L.R. Baggs Anthem Vs Elment Vs HiFi - Which Do YOU Prefer???
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- čas přidán 18. 04. 2023
- @lrbaggsmedia
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This is Go Acoustic through a fender 100 acoustic amp in a hotel room.
Shane Hennessey playing a McGill Super Steel.
@@conecaster It’s not really fair to compare that to a direct recording. The recording of Shane is also hearing the acoustic sound of the guitar which is being blended into the camera microphone as well. I would be interested in hearing some direct recordings of the latest GoAcoustic pickup though (with the internal microphone)!
The Anthem all the way for clarity, depth, warmth but also good highs. What a difference the right pickup makes when plugging in. Thanks Aaron so much for your generous gift to all of us pickers.
Excellent comparison. Anyone who wants to hear these compared should be delighted to watch this and learn. Well done Aaron!
Huge service to the community with this comparison! Thanks so much for all the time and effort put into it! Had some revelations thanks to you: 1) Wow, I‘m never again going to install another undersaddle (piezo) pickup in any of my better guitars!!!! That final A/B comparison (with and without undersaddle) confirms what you were suspecting all along: the piezo does steal a bit of tone (upper mid and upper clarity/attack/resonance), making it a bit „squishy“. Sure, nothing an audience will ever care about, but sitting at home and playing unplugged, without a „piezo condom“ installed, is bound to be a more satisfying experience, allowing the instrument to express itself fully as intended. This is a sobering realization. 2) So since undersaddles are out for me and I‘ve not been satisfied with K&K Mini/Trinity nor with HFN (passive), it‘s going to have to be the HiFi…but not this release, which also appears to suffer from a lack of upper mid and upper clarity/attack (maybe EQ-able?), but rather the next one, i.e. the one they will hopefully one day release that also features an internal mic, maybe integrated into the endpin and featuring some fancy comb filtering to ensure it only delivers the desired upper range, and not any mud. So I‘m back to waiting for Godot…. Thanks again for this excellent real-life input!
Thanks for the appreciation. This one was a lot of work but I am happy too as it helped me decide what I like. It’s worth noting that you can increase the tone control on the HiFi but I agree that a version with a mic could be killer!
@@aaronshortmusic Cool to hear about the tone control - I had missed that detail. And yes, producing such a concise video seems effortless to many viewers, but involves tons of work. Dude, I even hate changing strings(!), let alone fishing around in the guts of my guitar to swap pickups. 😅
@@scottbecker3485 I do too. I just wanted to do testing rather than just give opinions. I think it’s important.
@@aaronshortmusic Big agree on that. You’re the only one out there doing this valuable work for us.
@@aaronshortmusicisn’t the version with the mic just called the Lyric?
Thank you so much for doing these sort of videos. Stella stuff!
Thanks Jon!
Thanks for the video.
The Anthem wins for me.
Do you still have a VoicePrint? I'd be interesting to see what that does with the WiFi
Finger style: At maximum mic, the Anthem is better when finger style, and Hi-Fi almost as good. Strumming: Hi-Fi is better, and Anthem is not nearly as good. I would go with the Hi-Fi, for best all-around tone / versatility. However, I think if you had set the Anthem at 50-50% blend, it would have done much better in the strumming test… maybe try adding a 50-50 blend to the comparison?
Note: I have a Stagepro Anthem in a RainSong jumbo, so can EQ on the fly. To use max Mic setting like you did, I need to add lots of bass, or it sounds thin. The blend “sweet spot” for my guitar,(and I think for Anthems in general), is 50-50% Element to Tru-mic. I just leave it at this setting, EQ flat, and plug and play… Always sounds really good. I play the same club twice a week, and they don’t even do sound checks anymore, just a line check.
It was because of your demos I bought the Anthem. I only use the undersaddle pickup but wanted the option of the microphone just in case I use my guitar for percussive stuff. Still think the undersaddle (Element) sound is the best sound of all 3. Thank you for your efforts Aaron!
Impressive. If i was looking for a pickup i would try the hifi.
this is a great review, just how it should be. Please do more of those.
