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Sennheiser EK 1039 vs Comtek 216


Jeremiah Sheets

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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!

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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.

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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

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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

BST-75.jpg

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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.

 

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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

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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.

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  • 4 years later...

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. 

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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.

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