Anyone using Senn EW 300 G3 IEM's ?

[s0c9]

I'm upgrading my IEM hardware and just got a great deal on a G-band (566-608 MHz) Sennheiser EW300 G3 IEM system. It will replace my aging (albeit still usable) Carvin EM900 system. It should be here next Wed (and I'm out of town until late Thurs pm) and I plan to use it on my Sat gig in far east TX!
I'm not going to use the included IE4 buds - will keep my 1964 quads.
FWIW - I picked the "G" band (vs "A"' "B") based on Shure's (yeah, go figure) and Sennheiser's online TV frequency band checks for my Dallas/Ft.Worth area.

Over the next 6 weeks, I'm doing that East TX gig, and playing at various other zip codes around the east side of the Dallas area. Using the Senn frequency finder (Sennheiser - Headphones & Headsets - Microphones - Integrated Systems it appears that various TV stations have varying signals strenghts in the "G" band range. The G3 has 20 preset banks without non-intermod frequencies.
On the Carvin, I just set the frequency and left it.

My question:
Should I worry about switching frequencies on the G3 (in a major metro area) from zip to zip based on TV station strength, or pick a "free" group/freq - as the OM suggests - and leave it ??

Looking for current owners perspectives..
TIA

PS: Posting here because Google turned up zip, nada on this topic!

 

[Geri O]

That's what I use. And it's worked very well for me.

I went with the freely-selectable frequency. Since I use it at church, the RF co-ordinator guy gave my my own frequency based on what he as set up for the in-house RF and IEMs. I don't remember having to change it in a little over a year.

One thing I did with mine is to get an XLR balanced split, or Y-adapter. At church and on my monitor rig, I get full-blown stereo (I know, PA guys, like there's any other kind...), but sometimes, in other situations, I get only a mono line (which is really fine, all said and done). It's easier to pop that Y adapter on the two inputs of the transmitter than to go into the transmitter and set it to mono, then go into the receiver and turn off the pilot tone.

Needless to say, I'm very happy with my EW300 G3.

 

[s0c9]

Geri.. I'm Aviom wired at church, so this would be for my secular gigs in a major TV metro area.. LOL !! ugh!

I plan to run in "stereo" (with pilot tone on) like I do now with my Carvin... but continue with [like you suggested] mono feed, split XLR to xmitter, which is current config.
I'd like to try going full stereo at some point (linked output busses on the X32) but I don't have access to the X32 other than during shows, so no time to "play"!

Will see what kind of responses I get from the PSW guys (made similar post over there) between now and Friday.. when I'll get to try the new unit out at home. Hopefully, I can simply pick a free bank/frequency and leave it at that.. the prospect of NEEDING different band/frequencies per venue is something I'd prefer not to address.

PS: Geri..I'm interested to see if those "oversize" EBL AA rechargeables will fit/work in the receiver pack! Did you try that one I sent you in yours??

 

[Geri O]

Dang, Steve, you know what? I tried it in my Lectrosonics belt pack for the bass wireless (and they fit fine,no binding), but I don't remember trying them in the Sennheiser receiver pack. Well, that was smart!

I'm thinking they will. In the meantime, the production team at church gave me an older Powerex Maha charger (replaced it with a charger that handles AA, AAA, C, and D batteries for some weird comm belt packs) and a dozen of the 2014 AA Eneloop batteries and they've been working great! I'm getting 8 hours on the Sennheiser pack and nearly 8 hours with the Lectro pack (which is a known battery eater). Supposedly, they have a few more years of life left, so we'll see. I do Avioms, but I use my wireless rigs so I can walk on and off without unplugging things, plus take the bass backstage easily to keep limber during the sermons. Not to mention, no tripping on cables, I can be quite the klutz!

Good luck with that G3. I really believe you'll love it.

 

[s0c9]

My wife told me the Senn's arrived today.. a day earlier than expected... and of course.. I'm out of town until late Thurs night!~
Murphy's law....

 

[Big_Daws]

ive been using them for about 12months now and i love it!!

