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Author Topic: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010  (Read 26619 times)

Craig Leerman

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Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« on: October 05, 2010, 05:22:59 PM »

Hi All,

Don Boomer from Line 6 was kind enough to send a few wireless units to the Road Test.  I received a pair of handheld mics, and a pair of lavalier mics.

First, a bit about the systems. They work on the 2.4GHz band, so they can be used all over the world. The systems have 12 channels to pick from, but in some instances, more than 12 can be used in the same building. (more on that later)

Don told me that they are looking at using some different frequency ranges so more than 12 systems can be used on the same stage.

The mics have a stated 300 feet / 100 meter  range. I did an experiment with a lav unit and found it will transmit a lot farther than that, but for my uses, a few hundred feet is more than enough.

These use 24 bit digital conversion , so there is no companding, transmit 10Hz-20kHz,  and the dynamic range is stated as 115dB.

There are also some remote antenna options available from Line 6.

The mics come well packed in a box with foam. Sorry about the pics, they are from my phone.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e97/soundguyCraig/line%206/Line6boxinside.jpg

Inside the box are the transmitter in case, the receiver, 2 antennas, the power supply, the rack mounting hardware, a plastic joiner bar (for hooking up 2 units in 1 rack space), remote antenna jacks for the rack panel, and the instructions.

A quick bit about the instructions. There are only a FEW pages to read!  Very simple units to use.

Lets start with the receiver. The unit is well built with a solid felling metal body. The front has a power switch, a button for setup, and a button to exit the setup screen. There is a select knob that you can turn and access the various options. The center of the front has a screen that shows what channel you are on, and the transmitter name, antenna diversity strength, as well as the menus.,

3 bar graphs are on the left side, one for audio, one for battery power, and one for RF.There is also a MUTE light.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e97/soundguyCraig/line%206/Line6rackmount.jpg  

The picture shows the 2 rack ears for mounting as single unit.

The rear of the receiver has 2 antenna inputs, 2 antenna OUTPUTS for loopthrough, XLR balanced and 1/4" unbalanced outputs and the DC power jack for the wall wart.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e97/soundguyCraig/line%206/Line6receiverrear.jpg

The slots on the tops and sides of the unit allows you to use the plastic joiner bar and couple the units together. 2 units can fit in 1 rack space, and they can also be joined top to bottom.

The mics come in a nice padded case. They would offer good protection if you store the mics in a rack drawer or mic box.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e97/soundguyCraig/line%206/Line6miccase.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e97/soundguyCraig/line%206/Line6miccaseinside.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e97/soundguyCraig/line%206/Line6lavcase.jpg

The handheld mic is well build and feels good in my hand. It comes with a nice mic clip. The mic head can be removed and any Shure style head can be screwed on, (including the ones from Heil). The mic uses 2 AA batteries, and has a nice secure battery compartment in the base. On the side of the mic there is a small screen that can display the mic name, and chan number. Recessed mute (also power) and select switches are under the screen. There is a lock button inside the mic by the battery compartment that will lock out the menus as well as the power switch. A great feature as I hate people flipping the power and mute switches on wireless after I hand it to them.

The handheld (and the lav) can run in 2 power modes. The lo mode helps conserve battery life, and can help when using multiple systems near each other (more on that later)

The handheld mic features MIC MODELING technology. The mics are based on an SM58, Beta58, Senn E835, AT4100, Audix 0M5, and one called the L6 which they based on a few favorite features of different mics.

The lav transmitter is built like a tank! It uses the same TA4F  connector that Shure uses on its lav systems. The body has a screen, select and value buttons. Pressing both buttons acts as the lock. On the end of the transmitter are a power switch and mute button, as well as battery and power lights.

The belt clip can be loosened and turned in any direction for ease of mounting. This is a nice feature! Also, the battery compartment has  a great secure lock.

The lav mic has a sturdy tie clip and a small windscreen.

First impressions:  The receivers are well built and I like the fact that the company designed them so you don't have to buy additional parts to mount them together. I also love the antenna looping feature.

The handheld mic has a great battery compartment. The lav transmitter is the most rugged belt pack I have ever seen, and I love the lockout feature on both mics.

Now the fun part!  I tested the gear at my shop and had it up and running in no time. The units are very easy to program.

The handheld sounds good and the mic modeling definitely changes the sound, but not having most of the models of mics at my disposal, I cannot say one way or another if they all sound like the models they were based on. Handling noise is minimal, and the sound quality is excellent.

The beltpack was just as easy to program and I noticed that when you turned the pack on or off there were no thumps through the system.

