Sennheiser AVX-me2 Vs Sennheiser EW 112-P G3 ?

Ru Cook

Ru Cook

Member
Hi all, I've got to buy 3 sets of Transmitter/receiver setups for some corporate work I'm doing this year.

I was all set to get 3xSennheiser EW 112-P G3 rigs, when the dealer tried to 'upsell' me on the digital Sennheiser AVX-me2 systems.

Can anyone with experience of both tell me if the AVX-me2 is worth paying about 35% more for (which adds up with three rigs) ? Apart from the price, the only dowside of the AVX-me2 seemed to be the latency that was introduced by the ad/da circuitry . I'm UK based is that makes any difference .

Cheers
 
- The AVX system has a 19 millisecond delay, (about 1/2 frame) so monitoring can be rather annoying.
- You can't send audio to multiple receivers from one transmitter, as is often done with conventional systems.
- It has some sort of AGC circuitry on the output that cannot be disabled, though it's not as obnoxious as most.
According to Sennheiser, it's designed for non-audio folks, so options and adjustments are minimal and it auto-tunes to a clear channel. I have not heard of any of my film sound colleagues using them, whilst most have a few G2/3s for hops and backups.
 
Hi , thank you both for the replies...the AVX channel swapping thing does sound good...but the idea of latency & AGC puts me off......as far as sending from two transmitters to one receiver, this could actually be very handy. The gig i've got is a speaker, a host..& then another speaker waiting on the wings to go on with a third transmitter/Mic....am I correct in thinking with the G3 setup, both speakers could transmit on the same channel, & we just mute (on the transmitter pack) one speaker as they come offstage, & unmute the other as they walk-on? Whilst receiving both at camera/desk end with the same receiver ? Is this good/bad practice?
 
Ru Cook said:
Hi , thank you both for the replies...the AVX channel swapping thing does sound good...but the idea of latency & AGC puts me off......as far as sending from two transmitters to one receiver, this could actually be very handy. The gig i've got is a speaker, a host..& then another speaker waiting on the wings to go on with a third transmitter/Mic....am I correct in thinking with the G3 setup, both speakers could transmit on the same channel, & we just mute (on the transmitter pack) one speaker as they come offstage, & unmute the other as they walk-on? Whilst receiving both at camera/desk end with the same receiver ? Is this good/bad practice?
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No.

One mic to multiple receivers. Not the other way around.
 
The ME2 omni lavaliere mic that's bungled with both the G3 and AVX body pack system works.. but is considered a POS by most pro, so a higher quality mic is often recommended. The highly regarded OST 801/802 (Tram clone) is around $120 usd with the locking 3.5mm connector plug. On a higher quality level, the Sanken COS11 is around $400.
 
That 19 millisecond delay is a tough one and is noticeable. The feature set is nice for someone who knows very little about wireless, but the delay and the auto gain could be deal breakers for many folks. The G3's would be my choice in this situation. One transmitter to multiple receivers is possible, but not multiple transmitters to one receiver.

Do you mind if I ask what dealer you were talking with?
 
Hi all, thanks for chipping in with your thoughts. In the end I bought a pair of the regular analog 'EW 112-P G3 ' rigs. Got them setup & working on different channels within 10 mins, & without opening the manual, which i think bodes well :) If all goes well in testing, i'll get a couple more sets. Re:alt mics, i'm actually looking at the Sennheiser ME 3-II as the client fancies headset mics over lapels (& so do I , as at least they are pointing at the source of the sound, rather than pinned to a shirt & pointing at their chin)...anyone have any success or horror stories with these?

Its funny, although I've been an audio engineer for 25 years , its all been studio based, so this is actually the first time I've had to deal with radio mics (other than when I've been performing onstage, & its been someone else's problem ;)
 
Make sure you read about setting up multiple wireless systems in the manual. There is a thing called intermodulation that can dramatically decrease the range with multiple wireless systems if not set up properly, especially with 3 or more systems.
 