Thanks I agree that it’s a great way to show the actual differences. I don’t know why companies don’t make videos like this…
I just installed a Hi Fi and I really enjoy it
I listened with headphones without looking at the screen. I liked the sound of the Element the most. (which surprised me a lot) I have the full Anthem in my Furch guitar, and I'm not happy with it.
That IS interesting. You can use the full Anthem as an SL. Do you have the mic gain dialed in for the guitar using the provided tool?
Thanks for the slap test at the end. Since the percussive fingerstyle slap is so prominent these days every acoustic pickup video demo should incorporate this.
2:52
Yeah there’s a lot of percussive players out there.
Well done, as always, Aaron. After bouncing between all of the samples multiple times the Anthem is the winner for me. A friend of mine asked me if I had heard the HiFi yet and while I haven’t gotten to hear it live I now have a solid idea of how it sounds next to the other Baggs products I use on a regular basis. You know how much I like the Stagepro Anthem and its versatility and this solidified that opinion. It has been proven once again that if my guitar sounds bad it’s because of my fingers not the guitar, mic or pickup.
You’re welcome! I do wonder how the HiFi would sound in a carbon fiber guitar but the StagePro Anthem is definitely an excellent fit for those.
I was wondering about which option was best for a guitar with a glued in saddle where I definitely don't want an undersaddle mike. I was surprised by how muddy the HiFi was, and I think the winner was the Anthem, mike only. I know I can get an SL for a hundred less, same mike, I believe.
The anthem without a doubt for me . With the Neumann would be perfect 🤣😂.
I have the anthem SL in my D17 from 2002 I think it is sounds amazing
Thank you for this 😊
THANK YOU
Great comparisson Aaron, much appreciated! To me the Neumann KM 184 sounds the best by far, but hey it's about the pickups. So for me the Anthem sounds the best. A more open and dynamic sound. Then I prefer the Element which sounds more compressed, and last the HIFI
Thanks!
You're a mad man, Aaron!
The percussive strumming at the end seemed to show more character with the HiFi.
I have the lyric combined with various other piezos in several guitars and it sounds quite good. I think the HiFi with EQ could work very well too but it needs a bit of high EQ boost and maybe a little bit of boxiness (lower mid) taken out. The HiFi doesn't have any of the piezo quack which all systems which include an under saddle pickup invariably add.
Thanks for making this comparison! HiFi by itself still doesn't sound as good to me as the full mic+piezo system, hopefully it won't be long until we see some kind of "HiFi Anthem" product. What's your personal pickup of choice at the moment?
At the moment I like the Anthem SL, Cole Clark PG3 and Fishman Aura+. They all work well for what I do.
So which do you prefer? I compared my guitar with a K&K to an anthem that was on a different guitar at a guitar center today and the anthem sounded much better. And I do a mix of gigs where sometimes I have to play loud either cause the bar is noisy or cause I’m trying to play some lead guitar on acoustic with a full band. So my performing situations vary. I’m wanting to replace the K&K with something else, possibly the anthem or the hi fi. Just curious which one you prefer. Great video by the way. Thanks
Thanks. Anthem SL for me!
The Neumann of course but the Anthem sounded best to me.
Excelente video,gracias por el contenido y la calidad, entre todas los pickup que pruebas cuales serian los mejores en tu top?
Saludos
L.R. Baggs Anthem SL
Hey Aaron! I hope all is well. Do you know the difference between an Element and an Element Bronze? I am looking at a J45 Studio Rosewood that has the Bronze and I wonder what your thoughts are. They say it alleviates the quack but I have heard other comparisons that make it seem overly quacky. Thanks. Hope you are doing well!
I’m pretty sure they are the same pickup. I would most likely switch it out for an Anthem anyway.
@@aaronshortmusic thanks brother! 😊
What kind of guitar(s) did you play on the recordings? :)
Martin HDC-28e
This seems better than the standard under saddle piezo. I wonder then if they will replace the under saddle piezo in the Anthem with this?
I think you are right. The HiFi is more of an alternative to the Element. It could be awesome if they find a way to add the tru-mic to the HiFi!
The Anthem is the winner here, but the comparison I will be interested in will be the Anthem, the Lyric (the mic portion of the Anthem) and the HiFi Duet which adds a specialized microphone to the HiFi. The HiFi Duet comes out in May/June 2024. I don't play with loud bands and so the Lyric is best for me since if I had an Anthem I would probably run it at 100% mic anyway. But if the HiFi Duet sounds best, I might spring for one.
