I am looking for a good wireless lav setup for doc work. I already have a Sennheiser ME66 short shotgun for on camera and several other mics for other situations. My budget is less than $700 for one mike with on camera receiver. Does anyone have experience with the Azden 305LT, pros - cons. Maybe better wireless for the budget.

Cheers
Robert C. Fisher

If you do a search you will find out that everybody here recommends the Sennheiser G2 as the best entry level wireless, probably with an upgraded microphone. If you have more money go Lectrosonics.

Normally I would also recommend the Sennheiser Evolution G2 package right off the bat, but they recently raised the price from $499 to $549, then Sony came out with a true diversity package at $499. Testing them side by side, the Sony is getting a bit more range after 200'. The receiver does have the dual antennas and automatically switches to the better signal. You can also turn and rotate the antennas on the Sony receiver. That way if you mount the receiver on your camera's shoe horizontally, you can still adjust the antennas vertically for a better signal. Hopefully Sennheiser does the same on the G3 package which we can most likely expect next year. Hey Sennheiser are you listening ?!

Here is a link to the Sony The Sony UWP-V6 Wireless System with Lavalier and Plug on Transmitter at DVcreators.net (http://www.dvcreators.net/the-sony-uwp-v6-wireless-system-with-lavalier-and-plug-on-transmitter/)

Here is a link to the Sennheiser Sennheiser Mics at DVcreators.net (http://www.dvcreators.net/sennheiser-mics/)

We're also in the process of testing the Audio Technica 1800...side by side with the Sony and Sennheiser. I'll try to get a video up so you can hear it. So far not too impressed with the AT's transmitter build quality, seems cheap after holding the Sennheiser and the Sony with their metal construction. I've dropped the Sennheisers, and we rent them out, they hold up well. I guess what we really want to know is... how good does the included lav sound, how low is the noise floor, and how far can you go?

Although it's more money than you specified, you might want to read this thread just below in the All Things Audio forum:

Reports of noticeable noise floor in ATW 1800 wireless system - The Digital Video Information Network (http://www.dvinfo.net//conf/showthread.php?t=128662)

Collis Davis

Here is a link to the Sony The Sony UWP-V6 Wireless System with Lavalier and Plug on Transmitter at DVcreators.net (http://www.dvcreators.net/the-sony-uwp-v6-wireless-system-with-lavalier-and-plug-on-transmitter/)


I spent 10 days with 2 of the cheap sony's. horrible P.O.S.

1. hard to tune
2A. unreliable - usually could only get one unit to ever work. other unit would just hiss away.
2B no open freq scanning
3. flimsy plastic housings - they also let RF in unlike metal cases units
4. flimsy mounts, used gaffer tape most of the time to mount
5. flimsy connectors - they will break with constant usage
6. flimsy antennae setup

save your cash and look at the G2's or some used lectros

I spent 10 days with 2 of the cheap sony's. horrible P.O.S.

1. hard to tune
2A. unreliable - usually could only get one unit to ever work. other unit would just hiss away.
2B no open freq scanning
3. flimsy plastic housings - they also let RF in unlike metal cases units
4. flimsy mounts, used gaffer tape most of the time to mount
5. flimsy connectors - they will break with constant usage
6. flimsy antennae setup

save your cash and look at the G2's or some used lectros

Quick response. You must have used the first generation Sony system. The new system has metal cases. I own the first generation plastic cases and have reasonable sucess with them.

1. Personal preference - I have a hard time tuning the Sennheiser system. Possibly just what you are used to.
2A. My system has ALWAYS functioned. I own it and it has never been in a rental situation. This MAY make all the difference.
2B. Open freq scanning is FAR from perfect. I personally tune my own receivers regardless of whether or not there is an auto-scan function.
3. Flimsy plastic case? Not on the new ones. My plastic case SEEMS flimsy but has been dropped repeatedly and everything still works. Not a great piece to inspire confidence in clients though. They look CHEAP!
4. Flimsy mount - HECK YEAH! I bought velcro and attach mine to my Anton Bauer batteries that way. MUCH better than the POS system it comes with. BTW, the G2 Sennheisers have taken the POS idea from Sony and are pretty much crap in the on-camera mount department.
5. A steady client of mice has had to replace 2 antennas on his G1 Sennheiser system while I'm going strong with my Sony. No breakage, although the antennas are hard wired.
6. See above.

Again, this is all about personal preference and my Sony has never been used by anyone but me. ANY rental system is completely at the mercy of folks who MAY not have a hot clue how to look after them.

The included mic in the Sony system (the plastic case) is garbage but works JUST well enough that I haven't replaced it. The supplied mic with the G1 Sennheiser is worse (but smaller and more attractive) and the mic supplied with the G2 is certainly passable.

