Tram TR50 at DVinfo.net

Michael Silverman · September 20th, 2015, 06:42 AM

I've been using the Sennheiser ME 2s that came with my G3 wireless systems for about four years and they've done a pretty good job for me. I decided that it was time to upgrade the ME 2s to try to improve the sound quality during ceremonies so I purchased two Tram TR50s to replace the ME 2s. I'm very familiar with how the ME 2s handle different situations since I've used them for a while, so I wanted to get some input about any quirks or best practices with the Tram TR50s from anyone who uses them.

My main concern is that I've been reading that they require a bit more gain in order to achieve the same volume as other lavs. Has this been an issue for anyone? If so, what are some ways to get the best sound out the mic without raising the gain up too high?

The ME 2s did a great job of picking up the bride's audio when the groom wears one. Does the TR50 work well in this regard? Any tips on mic placement?

I will be using each of these with a Tascam DR-10CS recorder which has a pass through to send the signal to my G3 transmitter (and then to my camera).

Michael Silverman · September 29th, 2015, 09:34 PM

Just as an update in case anyone is interested in switching to the Tram TR50, I ordered two of them and used them at a recent wedding. While I think the overall sound of the mic is very good, they are not nearly as sensitive as my ME2 mics. With the ME2 I will plug it into my Tascam DR10CS and then send the signal to my Sennheiser G3 system. The volume level of the bride and groom has been great with this setup when using the ME2 but I was hoping for an upgrade in overall sound quality. While I really like how the Tram sounds, it's just not sensitive enough and I find that I have to raise the gain up way too high to get a good sound (especially when the bride is pretty quiet).

The other thing I noticed is that when the Tram is on the officiant it is much easier to tell when he turns his head while speaking. It's not that big of a deal, but with the ME2s I've hardly ever noticed this because of their pickup pattern.

So I'm returning the Trams and I've ordered two Countryman B3s as I've read great things and have been told that the pickup pattern is more similar to the ME2s. I like the ME2 mics, but I've heard several videos where both the Tram and the B3 outperform it in terms of overall sound quality, so I hope the B3s will do a great job.

I think that for most applications the Tram is probably a much better mic than the ME2, but I wasn't too impressed with a few things about it so I'm hoping I like the B3s better.

If anyone has experience with the B3s, please let me know if there's anything to look out for.

Nigel Barker · September 30th, 2015, 04:49 PM

Are you trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist? I have always been very impressed with the warmth & richness of the audio that I get when using Sennheiser G3s. I have always put that down to the quality of the ME2 microphones.

Clive McLaughlin · October 1st, 2015, 02:01 AM

A week ago, I would not have know any of these - but I also am in the market for a new lavalier. I've just purchased 4/5 off amazon, to do a quick test and then return all but one! (Amazon returns service is great - perhaps too good).

That said though, whilst being familiar with the Tram TR50 and the Countryman B3 - they were either above my budget or I couldn't buy they from a source with a solid returns policy.

I find the whole process quite interesting, but if I'm honest I'm not sure any of the differences are ever going to be evident to clients. And if that's true, then why worry about it!

Simon Denny · October 1st, 2015, 04:31 AM

Michael, I would be interested how the Countryman B3s work for you. I use the ME2s on everything due to cost, (I seem to break a lot of mics) and have always wanted to use the Countryman B3s.

Michael Silverman · October 1st, 2015, 11:14 AM

I don't think the ME2s sound bad by any means. I listened to this comparison between the ME2, B3, and B6 and was very impressed with the B3:

In these tests, the B3 sounds better than the ME2 (in my opinion) in almost every environment that he tests them in. One of my ME2 mics is 5 years old and I recently spilled some soda on it, so I felt like I could either replace the ME2 with a new one or upgrade to another mic.

If it turns out that the B3s don't work for me then I'll just buy a new ME2 because they work well enough. But if the B3s work better and also have a nicer sound then I'll use them from now on. I also have been considering miking the bride for outdoor weddings and the B3 has a white lav that is easy to hide and I think would work much better than an ME2.

Michael Silverman · October 2nd, 2015, 08:28 PM

So I got my Countryman B3s and just recorded some audio with them comparing them to my ME2s. I have to say that I don't hear much (if any) improvement going from the ME2 to the B3s. I've watched a few videos where people compared these two mics and I while listening to the videos I preferred the sound of the B3s, but after doing my own tests I've decided to return the Countrymans and stick with my ME2s. The ME2s are much more sensitive and they also respond better to "head turning". I can see how the B3s may sounds a tad more natural, but it's a very slight difference and certainly not worth the downsides.

I really do prefer the sound of the Trams over the ME2s, but they are also not very sensitive and have serious issues with head turning. I wasn't unhappy with the ME2s, but I also haven't been thrilled with the way they sound either...but I guess in order to get a much improved sound without the drawbacks I'd probably have to go with the Sanken COS-11D which is over $350 per mic. No worries, I'll stick with what's been working :)

Simon Denny · October 3rd, 2015, 12:57 AM

Thanks for the update Michael. I'll stick with the stock ME2's for a while.

