Cheap wireless systems

[dave_bass5]

2 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I bought these from eBay for about £25 and they work flawlessly. I've gigged them a dozen times or so before lockdown, and used them for probably 50 or more practices. They last for hours, have a ridiculous range, zero noticeable latency, and just work. I don't see the point in spending hundreds on a wireless system when you'd be hard pressed to find anything that would work any better. 

 

Yes, touring musicians must be crazy buying professional gear when amazon one eBay have the same thing for peanuts.....😁

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

If the sound is inferior (and it will be) then I can’t see the advantage other that cost, and it’s not like the batteries are going to die within a year or two. 

Are you sure it is? This is just for in the house, I have the smoothound for gigs. Seems like a reasonable choice

 

[dave_bass5]

13 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Are you sure it is? This is just for in the house, I have the smoothound for gigs. Seems like a reasonable choice

 

Yeah, there is a difference, but one that you may or not notice. For home use I’m happy to use my Xvive, even though i hear the difference. Its more the tail end of the notes rather just overal quality. My comment was more aimed at gig use. 

I also see a much better connection between the Boss compared to the Xvive at home. I get a lot more drop outs with the Xvive, even though I’m  less than 3ft from the receiver. With the Boss it seems to be rock solid most of the time. 

I like the Xvive as it has a proper on/off switch, meaning i can leave it plugged in to my (passive) bass and Stomp. With the boss I have dot unplug after use other wise the battery drains. 

Ive never used the really cheap systems though.

[Stub Mandrel]

The big difference is that professional kit uses frequencies guaranteed to be clear of interference that you have to book and if you don't, you mustn't be surprised if Ofcom of the local authority come and confiscate it because you are interfering with a pro concert nearby.

Of course you are only going to go the true pro route if your living depends on it.

That said, even the cheap Aamoon scans sixchannels for interference and chooses the best so interfernce is unlikely (unless someone decides to fly an RC drone around the stadium for example...)

[dave_bass5]

3 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

The big difference is that professional kit uses frequencies guaranteed to be clear of interference that you have to book and if you don't, you mustn't be surprised if Ofcom of the local authority come and confiscate it because you are interfering with a pro concert nearby.

Of course you are only going to go the true pro route if your living depends on it.

That said, even the cheap Aamoon scans sixchannels for interference and chooses the best so interfernce is unlikely (unless someone decides to fly an RC drone around the stadium for example...)

And build quality. The pro units seem to be more rugged. Those bug types are quite easy to get knocked or jolted on a small or busy stage IME. 

[Stub Mandrel]

24 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

And build quality. The pro units seem to be more rugged. Those bug types are quite easy to get knocked or jolted on a small or busy stage IME. 

True

[EBS_freak]

37 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

And build quality. The pro units seem to be more rugged. Those bug types are quite easy to get knocked or jolted on a small or busy stage IME. 

Build quality, balanced outputs, encryption, range, RF stability and dual diversity, discrete tuning, more intermodulation free operating frequencies (more channels using less spectrum), low latency, dynamic range, IP rating, ethernet configuration for remote configuration and monitoring, international spares availability, digital outputs (e.g. Dante) for audio over IP... just some of the differences that come to mind! 

[dave_bass5]

5 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

Build quality, balanced outputs, encryption, range, RF stability and dual diversity, discrete tuning, more intermodulation free operating frequencies (more channels using less spectrum), low latency, dynamic range, IP rating, ethernet configuration for remote configuration and monitoring, international spares availability, digital outputs (e.g. Dante) for audio over IP... just some of the differences that come to mind! 

Nah, all gimmicks to bump the price up 😂

[EBS_freak]

51 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Nah, all gimmicks to bump the price up 😂

Oh for sure. Maybe next time, I'll tap the tour manager on the shoulder... psst, you do realise you could get this off eBay much cheaper?

[fleabag]

I think i paid 114 quid for my  MK1  Xvives. They lasted 2 years.  Not exactly good value

 

[Aalin]

23 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Xvive seems to be a good solution for the many that use them. Hardly a big issue considering how long they will last. 