Lectro - if you've got the money, absolutely! Get a Tram lav and you're laughing. Or, find a Sony WRT/WRR 855 series system used. Serious systems = serious coin.

I am with the original poster: get a Lectrosonic's unit. It is not that much over your stated budget. You will have it forever. And if you must sell it, you will get a very good price for it.

True story
Needed to upgrade our wireless mic from a Samson (recommend by a B&H associate when we first started). I now knew the Lectrosonic was to be the best (although Sure has a new compelling unit). But at around $1,000- it hurt. But we got one as well as the Sennhesier G2. I am at a church, Groom is wearing the Lectrosonic, Priest is wearing the G2. We are in a large sanctuary setting up/testing. Groom is outside with the photographer. Priest is leaving the sanctuary: the G2 starts to break up while the Priest is still in the sanctuary, although at the other end and it was a large sanctuary). From inside the sanctuary, I am getting the groom's signal from outside.

For me it is Lectrosonic's all the way. I just simply trust them to perform when & where I need them to. And that's priceless.

Mike

Audio Technica's recently released 1800 series is also making a name for itself. Lectro and Zaxcom are definetly top-shelf

What about Micron, they sound great!

"Reports of noticeable noise floor in ATW 1800 wireless system - The Digital Video Information Network"

Phooey. The AT is about the same noise wise as the G2. Both units sound very good if you use good settings, and terrible if you don't.

I concur with Guy. I recently purchased the Sony wireless from BH ($499 with free shipping)and I am extremely satisfied with them. They come in different frequencies so you can put two together and mic two people. The are metal, not plastic and, include 3 wind screens. I have used them in the field doing interviews and have had no problems with them. Also, they have a built in timer so you get a good idea how long you have been running on the same battary. My only wish was that the LED's were a little bigger (or, my eyes were a little better). I would definately recommend them. Bob

Have been using the AT1800 dual since the beginning of the year and frankly I am completely satisfied with the unit. Easy to operate, solid while the body paks ARE plastic they have hit the floor a couple of times and no cracks or damage. I use Countryman EMW mics and IMHO it's a wonderful combination. I love being able to monitor BOTH my audio systems at once and being able to control which unit is on or off (up to a point). Just depends on how you have the unit set up.

Floor noise? Not really. No more or less than any other unit in the price range and as was stated before if the audio settings are set right it's virtually a non-issue.

Don

the best there is period. mabey sometime's take countryman b6 if visualy acceptabel
sets you back about 5k but wil last you a lifetime! (unlike computers camera's etc :)

ty ford has great review (with audio clip)on a 2040 set

I spent 10 days with 2 of the cheap sony's. horrible P.O.S.

1. hard to tune
2A. unreliable - usually could only get one unit to ever work. other unit would just hiss away.
2B no open freq scanning
3. flimsy plastic housings - they also let RF in unlike metal cases units
4. flimsy mounts, used gaffer tape most of the time to mount
5. flimsy connectors - they will break with constant usage
6. flimsy antennae setup

save your cash and look at the G2's or some used lectros

Hi Steve,

I think you may be confusing the new model with the previous generation of Sony wireless. If you look at where you quote me, I am referring to the latest generation of Sony wireless the UWP-V6. These just came out.

The new version as opposed to the old version:

1. Not hard to tune, if you can change the time on a watch, you can tune it.
2a. Totally reliable, I've been beating up a set for a few weeks now. Rock solid. Longer range than the Sennheisers in our field tests. Both reliable to 200' line of sight.
2b. Autoscan feature
3. Metal housing
4. Mounts are rugged, same quality as the Sennheiser Evolution G2 series.
5. Cables look to be the same as the previous version. Internally, only time will tell if the connections will prematurely fail.
6. The Sony antennas are absolutely better than the Sennheiser antennas you can rotate them around and replace them much easier.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, there are now two options in the $500 portable UHF wireless marketplace and one of them is $50 cheaper. Both the Sony UWP-V6 and Sennheiser Evolution G2 units are getting the thumbs up recommendation as "Good wireless."
We've sold hundreds of Sennheiser wireless, without a single return. I'm not bashing them, just letting everyone know that there are options. Competition is good. Sennheiser is not sitting on the sidelines either, they have dominated the market the last few years and as Sony is catching up, Sennheiser has been working on the next generation "G3" which will be even better. Maybe Audio Technica will make their big ass receiver smaller and get in the game.
If I were buying today though, to be honest with you, I would follow your recommendation and I would still buy the Sennheisers for the extra $50 just because I like the larger backlit LCD display with VU meters on both the Transmitter and the Receiver -cool feature...and of course, if you don't want to read the manual, you can always watch the little Sennheiser tutorial DV Gear Talk (http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid275887224/bclid184432313/bctid187745393)

There are some discussions about the spectrum used for these devices. I am finding it hard to see what spectrum is used by either the Sony or G2 systems. I also am wondering if either comes in a two channel variety? I frequently need two audio channels (either for legal video work or for weddings).

