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[Jerry Ziarko]

I am curious about how far technology has improved with IEM wireless rigs. I have some older units (Shure PSM700) that are still frequency compliant but wonder if new units such as Sennheiser G4 or Shure PSM 300/ 900 have advanced in sound quality to the point they should replace my trusty old technology. I do understand they have all moved off the 9v standard of years past, but looking for differences other than that. Thanks for any help!

[Brian Adams]

I haven't used everything out there, but I think any of the newer stuff (of any quality) should be a step up from your 700 system. More and better frequency adjustment, better RF and power management, and better audio quality. Most run on AA's now, or proprietary rechargeable batteries. I'm so glad they got away from 9V batteries!

Sennheiser is kind of the standard for RF reliability. I don't think the audio of the G4 has less of a noise floor than the G3, but it doesn't seem to bother people too much. This is probably the most common system you'll see out in the wild.

Shure PSM300 is a good "value" IEM system, and it costs a little less than the Sennheiser G4. If you can accept the fairly basic feature set and 1/4" inputs, you can get a very durable system with metal packs that sounds great. You can also get plastic packs if you want, but I don't know why anyone would prefer plastic. With the metal packs you can use the SB900 rechargeables, which last about 6 hours and recharge super easily. I think the Shure rechargeables are the easiest to use out of any manufacturer.

PSM900 is a nice step up, and a more "professional" system than the 300. More features and a sturdier housing on the transmitter, variable RF power, wider tuning range, and the same metal housing and rechargeable batteries as the 300. And XLR combo connectors.

If you need to worry about meeting riders, PSM300 is unlikely to be as widely accepted as the G4 or PSM900, but probably moreso than your current system. All I ever see on riders is PSM1000, but most acts are a little flexible.

[Robert Lofgren]

The mipro 909 sounds great and it has a true diversity system.

I currently have four in my rack plus their active antenna combiner.

[Barry Reynolds]

The mipro 909 sounds great and it has a true diversity system.

I currently have four in my rack plus their active antenna combiner.

I have seven Mipro Mi-909.  Very happy.  Use with A&H SQ5.  No noticeable latency with either SQ or QU use.  And this is with picky musicians.  I just started using two of their antenna combiners.

[Henry Cohen]

have some older units (Shure PSM700) that are still frequency compliant . . .

Only if you're in parts of Europe, Asia and South America. Not in North America.

[Mark Scrivener]

I have a few PSM300 systems and have been quite happy with them. The noise floor is noticeable sitting in a quiet room, but once the band starts playing it is a non issue. The 1/4" inputs are mildly annoying -  I have to keep 1/4" to XLR cables on hand for patching it in to my mixer, but not a huge deal.

From what I understand I don't think the PSM900 offers any better fidelity, just better frequency management and a replaceable antenna on the body packs.

I guess the real question is what do you dislike about your PSM700? 

[Ike Zimbel]

Only if you're in parts of Europe, Asia and South America. Not in North America.

There is the H3 band for PSM-700, 524-553 MHz. That's the only band that will remain compliant. That said, technology has definitely moved beyond the PSM-700.

[Luke Geis]

I have used the Shure PSM1000 on a few occasions and I don't think it sounds all that good. it is supposedly the best of the best too. The problem isn't so much quality of sound as much as noise floor, the dynamic range and the stereo separation.

The last few I have used all seem to have a similar issue. The Senny G3 and the PSM1000 both suffered from stereo separation issues and i feel it had compression or stuffiness to it that made the mix sound closed up. The G3 wasn't much better in terms of low dynamic range.

As far as the PSM700 goes, I have not used that model. I have only used the 300, 900 and 1000 series. The 1000 series is obviously better than the 300 and 900, but honestly, they all do not sound like your plugged into the mixer directly but will work just fine.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

I am curious about how far technology has improved with IEM wireless rigs. I have some older units (Shure PSM700) that are still frequency compliant but wonder if new units such as Sennheiser G4 or Shure PSM 300/ 900 have advanced in sound quality to the point they should replace my trusty old technology. I do understand they have all moved off the 9v standard of years past, but looking for differences other than that. Thanks for any help!

I last used PSM700s in 2009 and I don’t miss them. Replaced with Sennheiser IEM 300 G3 units which work very reliably, but have a bit of an audio noise floor that’s just the way they are.  I haven’t tried the G4 version yet.

I’ve also used PSM900s and they don’t have the noise floor of the Sennheisers, but I don’t really think they’re better than the Sennheisers, either. 

If you search in this forum section you can read about my experience with the Lectrosonics Duet digital IEM system. Short answer - great RF features, but audio quality is not any better than analog (I thought it was worse - the digital artifacts drove me nuts) and they’re big bucks.  If they do a second generation product, I would definitely give them a try, but until then I’m sticking with my Sennheiser G3s.

[Jerry Ziarko]

I guess the real question is what do you dislike about your PSM700?

Other than the 9v issue they seem to be fine, however not trying anything newer, it has me wondering. I have to be honest, I plugged into a cheap Behringer P2 with a stereo mix, and was blown away with the difference. Totally silent, with absolutely amazing separation. By reading some of the above posts it appears that wireless tech hasn't really grown all that much in that regard.

[ProSoundWeb Community]