Looking for a lav mic for a specific transmitter.

Chibs

Chibs

Active member
Hello all, and thanks for reading.

Normally we would hire sound equipment, but as we're traveling throughout Europe for a documentary, buying has become more cost effective. However, that does not mean we have a high budget. We'd like to keep the lav below 200$, second-hand.
We do have a transmitter / receiver set from Sony, a WRT-805. These work well, but are currently mic-less. They seem to use a standard 3.5mm Mini-jack but with a locking collar.
What lavs would fit this, and what should I be looking out for? I see Sennheiser MKE-2s for sale second hand every now and then, but what connector do these use?

Any advice is welcome.
With kind regards,
Mathijs.
 
Oscar Soundtech is producing lav mics which sound very good, do not break the bank, and can be ordered with any connector you want. I have become quite fond of their TR-50 clones.
 
gpforet said:
Oscar Soundtech is producing lav mics which sound very good, do not break the bank, and can be ordered with any connector you want. I have become quite fond of their TR-50 clones.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your response. I'm confused though (I'm not well aware of all technical details surrounding connectors), how does the mic get power if one chooses the minijack / 1/8 connector that Sony transmitters use?
 
You can order just about any lav to be wired for just about any wireless transmitter. The locking 1/8" (3.5mm) connector is becoming more popular these days, too.

As for power, the lav should be designed to operate on lower voltage that is supplied by the transmitter.
 
That's good to know and clears things up a bit. So these 4-pole connectors that I've been seeing on AT899s for example could easily be adapted to locking 1/8"?

How much power do these need? The transmitter only has a single 1,5v battery, is that enough to power them?
 
gpforet said:
Oscar Soundtech is producing lav mics which sound very good, do not break the bank, and can be ordered with any connector you want. I have become quite fond of their TR-50 clones.
Click to expand...

I second OST. Their service and support is as good as their product. I still find it hard to believe they offer quality lavs at this price and you still get to deal with human beings if something goes wrong.

gpforet - have you tried their TL-40? I like it very much. Not as small as a B6 but sounds quite good.
 
Chibs said:
That's good to know and clears things up a bit. So these 4-pole connectors that I've been seeing on AT899s for example could easily be adapted to locking 1/8"?
Click to expand...

If, by "adapted," you mean "cutting off the connector and soldering on a new one" then... yes. Unless you go with the RODE lav mic, which has an interchangeable connector system.

Chibs said:
How much power do these need? The transmitter only has a single 1,5v battery, is that enough to power them?
Click to expand...

Most every wireless transmitter is designed to power lav mics, and most every lav mic will run on that power supply with a properly-wired connector.
 
C2V said:
If, by "adapted," you mean "cutting off the connector and soldering on a new one" then... yes. Unless you go with the RODE lav mic, which has an interchangeable connector system.
Click to expand...

I have no problems doing this, but this may sound stupid; what would the fourth connector do that isn't possible to be converted to the 3-pole jack? Is it an extra ground? Will there be loss of audio quality in whatever way by re-wiring this?



C2V said:
Most every wireless transmitter is designed to power lav mics, and most every lav mic will run on that power supply with a properly-wired connector.
Click to expand...
That's good to know, thanks for your help.
 
Chibs said:
I have no problems doing this, but this may sound stupid; what would the fourth connector do that isn't possible to be converted to the 3-pole jack? Is it an extra ground? Will there be loss of audio quality in whatever way by re-wiring this?
Click to expand...

You need to read the wiring schematics for the individual lav and the transmitter. There are lots of different connectors used by different manufacturers for different wireless systems. Some use the 1/8" connector. Some use 4-pin. Some use TA3 or TA5. Not every pin may be used... and which pins do what may depend on the manufacturer of the transmitter, so you have to match the appropriate leads from the lav to the appropriate pins in the connector.

Or you can send the lav back to the manufacturer and as them to re-terminate it for ____ transmitter.
 
I'm afraid there's too little time to let the manufacturer re-wire it, sadly. Normally we'd have a month of pre-production left, but one of our main subjects will be leaving for a long period (Suddenly planned) within two weeks, and thus we have to make haste. I'm just a little worried that re-wiring this myself will result in quality loss, how much of an effect could this have, or is it not a problem?
 
The biggest challenge is soldering abnormally tiny contacts. As long as you solder cleanly, with no cross-wiring, and you get the schematics right, you should be okay. Perhaps there's a local authorized service center that can do it?

Though, unless I'm reading your original post incorrectly, it appears that you have not even purhcased a lav mic yet. So, check up on the Sony wiring scheme and see how it compares to the Sennheiser scheme used for their G2/G3 systems. If it's the same, you can get a used mic from a Sennheiser owner/user.

There are some $200-ish options that you can find new as well, and those can be ordered already terminated for whatever system you need. Take a look at the Countryman EMW ($165-ish). That's a great mic for a nice price.
 
In your price range, Oscar Soundtech is your best solution. Look at their website, pick the mic you want, contact them, they'll quote you price, and my guess is you'll have the mic with connector, in your hand by the middle of next week. They have worked with me on rush orders before and they are very responsive if you're serious.
 
Countryman has lower price range models also such as the EMW and B3. Call them direct and they will give you a speedy response.

Grant
 
A little more than $200, but a standard mic in any audio kit:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/736453-REG/Tram_TRTR50BSET_TR50_Omnidirectional_Lavalier.html

At $200, if you want a tube shaped mic:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...N_B3_Omnidirectional_Lavalier_Microphone.html

Under $200, a good mic that will work well:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._EMW_Omnidirectional_Lavalier_Microphone.html

All are wired for sony transmitters. Or you could go with an OST mic. The OST website doesn't give me a good vibe, so I've never bought one. Though with all the positive reviews I might need to take another look.
 
Thanks guys, these all seem like decent solutions to my problem, except there's one major "but": I don't live in America, I live in the Netherlands. Ordering from the US would be a gamble, if it gets stuck at customs, we're screwed. Sadly no one in the Netherlands seem to be stocking Oscar Soundtech mics, nor much of Countrymen (Except headsets or B6s). One store DOES have the Tram TR50 in stock, however, it's asking a little bit over the 230$ price from B&H: It asks 400 euros, which translated back to US dollars is 580$. Not well within my budget, sadly. The only low-budget lavaliers I see around here are Shure's, but these don't seem to be using the 3.5mm locking connector.
 
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