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You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. A good proportion of the system cost should go for microphones.

All wired (as opposed to wireless) microphones should be directional (cardioid or hypercardioid); they should pick up sound from the front, but not from the rear.

Pulpit or podium microphones should be well shock-mounted or electronically vibration-isolated, or else every little bump will become a big thump in the loudspeakers.

Suspended microphones should be very small.

The best-sounding microphones for most applications are of a type called condenser microphones. These microphones require DC power through a phantom power system. If the control board does not include this, an adapter will be needed.

Wireless microphones allow greater freedom of movement for a talker or singer. They are available in handheld, clip-on, and headset versions. Most modern wireless microphones operate between the spaces of the VHF TV band (channels 7-12) or above the UHF band (channels 13-84). There are no CB radios or cordless phones in these bands, so modern wireless mics are free from some of the interference problems that plagued earlier systems. Interference problems can occur, though. They can be corrected by receiver adjustment or by changing the channel of the microphone system used. Usually this means buying a different microphone, as most wireless microphones are single-channel types. This is one reason that it is very important to buy wireless microphones from a supplier who will first visit your facility and scan the frequency bands to find which channels of microphones to recommend.

All radio transmitters, including wireless microphones, have certain "dead spots" where their signal cannot be picked up. These dead spots are mainly caused by the signal being reflected from metal materials in the building. Small rooms with wooden framing usually do not have a problem with dead spots. Larger rooms, especially those with steel beams, may require a special type of wireless microphone called a diversity system to eliminate the dead spots. Diversity systems cost more than non-diversity types.

The convenience of wireless microphones does come with a hidden cost: since they are more complicated electronically than wired microphones, there is more to go wrong. Wired mics therefore provide much greater reliability.

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