Encore 200 vs. Encore 100
The next night I tried the Encore 200 on my lead singer in place of the Encore 100 he had used the night before.
I listened to him again on the Encore 100 for a little bit to refresh my ears on how it sounded and then switched him over to the 200.
The only thing I changed besides swapping the mics was turning on the phantom power for the Encore 200. I could tell a difference in the sound of the two.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that one sound was better than the other, just different.
The Encore 200 sounded very good just as the Encore 100 did, but the 200 had less low end and a little more “sparkle” in the highs. I thought it sounded a little more airy than the 100. The Encore 200 reminded me of a Shure Beta 87A.
The gain before feedback of the Encore 200 was better with my lead singer than it was on the BGV’s but it still wasn’t as good as the Encore 100. However, it was usable so I kept my lead singer on it for the set.
The Encore 200 exhibited the same handling noise as the 100 and it also exhibited the reduced proximity effect of the 100. Really, the little bit of difference in sound quality was the only noticeable difference I could tell between the 100 and 200. And again, I wouldn’t say that one necessarily sounded better than the other. They were just a little different.
I was able to use the Encore 100 on one of my BGV’s and get enough gain before feedback to make it usable. I would say the GBF was comparable to an SM58. And again with this particular vocalist, I felt like the sound quality was an improvement over the SM58.
Another thing I noticed about the two Encore mics was when my lead singer delivered some more powerful passages. He has a pretty strong voice in the middle to upper part of his vocal range. The Encore 100 seemed to handle the higher SPL’s more gracefully than the Encore 200. My lead vocalist can get a little shrill in the 5K-6K range at times on an SM58.
On the Encore 100, this didn’t seem to be as bad as the 58. But on the Encore 200 it seemed to be as bad as, if not worse than, a 58. However, the response curves on Blue’s website and the identical Max SPL ratings of the 100 and 200 would suggest that these mics should perform about the same in that particular area so maybe there is another reason behind what I observed.
My lead singer said after using both of these mics, “these mics just make it easier to sing.” When I probed for what he meant by that, he basically said that he felt like he didn’t have to work as hard to get the nuances in his vocal parts to come through.
This was something he sensed in the house mix when he had his IEM’s out and something he sensed in his IEM’s as well. I think he felt like what came out of the house system and the IEM’s was a more direct reflection of what was going into the mic. I would have to agree with him based on what I was hearing.
Summary
After my experiences with these microphones, I will definitely consider a purchase of these mics. They both offer great sound quality but come with some negatives. At the prices you can get these for, they are definitely worth considering versus similarly priced offerings from other manufacturers. I would probably recommend the Encore 100 for louder shows where a lot of gain before feedback is needed.
The Encore 200 seems to me to be a better fit for acoustic shows or anything where you don’t need as much GBF. I would definitely recommend both of these be used in stands rather than being held by a performer. Below are the pros and cons based on my experience and my personal opinions.
Encore 100 & 200 Pro’s
• Nice sound quality
• Good, competitive price point
• Reduced proximity effect
• Nice carrying pouch and mic clip
Encore 100 & 200 Con’s
• Handling noise
• Appearance (I don’t care for the very shiny grills and copper grill of the 200)
• Encore 200 doesn’t have enough gain before feedback for my use
• XLR connectors didn’t lock in very easily
The cons of the Encore 100 are things I can live with. I’ll always have them in a stand and my guys would know to be more careful when touching the stands or clipping the capo on the stand during a show. The appearance is just a preference issue that isn’t a deal breaker if it means I get better sound. We will probably end up buying a few of the 100’s for the band.
Check out the rest of the discussion on the Encore 100 & 200 in the Sound Reinforcement forum.