Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Opinions on 3 wireless lav systems?

Michael Panfeld

Michael Panfeld

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 1, 2007
Messages
857
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Washington DC
Hi:

I am resolving all my equipment purchases in the next few months and, notwithstanding an unforseen windfall or radical product releases at NAB, can't decide between the following wireless lav systems. I'd appreciate your experiences. I will be looking for a 4-mic system for use in a bag setup. (I'll be taking these into a Cooper CS104 going into either a Oade-modded Edirol R-44 or a Busman-modded Korg MR1000, if that matters.)

Sony UWP system
Sennheiser EW112/122 G3 system
Audio-Technica 1821 system (dual channel receivers)


FYI, the Micron, Zaxcom, and Lectrosonic systems are just too expensive for this year.

Thanks
 
Well if you can fit lectrosonics in there, you won't be dissapointed. The 400 series is great! I've never expeirenced any problems since I purchased it about 5 years ago.

Built like a tank...
 
I have the sony UWP-v1, with so far no complaints.
It has a great range and is very durable w/ great quality.

If you choose to get it, be sure to get it before the end of March. Sony has a $40 rebate on them from now til the end of March.
 
Buy used Lectro systems. If you can't afford 3 of them, have at least 1 Lectro in your bag and use that for your most important signal and your Sennheisers for the lesser ones. Whenever you can exchange a Sennheiser for another Lectro until there's only one Sennheiser left, keep this one as 'crash' system, for wireless slate links or other non critical uses.
 
Anything other than Lectrosonics or Zaxcom will be a compromise.

Compromise doesn't (and isn't in the case of Sony and Sennheiser) always mean a bad choice of gear.
In this case the Sony and Sennheiser are excellent, but the Zaxcom and Lectro are another level of excellence, redefined yet again by the two companies that lead the wireless industry by such a large margin that they're hard to ignore no matter what your price point is.

I'd take well-used Lectro or Zaxcom over brand-new Sony, Sennheiser, or AT any day.
 
I agree very much with Axel and Roger above. To me, Lectro 400-series and Zaxcoms are a Mercedes vs. BMW comparison: they're both good in different ways. I would give the edge to Lectro for range and to Zaxcom for sound quality, but lavalieres are so limiting in terms of sound quality, I'm not sure it matters in the long run. (All the other wireless brands are generally further down on the scale, from Cadillac to Yugo.) I concede that Sennheiser G3s have a market as well.

Ebay is filled with lots of used Lectro 400's (UM400 or SMa transmitters, UCR411a receivers), and there's many deals to be had out there. But carrying around four of them in a bag is rough for a bag set up -- though many doco people do it. My suggestion is in a tight budget situation, either hire somebody who already owns this equipment or just consider renting it.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. Based on that, I decided to skip the idea of 4 intermediate-level wireless systems. Instead I am going with just 2 Audio Ltd 2000 systems (in their mini-rack) and using Sonotrim lavs. I picked them up used at a reasonable price.

Vark Audio is the sole Audio Ltd US distributor/service center and they happen to be right down the street from me (well 3 miles down the street, but down the street nonetheless). So if there are any problems, service is a 5 minute drive.

From what I can tell, Audio Ltd systems are at least equal to, if not better than Zaxcom or Lectro. I'm sure I will get some comments from that statement. If I need and extra system or two on a particular shoot, Vark rents them for a very reasonable rate. Although the 2000 series has only 2 channels, they are on totally vacant frequency bands in my area.

From what I have read, the Sonotrims should cut well with the Schoeps mics I have. They also have the wired power supply, so I get a flexible wired/wireless system.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. cheers
 
Well, definitely better than the Sennheiser evolution systems. Sonotrims are fine. Regarding 'cutting' with 'whatever'....IMHO there is no system out there that 'cuts' well with Schoeps or any other good boom mike. They all sound very different a) by design and b) because of position. That's just the way it is and one has to make the best out of it.

I understand that you're not very experienced with wireless systems, a judgment call on your side about what is good, better, equal or whatever might therefore be a bit premature ;-)

Audio LTd systems are used a lot in Europe, especially in the UK. Equipment used in Europe is often a 'political' thing as all European countries have giant public (state owned and controlled) broadcast systems and they tend to favor local manufacturers. Again, that's how it is.