It last 2 or 3 years for 115 pounds. It's not a bargain. And planned obsolescence.

Contacted, Xvive in china asks me 100 pounds to change the battery which costs around 7 pounds both on the net. 

Xvive sound good but is not intersting.

[Aalin]

For Xvive users, there is a link that explains how to change the battery, but it's a bit tricky. I opened mine by following the video. I ordered the batteries on the net but not yet received it.

 

[MacDaddy]

On 03/09/2020 at 12:51, dave_bass5 said:

Xvive seems to be a good solution for the many that use them. Hardly a big issue considering how long they will last. 

My Xvives survived 2 years gigging in 2 bands, plus home use, before the casing came apart on the transmitter.

In use, the only issue was the interference caused by the guitarists wireless. Swapping channels, for both of us, did not always sort it. His more expensive system never had the interference.

On 03/09/2020 at 13:27, Newfoundfreedom said:

I bought these from eBay for about £25 and they work flawlessly. I've gigged them a dozen times or so before lockdown, and used them for probably 50 or more practices. They last for hours, have a ridiculous range, zero noticeable latency, and just work. I don't see the point in spending hundreds on a wireless system when you'd be hard pressed to find anything that would work any better. 

These are what I bought when my Xvive transmitter died. Great (recharge) battery life, but the loss of volume compared to a lead is very noticeable - for me with both bass and guitar.

[dave_bass5]

When I started using my Xvive, I had a few issues,  as my guitarist was using them as well. Only at rehearsals though, we never seemed to get issues at the 2 gigs I did with them. When I swapped over to the Boss all those issues went away. Same room etc. 

[Newfoundfreedom]

3 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

My Xvives survived 2 years gigging in 2 bands, plus home use, before the casing came apart on the transmitter.

In use, the only issue was the interference caused by the guitarists wireless. Swapping channels, for both of us, did not always sort it. His more expensive system never had the interference.

These are what I bought when my Xvive transmitter died. Great (recharge) battery life, but the loss of volume compared to a lead is very noticeable - for me with both bass and guitar.

I wonder if you've got a dodgy set. I've tested these against a lead and get zero noticeable difference in latency, quality or volume. 

[dave_bass5]

46 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I wonder if you've got a dodgy set. I've tested these against a lead and get zero noticeable difference in latency, quality or volume. 

How can it be dodgy if its working? You just aren’t noticing the difference. Thats all that counts isnt it?

Even different leads/length can make a difference, but it doesn’t mean you will always hear it. 

 

Edited September 5, 2020 by dave_bass5

[stewblack]

7 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

His more expensive system never had the interference.

Annoyingly enough I had the expensive system and the guitarist's cheap and cheerful one csused my bass to drop out! 

[Newfoundfreedom]

12 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

How can it be dodgy if its working? You just aren’t noticing the difference. Thats all that counts isnt it?

Even different leads/length can make a difference, but it doesn’t mean you will always hear it. 

 

Semantics. If you can't hear it, then what difference does it make?

Fair enough if you're recording or playing arenas you might want something more "professional". But if you're just blasting out covers down the Dog and Duck on a weekend, or want to practice without being tied up my cables, then these are superb. 

 

[Newfoundfreedom]

On 03/09/2020 at 17:30, dave_bass5 said:

Yes, touring musicians must be crazy buying professional gear when amazon one eBay have the same thing for peanuts.....😁

As I said, "I" can't see the point on spending money on something more expensive. I'm not a touring musician. In fact I don't, and never have made any money from music at all. It's a pretty expensive hobby. So saving money on things like this is always a welcome bonus. If it does the job, and it sounds good, then I'm all for it. To be honest I've got no time at all for gear snobs who think that brand name gear and high prices make them better musicians. If it wasn't for budget gear, there wouldn't be any musicians, unless they were lucky enough to come from extremely wealthy families who can afford to throw a fortune at what could be just a child latest whim. 

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Semantics. If you can't hear it, then what difference does it make?

Fair enough if you're recording or playing arenas you might want something more "professional". But if you're just blasting out covers down the Dog and Duck on a weekend, or want to practice without being tied up my cables, then these are superb. 

