So.. baptized the new Senn EW-D1 wireless last week at a gig..
It went great.
The battery packs (BA30) are back-ordered, so I used the 1.5v AA's that came with the system.
I also bought the GA4 rack-mount kit, removing the G90 and replacing with the D1.
The D1 does come with the now-standard wal-wart style power adaptor, so I had to wrap the cable around the anchor pin to prevent accidental removal from the receiver body.. That is one thing I DID like about the G90.. standard IEC power cord.
Set up was a no brainer.. left everything at default settings, and the xmitter/receiver were already factory "paired".
I DID do a firmware upgrade using their WSR ipad app.. from v1.0 to v2.0.
Simple. Hooked D1 up to my home network (cat5 port on rear of D1). WSR identified it, told me there was an upgrade available. Click yes.. receiver done in about 3 mins.
Then when I turned on the xmitter it tells me it need to be upgraded.. press OK to upgrade. I did.. placed xmitter on top of receiver and it took about 3 mins to complete.
One issue I had is that the xmitter clip is too wide to fit into the adjuster holes on my strap.. the G90 slipped right into them.
I did not want to have the connect cable pointing at the audience, or behind me, nor did I want to go the gaf-tape route, so I rigged up some velcro across the strap, locking it in place with more velcro wrapped thru the top strap hole. This lets me slide the pack so it is parallel to the strap -like my G90 pack was. However, the pack clip was also oriented so that the 1/8" cable connection point up (at ones head) when mounting it.
Luckily, the clip can easily be reversed (which I did) so the connector points down.
The unit worked flawlessly, with plenty of battery left at the end of the night - typical 4-hr gig.
Two somewhat minor but none the less niggles (not really annoying) that I found during first use. Nothing that is a show-stopper.
In short.. VERY happy overall. Signal quality.. no dropouts, excellent audio quality. I did NOT test the range of the unit. I was within 15-20 feet of the unit the entire time.
Overall.. I'd give this - based on first blush - a 9/10.
Well, looks like the BA30 batteries for the Senn D1 are in stock, and mine ship today. Hopefully, they'll get here by Friday, so I can use them Fri night.
If not, Sat gig will have to do...
UPDATE:
The new fully-charged Senn BA30 battery handled the entire gig with the new D1 last night with plenty juice left over.
Should be able to get thru tonight's gig on the same battery.
One a funny note.. I checked my IEM battery before the 1st set.. levels looked OK.
Died 1/2 way thru the FIRST SONG!!
Pulled an ear to get thru it.. then grabbed fresh batts while frontman schmoozed..
UPDATE #2:
2nd gig with a single BA30 battery under my belt.. and .. per the battery levels STILL at 60% charge LEVEL !!
Wow !! That's impressive...
These are Lithium-Ion batteries, not NiCad or NiMh.. so maybe the meters are accurate. Not the largest capacity, but I've got 7 hours use out of one half of battery.. I bought 2 - as backups are always good. We'll see how this plays out in future gigs.. but so far.. I'm impressed.
BA-30
Output Voltage
3.7 V
Capacity
2030 mAh
It went great.
The battery packs (BA30) are back-ordered, so I used the 1.5v AA's that came with the system.
I also bought the GA4 rack-mount kit, removing the G90 and replacing with the D1.
The D1 does come with the now-standard wal-wart style power adaptor, so I had to wrap the cable around the anchor pin to prevent accidental removal from the receiver body.. That is one thing I DID like about the G90.. standard IEC power cord.
Set up was a no brainer.. left everything at default settings, and the xmitter/receiver were already factory "paired".
I DID do a firmware upgrade using their WSR ipad app.. from v1.0 to v2.0.
Simple. Hooked D1 up to my home network (cat5 port on rear of D1). WSR identified it, told me there was an upgrade available. Click yes.. receiver done in about 3 mins.
Then when I turned on the xmitter it tells me it need to be upgraded.. press OK to upgrade. I did.. placed xmitter on top of receiver and it took about 3 mins to complete.
One issue I had is that the xmitter clip is too wide to fit into the adjuster holes on my strap.. the G90 slipped right into them.
I did not want to have the connect cable pointing at the audience, or behind me, nor did I want to go the gaf-tape route, so I rigged up some velcro across the strap, locking it in place with more velcro wrapped thru the top strap hole. This lets me slide the pack so it is parallel to the strap -like my G90 pack was. However, the pack clip was also oriented so that the 1/8" cable connection point up (at ones head) when mounting it.
Luckily, the clip can easily be reversed (which I did) so the connector points down.
The unit worked flawlessly, with plenty of battery left at the end of the night - typical 4-hr gig.
Two somewhat minor but none the less niggles (not really annoying) that I found during first use. Nothing that is a show-stopper.
- When the xmitter pack is off, the receiver flashes "no connection" messages on the display. It's great to know (for a multi-unit setup), but the inverse video it uses catches one's eye (which I guess it's supposed to) as it alternatives every couple of seconds.
- The xmitter pack is hard to read on a dim stage.. the display is standard LCD (black/grey), unlike the G90 which is backlit orange. I guess I need to get used to watching the red power light on the bottom of the pack to verify on/off.
In short.. VERY happy overall. Signal quality.. no dropouts, excellent audio quality. I did NOT test the range of the unit. I was within 15-20 feet of the unit the entire time.
Overall.. I'd give this - based on first blush - a 9/10.
Well, looks like the BA30 batteries for the Senn D1 are in stock, and mine ship today. Hopefully, they'll get here by Friday, so I can use them Fri night.
If not, Sat gig will have to do...
UPDATE:
The new fully-charged Senn BA30 battery handled the entire gig with the new D1 last night with plenty juice left over.
Should be able to get thru tonight's gig on the same battery.
One a funny note.. I checked my IEM battery before the 1st set.. levels looked OK.
Died 1/2 way thru the FIRST SONG!!
Pulled an ear to get thru it.. then grabbed fresh batts while frontman schmoozed..
UPDATE #2:
2nd gig with a single BA30 battery under my belt.. and .. per the battery levels STILL at 60% charge LEVEL !!
Wow !! That's impressive...
These are Lithium-Ion batteries, not NiCad or NiMh.. so maybe the meters are accurate. Not the largest capacity, but I've got 7 hours use out of one half of battery.. I bought 2 - as backups are always good. We'll see how this plays out in future gigs.. but so far.. I'm impressed.
BA-30
Output Voltage
3.7 V
Capacity
2030 mAh
