The short version: All Positive!

I recently purchased a Sony UWP-D16 combo wireless system. Street price about $800.
Initial use was all good with better audio quality than what I had been using for wireless to camera recording (AT1800).

Some features that are very helpful-
Menu switchable 48 volt phantom from the plug-on TX.
Menu switchable Mic/Line input level on both the plug-on and belt-pack TX's.
Small size of camera mounted RX that uses only 2 AA batteries.
USB powering (or charging, but NiMH batteries are not included with the set) can be used with all three devices.
Locking connectors for all inputs and outputs.
Plug-on XLR is self-tightening when plugging on the mic and quick-releasing when the latch is depressed.
Nicely backlit display on all three devices.
IR sync between TX and RX for channel setting.
Comes with both XLR and mini-TRS cables, and a basic omni lav.
Comes with 2 belt clips for RX and Belt-pack, shoe mount for RX, and a pouch for the Plug-on.
Digital companding.

I'll add more if any problems develop but so far I'm very pleased.

I've just bought 3 sets of the Sony UWP-D16 seems to tick all the boxes for my needs.....
What I do know is the supplied Sony mics are bad, bad, bad but I do have Rode Lavs to put on them.
But the thing im looking for the most is wireless Hyper or shotgun mics for corporate interviews....

User tests in the NY/NJ area (over on another forum) revealed that the UWP-D16 system had a significantly shorter useful range than the Sennheiser G3 equivalents.

The tests I have done locally seem to indicate the opposite to that... The Sony default out of the box is set to low power TX when changed to high TX the range is SO much better.. But when the Sony does drop out it seems to be a complete mute rather than going through the hash / noise stage of the G3's.
I have a friend in the theatre world that will tolerate some noise in a stage production where as a complete drop would be a problem, but for what I'm doing where it is location TV shoots, short range of less than 20m and most times the takes are repeatable the Sony wins easily.

Sony UWP D11 Digital Hybrid vs Sennheiser G3 Wireless Lavalier Microphone System - YouTube

http://youtu.be/VmGItjzgWmE

The UWP-D16 sets are available in 3 frequency bands, so for any location, picking the right frequency band to purchase as well as the best frequency to operate on would be important. This is of course true of any wireless set.

Also as mentioned, operating with either High or Low output power for the specific circumstances is important too. Indoors in bad environments operating at High power can be counter-productive.

Obviously outdoors at Low power will be shorter range but longer battery life. It's rare that I'm more than 50 feet away. Usually it's less than 20 feet away.

Adjusting the power output is something I always take note of for my circumstances.

I questioned the YT tester as to setup ect, who said the frequency selection was 'out of the box', so I would surmise, the results of that 'shootout' are only a rough indication of performance .. YMMV.

BTW Jay, does the Sony plug-on transmitter have full 48V Phantom Pwr.? I ask this because the G3 SKP 500/2000 Phantom Pwr. transmitter goes for over $700 by itself

I have not actually measured the phantom voltage, nor have I used a mic yet that demands full 48 volts. But Sony specs claim it is full 48v, the box says 48v and the transmitter's menu page and external indicator light are both labeled as 48v.

Some additional info on the Plug-on TX High/Low transmitter power in the user manual that came with my USA set:

USA- 40mW/5mW

Europe- 30mW/5mW

Thailand, Taiwan, Korea- 10mW/2mW

No mention of Australia RF output power ratings in my manual.

The Belt-pack TX only has 30mW/5mW for USA, Europe and China.

And 10mW/2mW for Thailand, Taiwan, Korea.

I was part of a test done on these back in the summer for another forum, but am not in NY :-)

I got a local audio (for video production) pro to help me evaluate them. We found the range significantly worse than the Senn. systems - even an old G2. The phantom power did work on the plugin module with a microphone that requires full phantom (my AT 4053b) but the output was fairly weak. We tried all kinds of output adjustments on both the transmitter and receiver.

The unit had some nice features, but I ultimately sent it back to B&H and just kept my G2 system. Was mine defective? I don't know - didn't try to get a replacement.

The plug on Sony Tx unit seems to run a 416 happily..... I think the specs for a 416 are 48v (+/- 4v)

Thanks Jay, I would assume 48V then. So your saying it was around $800.. that's dirt cheap, especially with a Phantom Prw butt-plug transmitter. I can't see how they can build it for that cheap w/o some serious compromises, I'd like to get one for some hands-on evaluation.

Sony do several different combinations of Tx and Rx units.

sony uwp | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=sony+uwp&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=)

But do keep in mind that the Lav mic included in some sets is poor, so add to the cost of another decent mic.

I tested the Plug-on TX with my AT4021 cardioid mic this afternoon. It needs 48 volt phantom power and worked just fine.

