The second mic doesn't sound as good, it is noisier too.
You can replace the jacks, but a bad solder will affect the audio
The trouble is, the more expensive mics are not designed to be so close to the noise source, and generally would be 6"-12" away from the source and not enclosed in a helmet. The cheaper mics are exactly that... cheap, so they are often less sensitive so in our use often work better.Yeah, the first one sounds better for sure
Difference between a very cheap one (first) and a lavalier one (second), but i'm questioning if it is because of the 3.5 to 2.5 converter that it sounds so bad. If so, cutting a jack and soldering a different jack to the mic could be a workable solution. The whole soldering part goes beyond my knowledge.
So the real question then becomes, how much do i trust my soldering skills.....