Buying used G3. Need help with Lav & Testing.

M

Marloon

Member
Hi Guys,

I've very new to this forum and would like to buy an H4N + Sennheiser G3 set. I found one on craigslist for an EK100 and a SK100. The seller broke the ME2, and replaced it with a cheaper lav. I will be buying a new LAV and any recommendations would be appreciated.

The problem with, I'm not sure how to test the product. I have yet to receive my H4N (coming on the 27th), and the guy wants to meet up this weekend.

Thanks!
-Marlon
 
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regarding testing the equipment:

Bring headphones and new AA batteries for the sennheisers! Not sure what the H4 uses but bring those as well so no excuses why he can't test. He should also have a cable which has a 3.5mm TRS on one end and XLR on the other end.

Power up the reciever and transmitter with the mic connected. Tune both the same same freq/channel. On the transmitter, adjust the sensitivity while talking in the mic to get good level on the meter that doesn't peak. Look at the meter on the receiver and you would have level there as well which moves as you talk. Connect the 3.5mm cable from the receiver to the H4. I'm not a H4 user so someone else may be able to chime in on how to put it thru it's paces.

For replacement mics for the G3, I have been really, really digging the 801s I get from Oscar Soundtech. These are Tram TR-50 clones and sound great under clothing.
 
Since your H4n won't be in when you meet up to test the G3 system...

... you might want to find some one who has a small, portable mixer with heaphone out. Even a cheap little Mackie 4-channel will do. Make sure the guy selling you the system has the XLR cable for the receiver.

You can also plug headphones straight into the 1/8" out of the receiver to confirm signal. The G3 systems put out a little less signal than the previous G2 systems, so you probably can't drive anything more than a pair of ear buds, but that will give you a quick and effective way to check the system.

As for replacement lavs, there are plenty of threads already in the Audio forum about lavs. Some of them have even been updated recently, and shouldn't be too hard to find. one of them is even a sticky...

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?131212-Lav-Article-Debuts

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?226641-Lav-Shootout!-Rode-Tram-Sanken-amp-Sennheiser

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?230625-R%D8DE-PinMic-REVIEW!
 
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Thanks guys! I'm reading the manual right now in case i notice something is wrong with the set. I want to make sure that i am not getting a dud here. If all else fails, i will just purchase a new one - as if i have any other choice.

The guy is selling me his set for $250 for the receiver and transmitter. I guess there isn't a lot of demand for these thing on the CL market. There's also a G2 set being sold. I am not quite sure the difference between the two. A quick google search didn't help either.

Sincerely,
Marlon
 
$250 for a used G3 system seems kind of... sketchy. They haven't been out that long. I know the ebay market was flooded with Chinese counterfeits of the G2 systems, and I'd be cautious about the same with the G3 systems. Though, I'm not sure what the tell-tale signs are for a forgery and you will be able to handle the system before you buy.

Meh... maybe the economy has simply bitten him too hard and he needs to get whatever he can. I'd ask lots of questions, though.
 
careful there, a new g3 system is 600 dollars, you can probably find a good used set on ebay from a good seller for around 450 but 250 for a g3 system does not give me a good vibe, you should look carefully into it, we've all heard the craigslist stories so be ware, there are many differences between g2 and g3 systems but maybe the most important is that the g3 is supposed to be better and less interference, also the g3 mostly comes with the me4 lavalier where the g2 comes with the me2 lavalier, very different mics



Marloon said:
Thanks guys! I'm reading the manual right now in case i notice something is wrong with the set. I want to make sure that i am not getting a dud here. If all else fails, i will just purchase a new one - as if i have any other choice.

The guy is selling me his set for $250 for the receiver and transmitter. I guess there isn't a lot of demand for these thing on the CL market. There's also a G2 set being sold. I am not quite sure the difference between the two. A quick google search didn't help either.

Sincerely,
Marlon
Click to expand...
 
The G3 system operates very similarly to the G2 system. You should do a thorough search on the Interwebz for tutorial videos about setting up a G2 system. I recall seeing them in the past, so they have to be out there. You want to be fairly familiar with how the system operates, how to navigate the menus, which things to adjust, etc.

Do you perhaps have a miniDV camera or something with a mic input and a headphone output? This would be a good thing to test the G3 on. Like C2V says, make sure the seller brings the XLR output cable for the system, but also make sure they bring the Sennheiser CL1 mini-plug output cable too. The G3 is sold with the manual, a lav mic, an XLR output cable, a mini-plug output cable, belt clips, and a mount to attach the receiver to the shoe of a camera.

