Headset mic?

mjbphotos

Moderator
Not for recording purposes, but you guys know everything!

Shopping around (no hurry) for an inexpensive headset mic that could be used for busking, with a battery operated amp that has XLR in, but no phantom power.
This Shure: Shure PGA31-TQG | Sweetwater looked promising, but its a condensor, so probably needs phantom (description does not say, but since its made for use with a wireless bodypack, assume that would supply 48v). All the headset mics seem to have funky connectors, too, mini-XLR like this one, or other things than XLR.
Any suggestions?
 
The headsets connect to the beltpack via mini XLR or similar.

The beltpacks deliver phantom power.

It is worth trying them out somehow. The cheaper headset mikes can sound pretty bad, and/or be prone to feedback.

However, good quality ones are not cheap.
 
That Shure gets pretty good reviews. So the only way to use it would be with the belt pack, which hopefully would have an audio out (XLR?) Not going wireless, as that's not what I'm looking for.
 
A few years back I was looking for a headset mic and I couldn't find a condenser that could be powered by a battery pack. Most all of the condenser types are 'electret' which uses a low voltage, similar to a mic you plug into a computer or video cam. The mic you're looking at appears to take 5vdc (nominal) which would be supplied by a wireless bodypack. I couldn't find any that would seem to use a battery pack which I don't understand as it would be ideal for what you want.

I ended up getting this Shure dynamic >>> Shure-WH20XLR . It works, but the amp needs a good amount of gain for it get any kind of volume. My Fishman Loudbox Mini doesn't have enough gain for this mic, but my Powerwerks PA-50 does.
If I had better knowledge of mics when I bought the Shure I might have gone with an AT Pro 8-HEX which has a higher output -55dB/PA vs the Shure at -67dB/PA. The AT's output is roughly the same as an SM57.

Sweetwater reviews on the AT PRO 8-HEX...
Audio-Technica PRO8HEx Dynamic Headset Mic with XLR Connector Reviews | Sweetwater

If you can find a shop that has some headset mics it might be worth taking the amp in and trying a few out. Or buy from Amazon with their easy return policy. For me I found I didn't like a headset mic all that much. If you sneeze, cough, or an inadvertent 'oh f%$k', it all would go to the audience, which might be avoided with a stand mounted mic where you can move away. The set I have isn't that comfortable wearing glasses either. I don't busk, but of busking videos I've watched it seems a lot use a mic on a stand.
 
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Thanks, Mark, that AT looks like the ticket. I'm just contemplating the busking thing for when I retire, and carrying an amp in one hand, guitar in the other means no 3rd and to carry a mic stand! My amp is a Mugig, had plenty of preamp for a 58, although its not a particularly loud amp.
 
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