 

[s0c9]

GeriO.. the good news is those EBL AA's fit in the Senn receiver pack just fine

The double good news is the basic test I did with the new unit tonight (got in from airport about an hour ago) was stellar.
Was able to get crystal clear STEREO monitoring at the other end of the house - something the Carvin would drop out on, about half way there!
Only issue I had was sync'ing the xmitter with the selected receiver frequency.. had to do that manually..
The sync button on xmitter sync's the receive to the xmitter.. not vice versa as indicated in the manual. Which basically says do "this" and doesn't instruct on that part.. I'm a techie and found the manual unusually confusing.. probably written by someone who knows how to do it! LOL <end rant>

Can an experienced user 'xplain (in idiot terms) how to sync xmitter to the selected bank/chan on the receiver pls.. ??

Unit will get it's first use on Sat night gig in far east Texas, where I'm headed after lunch Sat. Charging up the EBL AA's to go with me.

Will report back on how it went.. but based on what I'm hearing in my ears with regular music.. EXPECTATIONS are HIGH !!

 

[Geri O]

Hmm, I may try syncing the transmitter with the sync feature, but when I got mine, I used the frequency assigned to me by the church tech guys and I haven't changed it since. In fact, I've rented mine several times (Aaron Neville once, although it was a spare unit since his was being a little troublesome on that show) and the frequency has never been changed by the users. So I've never had the opportunity to try the sync feature.

And I was surprised to learn later on when I had owned the EW300 for several months that there is no feature to scan for clear frequencies. It wouldn't have changed my decision to buy it. It hasn't hampered the use of the unit, but I think the Shure PM 900 and 1000 has the feature.

And it looks like I'm about to be in the market for an RF scanner, or software . I'm talking with a group about touring later this year with my mixer as a monitor mixer for the band. We are looking at 5 sets of wireless IEMs, 5 handheld wireless mics, and two acoustic guitar packs, along with my bass wireless.

Gee, what happened to retiring from pro sound?...

 

[s0c9]

And I was surprised to learn later on when I had owned the EW300 for several months that there is no feature to scan for clear frequencies. It wouldn't have changed my decision to buy it. It hasn't hampered the use of the unit, but I think the Shure PM 900 and 1000 has the feature.

I thought that's what the receiver did when you went into "Easy Setup" and ran "Scan New List", with it picking the pre-defined bands (1-20) with the most "open" frequencies? From there you chose band/channel on the receiver and then "sync" the transmitter to it.. at least that's the impression I got from the PSW responses and reading the OM. The last step (sync transmitter to receiver) is what is not working the way the OM says it should.

BTW - love the "graduated" click volume level on the receiver.. so-o-o much easier to adjust volume levels than the Carvin - which simply rotates..

 

[s0c9]

I've done 5+ hrs worth of gigs and 2 sound checks using the EBL (2800 mAh) AA batteries in the Senn receiver since I received the system. Still shows 70% on the battery meter !!!

Tonight I will re-scan frequencies at the venue (I did not do that last night) and see if the receiver comes up with a different group/freq recommendation.

I have had no signal loss, dropouts, hiss, squelch or any issues that I have previously experienced with the Carvin system at this venue.
After much digging thru web sites..I have also learnt that one has to MANUALLY sync a SINGLE transmitter to the selected receiver group/freq. I tried multiple times using directions in the UG and all I ended up doing (every time) was setting the receiver to the same group/freq already stored in the transmitter.

Impressions so far?
Excellent unit - when compared to the Carvin EM900 and the PSM200 systems.. For the $$, it ought to be.
VERY happy with the purchase so far.
Audio quality, signal strength, etc.

Only issue I've had so far (no thanks to the UG/OM) is trying to determine (without having the unit available in front of me) is which DIRECTION on the transmitter gives you more or less input sensitivity. For the enquiring mind...
0dB is MOST sensitive, with -42dB being LEAST.
The default setting is -12dBu, which was W-A-Y too hot for my X32 buss output.
I dropped it to -21dB and could probably go even lower as that setting still gives me about 3 clicks on the receiver volume before it becomes too LOUD!
I'm using 25-Ohm impedance 1964 Ears Qi's, not their stock EI4 buds, so that might be a factor.
Stay tuned!

 

[Geri O]

Hey, Steve, sorry I've been AWOL scrambling with vehicle and (can't believe I'm saying this) too many gigs (read, making almost more promises than I can keep...)

One thing for sure, when I come in to the church service after a player using the church's generic buds (UM20s, I think, with 1 set of UM30s floating around), I have to turn the Aviom 360's master gain from around noon to 9:30. And that applies whether I plug the Quads directly into the Avioms or I use the wireless and the Avioms. The quads are WAY more sensitive, no doubt. I would have to look, but I think my transmitter's gain is set to -20.

