I’ve been very happy with the Sennheiser e935 mic I’ve probably been using it exclusively for at least 7 years maybe more. Today while using it I found some distortion/cracking of my vocals. Just for the heck of it I switched to my Samson Q7 and the Samson sounded much better. Although I like the Q7 the e9355 was always better. I think it’s time for a new e935 but for you experts and in trenches daily musicians can a mic go bad or just lose it after 7 years?

I have the Senn, the Q7 and also Q8 side by side. The 935 is crisper and hotter and needs virtually no e.q.
The Samsons sound fine, but in my opinion not nearly as fine as the 935, which is my main mic.
I also have Blue Encore 300, AKG C520, EV-ND96 and probably a dozen more. They all have their strong points and it's a matter of which fits your voice best.
My E935 is holding up well, but it is possible that they can break down over the years.
There was a huge sale on them in the past year and I wish I'd bought another one for backup, just in case.

Thanks Don, I’ll probably just order another 935, I remember when they had the sale and I never wound up ordering one, I should have.

Sm58 Beta built like a tank.

I just watched a few videos on the merits of the SM58, it is impressive in more ways than one.

The beta58 has much more presence and crispness then the Sm58 .... both models are Classics for different purposes and different voices
can't go wrong with either one.. it is what goes into the mic and comes out that really counts.

Steve, mics can essentially wear out, mostly from vibration due to transportation and changes in humidity, both of which effect the diaphragm.

I too had some Samson Q7 mics, mostly for use by others during a performance. Great mic, built like a tank, and outstanding frequency response.

Most of the time I used my Crown CM-311A headset mic, and though the fit was not as comfortable as I would like, it provided incredible vocal quality throughout it's range.

Now, I use a mic that DNJ recommended years ago, a Sennheiser E855, which provides outstanding results, has a wide frequency response range, excellent feedback rejection and no handling noise that I can detect.

Good luck on whatever you decide upon,

Gary

Gary,

Thanks for your input. I’ve had a long life with the e935 it’s served me well.

I have the Q7 and the Crown CM311A. Out of the 3 the e935 has been my favorite. I don’t have to tell you why I purchased the Q7 and Crown some years back, I think you already know. At this point I’m probably going to order another e935 but I may head to GC to try the SM58 beta Donny wrote about.

The 935 was replacement for the 855. Or the closest to it.