Audio Ltd has very weak tech support in the US, like i.e. Sound devices has very limited tech support in Europe and so on...

Audio LTD systems are definitely part of the upper echelon of wireless systems. I hope you're not having technical support problems though. Lectrosonics tech support btw is unsurpassed in this industry, that alone makes me a happy customer.

Good luck and happy times with your new wireless thingies. Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for the 2 systems?
 
The Audio Ltd. stuff is well constructed overall, but it's most definitely not in the same league as Lectro or Zaxcom.

I had an 8 ch. Audio Ltd. package out for a month and a half, and although it did it's job, it wasn't up to being compared with Lectro or Zax.
It was not a "problem free" rental package by any means.

Audio Ltd. is very Europe-centric, and its support here in North America is quite sad. They were in a battle with Micron for market share for many years.
(The Audio Ltd. cart mixing consoles are quite nice).
 
IFB: hands down the new Zaxcom TRX systems

Hops: Zaxcom. Maybe the Lectro D4/T4 is interesting, as it supports digital output (why go A/D then D/A and back A/D as you have to do with the Zax, when going into my recorder?), but 4 channel seems overkill for a hop. a 2-CH battery operated unit would have made more sense, or 3 channel with a dedicated timecode feed if you need a camera hop. This seems like a big hole in the Lectro lineup that needs to be filled. (I have heard of a company that modifies Zaxcom receivers with an AES digital output?)

Talent radios: Here there is a tossup between Zaxcom and the new Lectro SM transmitters. The Zaxcom is significantly more expensive. The Zax may sound slightly better, but for lav mics, does it really matter that much? If you using the Fusion, the remote recording and remix ability with ZAXNET is a completely separate animal. If your using Zaxcom IFB and hops already, there are some advantages to keeping it in the family, and even some rudimentary control options with the IFB100 even if your not using a Deva/Fusion with ZAXNET. All other things considered, though, for range and reliability, the Lecto SR seems like the better choice. If your doing reality TV, the Octopack makes for a nice compact field durable rig / compander. The wildcard, in my opinion, is the Sony DWR / DWT wireless units. They are sort of expensive, and I know that there is a real anti-Japanese sentiment with US sound crews, or should I say, pro-US made, but the Sony digital system has a lot going for it. You can control the gain of the transmitter directly from the paired receiver. This is much simpler than the menu control options via the IFB100 for non-ZAXNET users. It offers encryption of the wireless signal, pretty nice when working with celebrities, including the ability to pair to multiple receivers. Both the Lectro and Sony receivers are much smaller than the Zaxcom units. I believe the Sony units run much cooler than all of them too, an important factor to consider when working with delicate talent skin. The Sony units also offer a true AES digital output with wordclock, unlike the other units... not saying that it sounds better, just that you can remove 2 stages of conversion if using a digitally equipped recorder.
 
Well, the U.S. service/repair center for Audio Ltd is down the street from my house, so I'm not worried about service. I was there this morning picking up my Cooper mixer. I'm happy with my purchase.
 
Tom Visser said:
The wildcard, in my opinion, is the Sony DWR / DWT wireless units. They are sort of expensive, and I know that there is a real anti-Japanese sentiment with US sound crews, or should I say, pro-US made, but the Sony digital system has a lot going for it.
Click to expand...
I'm skeptical because of the Sony's 50mw output. They're very limited on xmitter power in Japan, and they didn't change it for North America.

Michael Panfield said:
I decided to skip the idea of 4 intermediate-level wireless systems. Instead I am going with just 2 Audio Ltd 2000 systems (in their mini-rack) and using Sonotrim lavs.
Click to expand...
The Audio Ltd.'s were very well-regarded in the 1990s. Unfortunately, they have some design limitations in terms of tuning range; there are more available channels with the Lectros and Zaxcoms. Some swear by the audio quality of Audio Ltd., but I think the new digital stuff is better both for quality and range.

But a good deal is a good deal. I bet they'll be better than the alternatives out there, especially for the money. If service is nearby, that's even better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top