Heil

Heil PR-781 Dynamic Mic Review / Test

Today we look at an Amateur Radio microphone and see if it will work for any other applications. The microphone, is the Heil PR-781.

For this review, I have the mic connected directly to the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2nd gen, with the gain set at ~1:30 - 2:00. I have done no post processing on the audio, it is all raw, but the audio was slightly boosted in final cut pro X to simply make the audio easier to listen to.

If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $185.00 on Amazon

What's In the Box

  1. Microphone

  2. Microphone Mount

  3. 5/8 to 3/8" stand adapter

  4. Documentation

Specifications

  1. Frequency Response: 50Hz - 16kHz

  2. Polar Pattern: Cardioid

  3. Sensitivity: ~-55dB

  4. Impedance: 600-ohms

Performance / Features

The build quality of this mic is excellent. It is an all metal construction with a metal grill. It feels like it can take a beating or two, so I'd venture to say that this will last years in your Ham Shack.

The frequency response is listed as 50Hz - 16kHz, but no frequency response graph was provided. From listening to the mic it's abundantly clear that there is a drastic treble boost which gives this thing a large amount of clarity. It also over powers any low end of this microphone making it sounds harsh at times.

The overall performance of this mic is hard to judge. On everything I threw at this mic, I just kept thinking  "there's too much clarity". It was so bright and clear that it began to sound unnatural to my ears at times, and it also became shrill at other times. Being that I am not a Ham Radio operator, and know little of the topic, I cannot speak to the microphone requirements, but I believe that's what this microphone was actually designed for. 

Pros

  • Great build quality

  • Very very very very clear

Cons

  • The treble boost on this thing leads to shrill tone

Conclusion

I cannot recommend this microphone for the majority of applications due to the hyper-bright tone of it. I don't think it accomplished anything well on the electric guitar, acoustic guitar, singing vocals, or on HD vocals. I imagine the over bright tone is meant to assist in transmitting higher frequencies over Ham Radios. Being that digital audio captures all that sound without having to overcome the inherent shorter travel of higher frequencies, it just does not seem to translate well. 

If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them on the youtube video, and I will try to reply ASAP. 

Buy the Heil PR781G
US: https://amzn.to/2slq2CS
UK: https://amzn.to/2J3THGR
CA: https://amzn.to/2kIwP5z
DE: https://amzn.to/2LKtAXj

Buy the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen)
US: http://amzn.to/2vDFbzK 
UK: http://amzn.to/2w8O2f6 
CA: http://amzn.to/2wKGKfG 
DE: http://amzn.to/2hbtxsV