I am wondering if it is worth trying to find dual channel on-camera mountable systems (ie not tied to AC power) or if I should go with an AC powered solution to keep the price around ~$500.

Jason, the freqs or freq block should be marked on the unit. As for dual channel camera mountable units there are 2 that I know of. Azden has 2 different models and Audio Technica has the 1800 series. i use that one with either 2 body paks or 1 body pak and a plugin. I really like the unit a lot. Very low floor noise, comact receiver, sturdy antennas and enough controls on the transmitters and receiver to make adjustments on the fly or at least very very easy. You can mix the 2 channels or not, both have a levels adjustment on the receiver and the transmitters can be adjusted from -6db to +12 thru a menu. there are also 3 different clear scan settings. I don't use the At839 lav mics but use Countryman EMWs and after running some tests I find the C-man so much better than the 839s it no contest HOWEVER the AT899 is a very very good mic as well.
HTHs
Don

Jason, the freqs or freq block should be marked on the unit. As for dual channel camera mountable units there are 2 that I know of. Azden has 2 different models and Audio Technica has the 1800 series. i use that one with either 2 body paks or 1 body pak and a plugin. I really like the unit a lot. Very low floor noise, comact receiver, sturdy antennas and enough controls on the transmitters and receiver to make adjustments on the fly or at least very very easy. You can mix the 2 channels or not, both have a levels adjustment on the receiver and the transmitters can be adjusted from -6db to +12 thru a menu. there are also 3 different clear scan settings. I don't use the At839 lav mics but use Countryman EMWs and after running some tests I find the C-man so much better than the 839s it no contest HOWEVER the AT899 is a very very good mic as well.
HTHs
Don

Yikes. so $1200 is what it takes to get two channel audio in a portable receiver no matter what brand. I honestly don't care about hte mic quality because ALL of it will be a step up (and the transmission system is the biggest problem any way....)

I cannot believe I'm actually considering this, especially since I'm skating on such thin budget (I have nothing to spend but know I need a wireless lav for my Nov gig). I've already gone the Azden VHF route. Too much static (and my lav got stolen so I have to start over and get a new lav system).

Here is a question.... why are two single channel units the same price as a dual channel unit? Seems like the dual channel should be a bit cheaper (one receiver pack after all). Do I have faulty reasoning?

Jason, the freqs or freq block should be marked on the unit. As for dual channel camera mountable units there are 2 that I know of. Azden has 2 different models and Audio Technica has the 1800 series. i use that one with either 2 body paks or 1 body pak and a plugin. I really like the unit a lot. Very low floor noise, comact receiver, sturdy antennas and enough controls on the transmitters and receiver to make adjustments on the fly or at least very very easy. You can mix the 2 channels or not, both have a levels adjustment on the receiver and the transmitters can be adjusted from -6db to +12 thru a menu. there are also 3 different clear scan settings. I don't use the At839 lav mics but use Countryman EMWs and after running some tests I find the C-man so much better than the 839s it no contest HOWEVER the AT899 is a very very good mic as well.
HTHs
Don

I know this isn't portable, but it fits my desired price range, and seems to fit the impending spectrum shrink requirements. Anyone a Shure fan? I see little information about them on the boards.

Shure | PG Series Dual Lavalier Microphone | PG188/PG185-H7 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/431956-REG/Shure_PG188_PG185_H7_PG_Series_Dual_Lavalier.html#specifications)

The Azden VHF was quite frankly junk stuff.
As for cost, remember you're packing ALL the circuitry in a single unit and frankly they charge what they do because they can, no way around it.
As for the Shure unit, I use them a whole lot for AV work when I run an audio board-they're pretty standard in the AV industry-great unit ( although this is not the unit I generally work with) but here's the problem as I see it. You invest in this unit and you're tied to the unit. That's fime if you don't need to move at all. Maybe that'll work for this gig but what about in the future? Any weddings or other type events where you need a wireless? Now you have to go out and get a camera mountable unit so...
There's an old saying "it's only too expensive if it doesn't do the job" get the unit that will allow the most versatility and you will be many dollors ahead in the long run. You've got to look ahead a bit.
FWIW, I did a job not too long ago where if I didn't have the ability to run 2 wireless at the same time doing some run and gun interviews, I would have been screwed and now that I'm back to small form factor cameras there no real way to carry 2 units so 1 receiver clipped on my belt, 2 cables running back to the camera (I killed my on camera hypercaroid) 1 body pak and 1 shure SM63 with the AT1800 plugin and run with the interviewer.
BTW you can get the unit with 2 bodypaks, or 21 plugins or 1 of each.
Pays your money takes your choice.

Don