Well, when you listen to the official promo video from Baggs where they show HiFi you can definitely hear huge difference. Thanks for this sample which is really raw and with no post processing. Too bad that official Baggs video claims also that it is not post processed :D
I don’t think it is processed but the way you play, pick you use and the guitar will influence the sound that is recorded. Also there is a tone control on the pickup. Mine was set at 50%.
@@aaronshortmusic ok, that makes sence. Are you planning to release another video where you would record sound in different scenarions? For example 100%, 75% or 50% of tone control...?
@@Libor316 Maybe. I have been running both guitars at 100% tone when playing live.
I like the idea of the hifi. But it does sound muffled. Honestly of the choice is here, I am a LR Baggs anthem guy. I do have a question concerning the pickups. Say you just wanna play the guitar unplugged just regular acoustic... Do the pickups make them sound any different? Like listen the quality of the resonance or anything?
No one knows for sure. Anything you add to a guitar can change how it sounds and all guitars can respond differently. For example if your guitar is too bright adding an under saddle pickup could make it sound warmer OR you may feel it makes the guitar sound duller. n another guitar you may feel it makes no difference at all. You have to factor all of this in when making your decision.
The Anthem still sounds the best. The Element is a tool for big stages and the Hifi has a bit of K&k like dullness. I currently use SD Mag Mic and when i play in a trio and need more bass I blend a passive Matrix UST which i process with Cuki's Ir program and phase allign. Haven't heard a more pleasing live sound in my life. And at home i have a guitar for recording and such without electronics but i must admit. After 10 years of Mag mic a guitar with an empty soundhole seems weird. And if anyone is interested in comparing the setup described above i will gladly make sound samples and post them. Thank you Aaron for a really informative video.
Thanks. I prefer to have the soundhole clear (like you said it’s what I am used to) but I would like to hear your rig!
@@aaronshortmusic sure thing. here is a hastily made video. i believe Dug Young uses a similar concept with blending an IR piezo with a mic or a mag+mic. Anyways czcams.com/video/wHgQlIh9tsg/video.html
@@akispero7 That awesome thanks for adding! I will check it out!
A small "warning" .. my Taylor 514 came with no pickup and I bought a full Anthem (of course!) to be installed by a luthier. He did the job without carefully following the instructions, and he positioned the mic too close to the sound hole. Result: boomy sound with the mic, awful. Unusable. After some time I put up my mind and came back to make it fixed: he brought back in correct position as it should since the beginning the mic, using the Baggs tape to fix it to the wood. Guess what. Now it sounds absolutely great, exactly as in this Aaron's video.
Another warning: the sound greatly depends on what kind of strings you use. Not much on the gauge, but on the type. Phosphor Bronze are dark sounding .. the best balanced solution for me are the ordinary 80/20, and yes: you ought to change them quite often. That's life.
Always read the manual.
Awesome as always.
Anthem for the win sadly. I was hoping the hi fi would compete. But it sounds like a bad version of a K&K. Glad I didn't pre-order!
The mic sounded like a guitar in the room, but that's rarely what you want on a recording or in a mix in my experience.
Hmm, now that I think about it, do I really want my guitar to sound like my guitar when amplified? I'd likely slap a high pass on it and eq out the mud. But then it really wouldn't sound like my guitar anymore...
I agree with you except that I prefer the HiFi to the K&K for both tone and feedback resistance. The Anthem is still incredible but Baggs have already indicated that they may bring out a ‘HiFi Anthem’ so you will probably want to check that out if it happens!
@aaronshortmusic THAT I may pre order lol. Just when I thought I reached the end of the rabbit hole.
@@jimwhitmer2363 Ha!
Thanks so much for the comparison, I have the Anthem in my Collings, which I like a lot, but my Breedlove has a Fishman Sonitone, which sounds a bit like the element but not as balanced, and I'm going to change that one out and I've been trying to decide between the Anthem, Lyric, and now HiFi. A queston for you: if you were going to remove a piezo system from your guitar and install the HiFi or Lyric, would you just leave the piezzo under the saddle or would you replace the saddle altogether?
