Headset mics: two questions

[claz]

Hello, I have two related questions regarding headset mics -- for singing, I should specify.

The first: EQ. My understanding is that omni headsets take a fair bit of EQing. Yet most frequency plots I've seen for these are fairly flat. Does this imply that there are rules of thumb here that will apply across brands/models? If so, would anyone with experience care to share what to look for in EQing headset vocals?

The second: DPA vs. the world. DPA seems to be the industry leader here, with prices to match. Leaving aside mounting hardware, is there a sonic component to this? For example, will these DPAs be more malleable with respect to the aforementioned EQ than others (say, avoiding resonances)? As a concrete comparison, I have my eye on an Audio Technica BP892x, and specs/plot seem comparable, so I'm trying to understand what, if anything, I'd be sacrificing.

Thanks for thoughts,
Claz

[MOF]

Omni microphones will have a flatter frequency response since there’s no proximity effect that you get with a cardioid pattern.
I can’t help you with choice of other brands, DPA have a long history of development and they’re used by theatre companies etc for their rugged build, resistance to sweat and sound quality but as you say they come at a price.

[Hugh Robjohns]

DPA are the industry leaders for good reason, but there are other manufacturers that produce more affordable mics that work perfectly well in many applications. Audio Technica make good gear.

As for EQ, the mics are nominally flat, but their placement on the head or body affects the tonality they capture quite dramatically, with different positions leading to over or under emphasis of different frequency regions.

Consequently, it is necessary to create the inverse EQ curve to give a neutrally balanced overall sound.

There's some good information on the mics response in different locations here:

https://www.dpamicrophones.com/mic-univ ... -the-voice

[Luke W]

I've done a decent amount of work with DPA headsets and they do sound brilliant, but as already mentioned, their construction and stability is also a large factor in their popularity. I've used them mainly for musical theatre, and chose them after a number of other options had ruined some potentially wonderful moments for people!

If you're strapping them to dancers and hoping for the best then they need to be up to the job physically, but there are plenty of applications where lots of other options will do exactly what's needed.

There are lots to choose from, but Audio Technica, Sennheiser, and Shure all spring to mind.