Be wary of people who replace the Sennheiser lav with another mic. Often times they go to Radio Shack and buy a cheap replacement. This is not good. A replacement Sennheiser ME2 lav mic is $140. B&H sells a knock off of the ME2 which is nearly identical called the OLM2 for $109, which is the cheapest decent replacement alternative:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...LM2_Replacement_Omnidirectional_Lavalier.html
 
Thanks guys! He only has the camera plate. Im wondering now if this really legit as he is missing the xlr input and the me2 mic. He doesn't even have a mic. I'm going to have to look at how to spot fakes.
 
The seller was originally selling the system for 350 but I asked for 250. He was hesitant at first but I can tell he wanted something else and wanted the cash. He is pretty young, 22 years old and was using the hv30 and moved to the t2i. I asked him why he wanted to sell it, he said he wanted a zoom h4n instead. Hmm. I don't know how to feel. I'd really have to look harder on guides as to how to spot a fake.

I'm somewhat scared about the idea of fakes. It has really spooked me in terms of purchasing items. If I don't feel like taking the risk, I'll just buy a new one from Texas from the link Chad sent.

Sincerely,
Marlon
 
Ive decided that taking the time and risk on something like this is not worth it.

Appearently, the craigslist guy bought it from a rental company and the rental company has lost everything but the sk100, ek100 and the camera mount. For what it's worth, I'd have to buy myself another 150 mic which brings it up to 400. I might as well buy one new from tapeworks.

Has anyone bought anything from tapeworks before? Are they a reputable store?
 
After I told him that I could get a new set for 450, he dropped his price to 200 for the ek100, sk100 and camera plate.
 
I was honest with the guy and he said.

I can gurantee you that its not a knock off. its a legit Sennheiser. its a B frequency 626-668mhz. and i cant use it with the t2i because the t2i has a AGC that will literally ruin the audio no matter how nice your mic setup is. its just not worth going that path. im leaning towards the zoom H1 for audio recording, and ill just match them in post.

g to drop my price to 200 flat. but thanks for checking it out anyways.
 
get the senn. and he is correct about trying to record directly to the T2i, dont waste your time and get a separate recorder like the H1.

FFS just get the set , then you can brag about the barn bargain you got.
 
recordingwhiz said:
get the senn. and he is correct about trying to record directly to the T2i, dont waste your time and get a separate recorder like the H1.

FFS just get the set , then you can brag about the barn bargain you got.
Click to expand...

yeah i think i wasted a ton of money by buying the H4n. I've bought into a system that far exceeds my ability and needs. I should have just bought the Sennheiser ME2 lavalier and a Zoom H1.

On the bright side, i found a local store in Canada that sells the ME2 for a cheap 83 dollars. Thanks guys! i'll visit the store tomorrow to grab the mic and an XLR cable.
 
C2V said:
Make sure the guy selling you the system has the XLR cable for the receiver.

You can also plug headphones straight into the 1/8" out of the receiver to confirm signal. The G3 systems put out a little less signal than the previous G2 systems, so you probably can't drive anything more than a pair of ear buds, but that will give you a quick and effective way to check the system.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the helpful tips! Unfortunately, he only has the EK100, SK100 and the AC2 camera plate. I will have to find myself the CL1, CL100, and an ME2 Mic after the deal. The Zoom H4N will be coming tomorrow morning and i will use it when i test the G3.
 
Sam Mallery said:
The G3 system operates very similarly to the G2 system. You should do a thorough search on the Interwebz for tutorial videos about setting up a G2 system. I recall seeing them in the past, so they have to be out there. You want to be fairly familiar with how the system operates, how to navigate the menus, which things to adjust, etc.

Do you perhaps have a miniDV camera or something with a mic input and a headphone output? This would be a good thing to test the G3 on. Like C2V says, make sure the seller brings the XLR output cable for the system, but also make sure they bring the Sennheiser CL1 mini-plug output cable too. The G3 is sold with the manual, a lav mic, an XLR output cable, a mini-plug output cable, belt clips, and a mount to attach the receiver to the shoe of a camera.

Be wary of people who replace the Sennheiser lav with another mic. Often times they go to Radio Shack and buy a cheap replacement. This is not good. A replacement Sennheiser ME2 lav mic is $140. B&H sells a knock off of the ME2 which is nearly identical called the OLM2 for $109, which is the cheapest decent replacement alternative:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...LM2_Replacement_Omnidirectional_Lavalier.html
Click to expand...


Thanks for the headsup! I found the Sennheiser ME2 at a local store for 83.99! That seems to be a good deal. I'll walk in tomorrow to special order the product.
 
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