Product Reviews

Heil knows microphones!

When it comes to technology, Bob Heil is a rock star.  His entire career has been devoted to music technology, starting with his early large venue sound systems used by the Grateful Dead and The Who, to work with Dolly Parton, Charlie Daniels, Stevie Wonder, Joe Walsh (the Eagles), Cheryl Crow, ZZ Top, Joan Baez, and dozens more. 

Heil Sound is the only manufacturer to be included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  You have to ask yourself not “Who?” but “Why?”  The Who is that other band.  Bad joke, I know.  The answer to the “Why?” part is that Bob knows microphones, and he is and was a true audio pioneer working hard to make things better for you. 

We began selling Heil microphones a couple years ago and the response has been staggering.  Heil is now our largest selling hardwired microphone line.  People rave about them and typically buy more and more and more.  We like that, but the only way that it’s possible is that users like it, too. 

Everybody makes microphones.  How can there be room for another company?  Heil mics are not less expensive, they’re not prettier, they don’t come Buy One, Get One Free.  They’re simply fabulous sounding and reasonably priced. 

I was always impressed that Bob included gold, chrome, and black windscreens and a fancy carrying case for his PR20 microphone.  It was his first foray into vocal microphones, it quickly became a favorite, and he was proud of it. 

Where the PR20 really stood out, and still does, is as a snare drum microphone.  It’s simply the best snare microphone that’s available – and it’s not just me that thinks that. 

Pro users that you’ve never heard of demand the Heil PR20 as their first choice snare drum microphone.  Who demands specific microphones?  Sound technicians and engineers.  They’re not generally famous, although some are, but they’re the guys making the players sound good.  I should know.  I made a bunch of pretty boys sound good for a long time – and rarely got noticed either.  I kind of like it that way. 

Back to the story.  Earlier this month, Bob decided to dispense with the flashy windscreens and the fancy box and came out with the PR20UT.  It’s the same darn microphone with only the chrome metal grille and a clip in a bag – just like the others guys do it – and for $50 less. 

The PR20 with all the trimmings is still $149.95 and in stock.  If you want the sound of the PR20 without the frills, get the PR20UT for just $99.95.  It works great on guitar, toms and vocals, too. 

Function or form?  It’s your choice.  That’s Bob’s contribution to your personal economy today. 

Call to order either the PR20 or the PR20UT and we’ll send them right out!  

Heil PR20         $149.95
Heil PR20UT     $99.95 – save $50 just to give up two metal grilles and a fancy carrying box

Better sound, less feedback.

I recently described the features of the DBX Driverack PA+ to a client who had called to buy a new equalizer.  When I rattled off that the Driverack PA+ featured not only a 1/3 octave stereo equalizer, but also a stereo compressor, a stereo peak limiter, an advanced stereo feedback controller, a stereo crossover, a sub-harmonic synthesizer (deeper bass), alignment delay, parametric equalizer and an system set-up wizard to make it easy to use, he said “How can I say no?” 

He wasn’t joking.  He was prepared to pay almost the same amount of money to have just an equalizer.  The DBX DriveRack makes any sound system louder and clearer – without adding more speakers or more amplifiers, and at the price, there’s nothing better that you can do for your sound. 

The best feature of all is the Room Correction with Automatic EQ.  Using this feature requires a special microphone (just an extra $99.95), but it takes the guesswork out of setting the equalizer.  Just plug the microphone in, turn on the auto-equalization function and the DriveRack goes to work setting the room flat or to one of the preset room curves that are included with the DriveRack PA+. 

Better equalization takes care of annoying feedback and muddy or unnatural sound.  When your system EQ is correct, performing basic tasks like adjusting low and high frequency tone controls on each channel actually make a nice difference in your sound – exactly what you were hoping to do. 

Compression smoothes out peaky instruments or surging vocalists, allowing the overall average volume to be increased if necessary, without adding speakers or more powerful amplifiers.  Compression along with DBX’s patented Peak-Stop limiting protects your speakers from damaging surges such as feedback, extra-loud drums, loud vocalists, etc.  So whether you gain extra headroom (system capacity to reproduce loud program material without distortion), protect your speakers from damage, or just get a little bit of extra control of your system, you’re better off with the DriveRack PA+. 

Add to that DBX’s AFS automatic feedback control (attacks and removes annoying feedback), a sub-harmonic synthesizer to enhance low-end, a stereo crossover, and you’ve got a better sound system than the day before you installed your new DriveRack PA. 

Maybe you already have an equalizer.  One of our clients did.  Slightly embarrassed, he admitted that the auto-EQ function showed him a thing or two about his room that he hadn’t been able to figure out for several years.  Now, his system sounds better and acts the way it should.  That alone was worth the price to him. 

The DBX DriveRack PA+ is $499.95. 

Add the DBX RTA Microphone for $99.95.