Replace it. Who knows if it makes a difference but it’s a quick job.
@@aaronshortmusic 3 months have passed & I still haven't done anything with the Breedlove, but I did pick up (pun intended) another Collings, this time a 0002h 12-fret with some kind of under saddle piezzo with volume control. It's not bad but still some quackiness sound that is almost alleviated if I turn the treble almost all the way down on my amp - I play in a small setting with just my amp. I'm tempted to install the HiFi but like others have said, I think the ultimate solution will be a HiFi with mic combination, so I'm going to live with what I have now and hope LR Baggs steps up with that combination.
Awesome comparison, thank you! Did you notice any change in the guitar's unplugged acoustics from any of the Baggs? I've read a number of reviews that the Anthem alters the unplugged tone of the guitar.
In my head it does but then I do back to back comparisons and decide that it doesn’t. If you plug in a lot then it’s worth it. Get the SL.
Thanks Aaron! I'm quickly getting addicted to your videos... they're really excellent and informative!
@@adamalper804 I appreciate the support. I’m very motivated to grow the channel right now!
hello, lr baggs anthem is suitable for classical guitar with nylon strings?
I thank you for the information
hola, lr baggs anthem sirve para guitarra clasica con cuerdas de nylon ?
Te agradezco por la informacion
There is a ‘Nylon’ version available.
@@aaronshortmusic
Hello, what is the reference for nylon string guitar?🙂
Hi there!! Thank you for this awesome comparison, what do you think best
1. Supernatural
2. Fish Man Rare Earth Mic Blend
3. LR Baggs Anthem
Thanks 🙏🏻🙏🏻
I would choose the Anthem SL for my needs. The Rare Earth Mic Blend is good for a ‘temporary’ solution.
The anthem is a softer sound than the mic. Anthem is still way better than the Element & Hi Fi, both of which sound muffled/dull in comparison to either the mic or Anthem.
They all sound a bit pants but the element has the least badness.
The "No processing" clips are semi-useful, but I think I'd rather hear how good each one CAN sound, instead of a baseline. Most players aren't going to use straight in, unprocessed tones. Adjust the included controls for each unit, optimize an external EQ for each as well, and add a nice reverb and we would get to hear each pickup at it's best.
I don’t agree because then it all becomes subjective and I could manipulate it to the point that it’s nothing like how it sounds. Also with these ‘raw’ samples you can run them through your own gear and make the adjustments to see how it may sound.
Anthem for me by far.
There is no 100% mic in the Anthem. It is always blended with piezo for low frequencies. It's in the manual somewhere..
I know. I mean the wheel itself at 100% (as much mic as possible). The undersaddle always handles the bass which is why it is so feedback resistant.
@@aaronshortmusic You did a wonderful job reviewing these pickups Aaron, really important to know for everyone. Thanks a lot. I am a fan of yours!
@@williamyaeger19 Thank you!
How does the Lyric compare with the HiFi?
The Lyric is a mic so the base tone is more natural. I think I would suggest the HiFi as it is more stable on stage. They are very different.
@@aaronshortmusic Thanks much!
the anthem would win if i was able to use it like you did with 100% mic, i m a guitar tour tech and with larger arenas we are only able to run maybe 10-15 % of the mic, sometimes none, so it become basicaly a element pickup with 15% of mic wich help a little., the Hifi is a intersting idea depending on its feedback toleerance,.
For bars and clubs I never have issues with feedback from the Anthem. I feel like floor monitors could be a problem. Have you tried covering the soundhole?
@@aaronshortmusic always a feedbackbuster,
@@matranc Thate great info. I’ve never had any issues with it but I don’t use floor monitors.
The Mic hands down. But.. the anthem. Hifi was a disappointing pizeo style quack and no resonance
And again, we have no example of the anthem and element blended together. It would really be helpful to give us that.
I never use it that way. I prefer the Anthem SL which always has the blend at 100% as it was in this video.
Not fair comparing a mic with pickups. Thanks for the video anyway.
You’re not supposed to. The mic is just for reference.
@@aaronshortmusic Oh, got it... but you know... nothing like a mic for acoustic guitars. Cheers!
@@preciseaudioblog Of course. Microphones are best for every instrument!
Anthem all the way!
