need recommendation for wireless audio transmission

Kirby Yarbrough

Kirby Yarbrough

Sophomore
Jan 15, 2011
142
0
16
Reston VA
www.kirbysound.com
I need some recommendations for handling wireless transmission of audio signal to delay speaker or zone speakers. Delay times if needed will be handled by an LS9, so it's XLRF out, then XLRF in on the powered speakers (K12s or HPR122s).



Kirby
 
Re: need recommendation for wireless audio transmission

I use a Sennheiser G2 bodypack transmitter and a couple of the bodypack camera receivers with line level XLR cords.
 
Re: need recommendation for wireless audio transmission

How much range do you need, what's your ability to get TX and RX antennas over the crowd, and what's your fault tolerance? Oh, and what's your budget?
 
Re: need recommendation for wireless audio transmission

Tim, range under 200 feet, fault tolerance meaning dropped signal, pretty low. Do they need to be line of sight? The receivers could sit on top of the speakers on stands, getting the transmitter(s) up that high might be more of a problem unless the LS9 is side stage and I could place a transmitter on a FOH stack, or I'm mixing from a riser. If I knew what to look for I can price some options, but at the moment my knowledge is limited at best. Until I do more than the dozen or so shows a year where I could use this capability, I'm most likely looking for a lower budget solution. I suspect the short answer is the 100' XLR cables I already have.
 
Re: need recommendation for wireless audio transmission

Justice C. Bigler wrote on Thu said:
Kirby Yarbrough wrote on Thu said:
I'm most likely looking for a lower budget solution. I suspect the short answer is the 100' XLR cables I already have.
Click to expand...

You're not going to find a cheaper, faster, easier to implement solution than a couple of 100 foot XLR cables.
Click to expand...



+1



Under 200' should be a hard line for sure... there is always a cable path if you are creative enough and prepared with plenty of gaff, cable ramp, and rubber matts to make it look nice and pretty.



I buy rolls of rubber runner @ home depot or lowes... the deep groove rubber stuff... then I slice it into sections about 6-8 inches wide and long enough to span a standard double door in a hotel ballroom. One roll from the hardware store will give you 4 or 5 lengths of runner that are perfect for covering a few XLR cables.



Lay the runner over the cable and gaff along the sides (obviously) with some good quality PRO-Gaff (not the cheap thin crap that peels up off carpet easily)... and you will look the part. In low light areas, or places where the public may actually need to cross, I will gaff it down with black, and then mark it with some high visibility spike tape to make it visible when you approach.





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Re: need recommendation for wireless audio transmission

Kirby Yarbrough wrote on Thu said:
I need some recommendations for handling wireless transmission of audio signal to delay speaker or zone speakers. Delay times if needed will be handled by an LS9, so it's XLRF out, then XLRF in on the powered speakers (K12s or HPR122s).



Kirby
Click to expand...



I've had good luck using IEMS for that. Any mini to XLR iPod adaptor will get you into the speakers from the pack, and the transmitter end is much easier to deal with than wireless mic packs. Battery life in the receivers is also much better than in mic transmitters.



You also leave yourself the option to use a better antenna on the transmitter end.



Setting the IEM system to mono will also greatly increase the safe effective RF range.
 
Re: need recommendation for wireless audio transmission

fwiw...



the shure r-series receivers with the new psm900 iem transmitters are awesome for this application. they've included a mode in the transmitter specifically for doing this. and you can use all the nifty paddle antennas and stuff on both ends.



i do agree, however, that you're probably better off going HW whenever possible. wireless always looks good when you're running that stupid cable through the mud, and bad when it starts breaking up in the middle of your event...



brian
 
Re: need recommendation for wireless audio transmission

The 200' range between delays is defined more by your loudspeaker and the atmosphere than by the wireless technology. You can get pro level wireless to go a lot longer than that, when deployed properly.



I would suggest the XLR is the best way to do this, as well. Wireless is never as good as a hard wired connection, even if it sounds as good you still have to deal with the possibility of interference.



This is the only system I would recommend for delay speaker stacks:

http://www.lectrosonics.com/Systems/d4.html



It, or something like it, can be rented from any of the big AV supply houses. Lectro will be happy to give you a hand with the application fine tuning.
 
Re: need recommendation for wireless audio transmission

http://www.lectrosonics.com/IFB/ifbt4.html with R400 or Venue receivers, depending on what I'm doing that day. Add log periodic antennae and low loss coax for a dependable link.



Marcus at Bexel's Hearndon shop takes care of the details for me, and the service he/they provide is outstanding.



Have fun, reliable RF.



Tim Mc
 
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