Review: Shure Nexadyne 8/S & 8/C

Shure has been responsible for some of history’s great innovations in live microphone technology, and it’s not finished yet. Creating directional microphones and then the pneumatic shock system changed live sound for the better, and led to the Shure SM58 becoming, and remaining, the world’s most popular vocal microphone. Dual-diaphragm dynamic mics are a bold new frontier. Shure has been exploring the concept for decades but making them a reality has required the latest design and manufacturing techniques.
A version of dual-diaphragm was used to create the Shure KSM8. Called Dualdyne Cartridge Technology it uses reversed side-entry airflow to determine the polar pattern with a passive second diaphragm used to control proximity effect.
The Shure Nexadyne range goes further. Revonic Dual-engine Transducer Technology uses two separate diaphragms, voice coils and magnets (or ‘Revonic engines’ as Shure calls them) actively working together. In simplest terms they use the diaphragms’ phase to boost the on-axis sound and attenuate the off-axis sound. The top engine reacts to sound in front of it, the second reacts to sound entering the ports along the side of the capsule. The art is in how the physical and electrical relationship between the capsules is used to control the frequency response and polar pattern. The technical challenge is manufacturing the components closely enough for them to work consistently.













DIGGIN’ DUAL
The KSM8 is one of my favourite-sounding mics (as used by the Pope, James Taylor and The Pierce Bros) but it doesn’t replace an SM58. It can for strong singers, but its wide sweet spot and neutral frequency response make it a different animal. To me it’s more of a specialty mic that needs to be well suited to the source or event.
The Nexadyne 8/C and 8/S are specifically aimed at live vocals and so compete more directly with the SM58/Beta58. This is not a technical update, these are a different type of dynamic mic, but with their intrepid new tech delivering a new and improved sound quality, they do seem to be logical successors to the 58s.
Available in black or black the handheld Nexadyne 8/S (supercardioid) and Nexadyne 8/C (cardioid) mic bodies are made from die-cast aluminium and share the same ‘discreet’ satin painted finish. These handsome mics do look modern compared to the SM58, which is slowly starting to look dated after nearly 50 years. Quite large and slightly top-heavy, they feel good in the hand. Wireless versions of both capsules are available and compatible with most Shure wireless systems. If you like a shiny mic for vocals there is a wireless capsule version available in a nickel finish, so maybe Shure will make a handheld Nexadyne in nickel soon – it would look good.






NEED TO KNOW
Shure Nexadyne 8/S & 8/C
Dual-capsule Dynamic Microphones






PRICE
A$669 RRP (street ~A$550)



CONTACT
Jands: jands.com.au



PROS

Focussed, hi-fi sound
Low handling noise
Great build quality



CONS

None



SUMMARY
I don’t write this lightly, but Shure has done it again. These dual-diaphragm Nexadyne mics offer clear benefits to vocalists and live sound engineers with their focussed, hi-fidelity sound that can soar above the stage sound. I’ll be keeping the 8/S thank you.










