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Affordable wireless microphones that don't drop signal

Your comments, questions, or opinions on any karaoke related hardware.
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Chuxxmail
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Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2013 1:31 pm

Affordable wireless microphones that don't drop signal

Post by Chuxxmail »

Hi. I'm trying to find affordable wireless mics that Sony drop signals. I appreciate when people throw out shure and sansheiser but that's not affordable. I have seven systems and they're used in bars where they get dropped and abused. So, realistically I need a moderately priced and dependable alternative. I can't make them sound like pros, or even good most of the time, because they're horrible. But not cutting out or sounding like they're in a bucket or with horrid feedback would be great .


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wiseguy
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Post by wiseguy »

The problem with the cheaper mics is that they are made from cheaper materials and built less sturdy than the better brands. Someone drops them once and they're done. That being said, I have found the Audio 2000 wireless mics to be the sturdiest built of the cheaper brands and Nady to be the most fragile.

Sound quality is comparable among the cheaper models. Feedback is never the fault of the microphone.
ryan.silverknight
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Re: Affordable wireless microphones that don't drop signal

Post by ryan.silverknight »

is Audio2000s Awm6032u still comply with new FCC? is it just the 700 MHZ banned? looking for a pair of wireless UHF mic under 200. will GTD Audio G-622H or GTD Audio G-733H work?
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wiseguy
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Re: Affordable wireless microphones that don't drop signal

Post by wiseguy »

ryan.silverknight wrote:is Audio2000s Awm6032u still comply with new FCC? is it just the 700 MHZ banned? looking for a pair of wireless UHF mic under 200. will GTD Audio G-622H or GTD Audio G-733H work?
The latest release of the Audio2000 Awm6032u microphones are FCC compliant. The GTD Audio G-733H is the best of the three mics you mentioned. It is the only one with true diversity which really helps to eliminate any dropouts.
Paradigm Karaoke
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Re: Affordable wireless microphones that don't drop signal

Post by Paradigm Karaoke »

the GTD's are definately the best of the group. many hosts have replaces their 58's with them hardly a noticeable difference. the 787h is a great quad system, but if you have issue with mics getting dropped, the Sennheiser will be much cheaper in the long run being metal instead of plastic. i have had to replace a GTD mic after a drop, but my three Sennheisers are nearly 10 years old and after countless drops they have only this year gotten new grills because they wont dent and the mics won't die.
karaokesparky
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Re: Affordable wireless microphones that don't drop signal

Post by karaokesparky »

I'm running two GTD V-28H. These are very inexpensive (~$60 on Amazon). They are VHF band and do not have diversity. I have been running them at four locations for 9 months now and I have never had them drop out - they have worked flawlessly. This is the only GTD product I have owned and I'm very pleased with these. If you're wanting something higher end, I wouldn't hesitate to try those GTD UHF models mentioned above based on my experience with this low end model.
karaokesparky
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Re: Affordable wireless microphones that don't drop signal

Post by karaokesparky »

I have a detailed update on this. I found a weakness in my beloved GTD V-28H. When loud singers hold the mic close to their mouth, the mic saturates and distorts. I run a weekly karaoke show and this only occurs on about 10% of singers - most singers are not loud enough to max out a mic. After researching, wireless microphone links (unlike wired links) have significantly limited dynamic range. If you investigate the GTD audio G-788H, you will find that it has a switch under the microphone screen that allows you to attenuate the microphone by 0 dB or 10 dB. 0 dB is sensitive for speaking, -10 dB is less sensitive and is appropriate for loud singers. If you read reviews, you will see that early on people complained that the G-788H was too sensitive and later the manufacturer added the 0/10 dB switch to reduce the gain and thus allow for a higher volume from the singer.

After seeing this, I bought a GTD G-788H and ran my own dynamic range test. I cranked up my PA speaker and placed the mics in front of it at an exact distance, then watched using a PC-oscope interface to see at what level the mics saturated. Sure enough, my GTC V-28H were too sensitive and saturated roughly when the G-788H would saturate on 0 dB. It turns out, running the 788H in -10 dB mode is just the right sensitivity that super loud singers can almost push the mic to the max.

All of this is great. I'm learning about mic dynamic range. I'm getting reference points on how loud a variety of singers are. Now comes the bad news. The GTD G-788H had numerous problems. The mics dropped out more than once, one of the mics popped when going from mute to unmute. One of them made funny sounds when an IR remote was pointed at the base. They both made funny harmonics when you hummed a sine wave into the mic. Finally, the battery life on these was poor. Due to all of these problems, I returned the G-788H and turned back to my trusty VHF V-28H mics that had never failed.

The V-28H have worked flawlessly for me for hundreds of hours, except they just don't have enough dynamic range for ~10% of my singers that are too loud. The solution? I took the mic apart and reverse engineered the input stage and modified one of the resistors to give me ~10 dB reduction in gain without altering the frequency response. I have since purchased another set of G-28H so I have four mics with 2 independent receivers in case one fails. I am finally 100% pleased with this setup and it was less expensive than just about anything on the market. It's hilarious that I spent 3X the money on the G-788H and ended up returning it and using a much lower cost VHF system. For those who do not have the expertise to modify their microphones electronics, you might be able to get by adding some extra foam or a deflector plate in front of the mic transducer, or just tell your singers to hold the mic further away. For home use, I would absolutely recommend the V-28H and just tell the users to hold the mic 2-3 inches away.

GTD audio, if you are reading this: Please add a 0-10 dB attenuation switch to the G-28H. Market this as a new feature and call it the G-29H. This is the best wireless microphone for the money and it just needs a 10 dB attenuation to handle loud singers.
Paradigm Karaoke
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Re: Affordable wireless microphones that don't drop signal

Post by Paradigm Karaoke »

the pad makes a big difference, but i don't see them going and adding it to a home unit (VHF is not really used in pro applications). you have a better set anyway with the 788, mulitple frequencies and UHF.
DanG2006
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Re: Affordable wireless microphones that don't drop signal

Post by DanG2006 »

Have you bought the mics yet. I have been running a pair of Rockville dual wireless handheld mics for over a year now and love them. Very sturdy built, metal housing, and sounds great. Multiple frequencies so if you run into any interference you can just change the frequencies to one that doesn't have any interference. I had a pair of AKG'S and had to retire them after close to 5 years of use because a drunk dropped it breaking the screen. I know that I could have probably replaced the screen but I am glad I chose to replace the AKG'S for the Rockvilles. They are running $129 for the pair on EBay, the seller AudioSavings is easy to work with too.
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