Can someone help me with affordable wireless suggestions, please?

[Old Garage-Bander]

…which would make it all that more important to spend the money on a quality wireless system (whatever form that may take).

The issues with active basses and certain transmitters indicates issues with that transmitter, not the bass. I would avoid that brand of wireless regardless of active or passive basses. If they scrimped on that part of the transmitter, what else did they scrimp on?

This is a harsh rule, and not my rule, but one I try to live by. If I can’t afford a quality piece, I either don’t buy it or I save my money to get it. I do not settle for a lesser quality piece.

This is absolutely one area (wireless gear) where skimping on cost is just throwing good money after bad. It's tough enough to get this stuff to all work together when using the quality stuff, let alone go cheap. It's not just you out in the wireless wild west, but everyone else and the horses they rode in on.
If you can't afford a quality system from a manufacturer who will help steer you through the wireless minefields, that are today's wireless environment, then save your money and just cable up. Sennheiser and Shure are two such companies.
In my opinion, there is no such thing as plug and play when it comes to wireless. The best place to be currently is in the UHF bands, and even then, you need to avoid TV station frequencies, which change depending on your location. Frequency agile systems are a must. Diversity systems also help in that they run some redundancy that can get around certain problems. It just ain't gonna be cheap, and it is high maintenance. This I know from having managed about 30 of these systems for various types of wireless uses.
IMO, People getting by on cheap systems have only done so due to luck.

 

[s0c9]

I A/B(ed) that sucker with every bass I owned (some of them, passive) and half my guitars (all but one; passive).

It did not work with any instrument with active electronics. I just talked to my "guitar guru" and he told me: "It's because of the proximity of the transmitter to the active electronics. They flummux the transmitter.

Other units (belt units and strap units) have the transmitter far enough away from the active electronics so that the EMFs don't interfere with it."

So ... it seems an extension cable between the instrument and the transmitter would do the job, but since I can't stand, that presents some challenges, too.

I need to cogitate on all of this.

Thank you, all for the great suggestions!

I've used MANY different wireless units freelancing at churches - including the XVive - don't own any passive basses (other than switching from active->passive) and never had any issues with active basses on any of them.
Maybe something else is going on?

My current bass wireless rig is the older Senn EW-D1 that is auto-sensing 2.4G and never had an issue with that - which being in a busy metro area surprises me!
I also run Senn E835 mic and Mipro 909 IEM's (BOTH wireless), and no issues with either.
But I have done plenty research on which frequency ranges are the best (and open) in my area and purchased devices with appropriate ranges!

 

[DWBass]

Yeaaaaah. The XVIVE (and probably others) won't transmit signal from an instrument with active electronics. I tried doing it the way you suggested and there was still no love from the wireless unit.

Wait.....you're saying you get NO signal at all? Doesn't sound right. Either something is wrong with the XVIVE or the jack on your bass.

 

[DWBass]

I A/B(ed) that sucker with every bass I owned (some of them, passive) and half my guitars (all but one; passive).

It did not work with any instrument with active electronics. I just talked to my "guitar guru" and he told me: "It's because of the proximity of the transmitter to the active electronics. They flummux the transmitter.

Other units (belt units and strap units) have the transmitter far enough away from the active electronics so that the EMFs don't interfere with it."

So ... it seems an extension cable between the instrument and the transmitter would do the job, but since I can't stand, that presents some challenges, too.

I need to cogitate on all of this.

Thank you, all for the great suggestions!

No. Something is wrong with the XVIVE. Wireless units work with any instrument, passive or active. I've owned a ton of different brands and ALL my basses are active. They all worked. Your guitar guru is giving you misinformation. Has nothing to do with proximity. It's plugged directly into the instrument. Admittedly, earlier models picked up a hum or whine from active electronics, hence the suggestion to use an extension cable. You have a bum set. Send it back.

 

[KohanMike]

I've been using for the last few years, a rather inexpensive (under $60) Lekato 5.8GHz wireless pod system on all my active piezo bass ukes, works great because it does not get the interference that 2.4GHz have.

https://www.amazon.com/LEKATO-Trans...lja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

 

[klattman]

I've had problems with some active basses with some wirelesses but all it was was the stereo jack that is supposed to be bridged by a mono plug and turn on the bass electronics conflicting with the same configuration expected on the wireless. Problem solved with a 1/4 mono/mono adapter (90 degree once also helped with strain relief).

If it isn't that, then seems like an interference problem would just be intermittent/noisy?

 

[Mike Caldwell]

In general "affordable" and wireless don't always go together or at least reliable wireless.

 

[BCRich100]

Another vote for the Line 6 G30/G50 here. I’ve been using a G50 for about a year and a half with no issues at all at various venues around Dallas/Ft. Worth. A previous guitarist in the band used a G30 for years and never had a problem either.

 

[Ben Clarke]

I used a G30 for years and never had any issue that a channel change didn't work through. That was with a 2nd unit on stage as well as the sound guys using Wifi tablet mixers. My bandmate that used Amazon rechargeable batteries with his didn't have such consistent results... and he was also rough on his gear. Accordion players...

I upgraded to the Sennheiser EW-D and it is far superior in build quality and flexibility, but as you say it it's also far outside your budget.

One aspect of selecting wx systems is that the local RF environment makes a difference. If you are always in the same area of Pennsyltucky, and it's not near a metro area, you'll likely have an easier time than if you are near a city. I gigged around Buffalo regularly with my G30 and it was fine. I handled it with care because it's literally built like a cheap toy, and it was fine. I always brought long enough cables to get through the gig, though, and there were times my bandmate would have to switch out.

