Hi all,
I don't have experience with the wireless Lav system, but I am an owner of the Line 6 Relay G50 Wireless guitar system which is based off of the same technology. Maybe the following will give you some insight to my experience of this system.
I bought the unit last spring as I was looking for a wireless system for an upcoming US tour (Warped Tour 2010). I don't have any experience with other wireless guitar units, but I am an A/V tech and use Shure UR systems daily. Anywho, I read about this technology and do like other Line 6 products (despite the fact that every Line 6 unit I've owned seems to have a shelf life of about 2 years before something funny starts to happen with them), so I bought the unit. It's worthy to mention that the receiver and beltpack were stored in an ATA flight case daily. This case also carried my pedals and stood at the foot of the stage. The receiver was velcroed and gaffed 'permanently' in the pedalboard while the transmitter was taped to my guitar strap, wrapped neatly after each performance and stored in the ATA case during travel.
Positives: The sound is great. I A/B'd the wireless unit with a standard cable and found no audible difference in the signal. No noticeable latency, it felt extremely responsive. Never had a problem with distance. I ran into the crowd a number of times easily 50-100 feet from the transmitter without a hint of dropout. Enclosure is very rugged. Warranty was honored without a hassle (get to that later). Rock solid belt clip. This thing is a struggle to get on. Internal antennae is a nice feature and very rugged. Never had a single instance of interference.
Negatives: The physical fit of the wall wart to the receiver is not very snug. If you sneeze on the unit, it will detach. A simple hook to loop the AC cable around once or twice would be a nice addition to the unit (like the M-pedal series). I don't think this will be an issue with the lav units because they are 1/2 RU, but just wanted to add that in there. The resolution was to gaff tape the AC in place. The tour was about 8 weeks, within this time frame, the physical connection from the 1/4" to wireless unit adapter cable no longer clicked into place. Again, gaff tape was used daily. Dropouts: This is tough to determine. I had tons of technical issues due to a variety of reasons including amp failure, cable failure, pedal failure, power irregularities (on site generators), and weather conditions (humid/arid climates and temperatures ranging from 70-112 degrees Fahrenheit. with quick turnovers and little time for troubleshooting, it is difficult and possibly unfair to blame the Line 6 unit for dropouts, but I can confirm that on at least one occasion bypassing the unit result in a successful completion of my signal chain. One thing that bothered me about this unit is the Battery indicator. The Shure wireless systems I use have a 5 bar battery life indicator on both the transmitter and the receiver. The Line 6 unit has a 3 bar battery life indicator on the receiver while the transmitter has a battery indicator that changes from a solid picture of a battery, to a blinking picture of that same battery when it gets low. I don't know why they did this, but I definitely lost signal during our 25 minute set because prior to the set the transmitter showed what I thought was a full battery. Shame on me for not familiarizing myself with the unit beforehand, but matching battery life indicators just seems like an obvious feature.
Anywho, halfway through the tour I was using a physical cable over the wireless unit about 80 percent of the time. With all the variables at stake, and the weather elements we faced (gear cooking on stage) I found the unit not 100 percent reliable. After the tour, I tested the unit at home in a controlled environment with success. I then took the unit on a 6week club tour in Europe in Fall 2010 and experienced reliability issues. Variables included power regulation (we used proper converters), but the element of weather elements was taken away as we were touring in temperature related clubs/venues. After the European tour, I tested the unit at home. Signal passed through the unit, but the output was extremely low (probably 30-40dB below normal operation). Because the unit was less than a year old, I was able to take the unit to a Line 6 affiliate and get the unit repaired in about 2 weeks free of charge and headaches. It works fine now, however, I haven't been using it daily like we did on tour.
Well, a little long winded, but I hope this at least gives you a little bit more information from an experienced user.
-Dave