September 20th, 2015, 06:42 AM	#1
Michael Silverman Major Player Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Charlottesville Posts: 255	Tram TR50 I've been using the Sennheiser ME 2s that came with my G3 wireless systems for about four years and they've done a pretty good job for me. I decided that it was time to upgrade the ME 2s to try to improve the sound quality during ceremonies so I purchased two Tram TR50s to replace the ME 2s. I'm very familiar with how the ME 2s handle different situations since I've used them for a while, so I wanted to get some input about any quirks or best practices with the Tram TR50s from anyone who uses them. My main concern is that I've been reading that they require a bit more gain in order to achieve the same volume as other lavs. Has this been an issue for anyone? If so, what are some ways to get the best sound out the mic without raising the gain up too high? The ME 2s did a great job of picking up the bride's audio when the groom wears one. Does the TR50 work well in this regard? Any tips on mic placement? I will be using each of these with a Tascam DR-10CS recorder which has a pass through to send the signal to my G3 transmitter (and then to my camera).

September 29th, 2015, 09:34 PM	#2
Michael Silverman Major Player Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Charlottesville Posts: 255	Re: Tram TR50 Just as an update in case anyone is interested in switching to the Tram TR50, I ordered two of them and used them at a recent wedding. While I think the overall sound of the mic is very good, they are not nearly as sensitive as my ME2 mics. With the ME2 I will plug it into my Tascam DR10CS and then send the signal to my Sennheiser G3 system. The volume level of the bride and groom has been great with this setup when using the ME2 but I was hoping for an upgrade in overall sound quality. While I really like how the Tram sounds, it's just not sensitive enough and I find that I have to raise the gain up way too high to get a good sound (especially when the bride is pretty quiet). The other thing I noticed is that when the Tram is on the officiant it is much easier to tell when he turns his head while speaking. It's not that big of a deal, but with the ME2s I've hardly ever noticed this because of their pickup pattern. So I'm returning the Trams and I've ordered two Countryman B3s as I've read great things and have been told that the pickup pattern is more similar to the ME2s. I like the ME2 mics, but I've heard several videos where both the Tram and the B3 outperform it in terms of overall sound quality, so I hope the B3s will do a great job. I think that for most applications the Tram is probably a much better mic than the ME2, but I wasn't too impressed with a few things about it so I'm hoping I like the B3s better. If anyone has experience with the B3s, please let me know if there's anything to look out for.

September 30th, 2015, 04:49 PM	#3
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Tram TR50 Are you trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist? I have always been very impressed with the warmth & richness of the audio that I get when using Sennheiser G3s. I have always put that down to the quality of the ME2 microphones.

October 1st, 2015, 02:01 AM	#4
Clive McLaughlin Major Player Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Belfast Posts: 823	Re: Tram TR50 A week ago, I would not have know any of these - but I also am in the market for a new lavalier. I've just purchased 4/5 off amazon, to do a quick test and then return all but one! (Amazon returns service is great - perhaps too good). That said though, whilst being familiar with the Tram TR50 and the Countryman B3 - they were either above my budget or I couldn't buy they from a source with a solid returns policy. I find the whole process quite interesting, but if I'm honest I'm not sure any of the differences are ever going to be evident to clients. And if that's true, then why worry about it!

October 1st, 2015, 04:31 AM	#5
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	Re: Tram TR50 Michael, I would be interested how the Countryman B3s work for you. I use the ME2s on everything due to cost, (I seem to break a lot of mics) and have always wanted to use the Countryman B3s.

October 1st, 2015, 11:14 AM	#6
Michael Silverman Major Player Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Charlottesville Posts: 255	Re: Tram TR50 I don't think the ME2s sound bad by any means. I listened to this comparison between the ME2, B3, and B6 and was very impressed with the B3: Countryman B6 vs Countryman B3 lav mic test on Vimeo In these tests, the B3 sounds better than the ME2 (in my opinion) in almost every environment that he tests them in. One of my ME2 mics is 5 years old and I recently spilled some soda on it, so I felt like I could either replace the ME2 with a new one or upgrade to another mic. If it turns out that the B3s don't work for me then I'll just buy a new ME2 because they work well enough. But if the B3s work better and also have a nicer sound then I'll use them from now on. I also have been considering miking the bride for outdoor weddings and the B3 has a white lav that is easy to hide and I think would work much better than an ME2.

October 2nd, 2015, 08:28 PM	#7
Michael Silverman Major Player Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Charlottesville Posts: 255	Re: Tram TR50 So I got my Countryman B3s and just recorded some audio with them comparing them to my ME2s. I have to say that I don't hear much (if any) improvement going from the ME2 to the B3s. I've watched a few videos where people compared these two mics and I while listening to the videos I preferred the sound of the B3s, but after doing my own tests I've decided to return the Countrymans and stick with my ME2s. The ME2s are much more sensitive and they also respond better to "head turning". I can see how the B3s may sounds a tad more natural, but it's a very slight difference and certainly not worth the downsides. I really do prefer the sound of the Trams over the ME2s, but they are also not very sensitive and have serious issues with head turning. I wasn't unhappy with the ME2s, but I also haven't been thrilled with the way they sound either...but I guess in order to get a much improved sound without the drawbacks I'd probably have to go with the Sanken COS-11D which is over $350 per mic. No worries, I'll stick with what's been working :)

October 3rd, 2015, 12:57 AM	#8
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	Re: Tram TR50 Thanks for the update Michael. I'll stick with the stock ME2's for a while.