wireless mic systems

[stevenvortigern]

Greetings,
I'm looking to purchase a wireless mic system for trombone. My price range is around $1000 or less. I'm planning to use it with an 8-piece jazzy funky brass band for mostly indoor shows. There will likely be a handful of other wireless systems on the same stage. I also will have a vocal mic, so perhaps there is a two channel system that would work well long term.

I've read that the Sennheiser and Audio-Technica systems are better in this price range than the Shure systems. Apparently, this is mainly because they are metal instead of plastic and hence more rugged. Are there other brands to consider?

I also want to consider the versatility of mic options, as each company has its own connection type. Then again, hopefully I'll like the first mic I get and have it last for many years, so maybe this isn't the most important thing. It seems that most of the mics of this type advertised for use with horns are condensers, which I know generally sound better, but are also more prone to feedback. Anyone have feedback issues using a wireless mic setup, considering that you can constantly reposition the mic?

Anybody out there been through this decision process, or even better, have experience with more than just one brand or quality level within a brand? What sorts of things should I be looking out for?

[JLivi]

I just reached out to one of my sound guys about this exact thing. He gave me a very lengthy response. Here's what he said.

So I only have experience with Shure wireless systems so I can only speak on their products. As that goes you really get what you pay for. Shure has a few different lines of wireless systems. Starting from the low quality to high quality:

BLX: these wireless systems are cheap in price and quality and in my opinion not with spending money on. They would not be a reliable choice.

SLX: this wireless system is the one I am least familiar with. They are going to be a step up from the BLX system but I have not used them before so I can’t speak on the reliability.

QLX: the QLX wireless system in my experience is where you first get actual quality sound and reliability.

ULX: this wireless system is even better than the QLX system. I won’t talk much about this one because they are even more expensive.

Here are links to each of these systems that I think would be the best choice for you.
I personally recommend the ULX system. I believe will be the best and reliable option under $1000. If the ULX is too expensive then the next choice would be the SLX system. But like I said, I have not used the SLX system so I don’t know exactly where they land in quality and reliability between the BLX and the QLX systems.

In the links I am suppling they will have the best frequency band with the most available channels in city of Chicago (according the Shures website) as well as the cheapest combination they offer. Which usually includes the receiver, the transmitter pack and a 1/4 cable instead of a lav mic.
Shure wireless frequency finder: https://www.shure.com/en-US/support/too ... ncy-finder

BLX: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... m-j11-band

SLX: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... m-j52-band

QLX: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... m-v50-band

ULX: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... r-v50-band

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... r-v50-band

[JLivi]

One other thing, to keep my two posts separate, a couple of sax playing friends have Shure wireless setups and this is what they both use.

https://www.sweetwater.com/c995--Guitar ... lsrc=aw.ds

Hopefully that information helps. And to be honest, I don't know what I'm planning on purchasing yet. But I do know that the higher quality systems are currently out of my price range, so I plan to save for something reliable that won't break.

Hopefully people chime in about the Sennheiser and Audio Technica systems, because I would be interested to know if those are just as good (or better) for possibly a better price.

[Doug Elliott]

I have been wanting to check this out. A sax player friend loves it.
https://www.nuxefx.com/b6.html

[JLivi]

I have been wanting to check this out. A sax player friend loves it.
https://www.nuxefx.com/b6.html

I wonder why it’s marketed strictly for saxophone players. The all in one set up reminds me of the AMT mics too. I’ve never played one of those but two of my friends used them for about 1-2 years and ending up getting rid of them. Luke Malewicz is one of them. Maybe he’ll chime in.

I think it was this mic
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/contro ... ku=1471997

[Doug Elliott]

It's marketed to sax players because there are 100 times more sax players who would buy it than trombone players.

[rabiddolphin]

I've been using the Shure GLX system and having the rechargeable batteries is nice. Nux stuff is usually ok while it works, but when it breaks there usually isn't any way of fixing it.

