In praise of the Behringer XM8500 Microphone

[Lerb21]

To preface...

I've played 9 gigs in the past 2 weeks. My Dad and I normally use SM58's for our vocals. I'm the lead guitarist, so I generally sing less than my Dad who plays rhythm guitar and sings harmony all night long. We both have voices that are fairly high (in comparison, at least, to our lead vocalist, as this is a Johnny Cash Tribute Band).

As long as we've had the 58's we've had troubles with our vocals being muddy, not getting enough volume, and lacking proximity.

At one of the gigs, our bass player decided he wanted to sing backup (he's a pretty good vocalist), so I set him up an XM8500 microphone that I had got years and years back when I bought a Behringer PA package. His vocals sounded excellent. I decided I would give the microphones a shot, as I'd never used them for vocals before because I thought they were crap.

They've made a world of difference. Our vocals are crisp and clear without having to EQ them to any great extent, unlike the 58's. It makes me sound like how I want to sound. They're really great for switching back and forth between harmony and lead vocals, because you can gradually sweep into the microphone and find a spot where your harmony is the right volume with ease. The 58's always seemed to be all or nothing.

I'm honestly amazed that a 25 dollar microphone makes me sound better than a 100 dollar one. It's brought me a lot more confidence as a vocalist, and actually makes me want to sing because I enjoy hearing my voice through the microphone, which is something the 58 never didn't.

So, call me what you will, but I'm gonna buy a few more of these suckers. They really do a great job, at least for the stuff that I'm doing, and for my voice in particular.

[hemingway]

My only experience of Behringer is the blues OD pedal, the praises of which I have been singing to all and sundry. But it seems people are just snobby about the name and the price.

[Mid Life Crisis]

Funny that - the other night at practice my co-singer forgot his SM58 so he borrowed one of my cheapo Wharefdale Pro mikes (£15 for three at a guitar show a couple of years ago). Sounded clear as a bell and every bit as good as the SM58, if not better.

[Dave_O]

Paint a target on your back and wait for the sniping, Clint...

I'm with you, mate.
I've been using gear from the Big B (mixers, bass amp, studio monitors, mic pre-amp and mics) for quite a few years now, and have had no problems and no issues.

What.
So.
Freakin'.
Ever.

The mics are a particular eye-opener.
When I bought a little Yamaha PA package, I bought a 3 pack of Behringer mics (in a carry case, no less) for less than the price of one JTS-branded SM58.
Or around 1/2 the price of one Mexican-made Shure-branded 58.

And these little babies sound -- TO ME --:
1) as good as the Shure-branded 58's I've paid good $$$ for, and
2) better than the JTS-branded 58's.

Revel in your naughtiness, my friend...

[Warren Pederson]

No microphone. No microphone, under $150 sounds as good with less feedback than the Behringer 8500. I have couple SM58's and an SM57 and we unamously PREFER the Behringer. They are $29 in a sturdy case. They sound clear, rich, and full.

[bender-freak]

No experience with their mics, as I'm not a singer, just a picker. But I DO have two Behringer Echo Machine stomps and 2 of their Compressor stomps in two seperate pedal boards along with tuners. I also have 2 Boss DD3's and Boss CS3 Compression stomps that were replaced by the Behringers because they "just didn't sound right" somehow, nothing wrong with them but they just sounded "muddy". The Behringer pedals sound better, MUCH more "clear" and focused. I don't care if they are plastic, or an import.

I have some high end Teles, Gretsches, etc. guitars and also some Squier Teles and Artcore jazz boxes. The Squiers and Artcores get a LOT more action than the others.

It could be I don't worry too much about dinging them up and I just play them.

Anyway, I ain't a "label snob" and the Behringer stuff works just fine for my needs. Haven't tried one of their amps but sure I will some day.

[TheGoodTexan]

I own a handful of Behringer products, including two effects pedals, two specific instrument DIs (bass and acoustic guitar), a tuner pedal, and some mics (not sure which ones).

The sound quality on all of them is generally between good and great. There is nothing poor about the SQ.

The problem I do have with them is durability. Within 4 months of using the DI boxes a few times a week, they both began to develop a propensity to pickup RF interference. Upon further investigation, the input jack on both of them was starting to become "unseated" from the circuit board it was mounted to.

The pedals sound good. But they don't always shift from on/off when you press on them.

[bender-freak]

Originally Posted by TheGoodTexan

I own a handful of Behringer products, including two effects pedals, two specific instrument DIs (bass and acoustic guitar), a tuner pedal, and some mics (not sure which ones).

The sound quality on all of them is generally between good and great. There is nothing poor about the SQ.

The problem I do have with them is durability. Within 4 months of using the DI boxes a few times a week, they both began to develop a propensity to pickup RF interference. Upon further investigation, the input jack on both of them was starting to become "unseated" from the circuit board it was mounted to.

The pedals sound good. But they don't always shift from on/off when you press on them.

But for my uses, the Compressor stays on never off or switched back and forth. I always have a "touch" of delay going so I never put a foot to the EM600, either.

I'm sure if I "switched" back and forth then plastic casings would end up a problem.

