Going Wireless, Is It Worth It

bluewine · #1 08-14-2009, 07:55 AM

I move around a lot on stage and have been considering going wireless.

Any comments on the pros and cons?

floofypoof · #2 08-14-2009, 07:59 AM

I think this just about says it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnKM-GHv4y4

BPotyk · #3 08-14-2009, 08:01 AM

I use the Xwire rack mount.
Pros: no tripping over cords, IMO sounds as good as a quality cord

Cons: Battery life. I change the battery every other show.

Kenner · #4 08-14-2009, 08:03 AM

<----------- big fan of wireless. X2 does the trick for me.

pasta4lnch · #5 08-14-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floofypoof

I think this just about says it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnKM-GHv4y4

sucks for the drummer!

lavmonga · #6 08-14-2009, 08:06 AM

Personally, I considered buying one when I was gigging more years ago. But honestly, what's the point? Unless you're playing on Arena stages, a 25' cable should be more than adequate. And again, IMHO, when players walk through the crowd it kind of bothers me, I always see it as "Hey, check it out, I have a wireless." Which means absolutely nothing to me, and most of the time their playing is not as good as their wireless system.

Ralphdaddy · #7 08-14-2009, 08:06 AM

Wireless can be awesome, I use a Shure wireless system, I think the PSM200 or something like that it's their lowest end unit for guitar/bass, and I use rechargeable batteries with it. They last 15-20 hours or so and I have two pair so when I feel like they've been in there too long, I just switch and charge them up. The freedom it offers is fantastic. I haven't noticed any real change in my tone or in how my pedals react to my bass. I say go for it, there are plenty of fairly affordable options. I really like the Shure, it has great range, it's very flexible, 100% immune to RF interference or 60 cycle hum and Shure's a great company. I've owned several products from them and their customer service is second to none. Good luck.

LSquared · #8 08-14-2009, 08:08 AM

At a gig many moons ago (before wireless technology), our 1st guitarist was dancing around the stage, and the singer/2nd guitarist (accidentally) stepped on his cord. Result was ripping the input jack out of his guitar, along with the part of the pickguard where it was mounted... Fortunately he had a backup... but still.

I guess that would be the biggest pro.

rimtism123 · #9 08-14-2009, 08:09 AM

It can be...but make sure you don't go cheap when buying a system...b/c it can muddy up your tone and tend to cut out.

DaZombieWoof · #10 08-14-2009, 08:11 AM

Had a love/hate relationship with wireless. LOts of them color the signal, but for some stuff the coloring is useful. The X2 was the first wireless that was "transparent" to me. Then again unless you are someone moving all over the place a good wire is so much simpler.

throbgod13 · #11 08-14-2009, 08:13 AM

i have an Audio Technica Freeway 600 wireless, and it's just fine.. i like wireless, but my transmitter eats 9Vs.. i have to pull the battery out when it's not in use, otherwise it will drain it.. i've thought about hacking it to use a 9.6V RC battery pack..

rarisgod · #12 08-14-2009, 08:26 AM

Was there any issue with the decent switch to digital frequency or whatever? I haven't yet checked mine...

chrisp2u · #13 08-14-2009, 08:30 AM

I just got the Line6/X2 XDS-Plus about a month and a half ago. 2 gigs with it so far and it's great. No cable tangle, super clean (seems to clean up hum and buzz ground issues), good range, and totally transparent sounding. It was great being able to walk all over with no worry.

For the money, the X2 stuff is IT. SImple setup, and easy to use. I have some concern with durability of the transmitter (though as long as you don't somehow sit or step on it, you're prob fine) and did replace the stock instrument cable with a 3rd party cable after it started shorting, but performance-wise, these things crush a lot of other instrument wireless systems that cost much more, IMHO.

I purchased a few iPowerUS rechargeable 500mah 9v Li-ion batteries and they work great. 4 hours worth of gig last weekend and seemed to have plenty of juice left.
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c

chrisp2u · #14 08-14-2009, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by throbgod13

i have an Audio Technica Freeway 600 wireless, and it's just fine.. i like wireless, but my transmitter eats 9Vs.. i have to pull the battery out when it's not in use, otherwise it will drain it.. i've thought about hacking it to use a 9.6V RC battery pack..

