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View Full Version : Heil PR40 vs Shure SM7B



Matt Casillas
05-16-2012, 06:59 PM
. . . . . . .

andrewzarian
05-16-2012, 07:01 PM
Both are good mics. Have you looked into the RE20/27 ?

Matt Casillas
05-16-2012, 08:06 PM
Yes I have looked into both the RE20 and RE27. Still looking for some good deals online with one of the two. If I do find any deals I will most likely grab one of those two.

Spencer Kobren
05-17-2012, 07:12 AM
I don’t think you can go wrong with either mic, however there are some avid mic enthusiasts who aren’t big fans of the ShureSM7B. Personally I think it’s a a very good mic for a good price.

I have RE20’s in my studio and think you’ll be hard pressed to find better sounding mics, but I’m a little bias I guess.:)

BradShoemaker
05-17-2012, 11:06 AM
RE20's are what I have used all my life in the radio studio, but I think I am going to go with the Shure SM7B based on the way it sounds and the price. It is a better mic than what the naysayers think.

Personally I am not a fan of the PR40. I mean its an okay mic, but I would rather use the 7B or the RE20.

mcphillips
05-17-2012, 12:10 PM
You need to determine which mic sounds best on your voice. No one here can tell you that. Find someone who has the mics you're considering, and give that a go. Be sure to try the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB as part of your tests. You may be surprised.

It's too bad this group was not created sooner. You SM7B lovers could have had a great deal on a couple of them as I sold my two for dirt cheap to a recording engineer in the Netherlands. To my ears, they don't sound any better than an SM57 with an A2WS windscreen.

Your mileage may vary.

BradShoemaker
05-17-2012, 12:48 PM
You need to determine which mic sounds best on your voice. No one here can tell you that. Find someone who has the mics you're considering, and give that a go. Be sure to try the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB as part of your tests. You may be surprised.


Absolutely agree with this statement.



It's too bad this group was not created sooner. You SM7B lovers could have had a great deal on a couple of them as I sold my two for dirt cheap to a recording engineer in the Netherlands. To my ears, they don't sound any better than an SM57 with an A2WS windscreen.


That would've been nice.

TomSinclair
05-17-2012, 01:56 PM
So, what else do you have lying around that we might like, Mike?

Matt Casillas
05-17-2012, 03:43 PM
Thanks for your input!

Matt Casillas
05-17-2012, 03:45 PM
I don’t think you can go wrong with either mic, however there are some avid mic enthusiasts who aren’t big fans of the ShureSM7B. Personally I think it’s a a very good mic for a good price.

I have RE20’s in my studio and think you’ll be hard pressed to find better sounding mics, but I’m a little bias I guess.:)

Thank you Spencer. I need to find some bundle deals with the RE20 that comes with the shockmount,boom, etc.

mcphillips
05-17-2012, 04:30 PM
Thanks your input! I am not a big fan of USB mics, especially because of the fact I can't use it with my board. Thank you very much though! I will see if I can test the mics somehow. Maybe Guitar Center if they will put them on display.

The Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB is XLR and USB. It works equally well in both modes and even in both modes at the same time. It's $52 US. If I were you, I'd buy it and put the money you save on some other equipment.

mcphillips
05-17-2012, 04:31 PM
So, what else do you have lying around that we might like, Mike?

I collect microphones. It's unusual for me to sell one, but the SM7s just didn't work for me. I have a bunch of SM57s and SM58s, so I sold the SM7s.

andrewzarian
05-17-2012, 07:50 PM
Mike What was it about the SM7 that you didnt like ? anything specific stand out. You really know your stuff when it comes to Mics and Audio so I would love to hear why the SM7 didnt do it for you

mcphillips
05-17-2012, 08:44 PM
Andrew, what stuck out about it was NOTHING. It's an okay microphone with a great windscreen and stand mount, but the sound is no better than an SM58, to my ears. The ATR2100-USB connected via XLR sounds better.

On an aside, Shure is not the company they used to be. In the old days, you could get mics repaired or rebuilt for a reasonable price for many years after they were discontinued. Now, if the mic is no longer made, you're out of luck. There are mics that have been around for 65 years (Neumann U47). It's really sad when they can't be repaired.

There are some people who love the SM7B. It doesn't impress me. I sold mine to buy another PR40.

There are some simple guidelines to buying microphones that I recommend:

1) If you want a mic with low proximity effect (bass boost), get an RE20.

2) If you want a mic with high proximity effect, get a PR40.

3) If you want a good mic for little money, get the Audio Technica ATR2100-USB.

There are quite a few other very nice mics, but their effectiveness depends on the speaker's voice. The Sennheiser MKH416 works on very few voices, but ones on which it works are pure magic.

Dale Van Horn on an MKH416 with no EQ or compression - recorded in my bedroom (http://soundcloud.com/mcphillips/final3).

The solution is to try a mic before you buy it. Mics can be expensive. There's no need to waste money. If you don't have the pipes, a PR40 is not going to make you into Leo Laporte.

brianmonroe
06-27-2012, 07:42 AM
mcphillips,

Really well said. There are way to many people that want to be Leo Laporte and so they get the PR40 thinking it will somehow magically change their voice along with give them the success that Leo has had. I do think that way to many IBers get caught up in purchasing expensive hardware before they have any good content or a listener base.

mcphillips
06-27-2012, 07:48 AM
Thanks, Brian. Did you click on the Dale Van Horn link?

brianmonroe
06-27-2012, 07:55 AM
Thanks, Brian. Did you click on the Dale Van Horn link?

Sorry no. Can you post the link or PM it to me?

mcphillips
06-27-2012, 08:01 AM
Look in my 5/17 post above:

"Dale Van Horn on an MKH416 with no EQ or compression - recorded in my bedroom"

brianmonroe
06-27-2012, 08:14 AM
mcphillips,

Ahh. Yes. Got it. Listened to. That was great! Really well done. Really smooth. I totally agree that mic sounds great for Dale Van Horn.

Matt Casillas
06-27-2012, 12:19 PM
mcphillips,

Really well said. There are way to many people that want to be Leo Laporte and so they get the PR40 thinking it will somehow magically change their voice along with give them the success that Leo has had. I do think that way to many IBers get caught up in purchasing expensive hardware before they have any good content or a listener base.

Agreed.. Many people have done that just because Leo Laporte uses it. I was interested in the PR40 because many people have though of it has a unique mic, especially for a fairly reasonable price. In the long end I did choose the SM7B over the PR40. Sooner or later I will try out the PR40. Thanks Mike, Andrew, Spencer, and anyone else who gave their opinion on which mic they prefer! Much appreciated!

Linuxcooldude
07-11-2012, 03:50 PM
After doing exhausting research I finally decided on the SM7B. The PR40, from what I remember, uses a larger mic element that picks up more frequencies that gets more of an enhanced sound. The SM7B has more of a flatter response. Its funny, but when I last talked to Bob Heil is was wondering why I was using such an out dated mic!

andrewzarian
07-12-2012, 08:21 AM
I think it comes down to what works for you. your environment and voice play a huge part when it comes to selecting the right mic.

TommySulivan
10-06-2013, 12:56 PM
I really like the PR40