Good bye Sennheiser EW100 G2, hello to what exactly...?

Spartacus

Spartacus

Veteran
I missed the time slot for upgrading the G2s.
The obvious choice would be the G3s (have two MKE2 I plan to keep on using).
But I somehow hoped, there would be sth newer/smaller/digital in this price segment.
So far I found: The Sennheiser AVX, the Rode Link and the Sony UWP.

I guess/hope many have been in the situation lately to buy a new wireless system and someone could share his decision making for one of the above
(or another solution I didn't mention...).

What I need: one or two wireless sytems directly to camera (Canon C200). Run'n gun, docu work.

Glad for any insights - thanks!
 
well you missed the monoprice... ;~)

The WiFi units are digital. Which is not necessarily a plus.
 
Thia has been discussed ad nauseam, search here and the other location sound forums. Since you already have good mics w/ the locking 3.5mm TRS connector, it would save a little funds/time for a system that uses the same.. though not all are wired the same (Sony's is wired differently than Sennheiser's). There's pros and cons to the VHF, UHF and the newer GHz systems.
 
davefisk said:
If you are truly looking to upgrade, then I highly recommend the Lectro L-series. Higher output milliwattage on the transmitter (better range). Smart scanning. Digital Hybrid. Smart Noise Reduction. More selectable frequencies. Excellent built quality. Made and supported in the US. Very easy to use.

https://www.dvestore.com/lectrosonics-zs-lrlmb-l-series-kit/

I did a video overview of these that you can check out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj_kkARUZLg
Click to expand...
I have four of these and they're really solid!
 
Thanks for your suggestions!
So I guess nothing much has changed in the G2/3 price range and I will just stay with Sennheiser.
 
I'm confused as to what the OP is referring to with "I missed the time slot for upgrading the G2s" The frequency buyout?
 
scorsesefan said:
I'm confused as to what the OP is referring to with "I missed the time slot for upgrading the G2s" The frequency buyout?
Click to expand...

Sennheiser offered the possibility to upgrade the G2 to still legal frequencies. That - according to the internet:) - isn't possible anymore.
Even if it still is possible, I want to invest in sth newer.
If the G3's dual antenna setup helps to eliminate or reduce the G2's "glitches", that would be reason
enough to upgrade to the newer system for me...
Still, I was hoping that after all this time I had the G2s, newer wireless systems would enter the entry-level market, offering more for less - as it happened with cameras.
 
Spartacus said:
Still, I was hoping that after all this time I had the G2s, newer wireless systems would enter the entry-level market, offering more for less - as it happened with cameras.
Click to expand...

In the wireless world we don't get huge leaps forward like we do with cameras or even audio recorders. Just getting a new product approved by the FCC is extremely time consuming and expensive. However, over the years we've seen little things like frequency scanning and IR sync get added. Back in the day, that didn't exist in the G1 systems. We'd have to see something revolutionary on the component level to see a big improvement in the low cost wireless world.
 
Spartacus said:
I missed the time slot for upgrading the G2s.
The obvious choice would be the G3s (have two MKE2 I plan to keep on using).
But I somehow hoped, there would be sth newer/smaller/digital in this price segment.
So far I found: The Sennheiser AVX, the Rode Link and the Sony UWP.

I guess/hope many have been in the situation lately to buy a new wireless system and someone could share his decision making for one of the above
(or another solution I didn't mention...).

What I need: one or two wireless sytems directly to camera (Canon C200). Run'n gun, docu work.

Glad for any insights - thanks!
Click to expand...

In that price range, the best pick is the Sony UWP-D11.
I have five of them! :-D

Or you can be very patient and wait for bargains to pop up for Lectros secondhand, such as the old 200 series. They'll still be a few hundred dollars more expensive than secondhand of the other ones you listed, but at least it might be semi "affordable" for you?

The other option is just stick with your G2 and wait.... and see what comes out in the future? Ted (the Apture rep) has said they're working on a new wireless product, and I expect they should both be very good value for money and cost around the same as the others you've been looking at.
 
Spartacus said:
Sennheiser offered the possibility to upgrade the G2 to still legal frequencies. That - according to the internet:) - isn't possible anymore.
Even if it still is possible, I want to invest in sth newer.
If the G3's dual antenna setup helps to eliminate or reduce the G2's "glitches", that would be reason
enough to upgrade to the newer system for me...
Still, I was hoping that after all this time I had the G2s, newer wireless systems would enter the entry-level market, offering more for less - as it happened with cameras.
Click to expand...

Nah, the audio world in general doesn't move forward at the same breakneck speed that camera bodies do!
 
IronFilm said:
Nah, the audio world in general doesn't move forward at the same breakneck speed that camera bodies do!
Click to expand...

Well really hardware doesn't discount the way software can. What have gotten cheaper in cameras are basically the sensor and the software. Lenses have not shrunk in price that much. Also Audio has taken a huge downward movement in price. Look up the price of a professional portable recorder in 1988. You options were a cassette deck with decent noise reduction for $600 - $800 or something like the Nagra for $$$$$$$. Even in the 90's the cheapest DAT was the Sony Walkman DAT at around $700, and that had a sound quality lower than most of the entry level Flash recorders today. And so far we are talking mono and two track recorders.

Why wireless is less likely to drop a lot is that it is a radio station in your pocket and a receiver at the other end. To get decent quality in that means you can't cut a lot of corners. Also it's a bit of a limited market compared to cameras say so you can't operate on really thin margins. AND you have to deal with the FCC (and their equivalent in every country you want to sell in). That testing and approval cycle is not quick or cheap.

The 2.5 ghz stuff gets to skip a fair amount of that pain because it's in a range that is legal just about everywhere and approval is a LOT easier because it's in a consumer band. And it's a digital signal which simplifies some things. And more importantly you can make it from off the self chips that are being mass produced for things like drone controllers and TV remotes and garage door openers and WiFi devices of all sorts.

The downside is very line of sight, generally more limited range, subject to getting stepped on by other devices, and often noticeable delays in the signal compared to a wire or traditional wireless.
 
I just jumped from the G3s to secondhand LM/200 series lectros. Huge difference in reliability and performance all around. Now I just worry about placing the lav. Not getting stupid radio hits or clipping with their built in limiters.
 
Lectro is superior. But the G3 is pretty fine as well, and less money than the Lectro systems. Cost being no object, I would look at Lectro. That said we couldn't justify it and put 8 G3 in our TV studio.
 
Greg_E said:
Lectro is superior. But the G3 is pretty fine as well, and less money than the Lectro systems. Cost being no object, I would look at Lectro. That said we couldn't justify it and put 8 G3 in our TV studio.
Click to expand...

If money doesn't matter, I'd go full Zaxcom!

But instead I have 5x Lectrosonics, plus 5x Sony UWP-D11, plus 2x RodeLinks, plus 3x Samson Micro Wireless (don't bother with Samson, their noise floor is terrible!).
 
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