I saw a post on the Line 6 forums from a guy that built a pack out of rechargeable AA's... much higher mah rating for increased use time... think he said he could get something like 15 hours out of 6 AA's as opposed to the 4-5 hours on 9V. Of course, there's a bit of extra heft, bulk.

I don't really play any gigs more than 3 or 4 hours, and don't really have an issue with swapping a battery between sets if need be though... I'll just stick with the 9V's.
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c

bertbassplayer · #15 08-14-2009, 08:39 AM

I don't walk around the stage or anything like that, but I do move around a lot. Even though I had problems with stepping on my cord and getting tangled and all of that, I never messed with wireless because I didn't want to deal with the tone trade off. With all the good reviews of the X2 on here I ended up getting one of those. I don't regret it at all... the only downside now is batteries.

jdwinva · #16 08-14-2009, 08:41 AM

There seems to be a lot of love for the Line 6 X2 series. Anyone have any reasons to go with the X2 Plus rather than the regular X2? I read the specs and I'm not sure I'll ever travel "two basketball courts" away from my amp. Will the regular X2 be just fine?

rbonner · #17 08-14-2009, 08:44 AM

You have to be really careful regarding which frequencies your units are on now.

The Shure website has detailed information regarding the changes. MANY of the old units are now illegal. They are in the new PUBLIC SERVICE BANDS. (GOVERNMENT, AMBULANCES, FIRE) You may never have a frequency issue, but if you do it will be bad.

For bass, many of the unit's frequency response is limited on the bottom end.
The high end SHURE's seem to be to cat's rump...

The units you see for 1/2 or less on eBay are usually OLD FREQUENCIES.

I'm still using a cord. The time will come I will drop the $3500 for a quality unit with low frequency performance.

BOB

bertbassplayer · #18 08-14-2009, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdwinva

There seems to be a lot of love for the Line 6 X2 series. Anyone have any reasons to go with the X2 Plus rather than the regular X2? I read the specs and I'm not sure I'll ever travel "two basketball courts" away from my amp. Will the regular X2 be just fine?

I have the X2 XDS+ and my guitarist has my old X2 XDS-95, just to say I didn't get the + because I had problems with it, it's just my guitarist wanted to get a X2 wireless like mine and I ended up finding the XDS+ for a good deal and sold the 95 to my guitarist. (The Line 6 X2 pedals are FCC compliant, another reason I got them)

Soundwise I don't think I've noticed the difference. Distance wise the XDS+ doesn't seem to rely on line of sight as much as the 95. We were playing a deal at a baseball stadium and my guitarist's rig was picking up something (but I think it might have been one of his pedals picking it up somehow, I don't know all I know is he ended up unplugging a bunch of his stuff) and I wasn't. Personally I think the XDS+'s receiver is built a ton better (metal instead of plastic) and since I don't have a pedal board it made a bit of a difference to me, plus it comes with the wall wart where the XDS95 you have to buy it or use batteries.

DaZombieWoof · #19 08-14-2009, 08:53 AM

Cheapest X2 alleges response down to something like 20 Hz. As much love as I do have for my Line 6 X2 plus, I seldom use it as wire is less hassle 99% of the time I ever play.

totallybacan · #20 08-14-2009, 09:03 AM

I use the X2 XDR rack system, and it is the simplest thing ever. Just in case, I have a 25' cable velcro'ed to one of my rack covers, but I haven't used it except for rehearsal. On my strap I rigged a simple pouch out of foam rather than buy one online, so it is actually faster to setup than a cable for me. Plug in furman, hook up speakon, furman on, x2 on, transmitter on, then amp.

For me, I got the x2 because I was tired of having the cable get wrapped around my leg or having to count how many turns I do in order to balance out the turns. With the X2, I can move all I want and not care.

One thing I was worried about was the powerup time for both the receiver and transmitter, but it really is a matter of a second or two. NOTE: I highly recommend always turning off the transmitter first, as you'll get a visual cue from the receiver once it isn't receiving anything.