....I think that spec'ing better units from the get-go would be a better investment of time and money.
Haha.. If only it was that simple! Sadly management count pennies, before my time! Its a case of get the job done with tools provided!
Normally I get the gear I specify, but sometimes there's some nasty spanners thrown in. Its usually just old battered gear, like the old Shure system you tune with a screwdriver.
I normally have at least one spare pack (not receiver), but again budget usually dictates I can't use it as a cue, so it gets tuned to "money channel" (and acts as spare) so I can at least listen to one IEM pack. If I get spoilt and have all the toys, then yes I have a Cue pack and one over a matrix for Spare.
My question was more aimed at when your specifications are not met. It'd be a lovely world/industry if specifications were always met, however it doesn't always happen.
In terms of cue soley through a iem, the group (9-piece) have a mixture of wedges, hardwire packs and wireless so I tend to stick to desk output/money IEM during show, to avoid constantly swapping my output.
