Headworn microphones – how to choose the right headset and the right mic

Headworn mics for speakers

Common to all auditoria, churches, rooms for education, conference rooms, courtrooms, or theaters, is that one or more people address an audience.

Sometimes the speakers are not trained; they have not learned to speak up in a clear and well-articulated way. Moreover you cannot be sure that the speaker has learned to use a microphone.

The immediate solution is to gain the signal in order to obtain adequate amplification. This may cause excessive sensitivity to acoustical feedback and a good solution to a problem like this is to use a microphone that is worn by the speaker.

Headworn mics for singers

When the microphone is to be used by a performing singer on stage, typically there are a lot of sounds radiated from musical instruments, from monitor speakers, etc. Normally a minimum of this background sound is wanted. However, at the same time the singer's voice should sound as nice as possible.

A directional mic is an excellent first choice in this situation. Generally, the cardioid design will, compared to an omni, pick up only half the amount of the background sounds. Furthermore, the low-frequency sounds from loudspeakers, drums, etc., will be reduced to 1/10 or less.

Benefits of wireless systems

A headworn microphone used in connection with a wireless system provides a number of advantages. First of all the microphone is always close to the sound source and therefore does not need to be gained as much. This is especially an advantage if several microphones are used simultaneously. In addition, it is a great advantage to speakers that they have total freedom of movement and are able to move freely in front of screens or boards.

Dual-ear mounting: classic DPA headband mics

A DPA headband microphone consists of a neck brace with two ear hangers and a microphone boom. Both the brace and boom can be adjusted for optimum fit and comfort.

Omnidirectional headbands

The DPA 4065 and 4066 are sensitive to sound from all directions and the timbre of the sound remains constant regardless of the distance between the sound source and the microphone.

The positioning of microphones with omnidirectional characteristics is not a critical issue. An omnidirectional microphone is the obvious choice if the speaker is not accustomed to positioning a microphone. An omni microphone is generally not very sensitive to wind, breathing and handling noises.

Cardioid headband

The DPA 4088 has a (cardioid) directional pick-up pattern. When pointed toward the mouth the sensitivity to sounds coming from the rear is very low.

All cardioid mics share a special quality, namely the boost of low frequency sound whenever the microphone is close to the sound source (proximity effect). This is exactly what happens with the typical placement of a DPA 4088, which is just a few centimeters from the corner of the mouth.

In order to get a flat response a correction is introduced, and you get both a natural sounding voice and level reduction of distant sound sources, especially at low frequencies.

A headband microphone with cardioid characteristics is very convenient when the user is in the middle of noisy surroundings or in situations where high gain is needed.

Single-ear mounting: d:fine™ headset mics

Like the classic DPA headband models, the d:fine™  headset mics offer consistent audio performance at all sound pressure levels, impressive gain before feedback and stable construction.

The headset automatically adjusts to each wearer, ensuring that the earpiece stays in place by applying consistent pressure regardless of ear size.

 It can easily be taken on and off by the wearer, returning to its original shape each time.

Omnidirectional d:fine™ headset

The d:fine™ omni is sensitive to sound from all directions making the positioning of the headset less critical and can be done by untrained personnel. Omnis are less sensitive to wind, breathing or handling noise and the omnidirectional d:fine™ headset is truly a plug-and-play solution for any situation.

Cardioid d:fine™ headset

The d:fine™ directional rejects side and background noise while creating higher separation from nearby sound sources which improves the gain-to-feedback ratio and gives more channel control. Yet still, natural voice intelligibility is preserved along with its very high SPL capabilities one can both speak and sing with no hint of distortion.

In short: How to select the type – omnidirectional or cardioid headset?