I can't explain why you can't run the receiver gain up more than what are seeing, though. I run mine on 6 clicks down from full on (I love the clicks, too!). At that low a setting on the receiver, I'd worry about hitting the transmitter too hard, but you would instantly recognize that sound in the ears, so I'm stumped. I run mine about the same, whether at church or my X32, or any of the other few situations where I use the EW300.

I'm interested in hearing how this progresses along. Maybe a call to Sennheiser tech support is in order (they are great). Or some inline pads for the transmitter's inputs.

Good luck and glad you are enjoying them!

 

[dheafey]

I've been using this system for years and love it. (IEM's are JH Audio JH11's.) I was using the "illegal" C band until recently (too cheap to buy new - eff the FCC!) and am now on B. If your sound engineer has the outputs to hand you a STEREO signal, that's the best solution IMO. If not, FOCUS mode is the next best thing.

 

[s0c9]

Hey, Steve, sorry I've been AWOL scrambling with vehicle and (can't believe I'm saying this) too many gigs (read, making almost more promises than I can keep...)

One thing for sure, when I come in to the church service after a player using the church's generic buds (UM20s, I think, with 1 set of UM30s floating around), I have to turn the Aviom 360's master gain from around noon to 9:30. And that applies whether I plug the Quads directly into the Avioms or I use the wireless and the Avioms. The quads are WAY more sensitive, no doubt. I would have to look, but I think my transmitter's gain is set to -20.

I can't explain why you can't run the receiver gain up more than what are seeing, though. I run mine on 6 clicks down from full on (I love the clicks, too!). At that low a setting on the receiver, I'd worry about hitting the transmitter too hard, but you would instantly recognize that sound in the ears, so I'm stumped. I run mine about the same, whether at church or my X32, or any of the other few situations where I use the EW300.

I'm interested in hearing how this progresses along. Maybe a call to Sennheiser tech support is in order (they are great). Or some inline pads for the transmitter's inputs.

Good luck and glad you are enjoying them!

np.. thanks for replying.
I have the same issue with the Avioms at church... but I'm always wired there... the Senn is only used with my secular pop-country band.
I'm not sure about the receiver gain.. ran last night at -21dB sensitivity on the xmitter and have the X32 buss output level at about 70% of unity. This gave me an extra click on the receiver, but more than that is way loud.. maybe a Senn tech support call is in order.

I know how to gain-stage a PA, but unclear as to how to do that with this IEM system.
Will keep you posted.

 

[s0c9]

If your sound engineer has the outputs to hand you a STEREO signal, that's the best solution IMO. If not, FOCUS mode is the next best thing.

We mix from stage and snake split to our X32 on house provided systems, so we stay consistent with our IEM mix.
I have NOT run a stereo feed yet - still mono. My challenge is that I don't have access to the mixer between gigs to "play" with setting up the stereo mix. I mix my IEM's with the X32-Q app on my iPad and do not want to do a stereo "dry run" between sound check and starting the gig! That IS my objective tho'...

I'm an IT guy, so I often plan for contingencies.. failure is not an option.
Meanwhile, I get to "read" about it on the interweb, but not get it set up! Frustrating..

 

[dheafey]

We mix from stage and snake split to our X32 on house provided systems, so we stay consistent with our IEM mix.
I have NOT run a stereo feed yet - still mono. My issue is that I don't have access to the mixer between gigs to "play" with setting up a stereo mix so I get it right BEFORE we play. I mix with the X32-Q app on my iPad and do not want to do a stereo "dry run" between sound check and starting the gig! That IS my objective tho'...

Roger that. Fiddling minutes before a gig is a recipe for disaster. I just bought an Empress Compressor and am heading to my guitarist's house to dial it in PRIOR to using it live. I'm getting conservative (smart?) in my old age. ;-)

 

[s0c9]

maybe a Senn tech support call is in order.

GeriO,
per your suggestion, called Senn tech support... they said reduce the input sensitivity - but not all the way down to the -42 dB - until I find a happy medium that gives me appropriate control on the receiver.
I'll try that at tonights gig and report back...

