Heil PR40 vs. Shure SM7

[WhiteStrat]

Some folks seem to hate these invitations to compare, others seem to thrive on them. I’ll try to provide enough info to help those who like them, and not tick off those who don’t.

I was impressed by the number of times I saw the SM7 described as a “desert island” mic—the one to keep if you could only keep one. But then I saw the Heil PR40 spoken of just as favorably. As they seem similar, I don’t think I want one of each (yet!).

The first priority with this mic purchase will be male vocals. (Through both colored and fairly neutral pres for what it’s worth.) If one of them is clearly better (better is subjective—so I know I’m just weighing opinions here) at male vocals than the other, then I’d go with that one.

But if they’re very similar in that regard, whichever could add more usable flavors to my mic locker for other tasks would win. After mail vocals would be micing a guitar amp. I’m getting good results with my Unidyne/57 and sometimes my 609, but another another usable mic for the amp is always welcome.

Anyone have experience with either—or better yet, both?

 

[Jonk]

They're not similar at all to my ears.

The PR40 is bright for a dynamic, not condensor bright but crisp. It can also pick up some really low frequencies which is why people like it on kick drum.

The SM7 is darker and smoother to my ears, by a long shot. It's almost impossible to get a plosive when using it. It's like a pillow. It's also good on low end instruments like kick drum and bass amp, and anything that is too bright. But it needs a lot of gain. The PR40 needs less gain. It's more at the level of an SM57 or a little less.

I like and use the SM7 more, and you might be able to use it for everything, but I think you'd need some really good eq later down the road as tracks build up. I wouldn't really want it to be my desert island mic, because I think I'd get tired of having such dark, (and possibly muddy if I didn't watch it) mixes.
So, I'd probably pick the PR40 for a desert island mic first because it's more neutral. But I do like the SM7 more. It's just cooler, especially for spitty, annoying vocals like mine.

If I could pick two mics they would probably be an SM7 and some rediculously awesome condensor like a U67, M49, or U47, just because.

But I like the PR40. I had it on kick drum yesterday and it was killer there. I need to give it a little more of a shot concerning acoustic instruments.

 

[kidvybes]

...frankly, it's a toss-up where these two (excellent) mics are concerned...the SM7 is legendary...every pro studio has one or more...for that big "in your face" vocal, it's great!...classic dynamic sound..."warm" "smooth" "phat" are some of the terms used to describe the SM7...it was originally designed as a broadcast mic of course...

...on the other hand, the PR40 is a new breed of dynamic...voiced to sound more like a condenser mic while still maintaining the classic characteristics of a dynamic...in my experience, the PR40 is a bit more detailed sounding with a somewhat pronounced bass response...a bit more "airy" than the SM7 (much like a condenser mic)...great on voice as well as instrument micing...

...when I'm tracking a male vocal, the SM7 is my first choice, due to the fact that my studio does not have sufficient sound treatment...if I don't like the SM7 on a particular voice, I then put up the PR40 (before going straight to a good condenser mic)...generally one of the two will suit the bill in combination with one of my preamps (Neve 1290 for colored sound, and Amek/Neve 9098 for clean sound)...

...I do prefer the PR40 for live gigs over the SM7, due to it's airy presence...sounds great over a quality PA...

...my advise is to try the SM7 first...it will always hold it's value, and you will never regret owning one (if you're serious about recording)...but the PR40 is a great way to expand the range of your "dynamic options"...similar but different...kinda bridges the gap between dynamic and condenser...they're both keepers IMHO, but there's so much history behind the SM7 that it gets extra props just on that basis alone...time will tell if the PR40 can write it's own history, but with Bob Heil's rep behind it, odds are it will rise to the occasion...

...and there's another mic that about to be released that promises similar "voicing"...that would be KEL Audio's new HM2D...a condenser mic voiced to sound like a big fat dynamic:
http://www.kelaudio.com/hm2d.html
...anxious to hear that one

 

[Drakaland]

Sorry if this question is silly, but how would either of these mics hold up against Thom Yorke styled vocals if that makes any sense? I have an AT4040 on order but I've been considering the SM7b as well, although I'm not interested in something too dark. I love the sound Radiohead has on their new album In Rainbows. Yorkes vocals are very warm and present.

