Brand name is something like Macarden (I don't have the spec sheet with me right now).
It was a relatively inexpensive option purchased from a PA supplier. The 1st one broke because the pastor tried bending it to what he thought would be a better fit. The current one has developed what sounds like a make break contact fault (when he waves his arms about) except mic sound is never lost. I did wrap some tape around where the lead joins the mic which seemed to stop the noise for a couple of months but it's become noisy again. I realise these things are delicate and need careful handling. However I would like recommendations as to a replacement that might be a bit more robust please.
Avlex makes a decent Countryman E6 copy but it will not be as robust as the real thing.
I would look at the offerings from Countryman, Shure and DPA.
The price will stun you but the DPA d:fine is the class leader. Once you use one you won't go back.
I keep hearing from others that the DPA earset mic is so great but I recently heard at a church (before and after) where they changed to them for the speaking and I wasn't impressed. With that sound system all the flaws showed up worse then before. So just changing out a mic isn't necessarily going to be a cure all.
My complaint with all headset mics is they are usually too long for normal human beings. The capsule gets in front of the mouth because of this and you have all sorts of problems. I think the Countryman mics started this and I think he designed them for his head. A lot of the mics can be custom ordered at a shorted length but they should come stock in shorted lengths and by shorter I mean so on a normal head the capsule should land almost an inch back from the side of the mouth.
The type of mics like what I have seen like the DPA where the boom is adjustable is a nice feature. And for most churches that use these types of mics they are a better choice. But the design makes it a little bit more bulky then a plain old Countryman E6 and for a musical I can get away with an E6 most of the time, for the people I work with, but the sliding boom under the ear type wouldn't be acceptable.
As for the OP, Countryman would be the go to and DPA on the high end. You can email me for a quote if you need.
She says "aim for a quarter size spot just back from your mouth when you are smiling" and then she smiles and the mic capsule is at the corner of her mouth, not back from the corner of her mouth. The technique she is demonstrating doesn't shorten the length of these mics. I have seen that video before and I stick by everything I have said. I like Countryman mics and I would love to swap all of the ones that we have for the custom shorter version. But the cost would be prohibitive for us.
BTW my other complaint is for some usages I would like it if is there was an optional cable available between the standard 1mm and the optional 2mm. The 1mm is too thin and the 2mm is too thick. How about a 1.5mm cable.
My complaint with all headset mics is they are usually too long for normal human beings. The capsule gets in front of the mouth because of this and you have all sorts of problems.
The most successful headset mic our customers like is the Que Audio DA12DE.
Hands down the most comfortable...if the pastor won't wear it or feel confident it matters not how good it sounds. The version our clients like was initially sold as 'childs' now called 'petite' and while only offered in omni it's shorter length and closer proximity make it usable in 85% of applications.
Thanks for the recommendations, I have left some options with the Pastor and await his decision.
In the mean time I have done a sort of repair. Not a real repair as the the wiring is too fine and right at the point the lead exits the earpiece. The fault is still there. I would have liked to shore it up with heat shrink but the size needed to pass over the 5mm mic and slip down to the break would not shrink tightly enough onto the lead to prevent movement at the fault. Instead, I built up successive layers of SeamGrip glue to reinforce the lead and taper off its flex to be over a reasonable radius and not at the single point of the fault. If I force it, it will still pop but we used the mic today without any negative issues at all. So for now it looks to be a successful fix. It turned out pretty neat and unobtrusive if your wondering but I have had a lot of practice with this sort thing in other applications.
Still, I know the fault is lurking there and may show up again at any time, so I advised the Pastor that a replacement mic is needed as a fail-over strategy.
This Chinese mic is about A$80 or US$57 so I figure, the economics of a more expensive mic seems uncertain so I am unsure which way to go on it and have left it up to him.
Ask your dealer to get you a Que demo. We routinely supply @ 4 a year to visiting pastors who try it...love it..and wish to use it back home.