The lav microphone that is included in the set is not in the same league as the rest of the components. Its an OK mic, but not one I would pick on its own. Like many tiny lav mics, it has handling noise, but this mic seems to have more than I would like.

No problem, as I already have a large supply of lav mics with TA4s, so I just swapped the mic out and used some Shures to test the lav transmitter. With the new mics, audio quality was excellent.

I took the mics out to a few gigs. The first was a small speech gig outdoors with a local politician. I used a handheld on her, and used one as the podium mic. With the receivers at FOH, I turned the transmitters on HI Power and had no problems.

The next gig was a standard corporate general session with breakouts. I used the mics in the breakout rooms that were next to each other.  Here is where these mics shine.  In one room I had a lav on LO power, and the receiver placed next to stage right on chan 1.  In the NEXT ROOM, I set up a lav on LO power with the receiver placed stage left (furthest point away from the receiver next door) and also placed that on CHAN 1.

They both worked! With only about 100' and an airwall between the receivers, I could have used them both on the same channel if I wanted to.  So, yes, there are only 12 channels available, but in some situations like on a second festival stage a few hundred feet away, or breakout rooms, you can use more than 12 units on the gig if you put the transmitters on LO power.

Pros:
* Easy To Use
* Receivers very sturdy and can be joined together
* Antenna Loop Through feature
* Rack mounting hardware included
* Mic modeling can come in handy
* Lav Transmitter built like a tank!
* Uses TA4 connectors for lavs

Cons:
* On one stage, no more than 12 units an be used
* Lavalier mic has handling noise
* I dislike wall warts

Overall, I think these mics are a winner. Even though I hate wall warts, the ones included are small and lightweight. These mics have made my "BUY LIST"!  

If you would like to get your hands on these mics and Road Test them, read the rules for the Road test, and shoot me a PM. I can send you 1 handheld and 1 lav.

Craig
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Paul Nicholson

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2010, 03:55:00 AM »

Hi Craig,

thanks for the detailed information regarding the Line 6 V70. Is there a UK Distributor?

Regards,

Paul.
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Jeff Wheeler

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2010, 09:58:25 PM »

Craig Leerman wrote on Tue, 05 October 2010 16:22

Even though I hate wall warts, the ones included are small and lightweight.

The wall warts aren't going to stop me from buying them, either.  Can you say if the needed power source is 9V?  I ask because there are various guitar pedal power devices with multiple 9V outputs which may be able to supply several receiver units.
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Don Boomer

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2010, 11:45:26 PM »

Jeff Wheeler wrote on Thu, 07 October 2010 18:58

.  Can you say if the needed power source is 9V?  .


9 Volts 350mA
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Don Boomer
Wireless Sales Engineer
Line 6, inc.

Don Boomer

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2010, 11:48:15 PM »

Hey Paul

We have a UK office ...


Line 6, Inc.
4 Sopwith Way
Drayton Fields Industrial Estate
Daventry, Northamptonshire
United Kingdom, NN118PB

Telefon: +44 (0) 1327 302 700
Fax: +44 (0) 1327 302 702
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Don Boomer
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Line 6, inc.

Steve Hurt

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2010, 06:06:38 PM »

How is the gain before feedback?

I have one of the original Line 6 wireless mics and don't use it much because we have wired mics that will get a lot louder before feeding back.
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Craig Leerman

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2010, 06:15:54 PM »

Steve Hurt wrote on Fri, 08 October 2010 15:06

How is the gain before feedback?

I have one of the original Line 6 wireless mics and don't use it much because we have wired mics that will get a lot louder before feeding back.


I have not used these mics in a concert setting with music or monitors, so I had no problems with feedback. The mics seemed to put out about the same amount of signal as a wired 58. I had plenty of gain, and no problem getting good signal with the handheld, even when a presenter held the mic down almost at waist level.

BTW, there are no gain controls on the transmitters, and no volume controls on the receivers. Its like plugging in a wired mic.



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Don Boomer

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2010, 07:57:06 PM »

Just so no one gets the wrong idea ... the mic modeling does not affect the basic pattern of the mic, which is cardioid.

The models basically cover on axis frequency response, proximity effect and level.  So if you have the model based on beta 58 and switch to the OM5 model the level drops about 6-8 dB just as though you unplugged one from a cable and hot swapped to the other mic.

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Don Boomer
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Line 6, inc.

Steve Hurt

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2010, 12:42:46 AM »

Is the new mic a tighter pattern than the older model
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Don Boomer

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #9 on: October 11, 2010, 02:55:14 PM »

There is a much better element in the XD-V70 than there was in the 955 (which was a legacy product)and the rear rejection is about 8 dB better at 180 degrees
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Don Boomer
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Line 6, inc.

