’s shadow........🎶🎵’ very useful and enjoyable comparison, thanks 😊

[@lefterhsk1]

Ksm8 sound best to me...its the smoothest-sweetest

[@lilbigboat]

Me too

[@krzysztofeko4]

for me it's sounds like the singer is behind some "foil"

[@garyporthouse383]

I have both Shure KSM9 and KSM9HS, When using the KSM9HS on Subcardioid in a Live Performance, I found it more suited to a Church Worship or possibly a Female Singer, In my Situation it removed The Air, Sibilance and Dynamics from The Performance, In this Situation it rises to the occassion because it is so clear and Well Balanced, But for Live I would stick with Cardioid, And I have gone back to The KSM9 on Cardioid.

[@Steven-bk3ye]

ksm9hs for me

[@x3BobO]

What a difference, this is exactly what I needed!

[@Eddie87Grant]

Sean did you work on the Carnival Cruise lines in 2012???

[@seanychenav]

I went on a Carnival Cruise about that time frame, as a customer. I don't "work" there. How about you?

[@Eddie87Grant]

@@seanychenav Thank you for your quick response and you have a great channel and I subscribed to it. I never worked there. There was a man who nearly fit your description doing karaoke on a ship in March 2012 boarding out of Puerto Rico. Just curious that's all. I'm looking for a mic that has a very little feedback due to small venues I do as a DJ because sometimes I have to be directly in front of my speakers. Even though it's on rare occasions I may sing or a guest my client has request to. Thank you.

[@seanychenav]

@@Eddie87Grant Audix OM2 has the best gain before feedback, out of all the microphones I've tested, which include most of the popular Shure and Sennheiser. OM2 has the tightest pattern (hyper-cardioid). If you hold the microphone upright so it points up instead of pointing back toward the speaker, it would help.

[@HubLocationSound]

Is that plosives we're hearing? Especially on the PR35.

[@seanychenav]

Yup my voice can be quite plosive when miked on-axis.

[@princesscharis]

KSM9HS is the best and most balanced, the others are muddy bassy, not flattering bassy, the KMS9HS with a preamp can be even more boomy but with clarity and already is bassy enough

[@FRIENDSKEEPER]

Ksm9HS is the best.. i think i know which one i should buy ,, thanks for the review😇🎤

[@angeloolegna1982]

Ksm 9

[@walteryhouse5880]

Make one using the hypercardioide

[@artv4692]

I'm recording in somewhat of a noisey studio room (fans and traffic) and was wondering if I should go with the KSM9HS over KSM9 for the hypercardioid pattern. Do you think this is a good idea or will the KSM9 suffice?

[@seanychenav]

Not sure... the KSM9HS picks up lots of sound from the forward direction. Maybe try to add a sound isolation guard all around to see if it helps.

[@davidhoover2446]

The PR-35 will provide the best isolation from these unwanted sounds and still sound really good. For the best sound quality, go with the new Earthworks SR314.

[@kenboi2733]

Which mic is best for karaoke? I neex a mic with low feedback and good in lows and highs with great clarity. Thanks.

[@seanychenav]

Hello, KSM8 is the best against feedback because its polar pattern is consistent through most requency range. Its high freq is not as sensitive as condenser microphone. KSM9HS sounds best when set to with subcardioid polar pattern, but much more prone to feedback with this setting. Audix VX5 sounds pretty clear across frequency range, and has tight supercardioid pattern for good feedback rejection. It may just suit your needs.

[@kenboi2733]

Thanks for a quick response. So, Audix VX5 has low, mid, and high, right?Now, I am thinking about getting wireless Audix VX5 system for my application. Thanks, again.

[@seanychenav]

VX5 should work well for your application. If you need just 1 wireless mic, AP41-VX5 would work well. If you need two or more mics simultaneously, AP42-VX5 dual system will be more cost effective and have cleaner multi-system setup.

[@kenboi2733]

I already have two wireless mic system installed. I would probably need one VX5 to complete my application so people coming over to sing can choose which mic fits his/her vocal. Do wired and wireless mics make a big difference? Thanks for your input, greatly appreciated.

[@seanychenav]

@@kenboi2733 Wireless has the convenience of not getting constrained to a wire. However, it comes with some sound quality loss and RF floor noise, unless it is high end digital wireless. The sound difference caused by going wireless, only you can decide if it is noticeable enough or not.

[@kenboi2733]

High end digital wireless like which brands and models? I have noticed a slight loss of sound quality from wired to wireless, but in karaoke application, the sound gets loud enough that the gap of difference gets slimmer in my ears. The cost between wired and wireless is hugh. In your honest opinion, do you think it's worth considering of buying the digital wireless system? I noticed singers love to grab my wireless mics much more often than my wired mics in my karaoke party. Thanks.

[@seanychenav]

@@kenboi2733 The Shure wireless I used in this comparison video is QLXD digital wireless system, and with a KSM9 capsule would cost you about $1500. I think it is not astronimical it if you would spend $600 for a wired KSM9 anyway.