 

[pohaku]

I actually don't think of the SM7 as dark. I think it is quite neutral, but compared to a lot of modern mics that have a bit of a lift (the modern trend), it may seem darker.

I have two of them (original SM7s) and they get used more than any other mic I own. Initially I was quite surprised by that. But my first SM7 kept getting chosen for both male and female vocals over other mics I had including AT-4050, GT MD1a, GT MD3, Neumann Gefell M582h, Beyer M500, Beyer M88, Sennheiser MD541, Beyer M834, AT-4054, Audix VX-10, AKG C414 and, most recently an AEA R84. Granted the rejected mics aren't U-47s, but they aren't too shabby either. Not only was it getting chosen for vocals, but it was also being picked for cabs, bass, toms, acoustic guitar and about anything else people wanted to record. As a result, I ended up buying a second one.

Most of the stuff I work with is Americana (a broad genre, I know), so I can't make claims for how it works for metal or rap, but there appear to be plenty of other recording artists out there in different genres that are using it. If you listen to Tim O'Reagan's (Jayhawks' drummer) recent solo album, all the vocals and most of the instruments were recorded using my SM7 ( the kick was my Audix D6 and I can't remember what was used on snare).

I can't speak specifically to the Heil mic as I've never used one, although I do notice that some people apparently like the PR30 better than the PR40, so there isn't unanimity that the PR40 is the pick of the litter among Heils. It is an intriguing mic and I've considered getting one for quite a while (like I need another mic at this point, I just bought a Gefell PM860 off of e-bay this morning and I have 3 mics coming from Chance's Great Mic Group Buy).

If I were buying a mic now, I think I'd start with an SM7 because it has an established track record as an excellent and broadly usable mic, and then add from there. If you ultimately decide you like something better, it would be easy to resell for virtually what you paid for it (assuming you got one for a good price initially). I paid $200 each for my SM7s and I'm sure I could get more than that if I sold them at this point. Not going to happen though

 

[WhiteStrat]

Thanks for the replies everybody.

Jonk - killer descriptions, you did a great job of putting sounds into words.

kidvybes - your scenario sounds like what I'm going for--and thanks for the tip on the KEL. That does look interesting.

pohaku - that's a lot of mics the SM7 is beating out. Makes me confident I'd find good use for it!

The consensus seems to go with my original gut feeling--I'll go with the SM7. And then if I really feel like I need another (right pohaku? I've got six coming from Chance), I'll check out the Heil's a little closer.

 

[cavedog101]

The big difference will come with your preamps' abilities with higher gain and noise. You will have to drive them for the SM7. Not so much with the Heil. The Heil is a very quiet mic and as has been said, demonstrates the voicings of a condenser. It is a superb kik drum mic as well as bass cabinet, guitar cabs, all forms of percussion, as well as vocals. I LOVED my SM7.....had one for years....sad story there about that sale!...nevermind....anyway, You cannot go wrong with either mic and it occurs to me that if more small studios looked at this kind of mic selection realistically, the sales of cheap condensers would taper off a touch and the satisfaction levels would go up amoungst these users.


My choice as of today would be the Heil as it has a much more complete sound pallette than the Shure.

 

[soundchaser59]

I'd look at the PR30 also. If you are after the characteristics of a large diaphragm dynamic, the PR30 has a slightly larger diaphragm than the PR40, but it depends what you want to use it on. If I were going to stick it in front of a guitar cab, I'd use the PR30.

Oddly, another large diaphragm dynamic that is useful for many things (except not for vocals) and has surprisingly clear and honest sound is the EV ND868. It's not just for kick drums any more.

But the SM7 and the RE20 (and the MD421, I suppose) are the ones to beat in this category.

 

[WhiteStrat]

Thanks to the advice I got here (not that it was hard to convince me to buy more) I pulled the trigger and got the SM7B.

The funny thing was, the day it came in, I got a voice over job for work. It's funny because I'm a web designer/developer. Folks here just know I have the sound gear, and they needed a rough voice over to set up timing for a new video trailer.

So I took the script and recorded it through an MXL (V63 I think?), a new CAD M177 and the SM7. The SM7 was the clear winner.

The sound was very present & "in your face." And what they say is true--the dynamic manages a less than perfect room quite nicely.

I'm looking forward to trying it out on some real vocal tracks soon.