 

Well you might not hear it under certain conditions, you may hear it under others. Who knows. I know of a few people that have reported interference from pub’s  WiFi routers etc, so the better systems are (or should) be more robust.

I agree though, for small pub type gigs these are fine, its just that you didnt state the type of gig in your post where you commented on why spend more. 

Edited September 6, 2020 by dave_bass5

[Stub Mandrel]

The obvious way to look at it is when do the benefits outweigh the costs?

Clearly two variables - how you rate the benefits (convenience, enjoying a gadget)  and costs (the actual expense and any potential degradation in sound or reliability).

Surprise! Surprise! People are going to have different views!

[MacDaddy]

2 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Well you might not hear it under certain conditions, you may hear it under others. Who knows. I know of a few people that have reported interference from pub’s  WiFi routers etc, so the better systems are (or should) be more robust.

I agree though, for small pub type gigs these are fine, its just that you didnt state the type of gig in your post where you commented on why spend more. 

I couldn't use my Xvives at one pub because they interfered with the contactless payment machine.

Although TBF they didn't want any wireless used as it was a regular problem.

 

[Chienmortbb]

It is like cables. I used to like the very bendy cables from Van Damme, they came in colours and didn't tangle. However I had the core break in two separate cables. As I have started making cables for people my main concern is reliability and of course a wireless system and a cable do the same job. It is more hassle that it's worth to chance it with a cable so the same should go for a wireless system.

In my former life I used many wireless systems and the professional ones from the big names all worked well under the most. arduous conditions. One day we had a problem at an exhibition with a mic working in the free band. We had to borrow a mic from one of the major brands that were also at the show. Wehad the same problem. All the free bands were swamped.

These days the free bands are mainly 863-865MHz FM and 2.4GHz Spread Sectrum. Digital TV and 4G interfere with the FM bands and wifi/bluetooth can smother the 2.4GHz band.

Most recently, our guitarist bought one of the early Amoon systems as he was so impressed with my Smoothound. AS soon as he switched it on the Behringer Air mixer we used dropped wifi contact to the devices controlling it. Now the Behringer is very sensitive and most people use it wired with a router, but it never skipped a beat with my Smoothound. Of course if you are using a different mixer there should be no problem BUT there might be. So cheap may work for you but keep a cable handy just in case.

As for the Smoothound? It works for me, has never dropped out in use as it constantly searches for the clearest channel. The reciever sits on my pedal board so I can immediately see if there are any problems. Of course in a touring situation things are different.

The down sides? Max of four per stage, battery cover is a little flimsy but in all the correspondance I have had with them they have given exceptional service.

 

Edited September 6, 2020 by Chienmortbb

[Woodinblack]

23 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

Now the Behringer is very sensitive and most peopel use it wired with a router, but it never skipped a beat with my Smoothound. Of course is you are using a different mixer there should be no problem BUT there might be. So cheap may work for you but keep a cable handy just in case.

As an aside on that, the XAirs internal wifi, for years I heard the 'oh you shouldn't use the internal router it won't work' and thought it was daft because it always worked. Then one gig, it just didn't, it was an absolute nightmare as I would try and make changes and they would ping back, or just happen 20 seconds later, completely lost control of it. Just the number of people in the crowd with phones looking for wifi, nothing you can predict beforehand. I alway have a 5GHz minirouter with WPA (£10 from pc world, smaller than the psu) connected to the xair, and connect to it from that. No trouble since that. I also have an ethernet cable in my bag, because I like being able to cope with everything I can think about, although never needed it!

[stewblack]

On 03/09/2020 at 13:27, Newfoundfreedom said:

I bought these from eBay for about £25 and they work flawlessly. I've gigged them a dozen times or so before lockdown, and used them for probably 50 or more practices. They last for hours, have a ridiculous range, zero noticeable latency, and just work. I don't see the point in spending hundreds on a wireless system when you'd be hard pressed to find anything that would work any better. 

I have never had an issue with anything Donner branded. My space is very limited at home and rehearsal. Going to get me a pair of these.