The phone rang. That particular day in early 2019, when I looked at Caller ID, I thought to myself, it has been a long time since I've talked with Stefan. He's an old friend. Close to 20 years now, and he's always looking for new things, and he has very good instincts.
So I picked up the phone and we began to talk about microphones, earset microphones specifically.
Stefan and I met on an Audio-Technica dealer trip. And back then, we both talked about the fact that we were selling hundreds (actually thousands) of earset microphones from Audio-Technica, Countryman, DPA and others.
So what does Stefan want to do? He wanted a piece of the action for himself -- his own brand of earset microphone. I was hesitant.
What I was thinking is, Why do we need another earset microphone for church use? We have lots of really good choices already. Why would I want to build momentum for a new brand, why would I take away from my business with the established brands? It's hard enough to do what we do without thinking about all of that.
Well, Stefan introduced the Thor: Hammer earset microphone a few years ago, and I still held all of those same hesitations. So when Stefan called to talk again, and asked if he could send me a demo microphone, I relented.
Since that day, the Thor Hammer SE-11 has outsold every other earset from any brand that you can name by 10:1 individually. I have not done a lot of analysis, but my guess is that the Hammer is outselling every other earset microphone we offer combined by at least 3:1. Who's chuckling now?
Initial impressions. The first place I took the microphone is where I know the sound system best -- my own church. I mix there almost every week. We use the Audio-Technica 4000 Series wireless with the BP892cW earset. We use that microphone because it fits my pastor's ear the best. I've been trying to get him to go with a DPA or a Countryman, but he likes the fit of the BP892. So one day, I asked if he'd try the Thor:Hammer and he did. I was amazed.
It sounded better in every way! It was smoother and more present, more refined and warmer with better extended high frequency response. Everything that I could say about it was just better. And it's $40 less than the BP892cW and $60 less than the Countryman E6, to boot.
At $289, the Thor: Hammer is frankly the best earset you can buy at the price point. If there's anything that can take its place, I do not know what it is. And in some ways, I do not want to know. Many days, I feel like I have enough to do to not have to tell you about yet another undiscovered product. But here is one more.
We've sold thousands of Countryman earsets and hundreds of A-T, DPA, Point Source, Mogan, and Microphone Madness. So we know what's out there. We have a few people who've told us that they prefer the Hammer to their DPA mics. Having not yet listened side by side, I can't make that statement myself, but if a $289 microphone can get anywhere close to $700+ DPA, Stefan just might be onto something.
The Thor: Hammer now comes in both the SE-11 and SE-9 versions, and it is available with TA4F (Shure and Line 6), 3.5mm (Sennheiser), Hirose4 (Audio Technica 2000, and older 3000 series) and XLR3 (AKG and Audix).
The difference between SE-11 and SE-9 is that the SE-11 is 115mm in boom length and the SE-9 is 90mm. That shorter boom keeps the microphone element from getting out in front of the mouth for people with smaller faces which prevents breath noises and pops. The Hammer comes in tan, brown, and black to match flesh tones and is available for Shure, Sennheiser, AKG, and Audio-Technica (except new 4th generation 3000 series and new 5000 series).
I've written before that the earset microphone is probably the single best thing that you can do to improve the quality of the sound system for most listeners. If that's the case, the Thor: Hammer is the best $289 improvement that you can make to yours.
Buy one. We've had several clients buy one and then call back to buy more. The Thor Hammer earset microphone really does work that well. You'll use less equalization and have a more natural sound right out of the box. It's almost too easy. A few of our clients own over 20 of these microphones. Call for more info at 800-747-7301 today!
Thor Hammer - Outselling every other earset microphone 10:1