[@davidhoover2446]

Great Test!!! I'm not sure how I stumbled on this, but people need to know this information. You highlighted something that took me many months of speaking to people and writing on forums to find out. What I found out is that the Audix VX5 and the Heil PR-35 are two brilliant microphones. I own them some of my own also, but I also use them live several times per week at my church where I work as an audio engineer. Besides slight plosives, they hold their own, in my opinion, agains some of the most expensive live vocal microphones out there. I use the VX5 and PR-35 interchangeably with the Neumann KMS-105, believe it or not. Each has a touch of difference that is good on different people. The second benefit of the PR-35 is that it sounds excellent on any kind of percussion. I mean, it is one of the best percussion mics especially for snare, toms, kick, djembe, etc. The VX5 is amazing on high hats or cymbals or instruments like flutes where you need a sweet condenser mic sound, but also isolation from the rest of the band. The KMS 105 may sound better, but it turns out on quieter instruments, the VX5 sound better because of how much bleed it rejects. The KMS 105 leads the pack on dynamic vocalists due to it's smooth buttery nature and slightly more consistent dynamics and high frequency extension that goes a little higher. But, I use the PR-35 and VX-5 all the time. I use the Neumann all the time on vocals only. These are winners that are a good price, but sound and act at a much higher price point. Thanks again this kind of information is hard to find and you picked a good comparison. I like that you included what I consider a lot of the similar microphones. There is also the widely popular Shure Beta87, but it has a harsh character. It is especially harsh when dynamics get loud.

[@seanychenav]

The Beta87 is a mystery to me in its performance in different setups. Wired version is hands down great! However, many Beta 87 capsules riding on cheap SLX wireless system sound simply horrible. When used on high end wireless transmitter like the UHF-R, it does sound good as well. Maybe it has to do with the preamp quality, that it is very sensitive to the preamp quality. Now I dnd't try to marry a KSM9-HS to a SLX wireless transmitter, but I'd image the result would be disappointing for a KSM9-HS.

[@davidhoover2446]

@@seanychenav SLX is terrible all around. The low end wireless Sennheizers stomp all over the low end wireless Shures. The Audix wireless, however, is pretty dang nice and cheap!!! I'd use the Audix VX5 wireless (61) on a budget if it were me.

[@seanychenav]

@@davidhoover2446 totally agreed! I think QLXD is where it's at, not that much more expensive than a medium grade analog, sound quality is top notched, just without all the bells and whistles.

[@rashadgasanov5094]

the best of the best ksm9

[@vitalm2664]

Hello. Will my QLXD Shure RPW 186 KSM9 / HS fit?

[@seanychenav]

That is the same combination I used. Should work for you.

[@vitalm2664]

Thanks for the answer. Another question? The difference between ksm 9 (+2 dB) and KSM 9 / HS (+3 dB) in output power. So the battery will be faster, right?

[@seanychenav]

@@vitalm2664 there are a lot of factors that influence power consumption, including sensitivity setting on the handset, how loud/often the mic is sung, how sensitive the capsule is... I have not found the battery life to vary noticeably from capsule to capsule.

[@vitalm2664]

@@seanychenav Thank. Is this a new development? I have not met this RPW186 marking before.

[@seanychenav]

@@vitalm2664 you can buy the transmitter and capsule separately.

[@brianstevens3800]

Need to point the microphone directly at your mouth, you are actually singing into the mic off axis. Should be perpendicular to your face.

[@seanychenav]

Yup, I got carried away singing with my eyes closed. It probably looks worse than it actually was due to camera angle...

[@MrJimmy2090]

can Shure just make something good??? None of it I like🤦🏻‍♂️ I think beta58 sounds better than all of then😝 ksm8 sounds horrible

[@seanychenav]

KSM8 is a specifically designed microphone for a specific purpose: consistent pick up pattern for nearly the entire frequency range. The sonic characteristics can be adjusted downstream to suit specific voicing needs. It doesn't sound good on my boomy voice, likewise the SM58. For boomy voice people like me, we need something that does not have excessive proximity effect to minimize the low frequency emphasis. Hence, KSM9HS works well for me. KSM9HS is very popular, not just because it's Shure, but because it sounds very good in many different live applications.

[@holmes1978]

SHURE KSM8

[@Dustedpages2]

They all sound the same

[@zachzawadzki5576]

Sean my man, this is quite literally the worst singing I have heard in my 15 years on this planet. My ears are currently bleeding, I am on my way to the hospital as I type this. Sean I would not be surprised if your wife left you at this point. Good mic tho!

[@seanychenav]

Thank you my friend. This goes to show that a terrible voice like mine can make great source for comparing various microphones to showcase the unique characters of each microphone. I am glad you have an early interest in pro audio at age of 15. Young man, a woman who would leave a man due to singing is not worth keeping. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Jesus loves you!

[@bromtarachow5528]

@sean chen I absolutely love you. You are an inspirational role model, the children of New York pray to you at night. Much love 💞

[@edgarin]

Go to therapy dude.