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[JohnPinchin]

I would like to buy a new wireless system and was planning to buy the Shure slxd but now Sennheiser have brought out the digital version of the evolution mics as an upgrade to the g4 I'm torn between the two.     
It might be too early to know for certain but aside from the choice of mic (beta58 vs the 945) can any of the wireless experts here see any particular advantage in either system?   
I'll probably buy end up with a pair but unlikely to need more than 4 in the long term so I don't need any complicated frequency management - just a good sounding, quick setup, reliable system without dropouts.

[Brian Adams]

I don't know, as I haven't used the new Sennheiser stuff, but SLX-D is pretty nice for the money. The Shure charger can charge a handheld or beltpack with a battery in it, or just the battery, the Sennheiser can only charge a battery. The Sennheiser handhelds can run Sennheiser and Neumann heads, plus a couple others like SE, but there are a lot more options for Shure. The main thing I prefer on Shure beltpacks is the TA4 rather than the TRS with locking ring on Sennheiser. The TA4 isn't perfect, but it holds up better in my experience, and there are a lot more mic options available. Plus TA4F connectors are easily replaceable, I've never found a reliable replacement for the Sennheiser connectors.

Otherwise I think the two systems are probably fairly comparable, both in terms of price and performance. Sennheiser usually has the edge in RF performance, but Shure beats them by a little bit in a lot of other areas. The Shure antenna distro costs less than the Sennheiser, but takes up a full rack space while the Sennheiser takes half, and can mount beside a receiver if needed. The Shure is better for daisy-chaining multiple distros, the Sennheiser powers the receivers over their antenna cables (which is super convenient).

My pricing is a little better on Shure and my entire wireless mic inventory is based on Shure transmitters, so I'd probably go with them if I was buying it for myself. But if you're paying the same price for either system and you're not already tied to one or the other, I'm sure you won't regret it either way.

[Thomas Le]

I'm sure that "no dropouts" would require some form of frequency coordination. Sennheiser could have gotten more attention if they included ethernet WSM but it's anyone's guess why they went bluetooth of all things. If I were to buy new, it would definitely be the dual SLX-D units, less cabling and Shure announced WWB functionality for that line. Currently I have the EW100 G3 with e835's and for the life of me, I could never get a decent sound on those heads, I always get better results on a comparable Shure system. GAS strikes me again with the SLX-D temptation.

[Russell Ault]

I'm sure that "no dropouts" would require some form of frequency coordination. Sennheiser could have gotten more attention if they included ethernet WSM but it's anyone's guess why they went bluetooth of all things. If I were to buy new, it would definitely be the dual SLX-D units, less cabling and Shure announced WWB functionality for that line. Currently I have the EW100 G3 with e835's and for the life of me, I could never get a decent sound on those heads, I always get better results on a comparable Shure system. GAS strikes me again with the SLX-D temptation.

I believe someone on another EW-D thread mentioned that the current iteration is basically the "100" version (which, up until G4, had no remote control capabilities whatsoever), and that more advanced versions will be released once global supply chains start to sort themselves out.

Conversely, if I understand it correctly, the Bluetooth implementation controls the TX directly, which must make this the cheapest UHF system on the market that has remotely-programmable TXs. Bluetooth is also relatively cheap to implement in a way that happily coexists with other radios, is ubiquitous, and uses relatively little power.

-Russ

[Thomas Le]

I believe someone on another EW-D thread mentioned that the current iteration is basically the "100" version (which, up until G4, had no remote control capabilities whatsoever), and that more advanced versions will be released once global supply chains start to sort themselves out.

Conversely, if I understand it correctly, the Bluetooth implementation controls the TX directly, which must make this the cheapest UHF system on the market that has remotely-programmable TXs. Bluetooth is also relatively cheap to implement in a way that happily coexists with other radios, is ubiquitous, and uses relatively little power.

-Russ

So wait, does this mean that EW-D is a poor man's implementation of Shure Showlink? I looked at sennheiser's website and all it says about bluetooth is for the app itself... It's also using bluetooth to change the frequencies in realtime without IR syncing?

[Russell Ault]

So wait, does this mean that EW-D is a poor man's implementation of Shure Showlink? {...}

From the B&H listing:
"The receiver pairs with the transmitter via Bluetooth Low Energy from up to 120' away, enabling you to quickly pair the mic directly from the stage without having to bring it close to the receiver"

So, at some level, yeah, basically.

-Russ

[Andrien (No Last Name)]

If latency is important, then Sennheiser EW-D might be more interesting as it spec wise has lower latency than Shure (SLX-D vs EW-D) but going on QLX-D the difference is minimal and mostly depend on which mic you want to use. The Bluetooth implementation on Sennheiser is quite unique as you could use your phone to change setting on the transmitter directly if you want to, but seems to be intentionally limited as to not eat up the upper market of their series.

Personally based on your need, EW-D seems fit the bill as the apps help lifting coordination complication for up to 16 set while SLX-D you may need to connect each receiver with ethernet and pairing transmitter with IR. In my country at least the price is about the same for both.

[MikeHarris]

The Senn only avail in single channel..the Shure can be single..double or quad  antenna distro will be needed with Senn

[Russell Ault]

The Senn only avail in single channel..the Shure can be single..double or quad  antenna distro will be needed with Senn

Do you have a link for the SLXD4Q? All I can find are the single- and dual-channel RXs.

-Russ

[JohnPinchin]

As an update to my original post.    I bought a pair of Sennheiser EW-D systems with 945 capsules.

Part of my decision to get these over the shure is the 945 being my first choice for lead vocals.

So far I've done 6 gigs from pub bands, medium functions around 300 people and a small festival 500+ in the crowd.      The mics have performed flawlessly and sound great.  The setup is quick and easy and using the app to scan for frequencies and sync the mics has so far been great.   

Really happy with my choice and will probably add another couple of systems in the next few months.

[ProSoundWeb Community]