But for my uses...turn on, leave on, so far they've held up just fine......is there an emoticon for "crossed fingers for luck"???

[DrumBob]

I have to agree that SM-58s have been sounding muddy as hell lately. What was once the standard of the industry has fallen by the wayside. I had two 58s recently, both of which were terrible. I finally tried a Beta 58 and then bought one. Much better mic all around. I'd be interested in trying a Behringer. All in all, I think Behringer products have come a long way.

[Warren Pederson]

We're talking about the 8500 microphone here not Behringer as a brand in comparison with industry standards. The Behringer 8500 microphone is exceptional quality rather than just OK...passable. They are awesome mics. Pic one up. $29. You will probably ditch your
58's or 57's.

[Boblets]

I agree with the comments on the XM8500, I have used one for the past three years without fault. It sounds fine through my little mixer into a Behringer B215D powered speaker, which also performs well albeit through the moderate volume that I use. It is interesting that 85 is 58 backwards.

[cosmiccowboy]

I've sung for a lifetime, and found out a long time ago that the SM 58 is a mudball. Why would what is defined as a "vocal mic" sound like that is beyond me. I've always used a 57 better clarity and tone (by my ear for what it worth). But still pricier than the Behringer XM8500. Just tossin' in my 2 cents.

[ce24]

just ordered one of these.......since Im starting to run an open mic gig I thought Id give one a try to use in that format....cheap enough to not worry bout it

[TheGoodTexan]

Originally Posted by Warren Pederson

We're talking about the 8500 microphone here not Behringer as a brand in comparison with industry standards.

Sorry for the mis-direct.

I just went and checked my mics. All four of my Behringers are 8500s (I had no idea). I also have a Sure Beta 58 and a Samson that I occasionally use (in addition to my 57s, which I really only use on guitars), and some vintage AKGs that I use for stereo or dual mic-ing situations (like a leslie).

The Behringers do a good job for me, but I hadn't noticed that they sound better than the Beta 58. I mainly use the Beta 58 for one of the female vocalists in the band, just because it seems to suit her better. I don't know when they started making the Beta 58, but I must have purchased mine very early on.

I will say this... this is all for rehearsal. The vocal mics stay put on a stand 24/7. Never packed up. Never moved across town, etc. I do take the 57s with me.

[51Nocast]

The 57 and 58 are proven industry standard mics. They are incredibly dependable. This speaks for itself.

My experience with Behringer has been terrible. Monitors and mixing board. Both did not hold up to steady gigging and quickly had to be replaced.

I use a 58 Beta. But have done many, many shows with sound provided that used 58's.

I'll watch for the Behringer XM5800 as I continue to do shows. If it starts showing up and is used by Pro Sound companies I'll try it out.

[italo]

I agree with the post originator 100%. My son´s band uses the 8500 for rehearsal and gigs. This was after our 57s and 58s got stolen. We bought these cheap mics as a temporary solution but after 4 years of use and abuse and they are still going strong. Also good mics for recording.

Technically I find them a little bit gainier than the Shures (in a good way), with similar noise floors, but clearer.

[51Nocast]

After reading this I did a lot of reading of reviews on them. For someone who sings a lot I would say a vocal mic is very personal and what works for one person may be horrible for another. Mics all seem to have their own signature sound. These are described as more hi-fi with more high end bump by many.

58's are described as more mid scooped. I don't know if that is accurate. Like I said I have a 58 Beta that works for me so until it fails I'll stick with it.

We will learn more about the Behringer as more people buy them.

[backalleyblues]

I've had a few 8500s, they sounded good, then started sounding distorted after a couple months... no idea why, we plugged our 58s back in, and everything was back to normal... I do agree, when they were working, the Bs definitely cut better onstage... I bought mine probably 5-6 years ago, so maybe they've gotten QC under better control in that time (2006-7 QC was REALLY spotty for Behringer!)... funny part is, I STILL use those cases the mics came in, while the mics themselves sit on a shelf...

Franc Robert

[cowboytwang]

Originally Posted by hemingway

My only experience of Behringer is the blues OD pedal, the praises of which I have been singing to all and sundry. But it seems people are just snobby about the name and the price.

I don't know if its so much snobby or the fact that they reverse engineer most all of their gear. They basically take some companies proven and working piece of gear, that the company has spent hundreds of thousands in research, design, and development, then Behringer takes the piece of gear apart and build copies of it. They've been sued numerous times for this, and feel it's cheaper to just pay the lawsuit then hire and pay people to design and develop original gear.
I won't buy their products because they rip off the people who actually build and design the gear. I know that most folks around here won't have a problem with that, they don't think musicians should get paid so why should the guys who design and develop the gear we use get paid!

Originally Posted by 51Nocast

The 57 and 58 are proven industry standard mics. They are incredibly dependable. This speaks for itself.

My experience with Behringer has been terrible. Monitors and mixing board. Both did not hold up to steady gigging and quickly had to be replaced.

I use a 58 Beta. But have done many, many shows with sound provided that used 58's.

I'll watch for the Behringer XM5800 as I continue to do shows. If it starts showing up and is used by Pro Sound companies I'll try it out.

Don't hold your breath.

[fezz parka]

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