[MagnumH]

Hoping to reactivate this topic as I'm in the market to go wireless and curious for other reviews.
I'd like to avoid the 2.4GHz mics - like the Nux - since they can cause havoc with wireless tablet mixers on stage, and vice versa.
Ideally I'd like to avoid a beltpack as well so that it's "true" wireless - the only options I've seen here so far are the pricey AMT Q7-P808 system and the less pricey Samson AWX Wind Instrument. Anyone got experience with either of those? Any other good options out there?

AMT Q7-P808: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... eless.html

Samson AWX Wind Instrument: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... tHEALw_wcB

[stevenvortigern]

I wound up purchasing a Sennheiser EW-D and their e908Bew mic. This is a UHF band system. My research agrees with the last post that a professional system should be UHF. The 2.4GHz systems operate in the same frequency region as wifi, cell service and bluetooth and thus are a lot more likely to encounter interference. UHF systems usually have a scan feature that allows you to select the clearest frequency from a range of signal transmission frequencies.

I am really happy so far. the EW-D is digital, which is supposed to have a better sound quality than analog systems at the price of some latency. I haven't noticed any latency when i use it. Sennhesier had the lowest rated latency of systems I was considering and that was part of my decision to get it. I don't have anything to compare it to, so I can't say if its better or worse than others, but Sennheiser seemed to have a top-quality reputation on other forums talking about wireless systems and was not any more expensive than a similarly featured Shure or Audio Technica system.

I gotta say, I really love having this type of system around. It was really nice on a gig. On-stage communication is easier if you don't have to keep your bell pointed at a stationary mic. The biggest benefit is that it makes it super easy to get good recordings of my practice. Without it, you either have keep your bell at a fixed distance from a stationary mic, or be attached to a mic cable with a regular clip on mic. I like to stand and move around when I practice so both these options seemed to be too much to think about to make lots of hassle-free recording feasible.

Now, I just leave the system attached all the time, so the only setup is to turn it on, open the computer recording app and hit record. I have my computer setup and wireless receiver in an upstairs bedroom. I set it recording and then move to a larger practice area and just have a normal practice session and don't really think about it.

In talking with other musicians, I've realized that we are lucky as trombonists to have enough space to leave the body pack attached to the instrument. This is not the case with trumpet or sax. I got an athletic wrist band and wrapped it around my horn between the tuning slide and where I hold it with my left hand. The body pack clipped to the wrist band easily and both stay securely in place. This may not be as easy on a trigger horn. The area inside the wrist band is a good place to store twist-tied loops of excess mic cabling. I am still able to easily use a trombone stand. It just requires a small amount of extra attention when placing the trombone off or on it. It even fits in my case like this. All I have to do is unclip the mic and set it beside the bell in the case. I can leave the body pack and cabling where it is.

20230410_172200.jpg

[papaslides]

Have you had a chance to try that system in a live setting? I’m on the hunt for a wireless system myself.

[Spemrick]

I just picked up the mic Doug mentioned not too long ago. I’ve only used it on a couple of gigs so far but I like it a lot. For $200 it’s worth it for an experiment at the very least.

[dembones]

I have been wanting to check this out. A sax player friend loves it.
https://www.nuxefx.com/b6.html

I got one of these and like it a lot. I've used it on several gigs with good results. Super easy/convenient, just plug the receiver dongle into the sound board or a mic cable. Three eq settings - I like the "red" setting. As Doug mentions, it's labeled as a sax mic, but it works great on trombone or trumpet, too.

And at $199 at Amazon it can't be beat.

https://www.amazon.com/NUX-Saxophone-Op ... ast_sto_dp

[papaslides]

I have been wanting to check this out. A sax player friend loves it.
https://www.nuxefx.com/b6.html

I just ordered this system as well as their B-7 IEM system to run through a Rolls PM55p to try for a soul band I play in. The PA this band uses is a basic set of 2 JBL speakers over 2 subs and some budget floor monitors. Here is my plan:

Rolls PM55p:
Mic in = NUX B-6 Receiver
Mic out = xlr to board
Mon in = xlr -> 1/4" daisy chained to floor wedges
Headphones = NUX B-7 Transmitter \

Me:
NUX B-6 Transmitter + Mic w/ Tenor EQ hopefully not too wrong for Trombone
NUX B-7 Receiver w/ MEE MXPro MX1's

I'm not super optimistic that this will be a unicorn setup... but if it's even OK (which I'm hopeful will be the case since the wireless stuff will all be run through the Rolls PM55p and so range will never be more than 5-10 feet), then I have assembled a totally usable, fully wireless setup for commercial gigs for less than $500. Is it great? Who knows, but probably not... is it solid "bang for buck"... probably... let's find out. I'll report back in a few weeks after a handful of gigs.