Anthem
Thank you Aaron for working so hard to get this to us! I pretty much agree with most here, the Anthem is best. And while I know it wasn't part of your comparison, I also like the M-80 a lot. My main issue with my 2 favorite Baggs pickups (Anthem and M-80) is that they are both so "bulky". Maybe that is the price to pay for great sound. As for the HiFi, it sounds much better than most USTs to my ear, and better than the Element (but the Element surprised me here- there is a lot of dynamic range in your sample I didn't know it even had). The HiFi sounds good though for sure, great plug n' play option that could be make even better with some tone shaping to taste.
I agree with you! I think the HiFi is a great option for some players and it has the potential to grow and develop as well. I am still a big fan of the Anthem though and have been for many years now.
@@aaronshortmusic Im so glad I order and instal Anthem in my Gibson. Anthem is the best, thanks for this review 👍
@@antonio.lovric My review is still to come but I’m glad you like it!
and the lyric, master? against both hehe
Not this time!
And after 7 months? Is it time? Haha Just kidding. I’m between anthem and lyric
Hands down the Anthem is the best of all. You wouldn't reject the other 2 if you didn't have anything else, and I know the Anthem is pricey, but it is simply the best.
Totally agree!
Anthem 100% mic is just the lyric?
No. The Anthem is a crossover circuit and always uses the Element for 250hz and below.
@@aaronshortmusic ah I see. So it means mic is at highest volume it can be within the blend, rather than 100% of the sound is from the mic?
@@HWYau That’s correct. The mic control is at 100% but the mic is not applied to the bass frequencies.
Anthem all the way...no comparison
The anthem sounds the fullest and most natural compared to other pickups (I exclude mics like the Neumann)
I agree it’s great.
Anthem, no contest.
I think we must go for the hifi, so the anthem is better today... but I think you'll can buy( in some month) the additionnal microphone and upgrade for the full Hifi anthem system ! So keep your money and invest in the future ! Or you possibly will regret it...
I don’t think it will be an upgrade. I assume you will have to buy a whole new system and who is to say that it will be better than the Anthem until it is released…
@@aaronshortmusic maybe you're right for the upgrade ! But knowing Lr Baggs, I seriously doubt the anthem system will be better...
@@emmanuelgirard1656 The Anthem is such an incredible system. If they can beat it then I’ll be first in line!
@@aaronshortmusic It will, you'll see by yourself 😃😄
I'll let you know when I try it.@@emmanuelgirard1656
The Anthem was closest to the Neumann.
K&K
Still a good choice for price and profile but I won’t be using one again for a while.
Mic it is
That’s not the point. The mic is a reference.
Element seems very similiar to hifi
I don’t think so. Also it picks up less body sound.
BS!!!! Play them LIVE. Totally different
Anthem all the way.
Yep.
Try nylon
Don’t have.
They are all more than good enough for stage performance. Recently heard some live John Mayer and Ed Sheeran performances and their tones were a lot worse than these.
Check out recent John Mayer solo tour videos. He is using Aura Images now and his tone sounds excellent.
@@aaronshortmusicwhat pickup does he use?
@@jeremyfrost3127 Fishman Matrix.
hifi , very dull sound here , also other pieco PU dead sound ,,,, mic is always best soltuion for Quality acustic guitar , that is it .
Comparing a mic to a pickup is like comparing the real celebrity to a tribute act.
Not fair. After hearing the Neumann they all sound terrible.
Of course. You can’t compare a mic to a pickup. It’s there for reference only.
for my ears HiFi still sounds like cheap chineese pieso transducer.
Please, CZcamsrs, NEVER MAKE A CHOICE JUST BY WATCHING VIDEOS. That's lazy AF
Who says that they do? It’s just more information to help make a decision.
@@aaronshortmusic who says they do? They do it themselves. That's what they pick up one over the other without playing them. . . ever!! I've owned them and they sound very different from the video. Like you established, the sound was not processed and in live situations it's a different ballgame. In my case, I don't like the K&K, I like the Anthem when it works and the one I'm using now is the HiFi. I pick the HiFi over the Anthem because it's easier to have the best sound possible with it. The K&K can sound great, but it needs a LOT of help from a proper preamp.
They all sound plasticy.