I laid the mic and TX on the lectern of a 72-person training room with riser seating. Then I placed my iPhone on the lectern playing a song from its internal speaker facing toward the mic from about 24 inches away. Then wearing earphones connected to the receiver I walked the entire hallway circuit around the OUTSIDE of this training room and its attached breakout rooms. The TX was set to High power RF output with 0 input attenuation.

The receiver was set to 0 output level and 10 on the headphone output (both at default).

The signal was loud and clear and at no time did I have any dropout or loss of signal quality. Maximum distance was probably 75 feet and at times during this lap it was transmitting through 1, 2, or 3 walls as well as my body as I faced away from the TX.

I can't imagine I would need more range than this in my current work, and if I did I would make certain I had clear line-of-sight.

On Monday I will try my AKG C480b/CK63 hypercardioid, hopefully on a static boom at normal boom distance and angle.

During testing yesterday using the Plug-on with a Sennheiser K6/ME64 cardioid and a Sony ECM-670 short shotgun I had enough signal going into my Canon XA10 camera to engage the mic input attenuation and set the level dial to 1 mark above 50%. Speaking in a normal voice at normal mic distances I could easily achieve -12db recording level on the camera.

Well, perhaps my unit really was defective. In our test we were getting dropouts at 50 feet - already unusable - and no signal at all by 75 feet. This was not line of sight, and one of the intervening walls was a brick exterior of a house. While that might be acceptable range for many uses, my G2 doing the same test got to 180 feet - over triple the range - with no dropouts before I just gave up and stopped walking.

I did like the color screen and the capability to power the unit via usb. I also was pleased to find that accessories such as third party lavs bought for the previous Sony wireless system also work on the new UWP-D system.

But the Sony has less range, and gives very weak output with dynamic mics. If you can live with the lesser range and really need the phantom power capability from the plugin, then the Sony at $800 *is* cheaper than getting the basic Sennheiser ($630) and adding on the super expensive ($530) plugon transmitter that provides phantom.

Sorry to hear about the problems you had. I assume you can absolutely verify the transmitter was set to H for high power RF on the display screen?

I'll certainly be keeping my ears open for any dropouts as I always do no matter what wireless I'm using and I'll report back if any problems come up.

I don't know what kind of frequency selection scanning the Sony system has and Dave's system may have been picking up interference.. typical of range issues.. analog or digital. That said, I find the Sennheiser's built-in scanner inadequate. I usually check for a vacant or low level RF channel in unknown areas with an online frequency finder and check with a stand-alone RF scanner when arriving at the location as well.

Another happy UWP-D user here. I do have dropouts occasionally at large conventions with tens of thousands of attendees (and many camera crews), switching to another frequency solves the problem. I'm always impressed with the range, perfect audio from around 150 ft usually.

Well, as I said, my unit may have been defective. There is a local audio professional (local tv, HGTV, many freelance jobs in the Southeast) who is also a audio forum moderator at dvxuser.com. He helped me do the test. We tested in three locations, including one that was outside in a field totally line of sight. We tried a variety of different settings. The problems we had were not interference or static, but the sound would just begin cutting out 2-3 times in one sentence in every scenario we tried once we got past 40 feet or so.

I so wanted this to work out. I already have an older Sony wireless and we found the sound quality of the new UWP-D to be better. My friend judged that, unlike the older Sony, the audio quality was now on par with the Sennheisers. I could have reused a couple of third party lavs I already own. I really wanted the plugin transmitter that provided phantom power - which *did* work. And, I am considering buying a Sony X70 camera, which I believe has hot shoe connections that would let me use the receiver on-camera without a cable. And, I got it on sale from B&H for $675 instead of the usual $800.

But the one I had was not usable except in a small room line of sight. From what I read here, it sounds like the product should not be judged by mine. I would just recommend that anyone getting one should be sure to test its range and output levels carefully before the return period expires.

I ended up just keeping my Senn. G2 (got a Countryman B3 for it) and my old Sony, but based on all the other successful users if I ever see that sale again I may see if another sample works better for me.

I did have a problem yesterday when using the Sony set with my Canon XA10 camera. Apparently in all my previous testing and recording I had never encountered the following set of factors:

The receiver was actually mounted on the camera's shoe with the Sony bracket, AND the camera was recording instead of just in standby while I monitored the mic and transmitter.

I didn't have time to fully test the mounting bracket, but here is what I found so far:

There is a buzz that occurs in sync with the memory-access light when recording if the receiver is mounted on the camera. I didn't even have time to check if this gets recorded but I'm guessing it does.

The buzz still happens even if the receiver is turned off.

The buzz doesn't happen if the Sony cable is still connected to the camera's XLR input, but it's not connected to the receiver.

During previous recordings, I had the receiver hanging in a pouch on the tripod where it's easier to access.