Dave Dermont

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2010, 05:12:18 PM »

Craig Leerman wrote on Fri, 08 October 2010 18:15


BTW, there are no gain controls on the transmitters, and no volume controls on the receivers. Its like plugging in a wired mic.



I find this to be a very good feature for anyone working in a situation where there are multiple bands on the bill and the third band wants to switch out the house lead vocal with his wireless.

Yeah, you will always have to worry about things like monitor EQ and such, but that's the same when you switch out any mic with a different mic.

I find the (potential) wild differences in output levels to be a much bigger issue to have to deal with.

Actually, when you think about it, being able to model the house mic used in the shithole du jour seems like a really nifty idea for all these lower-rung touring bands forced to use whatever pile of crap they happen upon in their quest for fame.

Hey Boomer, I want royalties if you choose to use "shithole du jour" in the marketing materials!  Cool

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Steve Hurt

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2010, 05:55:43 PM »

Don Boomer wrote on Mon, 11 October 2010 14:55

There is a much better element in the XD-V70 than there was in the 955 (which was a legacy product)and the rear rejection is about 8 dB better at 180 degrees


What's the difference between the XD-V70 and the XD-V30 other than extra channels and longer transmission distance capability?
Any difference in the capsule? modeling differences? etc?

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Brian Gowing

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2010, 11:23:05 AM »

Craig,

PM sent.
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Don Boomer

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2010, 01:32:17 AM »

Very little.  The mic capsules are the same.  Couple extra dB of dynamic range in the V70's.

The V70 has 6 extra channels, is rack mountable, has user selectable mic models (the V30 has only one and it is fixed) and the V70 has a user adjustable "environment" filter (a  downward expander combined with a dynamic HP filter).

The V70 also has external antennas with bias voltage to run paddles (with built-in amp).  There is also a antenna pass-through/distro system built-in.

The V70 has a LCD screen on both the TX and RX which shows battery time in hours and minutes and you can assign a name to the TX which then shows up on the RX with up to 6 characters(both beltpack and handheld)
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Don Boomer
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Line 6, inc.

Jay Barracato

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #14 on: October 24, 2010, 09:10:52 AM »

The more I look at this, the more I like the feature set.

I really like the frequency range allows for the short, hard covered anteneas on the lav transmitters, and the antenea/amplifier system for using multples.
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Tim Duncan

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #15 on: November 24, 2010, 11:19:00 AM »

I read somewhere that the transmitters are line of site to the receivers.  I am looking at using these for a youth theater.  Do the transmitter work fine if under clothing and providing that the receivers are within range?

Thanks!
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Daniel Cash

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #16 on: November 24, 2010, 01:15:33 PM »

Tim Duncan wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 08:19

I read somewhere that the transmitters are line of site to the receivers.  I am looking at using these for a youth theater.  Do the transmitter work fine if under clothing and providing that the receivers are within range?

Thanks!


I just got a set of these mics last week as part of the road test. I have been using them for the last week, but haven't got around to writing up a full review yet.

To answer your question, they work like any other RF wireless mic you have used. I am running them side by side with Sennheiser G2 equipment, and they perform comparability. No line of sight required.

Steve Hurt

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #17 on: November 24, 2010, 01:28:14 PM »

Daniel Cash wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 13:15

Tim Duncan wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 08:19

I read somewhere that the transmitters are line of site to the receivers.  I am looking at using these for a youth theater.  Do the transmitter work fine if under clothing and providing that the receivers are within range?

Thanks!


I just got a set of these mics last week as part of the road test. I have been using them for the last week, but haven't got around to writing up a full review yet.

To answer your question, they work like any other RF wireless mic you have used. I am running them side by side with Sennheiser G2 equipment, and they perform comparability. No line of sight required.


Good info to know Daniel!

If you get time and the inclination, please post what you think about the sound of the mic  and Gain before feedback, when you get a chance.  I am strongly considering getting one or more of these.

Thanks!
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Tim Duncan

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #18 on: November 24, 2010, 02:12:23 PM »

Thanks for the feedback (no pun intended).

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences!
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Line 6 V70 Wireless Mics 2010
« Reply #19 on: November 25, 2010, 06:45:13 PM »

Line of sight literally means "you can see the receiver location from the transmitter location."  No  buildings, mountains, or throngs of flesh between the 2 devices.

The Line6 units are no different than other RF devices in this respect, allowing for the much shorter wavelengths of the 2.4gHz band...

Have fun, etc.

Tim Mc

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