Wireless IEM System choice

[Baker69]

Hi guys,

Our band all use LD MEI 1000 G2 wireless systems for our IEM monitoring through a Behringer X32 desk and we use an app to do our own monitor mixes. We have had these for a couple of years now and as our first venture into IEM’s they haven’t performed too badly although we have all obviously ditched the headphones that came with them for better ones of our own choice. Personally I sometimes struggle with the LD, on occasions I get white noise and other anomalies plus crackling if our lead vocalist moves around sometimes.

Although I have still been using a backline amp in conjunction with my IEM for a bit of atmos and stage fill I am thinking of now going completely amp-less, I have tried it a couple of times, I think I can do without my amp although I can hear my amp slightly even with my ear phones in which gives a nice bit of bass warmth. I was thinking about selling my bass combo to part fund the purchase of a better wireless system (such as a Sennheiser G4) therefore my queries are as follows;

A). What difference am I likely to experience with such a high end system as the Sennheiser G4 compared with my LD MEI 1000 G2? I am aware that the Sennheiser (and Shure equivalent) will probably automatically seek out the best and clearest channel every time it is used.

B). Will the Sennheiser give a better sound for my bass? I have read that with wireless systems the first thing to suffer is bass frequencies. I assume that the overall sound will sound better through a higher end system?

C). The Sennheiser G4 is quite an expensive piece of kit, is it really worth the upgrade? The LD is ok but I don’t mind the outlay if I can be convinced that it is a worthwhile upgrade. It’s possible the LD is sort of a weak link in the chain and I’m not enjoying the full playing experience due to it. I only play on a semi-pro basis but don’t mind spending the cash on a better IEM system if it is a worthwhile option.

D). Do stores offer the facility to be able to try IEM systems out in store somehow?

I hope you are able to offer help and advice on the above.

 

[el murdoque]

A) You will experience a better transmission of your signal in most/all cases. I don't know about the LD in particular, but on my cheap'ish IEM system, I had the problem that you needed to set the frequency on the transmitter and the receiver. When there was some local interference, you had to switch frequencies until you found one that worked better. This was tedious and time consuming. Higher end units usually do that by themselves. You hit a button and it scans the entire band and picks the best possible frequency.

B) Hard to tell from a distance. The overall sound is very likely to be a bit better, provided the rest of your equipment does not provide a bottleneck. Imagine one of those old radios where the knob for the frequency is off ever so slightly. You barely touch it and the sound becomes a bit clearer. Something like that, but less drastic.

C) I've seen well made entry level units and well made professional units. The big difference is that the latter work in environments where the former struggle. I've had cheap IEM's being problematic on stage. I remember one occasion where I gave my unit to the singer/guitarist because his would cut out occasionally. Luckily we had a side fill for the drums, and I stood back beside the drummer and played off that. I've never experienced issues with one of the better systems, though.

D) I can imagine that there are stores in your area that offer a generous return policy. Which would allow you to order one or two and compare for yourself.

E) I don't know about your ear plug situation, but this is the biggest possible hurdle that decides if you're merely getting by on IEM or if you actually enjoy the experience. Wearing a good set of IEMs with a proper fit, I can not tell if my amp is live or muted - unless it's set so loud that I can feel my pants flap.
Also, wearing good IEMs with a proper fit, I can tell the minute differences in sound and identify artifacts in the transmission when I get interference, so these two kind of go hand in hand.

 

[Baker69]

A) You will experience a better transmission of your signal in most/all cases. I don't know about the LD in particular, but on my cheap'ish IEM system, I had the problem that you needed to set the frequency on the transmitter and the receiver. When there was some local interference, you had to switch frequencies until you found one that worked better. This was tedious and time consuming. Higher end units usually do that by themselves. You hit a button and it scans the entire band and picks the best possible frequency.

B) Hard to tell from a distance. The overall sound is very likely to be a bit better, provided the rest of your equipment does not provide a bottleneck. Imagine one of those old radios where the knob for the frequency is off ever so slightly. You barely touch it and the sound becomes a bit clearer. Something like that, but less drastic.

C) I've seen well made entry level units and well made professional units. The big difference is that the latter work in environments where the former struggle. I've had cheap IEM's being problematic on stage. I remember one occasion where I gave my unit to the singer/guitarist because his would cut out occasionally. Luckily we had a side fill for the drums, and I stood back beside the drummer and played off that. I've never experienced issues with one of the better systems, though.

D) I can imagine that there are stores in your area that offer a generous return policy. Which would allow you to order one or two and compare for yourself.

E) I don't know about your ear plug situation, but this is the biggest possible hurdle that decides if you're merely getting by on IEM or if you actually enjoy the experience. Wearing a good set of IEMs with a proper fit, I can not tell if my amp is live or muted - unless it's set so loud that I can feel my pants flap.
Also, wearing good IEMs with a proper fit, I can tell the minute differences in sound and identify artifacts in the transmission when I get interference, so these two kind of go hand in hand.

Thanks for your detailed response!

As I said the LD is our first venture into wireless IEM’s and therefore do not have anything to compare it with from a personal perspective, however what I can say is that if I run a cable from the headphone socket on the LD to my headphones it is a noticeably slightly better sound than running wireless (which I would probably expect anyway).

I use KZ ZS10 Pro ear buds which although are cheap I rate quite highly.

With the stores I was hoping that some might have a “P.A. room” to try microphones etc out (like they have rooms for trying out guitars / amps). I would need to make a few phone calls.

 

[el murdoque]

Thanks for your detailed response!

As I said the LD is our first venture into wireless IEM’s and therefore do not have anything to compare it with from a personal perspective, however what I can say is that if I run a cable from the headphone socket on the LD to my headphones it is a noticeably slightly better sound than running wireless (which I would probably expect anyway).

I use KZ ZS10 Pro ear buds which although are cheap I rate quite highly.

With the stores I was hoping that some might have a “P.A. room” to try microphones etc out (like they have rooms for trying out guitars / amps). I would need to make a few phone calls.

I have the ZS10 Pro as a backup to my Fischer Amps FA666.
If they fit well, they sound well enough - certainly top bang for the buck.

 

[s0c9]

The G4 (or Shure PSM600 or Mipro 909 or ATW-3255) will be miles better than any LD system - although the LD’s run on the ISM 800Mhz band vs the others on 400-608Mhz.
You get what you pay, although the included buds are marginal and you’ll [probably] need to use your own.
No, none of those I listed will automatically pick the best available frequency.
What they DO is have the receiver scan for open channels then let YOU select which to use then support sync’ing the chosen group/channel YOU selected with the transmitter.
In most situations I’ve experienced, you do NOT need to scan at every venue, but you DO need to ensure that you do not conflict with frequencies other bans members are using - but that applies at any venue.

PS: I’ve not come across any mic testing rooms probably due to the “no return” policy on purchased mics, and that they would need to sanitize every single mic after every single use to avoid potential lawfare.

 

[Windreaper]

In most situations I’ve experienced, you do NOT need to scan at every venue, but you DO need to ensure that you do not conflict with frequencies other bans members are using - but that applies at any venue.

Well that's one thing you're paying for when buying a professional system like Senn G4 - networkable transmitters. No more crouching over the rack like some animal.