Wireless systems

Good mic, reliable, ideal for speeches, karoke, MCs. The sound is all right (80-16000 hz), not too sensitive to feedback. Vocals come through fine. It probably has a bump in the mids. It has a switch at the bottom, but no mute, some handling noise, but using a mic stand solves that. It makes a very good job ^^ Frequencies: 742.5 to 744.5 mhz (4 channels). Ideal for conferences, live entertainment, karaoke, MCs. A good entry-level mic with a more than decent price tag! 5 ***** for its sturdiness! It may fall but it won't break! You can find it secondhand for about $130-$160. Today a new entry-level SENNHEISER mic costs about $300!

I chose this for use in live sound applications. I use this with both headset and handheld mics. There are no other comparable products in this price range. PROS: 1: Can be used with any dynamic microphone--whether headset, lavalier, or handheld 2: Small footprint on sound desk since the receiver plugs directly into the mixer instead of being a box sitting to the side taking up additional space. 3: Both transmitter and receiver have internal, rechargeable lithium batteries, so no changing of batteries is required. 4: Transmitters/receivers have channel selectors for up to six channels, meaning one can use up to six of these at once. 5: Manufacturer is very good at responding to customer inquiries. CONS: 1: Can only be used with dynamic mics. 2: XLR connection on transmitter limits choices of headset mics. 3: Transmission range limited to less than 100 feet. The pros still outweigh the ocns on using these--especially in small settings such as coffee houses, small churches.

I could borrow this Shure GLXD24/SM86 (condenser, about US$ 650.-) along with a Sennheiser XSw 35 (dynamic, about US$450) for about a week and check them out. I thought it was going to be hard to decide between the two, but I was wrong. This wireless SM86 just blew my mind. SOUND The sound is just incredible. You get the definition of a good live condensor microphone (I personnally like and use the EV Cardinal). I tought that in a loud environment, the dynamic XSw might do just as well, but I was wrong. When rehearsing with our fusion band (www.soundcloud.com/soark), everyone found that at similar volumes, my voice could be heard clearly with the Shure, but not so much with the Sennheiser. The Shure makes me feel comfortable, because I know I can sing into it high or low, soft or yell all I've got and it will sound wonderful. This may be subjective, but singing the same loud song felt tiring with the Sennheiser and relaxing with the Shure. Wow... FEEDBACK RESISTANCE To my surprise, in our 3x4m rehearsal room, monitors cranked way up, the Shure didn't seem to generate more feedback problems than the Sennheiser. WIRELESS The digital wireless works great. There is no fuzz at all and I had to go outside the building (10m, one brick and one concrete walls in between) to get the sound to break down. You can't change the antennas on the receiver, but I doubt my wireless needs will surpass the original ones in the next few years. My only uncertainty: I wonder how solid the link is gonna be on stages with many 2.4Ghz devices around. HARDWARE The battery system is very cool. You get many hours out of it before the light turns red and when that happens, you can still go on for at least an hour (haven't tried to go further). To charge the battery, you can pop it right into the receiver unit, or you can even plug the mic directly into a USB port to charge the battery (micro USB). The mic and receiver are made of plastic, which is light and looks solid enough for my needs.

Well the thing to like most is that it's wireless! Your freedom of movement is no longer restricted by your cables! What's not to like? Well, if you've been dealing with wireless systems for awhile you know that when you start adding more and more wireless recievers together you encounter all sorts of problems. Shure did a fantastic job with this series of mic/transmitter/recievers and they still hold their own and function very well, but you have to know just how many you can use in certain set frequency groups before you start having major problems. This is no big deal really, Shure has great online support for these systems and all the info you could possibly need is there and easily obtained! Keep in mind Shure is a legendary name in the live and studio audio world so you will pay the tax for that but their gear is top notch. These wireless systems perform great as long as you take the time and have the patience to set them up properly you will be totally satisfied. The main issues that you will have will occur when you are using 6-14 units simultaniously. At this point it becomes very difficult to select clear channels for all your different transmitter/recievers, also in certain frequency ranges Shure recommends only using a certain number of transmitter/recievers. It is VERY important that you research these issues before you buy a whole lot of these, if you're just using one then you've got no worries. Shure does sell an antenna combiner which not only reduces your footprint but also provides a little bit of boost to the individual transmitter/recievers signal and is ultimately VERY helpful. Many different companies offer wireless options but you can count on Shure to provide you with good quality equipment. All the headaches of wireless aside, Shure's equipment delivers! When wireless equipment fails or looses signal it's...well it's just really bad. I certainly cannot promise you perfect opperation all the time with this rig, however I can say that with a properly set up Shure rig the sound quality is great! You really won't even notice that it's not hard-wired! Overall, based on all the different companies wireless rigs that I've used, I trust Shure's stuff the most. If you've got the money then go with Shure, if you're a bit short just save a little extra and buy Shure.

I purchased the ATW-3110D wireless system at a local music shop for $350, primarily so I can gig with a reliable true diversity wireless system for my guitar. It is very reliable and easy to use. The LCD screen is bright with all the information required diplayed in an easy to read format. It has 200 selectable channels and is true diversity. The batteries in the transmitter last over 8 hours! The antenna of the transmitter is not the kind that just hangs down, however it is flexible and replaceable. It is solidly constructed of metal and rack mountable. I like this system. There is a little sound degradation as the batteries begin to wear, but that is true of any system. However, the overall sound quality is excellent. There is no noticeable noise and the instrument tone is extremely clear. I would highly recommend this system. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com