Wireless In-Ears Anyone?

[j29teamtahoe]

Ok, this kind of goes with a lot of the other threads, but I wanted to hear what your guys thoughts on wireless in-ears were.

We installed our Aviom rig last week and are slowly starting to convert to in-ears. We sort of forgot to order any wireless ones, so we'll stay with our wedges till we get 'em. Alex (http://www.betterthanblank.org) was talking to one of the local reps, they mentioned about how in 2009 there will be a requirement in the wireless sound world to either go to HD or some new frequency plan (I'm not sure exactly what). I guess he mentioned there are systems out there that already have this feature, but are quite pricey. So my question is:

1) Do we spend the money and get the 2009 complaint system, or wait?
2) If we do purchase the new 2009 compliant system, what do we get?
3) Should we just get a good "cheap" set? (We need to do something regardless)
4) What's a good cheap set that isn't "cheap"?

Oh, and if anyone has any more info on this new "requirement," I'd love to hear it!

[SeanMichael]

I would love to get the whole band wireless ears, but w/ budget restraints that probably won't happen in the near future. I am currently the only one with in-ears, everybody else is still using wedges.
That Aviom system must be great! I know that envy and lust are wrong so I'll just say I am very very "happy" for you!

I've heard a lot of different things about changes in 09 nothing concrete though.

I'd say that if you have the funds available to go ahead and get the compliant system now and say yourself the hassle in two years.

Sean

[Steve Lowe]

We recently installed an aviom system, too. The church bought cans for everyone, practiced one saturday with cans and went and bought myself a set of E3s, which i'm pretty happy with. Don't have wireless, though. Yet ;)

[Adam Ogden]

Hey guys-

The 09 change seems to be this foggy sort of thing that a lot of people aren't quite sure about. It's a big deal, and it would be worth your time to read up on it. SHURE (http://www.shure.com) has a ton of information, as FOH MAGAZINE (http://www.fohonline.com).

Basically, you DO need to think about the future....buying something now that won't work later is bad stewardship, just like buying bad gear is.

The good new is, Shure makes their wireless in-ears, specifically the 700 Series, in frequency ranges that are already compliant, and they new compliant ones don't cost any more than the compliant ones do. I honestly can't remember now, but the original freq. ranges were "LF" and "HF", and now there is "H3" or something like that. Granted, the 700 Series is the most expensive series in the company, but like with all gear, you get what you pay for. The lower models may have the same freq. thing, but I'm not sure....I only know about the 700 Series, because I just went through the process with them in the new kids building here.

If you are looking to get rid of monitors, but dont have the cash for the expensive wireless in-ears, Shure has the P2R, which is exactly like a wireless bodypack that you can use with regular in-ears or headphones or whatever, but it's wired. For less than $300, you can put your drummer, bass player, or anyone who doesnt really need to be "wireless". That beltpack DOES however have an antenna, so if you want, you can buy just the transmitter later, and it is instantly a wireless pack. I have for of those wired ones, and they work great. A great way to get away from wedges, and get into in-ears, without breaking the bank.

[twc_admin]

Adam,
As always, thanks for the wealth of info.

I'd just like to chime in and say that on several occassions I was forced to use the lower end, cheaper Shure wireless sets. I hated them. They dropped out often, and I was never happy ... so much that I developed a very bad perception of Shure wireless products. I've grown to find out that maybe it's just because I had the cheaper series.

I have been using a Sennheiser wireless unit with my Shure e5's, and I was very happy with it .. and we'll be getting the Sennheiser wireless in our new facility (only about 5-6 more mos to go!).

All that to say - just don't get the el-cheapo stuff - even on the good brands.

[Adam Ogden]

Yeah, you are absolutely right Fred. Out of all of the Series of Wireless Mics Shure makes, I would only use one....the same thing goes with their wireless IEMs. Like I said earlier, you get what you pay for.

[dtpuga]

J29/Chris,
I'll start by saying... "what he said." Adam hit the nail on the head with respects to the 2009 changes. Very real and important. I just want to add a few things. First is that ALL the wireless companies transmit in similar frequency bands. So, check into the Shure stuff, ind out what freqs are in the future proof range and then buy that same range with another manufacturer if you wish. You do get what you pay for but, if you can't drop the money on a high-end Shure rig, look into something similar from a smaller manufacturer. Shure makes incredible equipment but they have no inside track on the arising technical changes. All the companies are preparing for it. I know when I bought 13 channels of Sennheiser stuff in May I was told that some of it was future-ready and some wasn't. The only difference in the stuff I got was frequency range. (They use A,B,C to determine ranges.) Unfortunately my last minute ordering prevented me from buying everything in ranges that were ready for '09. Anyway, just something to think about. Any major distributor will know what to tell you, both Sweetwater and Full Compass knew all the info when I checked with them.

The second thing is to check your own useful equipment life. Don't stress about the future readiness of your new wireless gear if its something that will be out of service in two years. Some places run through things pretty quick. Also, know that it won't be an over night effect. The changes will be 'in effect' all at once, but adoption rates across the board will take a bit more time.

Hope this helps,
Travis

[j29teamtahoe]

So we did some house cleaning and found the transmitter for the Shure PSM 600. Somewhere we got some ear buds, but we need the rxer. So, is this system a "good" one, or "cheap?" I've seen the price on it and it seems a little higher then "cheap." But what do you guys think?

[Adam Ogden]

Hey there-

Wow....I wish I found Shure equipment like that laying around. The 600 Series is the next-to-the-highest series in the Shure IEM systems. Actually, it is nearly identical to the 700 Series, except that the 700 series is adjustable, as in you can select any one of several opearting channels, to find the clearest transmission. The PSM 600 series is fixed frequency, so you cannot adjust between frequencies.... but other than that, the ruggedness and sound quality are the same as the 700's.

eBay has receivers all the time...you want the P6R I think....also, check Full Compass, both their new and used gear. If you dont have a contact there, private message me, and I will send you specific contact info of a guy there who will hook you up with used gear. I got a used UC Series Shure Wireless mic system from them once....new its $2k, they gave it to me for $600, and it was in perfect condition.

Great find....