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Line 6 X2 XDS-Plus or XDR95

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dancrocker

May 18, 2009
198
0
#1
I've read all the threads I could find on the X2 wireless systems and am planning on getting one of the above two models. However, I'm struggling with the decision of which one.

I'll be setting the receiver on the top of my amp so the form-factor of the XDR95 makes more sense for me. With the XDR95, I'd easily be able to see the display whereas with the XDS-Plus, I'd have to prop up the receiver. I guess I could do this but it seems like it would be a little goofy. Honestly, I'm not sure how important/useful it would be to see the display while performing.

On the other hand, I like the portability of the XDS-Plus. I play in a church group and, while there is a storage room for equipment, I wouldn't mind being able to throw the wireless system in my backpack and take it home with me.

There don't seem to be too many differences in the specs. I don't need the extra range of the XDR95 so this isn't a factor. This unit also seems to have more receivers although I don't know if, in practice, this is a big advantage.

Please help me decide. Did I miss some important difference?
 
#2
Other than range, nope. I've got two of the cheap ones and I've used them for 2 years now and they've been great. I don't see how the rack version could improve the sound over the little ones.
 
#6
I own an XDR-95 (used to own the low-end XDS) and I wish I would have gone for the XDS-Plus.

Its great having it all in the rack and in one, secure place...

But thats the rub, you've got more steps involved if you want to take it anywhere without your entire rack...
 
#7
OK, so I received the unit from Amazon on wednesday. This one ended up being defective (buzzing and cracking noises when the transmitter cable was wiggled) so I returned it. I was a little surprised and disappointed but I guess it happens sometimes. As an aside, I really love the way Amazon handles returns. Anyways, I received the replacement tonight and it seems to be working great. There's more fretboard and finger noise than with the direct connection; it seems like this is because the tone is a little brighter. Not a problem that some amp adjustments won't fix. I'll perform with it sunday and I'll post another update. So far, I did have fun walking around the house playing :-).
 
#11
Well, I performed with the unit yesterday and it worked flawlessly. The brightness I heard through my practice amp was hardly noticeable through my Carvin BX1200 and 4x10 cab. I also think being in a big room (church) helped. And, once everyone else was playing, there was really no practical difference between this and the cable.

One comment regarding battery life. We had about 1.5 hours of sound check and rehearsal. In this amount of time, the battery gauge dropped to 7. Not being at all familiar with how long batteries last, I chickened out and put a fresh one in before mass. I'm sure it would have lasted another hour, but I got nervous. As I write this, I've got the system on just so I can see how long the transmitter battery lasts. I'm assuming that the transmitter doesn't take any less power when there's no signal than when there is one (I'm not playing now, just letting it sit). I may be wrong about this. If you know anything about this, please let me know.

Something goofy did happen that I wanted to mention. After we finished playing, I tore down my setup and put the receiver in my backpack. This evening, I powered everything up but couldn't get a connection. It got me a little freaked out. After playing with the channel selection, powering both sides off and on, I noticed there's a mode indication on the receiver marked XDS or XDS+ (red for XDS, green for XDS+). The red LED was lit. The user manual explained how to put it into XDS+ mode. Once I did this, I was able to connect. So, the mystery is how I managed to get it into XDS mode. I must have hit some button inadvertently. Fortunately, this didn't happen yesterday or I'd be completely clueless. Of course, I could always revert back to the dreaded cable ;).

All in all, I'm satisfied so far. I admit I'm still a little uneasy about the whole idea of wireless and found myself regularly glancing at the receiver to make sure I was still connected. The keyboard player thought this was quite amusing. :)
 
#12
I let the transmitter and receiver sit while powered on and the transmitter ran out of power after two hours. This seems quite short to me. I'm puzzled.

EDIT: I forgot that I'd used that same battery for about 45 minutes prior to this. So, the total time was less than 3 hrs. Still, this seems short to me. How does this compare to others?
 
#15
So far I've been getting a minimum of 5 hours out of Duracell Procells. Do some searching around, I bought a ton of Procell 9V's about 6 months ago for about $1 each.

There is little difference (in battery life) between having a signal (sound) going through the unit and sitting idle (as far as the power required for the RF transmitter). No matter what, the transmitter is sending the digital data stream out at the programmed RF power level.

There will be a little more difference when its plugged into a bass vs not.
 
#16
I get about 4 sets out of a battery. We do 3 sets a night, so I just change it for each gig.

BTW be carefully removing and attaching the cable to the transmitter pack. I've had mine in the shop twice for a bad connection there. As you screw on the cable the receiver tends to spin too and break the connection inside. I now leave it attached all the time.

Great wireless!!
 
#17
I use the basic model. Primarily just to get out into the room to check sound, etc as a show goes on (we run sound from stage).

The only thing I ever run into is rare dropout due to thick poles or other obstacles in a room. I've never had dropout that wasn't line of sight oriented.
 
#18
I've been using the XDS-Plus for some time now, as has one of the guitarists in my band. Neither of us has had a bit of problems with them. They work great, night after night.

If mine were to get get stolen, I'd buy another to replace it in a heartbeat.:)
 
#19
Ray O Vac and Walgreen's alkalines I get about 4 hours. Energizers and Duracells I get about 6. I once tried these expensive batteries that lasted 30 hours in a wireless, and I loved them until I left the transmitter on overnight a couple times. So now I just use Energizers unless Walgreen's has a sale ;)
 
#20
Well, I bought a box of Duracell Procells and tried one tonight. The difference was dramatic. I used it for about 2 hours so far and the battery level on the receiver is still at 9. The regular 9v I used last week was down to 7 or 6 after the same amount of time. I also noticed that with the procell, the battery level didn't drop below 10 until after close to an hour of use.
I did some reading about procells and it looks to me like they have the same basic specs as the regular duracells but that they're designed to hold their charge longer (lower self-discharge). If this is true, it would explain why they last longer.
 

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