Jeremiah Sheets Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 Comteks can be had for a little less I find, but the EK 1039 looks like a good option.Mostly curious about range, reliability, sound quality (for IFB and scratch only), and dummy-proofing. For the Comtek I'd use a 216 w/ Opt 7 from my bag.For the Sennheiser I'd use a G3 TX from bag. Anyone with direct comparisons? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 G3 Sennheiser quality is excellent for IFB purposes. The 1039s are an improvement over the 1038s which had some weak points in build quality but were really cheap. G3 sounds better than Comtek is a general consensus I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremiah Sheets Posted July 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 Thank you, Christian! More input welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathaniel Robinson Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 My experience is not 1:1, as I use the EK300 IEM model, not the tour guide receiver. For TX, I am using the Sennheiser SK2000 (more on that below). For most of my jobs, video village is only a room or so away, 100' being a typical upper limit. For this reason I went with the higher fidelity system. I think the Sennheiser units sound great. The IEM are very robust, probably less prone to cosmetic cracks than Comtek 216. The SK2000 output can be pushed to 100mW, compared to 30mW on the "standard" SK100 G3 transmitter. Of course RF output is not everything, but I think it helps the system compete with the range on the 216-Option 7. I'd still give the edge to Comtek range. The antenna options for Comtek (Might Mite, Miracle Whip) offer further advantages here. The biggest "gotcha" is transmitting in the UHF band so close to my talent RX. Not ideal, even with a block or more separation. If I were working on reality stuff with other mixers, taking up this UHF space would be a big concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmfsnd Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 I wonder if Comtek explored making a M-216 with higher than 10 mW output, or if it has something to do with its 216 MHz band usage a "grey area". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 Matt Brodnick: I wonder if Comtek explored making a M-216 with higher than 10 mW output... Well, the M-216 transmitter is the small unit that runs off a 9-volt battery and may be used with a belt clip. Comtek also makes the BST 25-216, a "base station" transmitter that runs off an external 12-volt source and outputs signal at 100 mW. That would be the obvious source for higher output needs. There does seem to be a trend away from sound carts and towards carrying greater and greater audio capabilities in a bag rig so Comtek may be overlooking a need for something with high output in a more portable configuration. They might be receptive to developing something if you were to bring the need to their attention. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shastapete Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 There does seem to be a trend away from sound carts and towards carrying greater and greater audio capabilities in a bag rig so Comtek may be overlooking a need for something with high output in a more portable configuration. There's the BST-75 that has a remote antenna connector, 100mW transmitter, line level inputs, and external 12v DC power in a relatively small 3.75” W x 1.625” H x 5.25” D package. There are plus and minuses but I feel like it could easily live in a larger bag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 I get plenty of range with 10mW comtek 216. More then enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward chick Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 I seem to get great range with the 216 series Comteks. Even when not in line of sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 I have some Sennheiser G2 IEMs that I use primarily for boom ops. They sound better than Comteks, with a more extended low end. I have decreased angst giving out Comteks to VV. They do what they're designed to do with surprisingly good range and generally handle well the numerous drops and lonely waits on dark damp grass where the VV denizens have been known to leave them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremiah Sheets Posted July 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 Does that BST-75 play well next to Lectros in a bag? I know the 216 w/ Opt 7 is best separated a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjafreddan Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 My experience is not 1:1, as I use the EK300 IEM model, not the tour guide receiver. For TX, I am using the Sennheiser SK2000 (more on that below). [...] The SK2000 output can be pushed to 100mW, compared to 30mW on the "standard" SK100 G3 transmitter. Of course RF output is not everything, but I think it helps the system compete with the range on the 216-Option 7. I'd still give the edge to Comtek range. The antenna options for Comtek (Might Mite, Miracle Whip) offer further advantages here. +1 I use a similar setup, SK2000 for transmitting a mono mix for the cameras, EK2000 receiver on the main camera and G3 receiver on the second camera (if any). G3 IEM receiver in a soft pouch for the reporter which I hand over at the start of the day saying - "this costs a thousand dollars, take good care of it". So, my suggestion is also to use a SK2000 transmitter instead of a G3 - the SK2000 sounds better, has a stronger radio transmission and is more rugged. The Sennheiser EK 1039 looks interesting, but it's not that much cheaper than buying a G3 IEM receiver - which can receive a stereo signal. So with one stationary SR 300 IEM G3 transmitter and two G3 IEM receivers you can create two different mono cue mixes which is useful for TV productions and such. Cheers Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Constantin Posted July 3, 2015 Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 So with one stationary SR 300 IEM G3 transmitter and two G3 IEM receivers you can create two different mono cue mixes which is useful for TV productions and such That's exactly what I do. Boom op mix to input one, everyone elses's mix to two. If need be, a stereo mix to everyone. If I need to jump to my bag, I have two SK2000 there. So video village will not even notice anything and I don't need to touch their receivers. Only boom-op needs to tune to the second tx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted December 21, 2019 Report Share Posted December 21, 2019 Pretty old thread here but has anyone ever compared battery runtimes between Sennheiser EK300 and EK1039 receivers? My theory is that maybe since the 1039 is mono-only it might get longer runtime which is the crucial factor for video village use if you ask me. I seem to get inconsistent battery life results with EK300s and NiMH AAs. Sometimes they make it a full day (12-14 hours) and sometimes not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Larsen Posted December 22, 2019 Report Share Posted December 22, 2019 I always seem to get a full day, often another half day with the IEM G3 paired with ladda AAs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted December 22, 2019 Report Share Posted December 22, 2019 How long is a full day for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted December 22, 2019 Report Share Posted December 22, 2019 I have 5 ek300s and they get through a whole day, everyday since I've been using them. Typically they still have 2 bars left on the battery meter (LADDA 2450) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted December 22, 2019 Report Share Posted December 22, 2019 I just used 6 EK300s for a full day awhile back all with brand new ladda batteries and a few of them died at about the 8 hour mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Larsen Posted December 22, 2019 Report Share Posted December 22, 2019 8 hours ago, Derek H said: How long is a full day for you? 8-12 Hours mostly, but been crunching 15+ a few times and never had to switch batteries in it if I had a set of fresh batteries in the morning. 7 hours ago, Derek H said: I just used 6 EK300s for a full day awhile back all with brand new ladda batteries and a few of them died at about the 8 hour mark. Interesting, could it be power hungry headphones? I do instruct people how to turn them off with the volume knob if they wish to, maybe that helps a tiny bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted December 22, 2019 Report Share Posted December 22, 2019 I know one of the units that died early was using Apple ear buds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Larsen Posted December 22, 2019 Report Share Posted December 22, 2019 Okey, doesn't sound like that then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted December 22, 2019 Report Share Posted December 22, 2019 "could it be power hungry headphones?" > Low sensitivity HPs require a higher volume setting to get an adequate SPL than high sensitivity HPs, which in turn uses more power= shorter battery life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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