Apart from the printed model numbers the 8/S and 8/C look the same at first glance. I’ve been using both and initially learnt to tell them apart by weight – the 8/C is noticeably lighter at 258g, the 8/S a more standard 294g. On closer inspection the dent-resistant hardened grilles are subtly different. Unscrewing the head reveals quite different capsules – the 8/S capsule is a couple of millimetres longer and heavier than the 8/C, with larger side ports. A QR code serial number is stamped on each capsule.
DYNE OUT: FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Connecting the Nexadyne 8/C, my first impression was the low handling noise, lower than a SM58 with a deader quality. One of Shure’s best inventions, the pneumatic shock system, is not needed in Nexadynes. The capsules are mounted inside a firm rubber enclosure sitting in a base that absorbs some shocks, but self-noise and most of the handling noise are cancelled out by the capsules being wired out-of-phase.
Speaking into the 8/C for the first time made me smile – its high fidelity and striking presence were immediately obvious. It’s bold and bright with a wide, even mid-range and subdued proximity boost. The performing area across the front of the mic is generous, before dropping off suddenly, with strong rejection from the sides and especially the rear. The 8/C is much less boomy than a 58 up close. It’s not thin, just more linear in the low-mids and lows. It will pop on plosives but has to be provoked. The frequency response is closer to a Beta58 but smoother in the high-mids; shinier up high and cleaner overall.
The Nexadyne 8/S has a similar crisp presence to the 8/C but it’s stronger around 4kHz, and louder. The larger capsule assembly explains the extra weight, the larger components inside are responsible for the increased sensitivity of -51dBV/PA compared to -54dBV/PA for the 8/C. The sound is very focused on-axis and not uncomfortably narrow, but when you do move outside the sweetspot the off-axis sound seems to suddenly disappear into another world… or phase?
ON STAGE
Swapping to the Nexadyne 8/C on a stage with wedges is an immediate improvement – it’s very clear and makes my SM58s sound somewhat dull and bloated, relatively speaking. I put the Nexadyne 8/S up as centre vocal mic on the main stage for the recent Goldfields Gothic Festival, with the 8/C for backing vocals. I left them there all weekend, loved them, and had nothing but praise from the acts who noticed, and most did. I thought the prominent high-mids/highs might make the 8/S harsh on strident female vocals but it’s very natural; not as spikey as 58s can be, and they don’t seem to aggravate sibilance. They both took different mic techniques in their stride – the controlled proximity boost is enough for singers who get half their power from monstering a 58 but they also have good reach as handheld mics for stronger singers who don’t eat the mic.
Both models are nicely stable on stage. They will feed back eventually, probably around 4kHz, but they’re loud in the wedges before they do. Shure is correct in claiming the Nexadynes generally don’t need any channel EQ. I’ve been rolling off low frequencies and trimming 160Hz on 58s for decades, sometimes adding highs for clarity, but both the 8/C and 8/S sound fine flat. Cupping the mics or putting your hand over the front of them in silly ways is not their favourite thing to deal with, but they cope. What they do best is push the vocal forward and lift it above the stage sound.



What they do best is push the vocal forward and lift it above the stage sound


















Grace Cummings and Emma Donovan at the Theatre Royal using the Nexadyne 8/S.






BACK AT THE RANCH
Back at the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine (where I look after the audio) I had the Nexadyne 8/S set up on stage when Emma Donovan arrived for soundcheck and offered it to her. She has a great voice; she liked the mic straight away and decided she’d be happy to use it for the show. It was an awesome night and after the show she said, “it was a real decent mic to sing into” and that she’d done the second encore song partly because she was enjoying it so much.
Grace Cummings was another good test and louder. More of a rock show, her rider advised that extremely loud levels would be required in her centre and keyboard position wedges. I had the 8/S in the centre position and it was great, it cuts through and isolates the vocal at the same time, with a presence all its own. The keyboard position had her sitting low at the piano with the horn of her wedge pointing right into the side of the 8/C and not far away, it’s a tough gig and it worked but I had to cut a fair amount 4kHz from the wedge EQ to get it stable. Grace liked them in both positions, she could hear herself clearly above the high stage volume. That’s what singers want.
LONG RUN AT THE TOP
For Shure, the Nexadyne mics may be arriving at the right time, the 58s have had a long run at the top but the competition is nipping at their heels. There’s a lot of good mics out there and the rise of IEMs instead of wedges has broadened the range of mics that can be used for live vocals. Newcomers, like the sE V7, are gaining popularity with the touring acts and they’re good. I’ve got one, but they too sound a bit dull and distant in a direct comparison to a Nexadyne.
I think Shure has done it again. A triumph of innovation and brand new, they may be, but I predict the Nexadynes will become classic vocal mics. They’ve got life, they’ve got character, and they keep Shure ahead of the game. The dual-diaphragm concept delivers real benefits, and now they’ve got the hang of it I expect it will be developed further in future products. The Nexadynes have got me, the 8/S is now my new first-choice live vocal mic.




Shure Nexadyne 8/C














Shure Nexadyne 8/S














The post Review: Shure Nexadyne 8/S & 8/C appeared first on AudioTechnology.