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Life After Sennheiser G4 | What's Next?
May 30,2024 | Pinknoisesystems
As many of you will be aware the Sennheiser G4 range was discontinued last year, and all dealers (ourselves included) are now running out of the last bits of G4 stock available. So, this now begs the question of what reliable wireless you look for in the £500-1000 mark moving forward. The first option to check would be the G4's successor the EW-DP range.
Sennheiser EW-DP ME-2 Lavalier Set Digital Wireless - £515.00 exVAT
Image source: Star'sMusic
This set features Sennheiser's new Digital audio over UHF architecture and produces an excellent clean reproduction of the sound being picked up by the microphone. The range appears to be very good, and the app integration makes it easy to monitor everything.
The one big drawback of this unit is the receiver. Having a fixed antenna on the bottom of the unit ultimately means you oversee the unit's display with the screen facing up in a bag like the G4 Unit, This would lead you to burying your antenna in your bag. You can flip the antenna upward in the bag and use the app to monitor what is happening, However, it's not the best option.
Shure SLXD15 Portable Wireless System with Bodypack Transmitter - £530.00 exVAT
Image source: Guitar Center
The Shure SLX Portable is a relatively new player to the game. The SLX range has been around for a while now but didn't feature a portable receiver. This kit now feels a lot more familiar in terms of form factor than what we have been used to. The audio quality of this unit is very good and features similar digital audio to UHF architecture. You'll find that this is very much commonplace now for these units.
The only downside is that the price is slightly more than the Sennheiser and doesn't include a mic. You will also have to use TA4f terminations with this set, so if you are coming from a G4 setup, you will need to get your mics reterminated.
Deity Theos Digital Wireless System – Dual System - £906.00 exVAT
The Deity Theos is the newest player on the market and has been received extremely well. The price may seem a lot more than the EW-DP and the SLXD15, but remember that this is a two-channel system that includes mics. This puts the price at around £453.00 exVAT per channel, which is incredible value. With the Theos, Deity has invested in bringing a solid system into the market. Like the other units, it utilises Digital Audio over UHF for a clear and reliable transmission.
Some may argue that the Theos doesn't sound quite as nice as the Sennheiser and Shure, however, it certainly sounds better than anything we have been used to in this price range. It's possible that this could be a firmware issue and will be improved in future updates.
Conclusion
All of these units are great, you just need to consider the specific needs of your setup. The Sennheiser EW-DP offers excellent audio quality and range but has a less convenient form factor. The Shure SLXD15 is slightly more expensive and requires mic retermination but provides a familiar setup and great sound. The Deity Theos, despite being the most expensive upfront, offers the best value per channel and decent audio quality, making it an excellent choice for those needing a dual-channel system.
