New wireless mics?

Vik Kamenicky

Vik Kamenicky

Active member
Hello there, I'm looking for new wireless combos (mic+transmiter/reciver). anybody tried the new sony uwp-d ? Or should I stick with usual Senn's G3 ?

thanks!
 
Vik Kamenicky said:
Hello there, I'm looking for new wireless combos (mic+transmiter/reciver). anybody tried the new sony uwp-d ? Or should I stick with usual Senn's G3 ?

thanks!
Click to expand...

Check out the stickies. This has been covered literally hundreds of times. You can also do a forum search.
 
With the rapid changes in technology sometimes the 'stickies' can be a bit dated even a year later.
I have G2's, G3's, Sony UWP's and am DESPERATE to try the new Sony digital ones.... For what I do they might be the 'Ducks Nuts'
The new Sony mics might be a game changer for low end radio mics if the sales blurb is correct.
 
AFAIK, there's no trusted user reviews yet on the new Sony digital. Just because it's 'digital' doesn't mean it's gonna be better than the analog units.
Case in point: why back well, I bought a 'new' lower cost UHF diversity to replace my aging VHF non-diversity Lectros (185). Big mistake.
The G3 is known good quality gear. In any case, the cost of a pro grade mic should be fractured in to the cost.
 
I try to update the wireless and recorder stickies regularly, but it can be difficult with ever-changing technology. The reality with the UPW-D systems is that they've only been on store shelves for a matter of weeks. The specs look intriguing, but manufacturer specs are always idealized beyond real-world performance. Until i can get my hands on a system for a few days and give an educated opinion, or at the very least until they've been out long enough for folks in the community to have some reliable feedback, I won't be able to list it as recommended or not.

The previous version of the UWP systems was not my favorite. Tested it, hated it. I'm looking forward to seeing what these systems really can do, and putting them up against my trusty Sennheiser G3 systems.
 
lectrosonics has a new L series coming out soon. No pricing yet . Multiple blocks and backwards compatible. These might be something to consider when more info is known.
 
Hey Alex - I have a Sony UWP-D you can test! (I'm local to Alex) This is certainly a coincidence, I almost contacted you over the weekend to see if you wanted to test some of this for the forum. Over the 4th of July weekend B&H had the full new UWP-D kit - transmitter, receiver, and plug on transmitter - on sale for $675 instead of the usual $800 so I picked one up just to see if it was really better.

In addition to the UWP-D (transmitter, receiver, and plug on) I can also let you have for the test:

--the older Sony UWP with both the kit mic and an Oscar Sound Tech 802

--a G2 with kit mic (that I bought used from you) and an Oscar Sound Tech TL-40

I'm actually a bit flexible tomorrow (Tuesday) and could drop all this gear off at your office if you'd have time to check it out this week. I'll send you this same message in an email. If you still have my email and cell, they haven't changed.

For what it's worth, here are some things I've found about the UWP-D:
It definitely sounds better than the old model.
It uses the same mics as the old system, so any third party mics will still work.
The kit mic appears to be the same model, but sounds better on the new one.
The OST 802 made a noticeable improvement over the kit mic when used on the old system - on the new system it does not improve nearly as much over the kit mic.

If Alex is able to test these, you can all laugh at me later when he disagrees with everything I've said :-)

The new UWP-D does have several interesting features new to it - a better display, full diversity, not full digital but a digital compander, a usb port on the receiver that can either power the receiver (when it's powered on) or charge nickel hydride batteries (when powered off), the channel setting on the receiver can wirelessly sync to the transmitter, and the plugon transmitter now furnishes full phantom power. I can now use my AT 4053b on the plugon :-)

Alex, I'm actually pretty flexible tomorrow (Tuesday) and could drop all this gear off at your office if you'd have time to check it out this week.

As I said, I'll email you.
 
I think I kind of grew out of gear lust a few years ago now. I do make purchases of new and interesting products - as long as they will do things for me. I've got G1,2 and 3 in service. If they die, then I might consider a swap to digital, but I have always had good service and perfectly good performance from my Sennheisers - so waiting for people to rush into digits could give me some great prices on their old kit. I have some Line 6 digital handhelds that I'm very happy with - but frankly, they just work - like the Sennheisers. They cause me little grief, so it's a bit crazy to replace any of it, while it is reliable and functioning!
 
I did get in touch with Alex, and we plan to do some testing on Tuesday with the new version of the Sony - the UWP-D. I'm looking forward to getting his opinion on how it sounds!

One minor detail - I said the UWP-D Receiver (Sony calls it the Tuner) can be powered via usb. That's also true for the Transmitter. The port is micro usb.
 
Ah - now that feature is a very handy one. This is the sort of feature that would swing me to a new product. As most cameras have USB outputs unused when portable, much handier as my current cameras don't have a tap, and my receivers need a bit of a bodge to remotely power. I wonder why these really handy features get lost?

My my pet hate at the moment are devices that have to be programmed remotely, rather than with buttons on the unit. A pain when receivers are in a rack and you need to programme transmitters without them present.
 
Those are interesting. I think Alex wants to do a distance comparison between UWP-D and G3 today, but I'm more concerned about audio quality. Alex was not taken with the sound of the UWP compared to the G2/3. We're going to find out if he feels the difference is smaller now.
 
Thanks for the test, Alex.
I'm a big Sony fan and I was hoping for a better showing.
But your review is very helpful in making gear selection.
 
I just posted several additional comments and followups on the sticky as well. Thanks Alex for your help in evaluating this, and I'm glad it worked out that this could be added to the forum info.

Short answer: good sound, but a couple of deal breakers - I'm not keeping the Sony.
 
I had brought up the distance comparison parameters with the YouTube poster (JNO sound) who acknowledged their lack of due diligence in setup. So out-of-the-box, the Sony performed better.. in that particular location.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top