It was also fun to mess with him during soundchecks by switching my transmitter to his channel and making noise through his amp.

 

[dave64o]

I get spending on a good wireless system. My Shure GLXD16 has held up quite well and has been problem free - never had any issues with dropouts despite being 2.4 GHz. Shure has now discontinued that model so, while I wait to see if they come out with a similar 5.8 GHz or UHF model, I've bought a few cheap units just to see if they'll work. So far, I've used the following cheap systems on the four of my five basses that have active preamps - two Stingrays, an L-2500, and a Franken Jazz with an Audere preamp (only my short scale semihollow Ibanez AGB-205 is passive) at home, rehearsals, basement jams, and gigs and have not yet had any problems:
- Lekato 5.8 GHz
- Lekato WS-70 UHF
- Getaria 5.8 GHz
- NUX C-5RC 5.8 GHz

I always have an instrument cable run at a gig just in case, and I always bring two of them to a gig just in case I run out of battery. So far they've all worked very well, all have lasted for our four-set four-houir gigs, and, except for the NU-X, all were in the $50 range. The NU-X was about $150 (it has a nice carry case that also charges the units, a nice feature at gigs).

Again, it's worth spending on a good system if you're gigging, especailly "higher end gigs", but if your budget is low and/or your needs are simpler, these have worked well for me.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I only recently bought the WS-70 and the NUX, so I haven't yet tried them at a gig. But I will in at a couple of gigs in the next two weeks.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

I get spending on a good wireless system. My Shure GLXD16 has held up quite well and has been problem free - never had any issues with dropouts despite being 2.4 GHz. Shure has now discontinued that model so, while I wait to see if they come out with a similar 5.8 GHz or UHF model, I've bought a few cheap units just to see if they'll work. So far, I've used the following cheap systems on the four of my five basses that have active preamps - two Stingrays, an L-2500, and a Franken Jazz with an Audere preamp (only my short scale semihollow Ibanez AGB-205 is passive) at home, rehearsals, basement jams, and gigs and have not yet had any problems:
- Lekato 5.8 GHz
- Lekato WS-70 UHF
- Getaria 5.8 GHz
- NUX C-5RC 5.8 GHz

I always have an instrument cable run at a gig just in case, and I always bring two of them to a gig just in case I run out of battery. So far they've all worked very well, all have lasted for our four-set four-houir gigs, and, except for the NU-X, all were in the $50 range. The NU-X was about $150 (it has a nice carry case that also charges the units, a nice feature at gigs).

Again, it's worth spending on a good system if you're gigging, especailly "higher end gigs", but if your budget is low and/or your needs are simpler, these have worked well for me.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I only recently bought the WS-70 and the NUX, so I haven't yet tried them at a gig. But I will in at a couple of gigs in the next two weeks.

Thank you. I will look into these.

I am no longer able to gig. So, that is not a consideration. What is a consideration is the proximity of my wireless router to my studio desk.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Geri O]

Then, may I ask kindly and sincerely….

Why consider a wireless solution if you are playing in a studio situation?

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

Then, may I ask kindly and sincerely….

Why consider a wireless solution if you are playing in a studio situation?

The wires interfere with my wheel chair.

 

[Geri O]

The wires interfere with my wheel chair.

Sad to say, I’m quite guilty of simply skimming through posts without grasping the reality of a situation, as I have here.

My apologies and good luck with your search.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

Sad to say, I’m quite guilty of simply skimming through posts without grasping the reality of a situation, as I have here.

My apologies and good luck with your search.

Absolutely NO REASON to apologize. You had no way of knowing my physical condition. I have shared it, here, but it is rare. I don't wear it like a badge.

No offense taken, at all. So, no need for an apology. Take it back!

 

[Eli_Kyiv]

Then, may I ask kindly and sincerely….

Why consider a wireless solution if you are playing in a studio situation?

I use my wireless for home practice and rehearsals just because it's easier to move around this way.

 

[Geri O]

Absolutely NO REASON to apologize. You had no way of knowing my physical condition. I have shared it, here, but it is rare. I don't wear it like a badge.

No offense taken, at all. So, no need for an apology. Take it back!

LOL, thanx! I have plenty!….

I use my wireless for home practice and rehearsals just because it's easier to move around this way.

Well, why not with rechargeable batteries, I guess. I’m planted in a nice office chair with bass cable and a headphone cable. Done it for years….

 

[s0c9]

Well, why not with rechargeable batteries, I guess. I’m planted in a nice office chair with bass cable and a headphone cable. Done it for years….

Same. It's one of the main reasons why I had zero problems moving to IEM's.
I was so used to headphones for practice (not to disturb wife/kids) that using an equivalent for gigs was really easy.
It took a while to get to a full wireless solution tho' There were NO cheap units worth considering back then, so I started off WIRED.
From there I went to Carvin, then Shure, then Senn and now Mipro wireless - having also used other "brands" [like Xvive] at churches since 2010.

One generally gets what one pays for.. But once, cry once!

 

[DonaldR]

Line 6 G30 user here with passive and active basses (also using it with passive and active guitars). Not using a cable anymore.

 

[tadawson]

Kimd of depends what your definition of "affordable" is . . .
I just went from a Lectrosonics rig that the FCC made illegal (600MHz nonsense) that would have been $2500 to replace to Sennheiser EW-D digital for about $600 and am very happy with it.