I will test on Monday if I can isolate the Sony bracket from the camera shoe but still keep it mounted there for run-and-gun convenience.

I will also test the Sony set with my new XA20 camera for the same problem.

Jay,

That almost sounds like a small-scale ground loop. Do you see some sort of electrical connection between the shoe and the receiver? Or does the bracket provide electrical isolation / insulation?

That was my guess too, but I will have to check further on Monday. The Sony mount could certainly be the cause, it makes contact with metal in the camera shoe and uses the receiver's metal belt clip to make the physical connection to hold it in place.
I think I also previously used a generic mount that allowed me to keep the receiver vertical so I could see its screen. I'm sure that mount would have been electrically isolated by its materials and how it was holding the receiver with rubber padding.

A replacement mount sounds like the perfect application for a 3-D plastic printer!

I checked the recording from Friday when the buzz in sync with the memory access light occurred. It was in the recording, although at a very low level. Almost lost in the ambient noise floor but I could detect it if listening closely with headphones.

I didn't get a chance to try isolating but still using the Sony mounting bracket. I'll report more results after Tuesday.

Is anyone powering the URX-P03 receiver via it's USB connection while on-camera? Are there any noise or hum issues?

I haven't tried that yet, but I have a USB battery pack ready to test tomorrow when I try isolating the receiver mount from the camera shoe. I didn't get around to it today.

I have two sets of UWP-D11/K21 and would like to put another mic on it and not the supplied mic!
Which mic would you recommend that is compatible with this Sony transmitter?!
Thanks

You can use pretty much any microphone that can be wired for Sony wireless, and BTW the new models can use the same lavs as the older UWP Sony wireless models.

If you're on a mid-range budget, consider the Oscar Sound Tech lavs, especially the 802/801 models. Very good bang for the buck at approx. $125. For more $ and even better quality Countryman or Sanken are great.

I used the Sony UWP-D16, A Sennheiser 8060 with the plug on Sony Tx unit placed on a boom arm high on a plastic moulding machine. Worked brilliantly, to be used on a TVC.

Thanks guys,I'll look into these options. very useful info.

I still haven't had time to scientifically test and eliminate all potential paths of that "buzz in sync with the camera's card access light while recording" that I previously reported when using my Sony wireless system in some circumstances.

However in today's recording there was no problem. The main difference from before is that the other XLR input to the camera was NOT using phantom power this time.

Sometimes I have an AT875 phantom powered mic plugged into XLR #1.
Today instead I had the output of one of my 2.4GHz receivers plugged into #1 with phantom OFF.
The Sony was plugged into #2 (also of course with phantom OFF as always), and both channels were noise free.

I got a Sony UWP D11 and did a couple of tests.

The first was a duration test using Panasonic Pro Eneloop NiMH batteries. These are rated at 2550 mAh. Both the receiver and transmitter were set to "Type 2 Battery" to match the NiMH batteries being used.

The receiver ran for 10 hrs, 18 min before giving a low battery warning.

The transmitter continued to run until it reached 14 hrs, 18 min before the battery warning came on.

I then did a range test. The receiver was allowed to scan for what it determined to be a clear frequency, then sync'd with the transmitter. The output of the transmitter was set to "high", for the full 30 mW signal.

I went to a distance of 110 yards before I got a single dropout. I might do another test to see how far it gets before the signal totally disappears. I should also do a test with the mic transmitter attached to someone's belt, with the transmitter shielded by the talent's body to simulate actual usage.

But as it stands, I'm very impressed by how long it runs and how far it can get a clean signal.

That is impressive battery and range performance, I'm getting about 6 hours from name-brand alkalines and I try not to push them even that long. I've probably only gone 60 feet maximum too in my use in large training rooms.

I'm still very pleased with the audio quality. I've primarily used the plug-on transmitter connected to a K6/ME64 cardioid with an internal AA battery, placed on the podium.

I haven't used the belt-pack transmitter at all really.

I haven't had any more problem with the buzz using the Canon XA10 as long as the Sony is plugged into input #2. It now doesn't matter whether input #1 is using a phantom powered device or not. As long as the Sony is in input #2 and not input #1, I haven't had anymore trouble.

In all cases, I've been recording split tracks, but I think the camera's ability when specifically switched to send input #1 to both recording tracks may have been the problem even though I wasn't actually doing that at the time.

I did another test, comparing the stock mic to a Countryman B3.

The Sony stock mic sounded OK. No objectionable midrange hollowness. It sounded quite natural for the most part. The only difference I could discern is the ability of the Countryman mic to capture the higher frequencies. It did sound crisper, and with certain caps it can boost the upper end of the spectrum which is important if the mic capsule is being concealed under clothing.

It has to be considered, however, that the B3 would add about $190 to the cost of each wireless channel. So it has to be weighed whether that's an important consideraton.