For what it's worth, I have emailed the NUX team suggesting that many of us would be interested in a more universal product:
UHF Band instead of 2.4ghz | Microphone options including something more tailored to the higher SPL of Bone/Trumpet | App connectivity for custom EQ including a dry/unprocessed signal out of the box. I don't know about you all but I'd happily pay $250-300 for something like that when the current product only costs $200 and isn't really meant for us and the next best option is $600+ with a huge receiver...

If anyone else has tried something like this let me know.

[papaslides]

I have been wanting to check this out. A sax player friend loves it.
https://www.nuxefx.com/b6.html

I got one of these and like it a lot. I've used it on several gigs with good results. Super easy/convenient, just plug the receiver dongle into the sound board or a mic cable. Three eq settings - I like the "red" setting. As Doug mentions, it's labeled as a sax mic, but it works great on trombone or trumpet, too.

And at $199 at Amazon it can't be beat.

https://www.amazon.com/NUX-Saxophone-Op ... ast_sto_dp

I wanted to like this setup so badly, alas I ended up returning both Nux products.

NUX B-6 Mic: Sounded ok on the Tenor eq (yellow) or Soprano (red), and was incredibly easy/convenient to use. However all the EQ's had too much of the lows eq'ed out, but more importantly the 2.4ghz frequency band made it too unreliable. It worked great at a few gigs, but then any indoor gig with another cheap 2.4ghz system on stage and it got very spotty very fast. Man if they come out with a version that has flat eq, and is UHF or 900 range, then this would be a near perfect entry level wireless system... until then the search continues...

B-7 IEM's: Were incredibly small and easy to use... however they sounded like garbage. They decided to put this one on 5.8ghz which was a great idea... but then decided to try and cram a stereo signal through that frequency range which (by their own admission) straight up is crap. If they just put a mono switch on the dang thing it would probably be amazing!

Both of these systems are just so freaking close to being perfect for small band work. Running it all through a Rolls PM55p personal monitor mounted to my trombone stand was so freeing! But the inconsistent microphone combined with the crap iem quality were just enough to send me back to the drawing board...

[ssking2b]

I have belt pack wired AKG that sounds fantastic but does not facilitate moving it to other horns easily. I use it mostly on my tuba. I use a Samson AWX-D on my tenor and bass bone because I can switch it from horn to horn quickly since there is no belt pack. Here is a link for that mic at Sweetwater:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... 42-566-mhz

Make sure you talk to the rep at sweet water about digital frequencies to find out if the D or K band frequencies are more suitable for the areas you perform in.

[Doug Elliott]

I really wish somebody made one that wasn't such a stupid clunky design. The gooseneck could be half as long if it wasn't angled away from the bell. Dumb.

[papaslides]

Honestly if Nux just made theirs UHF and had microphone options for different spl (like a brass version and a woodwind version) it would be damn near perfect.

Someone get Samson, Nux, and AT in a room together so we can have our unicorn budget wireless system.

[papaslides]

I ended up getting the Shure SLXD with the mobile receiver. I’ve taken it to a number of gigs both indoors and outside and not had any problems. The belt pack size receiver works great for just plugging into the tail that’s waiting for me at my spot, and if I ever forget to charge my AA batteries it runs just fine off of an anker external battery over usb-c I keep around for topping off my iPad or stand light for long gigs. Also found a great belt pack holder from Wireless Mic Belts. I’ll post photos later.

[JKBone85]

I used the Airline 77 for a number of years, replaced it with the AWX, used that for a few years and replaced that with the AMT Q7-P808. The AMT is head and shoulders above the Samson and Shure stuff, but just barely fits the $1000 budget, but does still come in under.