Pyle Dynamic Handheld Microphone With Pop Filter

Excelente micrófono, muy buen sonido, bastante similar al sm57 a decir verdad

I bought this microphone simply and almost only because of its great price hoping it would not break on me, distort any sounds or cause impairing feedback while on stage. As a starting musician, my budget was very low and my only posible income came directly from playing a few gigs as a local dive bar, which didn’t pay much, so when the time came to buy a microphone for my guitar amplifier my soul was set to buy a Shure SM-57 due to its undeniable reputation. However, I did not have $100 to spend solely on a microphone so as soon as I saw the Pyle-Pro PDMIC78 on my sugestions bar I was shocked to see a $10 option. I did not think twice about it as I pressed “Proceed to Checkout.”
Here is my opinion so far:

FIRST IMPRESSION:
The package came pretty quickly (under a week!) and is actually very neat (blue box with pictures and information written all over). First thing that you can see in the box is that the microphone is neatly and safely wrapped next to a cheap mic cable (XLR to 1/4″). To be fair, that cable stopped working after two years of severe abuse, which is not at all bad from a free cable that came with a $10 mic. The microphone itself closely resembles the praised SM-57 and is just as heavy. The PDMIC78 is made of metal (HEAVY metal, lol). Mine has been dropped several times from several heights and has not even dented; definitely great material.

SOUND:
In terms of how it sounds, it is possibly the closest I have ever heard to the actual SM-57 in this incredible price range!
Don’t get me wrong here, every microphone is different in some way and the quality of the SM-57 is not comparable to, say, an SM-7B, but as far as a $10 mic can go, the only defining difference between the PDMIC78 and the SM-57 is how much “gain” they capture. I’m not by any means a mic tech and have very basic to intermediate knowledge on how mics work, but when it comes to the mixer, the PDMIC78 requires about 3dB less in the gain control. Since I bought this microphone, its main use has been in front of an amp speaker. I use a considerably small amp (Blackstar HT-40) so my best bet is to mic up the speaker and set the controls however I need them to be. For a full two years the PDMIC78 has been the most reliable microphone in my rig, and I carry an SM-57 now to use the double-mic method.

CURRENT USE:
As mentioned above, I use the double-mic method on a 1×12″ speaker cabinet. I am a total sound snob and when I play, I NEED my sound to be as perfect as I can possible get it. Because of that I have chosen to use two microphones and a direct line. So my rig goes like this: I plug in Blackstar’s Emulated Out directly to the main console and use that as a basis for how I want to shape my tone, then I put the SM-57 directly towards the cone’s sweetspot (every speaker has a different one; mine happens to be a little bit off the center) at about two to three inches from the grill cloth. After I play a bit with the mix between the direct and the Shure, I place the PDMIC78 aimed towards the sweetspot at an angle of around a radian or so from the cloth and move it a little bit further away from the SM-57 so as to get a few more tones coming from directly around that sweetspot. When I mix in the three, the direct line is about 4-5dB lower than the mics and has about -3dB on the high frequencies. I boost the low end of the SM-57 a tad bit (depends on the room) and work the mid sections mostly with the Pyle. I’m not using the mics for specific frequencies or so, but I do target what they can do best in they’re position and compensate what they do worst.

OVERALL:
This mic has worked wonders in live and studio applications, and has earned an impressive reputation wherever it goes. Sound engineers and musicians alike have gotten speechless simply because of this microphone’s versatile performance and incredible adaptability. I know for sure this mic will be on my rig for years to come, even as a professional musician. For the price listed on Amazon.com, this is a steal. However, A review with only good things to say and no drawbacks isn’t a good review, it’s just advertising. I really wish Pyle-Pro ditched the cheap cable the mic brought and sent a small protective pouch to safely store the mic in. It doesn’t have to be leather (or whatever it is) like Shure makes them, but even a small canvas or microfiber pouch can help ease my mind when I put it inside a bag with clips and mics that could scratch it. Just a bit of help when it comes to caring for your product would be more than nice!

Thank you for reading this review; Happy Shopping!

TL:DR–Unbeatable for the price and an hour of your time to beef up the wires. Gave me a great recording at low volume in my apartment, way better than the used and bargain mics I already had. Feels solid, sounds good, will be buying more and recommending to anyone looking to record or amp live!

After reading the reviews and watching some youtube videos I jumped on this rediculous bargain and could not be happier! It IS NOT an SM57, but it is a great sounding dynamic instrument mic. As soon as I received the mic the rewire began. It really does have very, very thin cheesy wires in it. Probably 26ga or smaller, more insulation than conductor. I went to Lowes and picked up copper strand 16ga, a little bigger than I wanted and a little difficult to work into the housing of the mic during reassembly but I’m sure the increase in signal bandwidth was that much more beneficial. It’s a very simple 2 wire replacement using a small piece of scrap wire to ground pin 1 to the chassis screw and you’re done. The mic is balanced and can handle a larger current making it come to life. I’m not an electrical engineer so I can’t really say what the bullet point benefits are other than the signal isn’t choked by a narrow path anymore.

I didn’t even bother trying the mic as is because of the number and strength of positive reviews on the rewire, and they were right. I put this up to a Krank Rev Jr 1×12, midway from edge to cap using a Bugera G5 at 0.1w, full gain distrortion, quarter volume, and my Schecter C-1 in Drop C and the results were great using a Focusrite 18i20. I did have the gain at 3/4 to get -12db but I wasn’t able to hear any discoloration, only a full sounding, clear thrash and chug meddley of metal. I’m guessing having 16ga wire all the way around helped deliver the higher power signal with ease. But as I sit here and write this I wonder if the thin cheesy wire continues in the capsule or if the pins the wires are soldered to continue to the diaphram itself…curious.

At any rate, this mic is worth more than what it costs if you take the time and effort to beef up the power delivery. Much like car audio too small of wire will choke your system and strain it, but after a certain point larger wire is no benefit. You can get a soldering iron for 10 dollars at some major retailers and it will come the solder wire. Watch a few youtube videos and take your time. Even with all that considered, you’ve saved time and money over an SM57. Because, how many hours do you have to work to pay off an SM57? How about a $15 mic, possibly a $10 iron, and an hour of your time? Think about it if you’re serious but skeptical. I was, but now I’m going to buy a few more for general purposes in recording live bands!

Reviews were fairly good on this mic, and took a chance. Good weight and feel to the mic, feels professional. Immediately it’s clear and transparent, I’ve read reviews that said bright or harsh. Through my old analogue Yamaha board it sounded warm and pleasant. Handling noise is tolerable, but definitely not quiet, definitely a difference between this and a Shure 57 that way. A/B’ed this one with my Shure 48 and found it to be very similar, I thought the Shure was brighter actually, the boys in the band said this one sounded clearer. For 17 bucks, I’m thrilled with the mic, we plan on buying a couple more as back ups and drum mics. I’ll likely grab a second one for small gigs I do as well. No idea how it will hold up long term but I will update.