Heil PR40 vs Shure SM7B

[Matt Casillas]

. . . . . . .

[andrewzarian]

Both are good mics. Have you looked into the RE20/27 ?

[Matt Casillas]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[Matt Casillas]

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]

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.

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.