Lav mics: which one is "good enough"?

Mister Big

Mister Big

Well-known member
Hi I'm looking for a lav mic to add to my Sennheisser ME66, mostly to do standup exterior interviews and interior interviews.

You guessed it, I don't have a big budget.

There seem to be lots of levels of equipment -- too cheap to be useful, barely adequate, acceptable, good enough, good, awesome, top drawer, then penultimate.

I'm looking for good enough to be used professionally, but not so cheap that I'm just going to go out and buy what I should have bought all along.

Please share your experience and wisdom.
 
Top drawer in lavs is quite cheap as compared to top drawer in shotguns. Look at the Countryman EMW, it's a superb lavaliere and costs around $180.
 
you read my thoughts :-)

shelved vertion

the foam which comes with the mike is not so good , usially die quit fast
for outside use you need something better , the lectrosonics one can work very well if you dont hide the mike
 
Barry_Green said:
Top drawer in lavs is quite cheap as compared to top drawer in shotguns. Look at the Countryman EMW, it's a superb lavaliere and costs around $180.
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I hear REALLY good things about the Countryman B3 and B6. How does this compare to the EMW? Also, I hear a lot of people use the Sennheiser G2 units. How does this compare to the Countryman line? I am not a big fan of the ME-66. So, its sort of made me steer clear of the Sennheiser brand in general when I have another option. Yeah, I know...brand disloyalty isn't always a good thing. But, I hate SONY too. They have THE best design department it seems of any electrical company. But there is always one glaring flaw that reels it's ugly head just 1 month after the warranty is up...but I digress....back to the lav topic.....
 
rlm7189 said:
I hear REALLY good things about the Countryman B3 and B6. How does this compare to the EMW? Also, I hear a lot of people use the Sennheiser G2 units. How does this compare to the Countryman line? I am not a big fan of the ME-66. So, its sort of made me steer clear of the Sennheiser brand in general when I have another option. Yeah, I know...brand disloyalty isn't always a good thing. But, I hate SONY too. They have THE best design department it seems of any electrical company. But there is always one glaring flaw that reels it's ugly head just 1 month after the warranty is up...but I digress....back to the lav topic.....
Click to expand...
the b-3 less open sounding mike ( imo) , much harder for hiding , suffering more from rustling
the b-6 sounds very good - the smallest in the market , full water proof , can work outside the clothes with different color caps
suffer badly from wind
the g-2 is transmitter- not a microphone
 
Thanks for your suggestion, Barry and Exile. $180 is just within budget. Glad to do it right and do it once.
 
One more quick question -- I buy this thing, then just connect it to an XLR cable which runs to the camera, correct?
 
Thanks. I think I've got all the advice I need. So many switches to remember to turn on. I hope this mic goes to "11" in the Spinal Tap tradition. Unfortunately, I can't record in "Dublin".
 
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