leo17 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Hi Everyone, I am slowly building up my location kit, thinking about getting lavaliers now. Since I don't want to throw away money on equipment I will have to change, but at the same time I cannot afford Lectros yet, I was thinking about getting either Sony UWP D-16 or Sennheiser G3, to be later used as camera scratch audio or director feed. If I look on paper between these two, the Sony UWP comes out as a strong winner, being true diversity and a headphone output. From tests I saw, the range and clarity of signal transmission are clearly superior in the Sony, however the Sennheiser stock mics sound slightly better. Not a big deal, as I have in mind to get Sanken anyway. Still, in all the semi-professional works I did, I still have to find a pair of Sonys, with everyone using G3 ( I am based in Germany). Is there any particular reason for it that I am missing? Thanks for any insights on this matter! (Or any other matter I mentioned, I value any kind of opinion!) Leonardo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef Albertyn Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 I have been using the Sony UWP - but mostly for headphone & camera hop. I have used it once with the supplied mic - which is not great. Seeing that it is a backup for me, as I bought Wisycom for main usage, I will use it with a Rode Lav +Micon 8. I have only tested that combo briefly and it sounds good - will try to do a proper test with that and Sanken over the weekend (including keyes test :). I have no worries in recommending them - I think they are just as good as the G3, but I think the headphone out and slighly cheaper price makes it a better buy - for me in any case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhharvest Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 I use the Rode lavaliers with both G3 and D11 (and also V1 in the past). They sound ... ok but quite hissy and a bit nasally / congested. The Invisilav (or whatever the silicone holster is) is great. Rycote stickies on top and bottom and they're a really quite low hassle solution for new talent who aren't used to wearing lavs or having people touch them. In my opinion: G3 has better range than D11, but G3 gets dropouts / pops whereas D11 generally doesn't until you lose all signal. I prefer the G3 sound, marginally though as neither in my opinion is very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Duffy Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Notes from my previous research (low budget hobby usage): * The availability of a dual receiver in the Sony UPX-P03D if you want to reduce kit as much as possible. * G3 widely available used. * DIY upgrade G3 to SMA antennas) * Mics wired differently, can't get both... * Sony has USB external power, G3 requires a DIY mod or battery adapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Pros and cons to both. The Sennheiser is quieter/better sounding. The Sony has a more 'affordable' Phantom Power plug-on option, whereas the Sennheiser needs the more expensive 300 or 2000 series butt plug. The G3 EK-100 portable is a diversity receiver, but not 'true'. The secondary uses the output cable shield. Neither has a good stock lav mic, so factor in additional funds for something decent, like a $100 OST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Yeah--don't judge the audio of the Senn G2/3 by using the lav mic that comes with it--with a line feed or a good lav it sounds just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafyddM Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Just settled this argument personally myself, and I went with the G3 two main reasons A. sound quality the G3 just sounds better all round, good because I mostly work on films that can be reshot if something goes wrong with the transmission but the quality can't be changed. B. spares, repairs and durability if I need a Cos-11 with G3 wiring it wont be that hard to find, but with the sony wiring it could be a nightmare or the other way round renting a G3 is painless and I can keep using my accessoires. From other people I have heard the battery pack of the Sony is less durable and could break, Pink Noise Systems who sold it to me said they have only ever had like 20 out of 4000 of the G3s they sold come back and only ever for minor reasons like sticky buttons or bent ariels. The question is do you really need the benefits of a true diversity system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leo17 Posted August 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Hi guys, Thank you all for your feedbacks, very interesting! Especially the antenna mod, that cleared one of my biggest doubts (dropout, crackles, I unfortunately have a long list of instances in which it happened to me). Would it make sense to get a sk2000 just for the headphones output? Or a high AF out + low impedance HP could work just fine? Thanks again to everyone for all the inputs, I am appreciating them all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Constantin Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Ask yourself: what do you need the headphone output on a transmitter for? If you find you need one, then you should get one. Bear in mind that hardly any of thr higher end transmitters have headphone outputs. With regards to the antenna mod: it can be done, but it's not the easiest thing in the world and it will void your warranty. And it will not take away all the crackles and dropouts - although it will help. What I like about the G3 system is availability. Many of my colleagues have some around, should I ever need one. I have repurposed mine as a scratch tx/rx to camera which they work well for (whenever I use one, which is almost never). Same recorder output gets transmitted to my ek300iem's worn by the director, script and so on. On my cart I have the rackmount stereo tx with a remote antenna, and when I need to I transition seamlessly to my bag with an sk100 as iem transmitter. I don't need to touch the iem receivers at all. Range is surprisingly good, despite the 30mW limit. Battery life is very good, too. A receiver can run all day on two black Eneloops I don't have any experience with the Sony, but the Sennheiser setup certainly works so well for what it is, I don't need to look anywhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 For me it is a no brainer to go with Sony UWP-D11. I have 5 of them!! But why do we see so many G3 around? Simple. Force of habit. The G3 (& G2, & G1) have been around for a very very loooong time! Thus have become the "default" choice for no budget work. As the UWP-D11 have only been around for a few years, many people haven't even seen them beforehand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 I disagree that simple "force of habit" explains the G2/G3 dominance. I concur with Constantin's apt explanation. However -- worthy of consideration is buying used Lectro 210 & 211 series. They often go for bargain prices these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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