LD Systems D1105 Dynamic Microphone

Substantial, great sounding dynamic stage microphone. Suitable for vocals, guitar cabs, toms, snares, percussion and drum overheads, at an absolute bargain price, with Two year Warranty

At The Noizeworks, we like nothing better than to check out new products in real world gigging situations, and we were able to put the D1105 through it's paces at a local gig. You can read about our findings below.

Description and Features:

The LD Systems D1105 is a dynamic vocal/instrument microphone disigned primarily for live performance but also suitable for studio applications.

- Narrow, hypercardioid pickup response delivers high output level in front of the microphone (-53db) whist rejecting off-axis sound. This means it delivers high output levels before feedback in live miusic environments.
- High SPL (Sound Pressure Level) capability. So it handles high sound levels created by rock vocalists, electric guitar cabinets and drums without distorting.
- Soft touch finish makes the D1105 very comfortable to hold and minimises handling noise in applications where the microphone is not used in a stand. e.g. handheld vocals, announcements, etc.
- Integral switch makes the microphone suitable for applictions that require the mic to be switched on and off such as DJing, speech applications, etc.
- Substantial and sturdy build quality makes it suitable for the most demanding stage applications.
- Supplied with leather gig back and microphone clip.
- Two year 'no quibble' warranty.

Specifications:

Capsule Type: Dynamic.
Pickup Pattern: Hypercardioid.
Frequency Response: 50hz - 16000hz.
Sensitivity: (dbv/pa): -53db (+/- 3db)
Rated Impedance: 600 ohms
Max SPL: 144db
Supplied Accessories: Gig bag, clip
Dimensions: 50mm x 180mm
Weight: 345g.

Applications:

Suitable for all close mic live vocal applications including lead vocals, backing vocal, DJ applications, announcements and speeches. Instrument applications include guitar cabs, toms and snare drums, percussion and also brass instruments including trumpets, trombones and saxes. We wouldn't recommend it for use on bass/kick drums, acoustic guitars and other stringed instruments such as violins, etc.

The Noizeworks 'Real World Evaluation':

The new LD Systems LD1105 seems to be attempting to re-define what can be achieved with a sub £20 microphone, so when the LD people brought this product to our attention we were intrigued. Off we went to our local rock venue where The Noizeworks supply the resident PA system, armed with a couple of D1105s to check them out.
Before the bands arrived, we were able to set up a D1105 as a main vocal mic and compare it to a popular industry standard product to see how it performed in terms of gain before feedback and give it a general '1-2, 1-2, etc'. We found the sound quality 'warmer' than our 'industry standard' comparison and, thanks probably to it's hypercardioid pickup pattern, we were able to get slightly more level in the wedge monitors. It could be argued that sound wise the D1105 had marginally less 'cut' and midrange prescence, but very marginally. The 'soft-touch' finish of the D1105 delivered good handing noise performance, although our industry standard product was slightly better in this department, perhaps due to it's suspended capsule.
Once the bands arrived, we checked out the D1105 as a vocal mic on both lead and backing vocals, our lead vocalist comparing it to our famous industry standard veteran product. He felt that performance wise, the mics were very close. He preferred to stick with the industry standard for the gig, whilst our backing vocalist was happy to use the D1105. During soundcheck, we also got the oppurtunity to check out the D1105 in front of a electric guitar cab. It's high SPL capability meant it was able to handle everything thrown at it by our metal guitarist and remained there for the rest of the evening.
We think the D1105 offers exceptional value for money in the budget microphone sector and we were frankly astonished at the performance available at the price. Sound wise it compared very favourably in many applications with an industry standard product roughly costing four times as much, and it's sturdy build quality should ensure many years of useful service. Personally for rock and roll applications, we could have lived without the switch (but this is useful for DJ and speech applications) and it comes with a poor quality clip. (All versions purchased through The Noizeworks will have a better quality clip supplied).
We appreciate that as a supplier of the product, The Noizeworks 'evaluations' can not be considered as 'independent' assessments such as a magazine reviews (especially with the cynics amongst you!) But we think it is useful to try out products, and since we also run a busy sound hire department, we have the oppurtunity to do so and share our findings with potential customers. Believe us, should we find a product unsuitable for an application, or not up to scratch, we would not put it on our shelves.