PS: They said that the sensitivity settings put no "stress" the transmitter with lower receiver gain settings. It may affect the squelch/noise levels you hear in the audio. I'm assuming the inaudible "pilot tone" assists with that..
My audio is crystal clear.. no noise at all!

 

[Geri O]

Ahh, the pilot tone...

Here's some explanations I found since I'm familiar with it, but I wasn't exactly sure what it does...

Questions on Sennheiser G3 Menu Settings at DVinfo.net

The part that doesn't get discussed is why I have to turn off the pilot tone when I set the transmitter to transmit a mono signal . In that case, the receiver loses the RF signal. Turning off the pilot tone restores the RF to the receiver. I really don't know what's going on past that article.

And besides, I grew weary of changing the system from one to the other, so I made a hard-wired XLR split cable to feed both inputs of the transmitter.

I notice some noise when I use it at church, but I don't when we are actually playing. Between our crazy set-up, the varying players and the volunteer production folks, there is no telling about the gain structure. It works well in general and I'm happy it (A) works as well as it does and (B), I don't have to deal with the production side...

 

[s0c9]

And besides, I grew weary of changing the system from one to the other, so I made a hard-wired XLR split cable to feed both inputs of the transmitter.

That's what I've been using all along.. an XLr split from X32 buss into BOTH sides of the transmitter.. was using that with the Carvin before. Solves any "stereo/mono" issues into a 2 channel trasnmitter.

On a side note - which may be of interest: I put a fresh set of fully-charged 2800 mAh EBL "AA" batteries (ones I sent you a sample of) into the Senn receiver last Sat for my East TX gig.. that was 3 hrs continuous use.
I played, 3 hrs Wed night 3 hrs Thurs night and 4 hours Fri night.. Battery level STILL shows at 70%.
At 13 hrs use (so far) I'm expecting that I will get thru tonights 4+ hrs on that basis

I'd have gone thru at least 2 sets on my other AA's on the Carvin by now.

 

[s0c9]

On a side note - which may be of interest: I put a fresh set of fully-charged 2800 mAh EBL "AA" batteries (ones I sent you a sample of) into the Senn receiver last Sat for my East TX gig.. that was 3 hrs continuous use.
I played, 3 hrs Wed night 3 hrs Thurs night and 4 hours Fri night.. Battery level STILL shows at 70%.
At 13 hrs use (so far) I'm expecting that I will get thru tonights 4+ hrs on that basis

By the time I got to the 4th (of 5 x 45-min sets) the receiver battery was showing 30%.
Based on prior use, that may well have lasted the remainder of Sat night, but being an "A" room, I didn't want to take the chance. I put in a fresh set of EBL 2800's. Those should now get me thru next weekends Fri/sat gigs!

I also cut the G3 transmitter input sensitivity by another -3dB (down to -24dB). That gave me a couple more clicks on the receiver volume control and more granularity/range with it.
I did NOT rescan frequencies, as the one I used (bank 17, ch4) worked without interference. I'll run a fresh scan this Friday at the next venue and see if Band 17 still has the most open frequencies.

Toward the end of the night I did experience some ear fatigue - having used the G3 for about 14 hours over the last 4 nights.. but the audio quality was still awesome!

 

[JJP_1984_LB50]

Hoping you guys can help me out...

Recently had an opportunity to pick up one of these units. This was intended to be an upgrade from the used PSM200 I've been using for the last 2 years or so. I was OK with the PSM200, but didn't think the sound quality was all the great. Things certainly sound better at church through our system there (I don't know any details about it).

One of the things I'm struggling with is philosophy for this unit. For the PSM200, I plugged my bass (passing thru my SansAmp) into one channel and a monitor mix into the other. Each channel had a gain knob, so it was easy to get up and going. My ears are Alclair Tour Customs...

I think I'm trying to do the same thing with the Sennheiser, but there's only one sensitivity (gain,yes?) "knob". I'm still sending bass to one channel and a monitor mix to the other. I'm pretty sure I'm in "focus" mode (what ever that means).

Set up this way, I can't get a clean signal from my bass. I keep knocking down the sensitivity, but I just can't seem to get it right. Very frustrating. Am I trying to do something unintended for this unit? I've never had a stereo mix with the PSM200 or the Sennheiser, as I don't usually get two monitor sends.

Reading back through I guess this sounds confusing, but I guess I'm looking for your experience with just bass in one channel and a mono monitor in the other...