Yorkie Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I'm looking for recommendations for one new radio mic headset system for speech in a church. They currently have two mics in use on Channel 70 without difficulty and I think they will opt to stay on 70 for their additional system to keep ongoing costs down. For the mic I'm suggesting one of the £50 CPC ones http://cpc.farnell.com/MP33908 For the radio system I suspect anything cheaper than the Trantec 4.4 at about £140 will be naff and to get something very good they probably don't need to spend more than the Sennheiser EW122 G3 at £440. Is there anything else worth considering within that price range? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljoshua Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 The XSW sit nicely between the two systems in price and performance. The audio technica 2000 series aren't too bad either. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundiesam Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I always suggest the Audio technica 2000 very robust and I've installed lots in churches with no problems at all. regards Samuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sound Man Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Try and get the same brand of radio mic system as your other systems so that there is a good chance of them working together well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundiesam Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Dont buy the XSW you will regret it for a church especially if its an old building.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedd Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Trantec S5.3 is a cracking system for the money. Been running 16 of them for 5 years with very little trouble. Nice 4 pin mini xlr's, not 3.5mm jacks. 1 AA does 10 hours.Only down side is they have an awful belt clip. Its below the centre of gravity so it tries to unhook itself if the clothing it's clipped to isn't 100% tight. I use pouches or just stick it in a pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazz339 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 The older Trantec S1000 (or was it 2000) diversity radio mics were good budget systems for churches and schools. The S4.4 looked to be good for the price and seem to have reasonable reception, however the problem I have with them is that they give a fairly pronounced click when switched on with a live mic channel which often happens when the system is not used with a sound op. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Crumbs... S1000/2000 is going back a few years! However - yes, some of the Trantec stuff did click when being switched on. Trantec simply said, "why are you turning the mic on and off? The sound engineer will manage levels". I pointed out that many churches do not have a mixing desk, let alone a sound engineer who can ride levels. Many clergy have to switch their mic on and off themselves if they are not to be heard singing... The Audio Technica 2000 has only an on-off switch - which turns on audio and RF, but at least there is a pilot tone so there shouldn't be a burst of white noise as it locks on. I have only dealt with one XSW system. It was slightly lightweight in construction and I didn't like the 0/-10/-20 dB attenuation switch on the beltpack - that would need taping over in most churches. However it did have both an on/off and mute switch. I'd echo the comment about keeping to the same model as what's already there if possible. However, as discussed a few days back, Shure have pulled out of channel 70 (apart from a few of their high end units) so depending on what's installed the choice may be more limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Their existing UHF systems are TOA, WM4220 and WM4310 mics with a pair of WT4810 recievers (There's a VHF Trantec S2000 too which as far as I can tell they have had since 1995!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdherring Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Sennheiser have two new systems they have just announced, the D1 which is a replacement for the EW100 series but is digital so license free but not in channel 70 and the SpeechLine which is a new unit, again digital but aimed at speech rather than vocals. I would imagine this to be much cheaper than the D1. My advice is if you can wait a month or two do it as it seems there are lots of things going to be happening in this market over the next month or two. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Sennheiser have two new systems they have just announced, the D1 which is a replacement for the EW100 series... I saw something of the press release but didn't twig they intended replacing the EW100 series? Is that a definite decision? There are some retailers suggesting pricing for D1 might be over 1.5 x the typical cost of EW100? I'm sure the 2.4GHz stuff is very clever, but I'm not sure I want to commit to a multi radio show in WiFi land... Similarly, their new Speech range is in the DECT 1.9GHz band. You'd be competing with phones and Plantronic headsets... Either way, I think these systems are a bit more expensive than the OP's TOA UHFs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Worth waiting I think. I've never had a single dropout on 2.4GHz but caused quite a few iPads to lose sync with mixers and lighting controls. If these new products cut it at the right price point it will be good news I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 For the OP, the TOA stuff is still largely available (in fact they still seem to make an equivalent unit in VHF) and there's the advantage that if all the radios are the same there's less chance of user mistakes.Paul - the only experience I've had of radios in 2.4GHz was that of a theatre company which came to our church last year. They ran 4 or 5 Line 6 units, two of which dropped out consistently and repeatedly through the whole show.I appreciate that many have sung their praises, but that instance didn't fill me with confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I appreciate that many have sung their praises, but that instance didn't fill me with confidence.As with most kit of this type, successful use relies on the user having a certain level of knowledge - there are unfortunately a lot of people using them who don't appear to have even read the instructions let alone gained a thorough understanding of how to use them properly. They're not plug & play - just like any other radio kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Line of sight is critical with the Line6 radio mics, the wavelength of 2.4 GHz is around 1/3rd of CH70 at around 4" an consequently, much more easily interrupted. They do have a rep for wiping out any other 2.4GHz comms in the building though..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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