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[John Sulek]

I'm not seeing a reasonably priced active paddle from Sennheiser... anyone see harm done in using Shure UA874US paddles with Sennheiser recievers and distros.  Judging from John's post I'm going to assume that this is no issue.

The Shure 874 will work fine but the use of an active rx antenna when the coax length is under 50ft is highly overrated in my opinion. The gain of a passive directional antenna should be enough to compensate for any cable loss in these short runs.
Even at 100ft, I think you are better served with low loss coax than an active antenna.
I've done lots of shed and arena tours with passive paddle and helical antenna on the rx without any issues.
In the hands of dry rental folks without a lot of rf experience to draw from, active antenna can create more problems than they solve.
If you get a good deal on the 874, just leave the gain switch on zero until you're in a situation where the rf amp is really needed.

[Russell Ault]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a $100ish dollar (preferably with a removable cable, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose) earpiece that is still reasonably durable and sounds passable.

Apex 575. Even has the removeable cable (and comes with multiple connector options).

-Russ

[Jeff Lelko]

I'm not seeing a reasonably priced active paddle from Sennheiser... anyone see harm done in using Shure UA874US paddles with Sennheiser recievers and distros.  Judging from John's post I'm going to assume that this is no issue.

I guess that would depend on what “reasonable” is to you, but I have a strong preference to staying within a brand/product family when implementing an entire new system.  You’re already spending upwards of 5 figures for a 12ch rig all said and done - while I can sympathize with saving money wherever possible, I wouldn’t choose this as the place to do it.  I have both passive directional and omni antennas for my wireless kits, but the directional antennas see the most use.  I can reliably get wireless a few hundred feet with them line-of-sight (not that this is particularly recommended), so I can’t imagine why these wouldn’t be good enough for your application.

Does anyone have suggestions for inexpensive over-the-ear microphones? 

I use the MM-Audio (aka Microphone Madness) products when needing semi-disposable microphones.  While not quite down to $100/ea., they’re not far off from that either.  For the money I really can’t complain.  I’ve had a few wires go bad from use/abuse, but nothing major nor nothing that I can attribute to inferior quality.  Whether they’re a true Countryman replacement I’ll leave up to your ears, but for the applications I put these in, using a pristine microphone to capture every nuance of a middle schooler’s voice is the least of my worries...  Hope this helps! 

[Miguel Dahl]

The senny active antenna 12AD (or something) is pretty expensive. If you want an amplifier you can save some bucks by going with the 2003 antenna coupled with the AB-3 booster. It will do the same thing as an active antenna, but it's two units. I've used velcro on our 2003's and on the ab-3 so when one needs the booster, we just attach the booster to the antenna, so it doesn't hang loose. Booster must be at the antenna-end.

[Scott Holtzman]

I am sure the Senny stuff is great stuff. 

The management is the issue.  You are not going to be doing 12 channels without coordination.  I know the Shure stuff and the QLXD provides network based management.  That will be hige deploying a dozen channels.

[Keith Broughton]

I'm not seeing a reasonably priced active paddle from Sennheiser... anyone see harm done in using Shure UA874US paddles with Sennheiser recievers and distros.  Judging from John's post I'm going to assume that this is no issue.

If setting up in the wings, why the need for active paddles, or paddles at all?
The 1/2 wave antennas (A1031) would work just fine and are much less money.
If you think you need paddles, again, why active unless the coax cable run is fairly long?

I also use the Sennheiser RF and find that they work very well.
As noted, try to get the networkable series.

[Justin Quinn]

If setting up in the wings, why the need for active paddles, or paddles at all?
The 1/2 wave antennas (A1031) would work just fine and are much less money.
If you think you need paddles, again, why active unless the coax cable run is fairly long?

My reasoning for going for active paddles is that if I get into a situation where I need to do a long coax run some reason (you never know what you're going to walk in to sometimes) then it's in my weapon arsenal as an option.  I'm looking at it from a versatility standpoint, even though the need for them is, admittedly, quite infrequent.  I think Miguel's solution of using a booster when necessary would be sufficient in these cases instead of active paddles.