Ryan-Guy said:
Make sure you read about setting up multiple wireless systems in the manual. There is a thing called intermodulation that can dramatically decrease the range with multiple wireless systems if not set up properly, especially with 3 or more systems.
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Yes def. will do. Am doing proper testing next week & will indeed attempt to trouble shoot all possible scenarios before I have to put them to work properly.
 
Keep in mind that the G3s use AA batteries, go a long time on rechargeable AAs. AVX uses a proprietary lithium ion battery that is somewhat expensive and difficult to source if you are ever on location and need an extra or two. Reportedly 3-4 hours tops run time on the AVX battery. I tested the AVX system a while ago for an article. Loved the sound quality but hated the battery life (about 2.5 to 3 hours was the most I could squeeze) and the build was lower rent than the G3s. Pass. I like the 2.4 Ghz factor as excessive use on the UHF frequency makes it difficult to find open bandwidth in certain areas. We just dealt with this issue yesterday on a shoot at a golf course with the G3, we had to scan twice, once when we began and again two hours in, which sucked, clients were restless as we had talent and a whole crew standing around while we futzed with the scan. Personally I think Sennheiser made a big mistake with the AVX going with a proprietary battery system.
 
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I bought an AVX kit for solo shooter use with my D16. My experience with it recording doc footage in NYC over a week was good. No issues with battery life over 5 to 6 hour days. The transmitter battery lasts an entire day in continuous on state. If plugged into a phantom powered XLR input on a camera, the receiver turns on and off with the camera automatically to save power. It runs in the 1.9GHz band , not 2.4GHz, so WiFi networks don't impact it.
The AGC doesn't produce any gain pumping artifacts. It works very well. I was mostly recording gallery talks in a highly reverberant warehouse loft art gallery space. The sound quality is quite good for that kind of use and the system requires no attention beyond mic placement and initial gain matching to the camera. I could run fairly hot record levels in the -6 to -8 Dbfs range with no fear of clipping.
It is a good choice for shooting interviews if one is traveling to different countries as the frequency band is protected for unlicensed consumer products. Mainly DECT wireless house phones use the band, and some radio control toys. I had no dropouts, digital artifacts, or other RF related issues at all. I typically recorded about two hours of footage a day. That tiny receiver is a real plus on my rig. I've been very pleased with it.
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Interesting, I was told when they introduced the system a while ago by Sennheiser's PR firm that it was 2.4 Ghz but you and the owners manual specs support that they changed it for the final shipping units, the manual clearly states, " 1,880 to 1,930 MHz (country-specific)". Is your camera shown above the Digital Bolex?
 
"We just dealt with this issue yesterday on a shoot at a golf course with the G3, we had to scan twice, once when we began and again two hours in, which sucked, clients were restless as we had talent and a whole crew standing around while we futzed with the scan."
I've been saying this since the early G2 systems; "The G series receiver's scan function is next to unless except for finding another close-by G series transmitter." I use an external scanner and choose frequencies within the same bank to avoid intermod issues. Even my Lectro 411's are not bullet proof in a populated RF environment.
 
puredrifting said:
Interesting, I was told when they introduced the system a while ago by Sennheiser's PR firm that it was 2.4 Ghz but you and the owners manual specs support that they changed it for the final shipping units, the manual clearly states, " 1,880 to 1,930 MHz (country-specific)". Is your camera shown above the Digital Bolex?
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Yes, that is my D16 with an Angenieux 12-120 T2.1 HEC and series 9 filter hood, Kinotehnik EVF, and a Que M210 short shotgun mic. With the AVX it makes a great run and gun rig.

This is the same rig with trigger handgrip and Sirui monopod for hand held shooting.
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The latency isn't a problem in live audio, or recordings because it's like moving the PA 20 feet further away - insignificant. It is a noticeable delay if the performers are on in-ears, and in a studio where people may be hearing the delay in headphones. I've been using digital mics for theatre use for a few years now, and the latency even allows volumes to be a little higher without feedback, but when they do feedback, it can be sudden and loud. For video, anything less than a frame isn't noticed. I'm actually a happy Line 6 user - with a mixture of instrument and handheld units. So far, the digital Sennheiser hasn't impressed me enough to buy some - and I've bought more analogue G3.
 
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