sennheiser e835 vs. shure 58

G

girlthatdrums

New member
a salesguy recently recommended the e835's to me, and told me he was switching over his entire pa rig from the shure's to the sennheisers. since i went to highschool with him, i figured he woudln't lie to me and i would purchase 2 of those instead of the shure's.

a pushy soundguy during a recent gig saw them and almost refused to do our sound with them, and said "just try the shure and then try the sennheiser. i guarantee you will like the shure better."

well, we humored him - and sorry, but i like the sennheisers better! it sounds more warm and full.

anyone else do this comparison? i'd be curious to hear the other industry standards it's been compared against...
 
Buy the E845 instead, this is the model that really shows up the SM58 for what it is (great in its day but should now be retired).
As for the sound guy, most of them could not tell a good sound from a poker up the arse.
 
gemsbok said:
isint the 845 senn. the sting model?
Click to expand...

No thats the E865 which is the model that I use for all of my live vocal work.

"Cave Dweller hey! i take offence to that sound guy comment, me being one and all."

I did say most, as I mainly do FOH sound I hope I am one of the good ones as well but maybe there is a "red hot poker" laying in wait for me as well
:eek:
 
First, I'm sorry a salesguy was pushy, and the idea that the jerk would tell you the truth because he went to school with you is bogus. However, he wasn't doing harm to you, because the Sennheiser e835 is a perfectly good entry level stage mic. I prefer it to Shure SM-57/58 for live vocal work. I agree that the whole line - 835, 845, 865, rock. Of what the sound man said, his information is dated, and comes with attitude for no good reason. He's not really familiar with those mics, or he wouldn't give you a load of crap. Whether you prefer the sound they make on your voice or not, they're perfectly good mics.-Richie
 
entry level?? :confused:

they were pretty expensive for entry level! ie, they're not Nady or Behringer, so....

Granted, they're not a Beta58, but considering they sound better than the 58 and for every club I've been to, that's what they're using, I don't really consider them entry level.

I actually really like that whole line of Sennheisers (the "e" series.) I've got the matching mics for my toms and put them above anything else I've recorded with.
 
The reason why the SM58 is universally used is because it's satisfactory about 80% of the time.

I gig as a sound tech about 3 to 5 times a week. and pretty much every time I reach for SM58's and 57's first. why? cause i know that i'm gonna get pretty good sounds most of the time.

I find the 835 works well on vocalists who eat the mic, cause it seems to roll off around 100hz, and it has a bit of a mid scoop, and crisp highend.

at any rate, the 835 is a great low priced vocal mic, as is the 845, which has a tighter pattern.
 
I like my E835 over my SM58, and I happen to be one of those guys that eats the mic. I will say, however, that the E835 is a little touchy with feedback as compared to the 58.
 
you know what, i never thought about that. my lead singer eats the mix as well. i used to use a 57 in a previous band but it sounded almost as if it was really really compressed. but she also ate the mic.

i actually get less feedback with the 835, even when run with no eq.

i guess to each his own.
 
actually i would say the 835 feedsback less than the sm58...but where the 835 feedsback is higher than a 58.

usually a 58 feedsback at 630/800 hz (or both) 1.6k, 2.5/3.15k sometimes 6k, sometimes 10k

835 feedsback more near 4k and 8 k...but that has to do with the better high frequency response
 
The Sennheisers are particularly good for female singers because it's that crucial top end that SM58s ignore altogether. I've done a couple of nights recently where a singer has been using a Shure and their voices have been missing something. The E845 or E835 has on both occasions helped their voices cut through and work in a less than ideal acoustic venue. Massive thumbs up to these mics from me!
 
Sound techs often refuse to, or are shy to use a person's mic because they are unfamiliar with it, or because they are very familiar with problems it will introduce in a particular room. That does not make it a bad mic.

The 58 is my favorite live vocal mic, because I know that every tech in the *universe is familiar with it, so I'll rarely sound like crap coming out of the PA, unless I sound like crap coming off the stage.

(* some techs in marglar may not be familiar with the 58)
 
You see, I disagree on the grounds that in most venues I think the 58 sounds like crap whatever you put through it. Obviously that's a difficult position to hold because so many people still trot out the 'industry standard' line. I have, in acoustic gigs, loved my voice through a 58, but in a full band mix it (and most other people's voices) just seem to go missing.
 
They're all good mics. I think it depends on the singer (mic technique, voice), type of music (if it's really loud punk or metal, you'll want a mic with a tighter pickup pattern so it picks up less stage noise), and the way the system is configured.
The only time I've ever had problems with bands bringing their own mic's when one band's singer had this beat up old 57 that just sounded awful, and another band had a Rat Shack mic that also sounded awful and had horrible feedback supression. In both situations, I replaced them with one of the house OM5's. But I always give them the benefit of the doubt at first, I don't shoot first and ask questions later.

One thing about the 835 is that it's pickup pattern is all over the place, same with the 58. The most even pattern I've seen so far is the Beta 58. This will result in better feedback supression.
 
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