In the theatre application we've been discussing I agree that active paddles are mostly unnecessary and the amplifier would just be switched off (regarding the 874).
Since the consensus here is that active paddles are mostly unnecessary for casual work I'll probably ditch the idea and go all Sennheiser.
I haven't considered the 1/2 length A1031 antennas but I'll have a look at those.

I totally agree that networking would be a lifesaver for coordination, I'll see what I can do to get my hands on the 300/500 rather than the 100s but my competition is renting out low-cost wireless and I need something to stay on top of them.

[Justin Quinn]

Whether they’re a true Countryman replacement I’ll leave up to your ears, but for the applications I put these in, using a pristine microphone to capture every nuance of a middle schooler’s voice is the least of my worries...  Hope this helps!

I feel you there, I'm in the exact same situation.

[Scott Holtzman]

I totally agree that networking would be a lifesaver for coordination, I'll see what I can do to get my hands on the 300/500 rather than the 100s but my competition is renting out low-cost wireless and I need something to stay on top of them.

Why make them your competition?  I hate the race to the bottom and some day with 12 channels you will have a coordination issue and with a spectrum analyzer and a lot of time you will be screwed.  Does your competition have that capability too.

From your statement on active antennas you have a good grasp of what you are doing.  Don't play in the bottom of the barrel.  Those customers aren't worth it.  Trust me.

[Justin Quinn]

Why make them your competition?  I hate the race to the bottom and some day with 12 channels you will have a coordination issue and with a spectrum analyzer and a lot of time you will be screwed.  Does your competition have that capability too.

From your statement on active antennas you have a good grasp of what you are doing.  Don't play in the bottom of the barrel.  Those customers aren't worth it.  Trust me.

Ah, you pointed to the can of worms so I guess I have to open it all the way.  I'm sorry that the following is lengthy.

Allow me to explain... I live and operate in Fayette County, Pennsylvania- a generally rural, low cost-of-living area.  Simply put, "those customers" are ~90% of the customer base within a 1-hour drive.  Profitable concerts don't happen here and national acts don't come here.  There are no clubs, event centers, or performing arts centers that aren't community theaters, there are very few corporate gigs because there are very few large corporations.  The number of clients that are interested in paying the extra money it would cost to have state of the art audio reinforcement at their event is limited at best.

Also, while audio reinforcement is not new to me, my company is fairly young.  I've been independently handling audio work and building up an inventory for about the past year and only in August officially formed a company.  While my goal *is* to target the ~10% of good clients in my area and the LARGE number of good clients in the Pittsburgh region, they're currently all served by companies that, let's face it, have way more resources backing them than I do.  I'm just too small at the moment, but am very happy with the progress I've made.

I'm referring to 2 companies when I say "competition".  They both have wireless rigs made up of a mish-mash of different systems including BLX, SLX, Audio Technica 3000 G3 & G4 and System 10 Pro (which, god forbid, is 2.4G).  Often the receivers find themselves at FOH position, shoved in a metal rack with (you know where I'm going with this) the 1/4 wave antennas stuck on the back of each of them.  I've seen these guys run a 32 channel rig made up of 3 different systems mentioned above!  The systems drop out, fuzz and pop, and apparently they haven't learned gain structure because they distort like mad.
Yes, I'm expecting to run into RF issues with 8-12 channels of paddle-fed EW100s but nowhere near the RF issues from the above-mentioned configuration.

The schools and companies that use them are getting complaints from ticketholders and donors that paid money and deserve better.  I'm starting to work connections and get into these venues and they have been very pleased with the positive change I've brought to the intelligibility of their sound.  I've even got a compliment from one director saying "I'll kiss the ground you spit on".  Other potential customers are starting to notice.

Also, I said 8 - 12 channels but I'm leaning more towards 8, broken up into 2 racks of 4.  I have mentioned that I do plan on adding QLXDs over time and I'm sure eventually most of my rig will be made up of such.

If anyone has advice for me and my situation I'll take all the input I can get.  Thank you again, everyone, for the replies.

[ProSoundWeb Community]