I Can't Make Up My Mind!!!!!

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NickC

NickC

DJ Extraordinaire
Aug 28, 2013
387
519
Bardstown, KY
www.selectsoundky.com
OK, I am really serious about pulling the trigger on a wireless speaker setup for my ceremony system. I would also use it for remote monitoring at a castle where I will be doing a wedding later on this month. (Yes, a Castle....in Kentucky)

Anyway, I know Steve likes this Sennheiser unit:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EW3002IEMG3-G

Ray really likes this little dude:

http://www.shure.com/americas/products/wireless-systems/fp-systems

agiprodj.com likes this setup:

http://www.agiprodj.com/sennheiser-wireless-remote-speaker-system-5.html

I am really stuck here because they all have their pros and cons.

Do any of you use any of these systems regularly? I really want to know about any problems that you have had with them.

Thanks for any feedback!!
 
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I picked up the Sennheiser unit because it can do double duty as an IEM for a small band setup.
 
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I have the Alto also, and it works good but has its limits. It doesn't have that great a frequency response, it does not like a signal with a lot of low end or a hot signal. For cocktail sound, speech and ceremony, I have had great luck with it. I have used it without drop out to just under 200', and out over 50' through wall and doors (no line of site what so ever).

I did use my Shure FP a week ago, where I put a -20 db attenuator, on my XLR out from my mixer to the Shure FP Body Pack, then hooked the Sure FP Receiver to my ETX15SP sub, went from the sub to a pair of ZLX12P tops. The speakers where about 40' across the room and the party was jammin, as I was flashing the limiter on the subs, with no drop outs and great sound. It went for 5 hours and the batteries had no issue. There were lots of bodies between me and the receiver.

At the same time I was using another Shure FP system with its handheld for announcements and had a third Shure FP in use for the couples MC, who had on a body pack with one of my Countryman over ear mics. I was using my Mix Deck Express as a controller, so I could use the center channel for the MC, and I used the front of deck input for my mic, which was a little bit of a pain, because they are small rotary knobs. That will be fixed next time as I am almost done with my Ceremony system, with Yamaha MG12XU mixer, Numark Mix Track Edge, DBX AF224, all in an Odyssey case with 5 RU vertical, 10RU top, computer glide top and sliding lower shelf, for Mix Track Edge and mouse. All three Shure FP wireless receivers clip neatly across the back of the rack, just below the computer glide shelf.
 
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Nick, my main reason for the Shure FP (for me) was that all the devices use two AA batteries which last well over ten hours, no power cords or wall warts. The receivers are the same size as body packs and clip on the same way. The receivers and body packs are so lite you can put Velcro on them and they can mount securely to the side of a powered speaker, if you want to mic the preacher and use no mixer, only the mixer on the back of the powered speaker. They are just so versatile in my system.
 
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Yeah, I looked at the Alto, but it really has mixed reviews when you start digging.

What is the most extreme condition that you have used that Sennheiser unit in? Eg, distance, line of sight blocked, through walls, etc?? I am thinking that getting those body pack units up high will really diminish the chance of the audio dropping out, and they are so versatile with what you can do with them.
 
I've only used it line of sight about 75' away .. really haven't tested it beyond that. Sounded like a corded system.
 
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Nick,

You can use the Shure FP in stereo, you just have to use two -20 db attenuators (less than $20.00), two body packs and two receivers. If you decide to go Shure FP let me know, I have a good discounted source for Shure.
 
I did .. each bodypack was adjusted to an opposite side. Also tried mono .. not a lot of difference.
 
OK, I pulled the trigger and went with the Sennheiser Body Packs. I will let you know how they work after this coming weekend. My niece's wedding will be a great opportunity to "test" the setup! Since I am doing this gig as government work, I won't feel so bad if there is an issue, although I plan on testing the crap out of the setup before the ceremony.
 
Just make sure to not "hide" the bodypack antennas. If you tuck the unit behind the speaker, make sure to have the antenna hang down below the speaker so as to get some line-of-sight to the transmitter.
 
Steve, excuse my ignorance...but, what about line-of-sight for the bodypack that is affixed to the officiate? Won't those of the wedding party and Bride and Groom cause a problem for the Lav bodypack?
 
TwinSpinDJ said:
Steve, excuse my ignorance...but, what about line-of-sight for the bodypack that is affixed to the officiate? Won't those of the wedding party and Bride and Groom cause a problem for the Lav bodypack?
Click to expand...
Essentially, you want to make sure you have the least amount of interference between the sending and receiving antennas. If you use a bodypack and the bodypack is placed at the rear of an officiant and he faces toward the receiver at your mixer, you have his entire body between the 2 antennas. Depending on the distance, that may attenuate the signal enough to cause dropouts. In that case you may need to either move the bodypack to their side or move the receiver to their rear. Basically if you are at the receiver location and you can't see the transmitter, something is between and will affect the signal .. sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.

Same thing with what Nick is trying to do, but in reverse.
 
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Nick,

I don't know how your receivers are built. Mine have a removable belt clip and are very lite, so I put a strip of the hook type Velcro on them. I mounted the soft side of the Velcro to a top-side-corner of my speakers. I then mount the receiver to the speaker where the antennas are up at around 7' in the air. It really doesn't look bad as I use the monitor angle side to mount it on.

I actually have Velcro on two upper corners of the speakers so when I use one or more stand alone, for ceremonies, I can mount my Alto receiver to one side (sending the seating, entry and exit music), then I can mount a single wireless mic receiver to the other side, controlled by the officiants body pack. When I do outdoors a single Yamaha DXR15 on a tripod, with a scrim, powered by a Duracell Powermate 600, with the Alto wireless and the Shure FP wireless makes a 3 minute up and down set up, that looks good and works like a dream.

The Velcro doesn't stand out against any of my tops ZLX12P, DXR15, and ETX12P, they all have it on them.
 
NickC said:
Agreed. The plan is to put the receivers on top of the speakers, and the transmitter as high as I can feasibly do at each gig.
Click to expand...

The problem with mounting them at top, is the antenna on the Sennheiser bodypack is very floppy and may droop down behind the speaker. Try it there, but you may need to flip it upside down and let the antenna dangle to keep it extended. good luck.
 
rickryan.com said:
I like Sennheiser and Shure but really, a GTD has a 600-foot range and will cost you about 1/3 what these others will.
Click to expand...
I don't think GTD has a bodypack receiver as yet .. I've just seen bodypack transmitters.
 
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