A20-TX vs A-20 mini

[Nathan B]

I’m thinking on jumping on the ship of the A-20 nexus and replace my SRcs/SMWDBs.

I’m wondering what transmitters to go with. I would like to have your opinion on it. now that the A20-tx is out, is it a better option overall?

The A20-TX seems to have a better battery life and more functions. The mini is smaller but battery life seems to be an issue. Do people hide the A20-TX on talents without problem? Is the size comparable to a SMWDB? 
 

Thank you,

Nathan

[rich]

i have both units.

though my A20TX are intended to be used for booms. only on talent as a last resort

if you are using a Nexus too, you can power down the A20 mini in between setups to save battery life. though that depends on what format shows you are working on.
or you can get a battery doubler to extend your battery life.

for cast micing, there isnt much you will be missing function wise with the A20mini compared to the A20TX.
though the A20TX has a display, and removable media.
though everything on both units can be controlled via the app and the nexus.

i havent put the A20TX next to an SMWDB to compare size, but the specs are easily found on both manufacturers websites.


sound wise, i am very impressed with mine.
not needing to adjust gain at the transmitters is pretty damn cool too. 

on my last job, the systems handled gunfire and lots of shouting without issue - i just brought the gain down on the recorder and it held up fine.

[Nathan B]

 Thanks  for the response, what’s the battery life for the A20mini. Does AAA batteries can give more battery life ? 
I work on reality show sometimes where I can’t replace batteries for a while. 

[rich]

i have only used the Sony BX1. at 10mw they get at most 4 hours continuously.
when i first got the A20 mini, i tried some other brand batteries, and nothing got within half an hour of the Sonys.

i have no intention of using non rechargeable batteries unless in an emergency situation and have never tested them.

you'll get a bit more run time out of lithium AAA's. but if you need more runtime, then either the battery doubler, or the full size A20 are the way to go.

[Keenan925]

This is what I've found using the A20 mini TX and battery life, If I were to do reality with this system I would definitely get the battery doubler for my A20minis TX, but would feel more comfortable using the A20 TX instead.

 

Energizer Lithium AAA ~ 5hours @2mW

Sony  NP-BX1 4.5hours @2mW

off brand NP-BX1 batteries 3.5hours @2mW

[IronFilm]

I am not a Sound Devices Wireless user, but I think the question of A20-TX vs A20-Mini comes down mostly to what type of work a person is doing. Work entirely in scripted drama where keeping hidden away audio gear is the most important? Then you might exclusively go with A20-Mini (perhaps a couple of A20-TX, but primarily only for the booms). But if you're working only in docos where what matters to you instead is long life and low stress (as you're juggling everything by yourself, not with a team to support you) then you might want to only exclusively use the A20-TX?

 

While if your work needs are somewhere in between those extremes, you might want an 80/20 or 20/80 or 50/50 or whatever split of owning A20-TX vs A20-Mini transmitters. 

 

Keep in mind that the A20-BatteryDoubler exists:

https://www.sounddevices.com/product/a20-batterydoubler/ 

Which "kinda" turns the A20-Mini into an A20-TX with longer battery life. (but with a somewhat different form factor still to the A20-TX, not as wide or tall, but fatter. Also, you still won't have phantom power) 

 

Another thing, is you can power the transmitters via USB. Not an ideal solution, but something else to keep in mind in a pinch, and is an option that some people have done (especially back before the BatteryDoubler was released). 

[noises1]

I had 4 * A20 pre-doubler & pre-Nexus. Using Sony BX1 we got 4.5 hrs as Keenan925. On scripted projects - the cast didn't like the interruption for battery changes. Bluetooth usually took about 30 seconds to link to all 4 * A20 to put to sleep & often the actors had already left set. I found it a painful experience. I understand from users that Nexus control solves this problem. A20 + Double is an awkward shape to fit under contemporary costume. 2 * BX-1 batteries sided by side would have resulted in a thin tx but slightly wider or longer, making costume fitting easier.  A20tx is too big - similar size as UM400 & A10. Actors are very familiar with SSM size & runtime of 6+hrs. The Nexus + 8 * A20 tx has a high change-over cost and we should question to real return & advantage of that investment. I've sold all my A20 & keeping Lectros

[locationsoundvie]

I am a A20 user and I would choose the A20 mini mostly because it's very versatile. If you need to hide it under very tight clothes use it as a single battery transmitter, for all other situations use the A20 with the battery doubler. Or use it with the Nexus and conveniently switch it off in between to save battery. A20s on the boom work really great. Love the setup. 

 

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[Fred Salles]

Hello, reviving that post to ask if any A20-tx users can tell me if, according to their ears, the claim by Sound Devices that the preamp of the A20-tx in balanced mic +48v mode sounds equivalent to that of the 8 series recorders is true?

 

I am eager to know if anyone has done (and posted) a test to compare a mike wired in a 888 preamp versus on wireless boom with the A20-tx (using digital AES out of the receiver in the 888 of course) and can confirm or contest that assertion.

 

Thanks.

 

[rich]

you know what. i have never thought to do that test. i'll try and get around to it in the next week.

though i will say that i am very pleased with the sound of the A20 on the boom (and the A10 as well for that matter) and have never felt i was missing anything and should run a cable instead.

[Derek H]

Yes! I would like to see some more legitimate audio quality testing on SD stuff. Now that they are the defacto standard in our area of sound recording (and also owned by a larger conglomerate) we should resist the tendency to assume that it’s always the best sound quality or that all of their marketing claims are spot on. Trust but verify!

 

I’d also like to know how the A20-tx on a boom pole handles large dynamic range scenes. Low to shouting kind of stuff. 

[rich]

 

here is that test. hopefully it is helpful.
i dont say on the test which channel is the A20. not sure wether best to say on here in a week or two, or answer if you send me a PM. 

i have been very impressed with scenes with gunfire, where i set the gain for the dialogue and didn't worry about the guns. the guns didnt overload the tx.
as well as scenes where it gets loud. as there is no need (or indeed ability) for adjusting the gain at the tx, its the same as using a cabled mic in that respect. i prefer to set the gain for the loudest part, and then push the fader up as far as it needs to go, so that i don't risk making a sudden gain change on the ISO during something post would rather i hadn't done so.

i have also recorded something with someone in a hazmat suit shouting with a DPA 6061 on their forehead. i had the gain on the scorpio at 0dB - any lower and the channel would switch off - and whilst the signal was in the red, it wasn't overloaded.

(i tried to upload the file here directly, but got an error message on posting, so here is a google drive link)

Edited January 7 by rich
added link to the text

[Ian Thomson]

I love the idea of a blind test 😀, and I hope it doesn't feel too strange for random people to throw a vote in.

 

They're both incredibly close sounding, and obviously either one is amazing sounding in their own right.  

 

The flexibility of being able to maneuver around modern film sets without wrangling cable, while sounding THAT good... it's a great time to be recording sound for picture.

 

 

My guess is - Hard Cable is on Channel 1, A20 on Channel 2.

 

 

interested to see if the subtle difference I thought I was hearing was psychological, or an actual difference.

 

please follow up in a bit with the answer

 

Cheers, 

Ian

[Fred Salles]

Thank you so much Rich for the test and report, much appreciated.  I am on the move so not able to do a proper listening session before a few days but will do asap. Please don’t reveal anything yet ! 😁