Saxguy's Full Review: Shure Pgx-1 Wireless Microphone Body-Pack Transmit...
After my Samson wireless mikes failed AGAIN a year ago, it was clear to me that I would have to find something better. I am a tenor saxophone player primarily but I also bring my soprano on stage. I had originally gone with Samson's Airline true diversity technology a couple of years ago, bundling the technology with the AMT Roam-1 mike for tenor and the Audio technical Pro-35x for soprano.
The mikes worked great, but I was being to have unexplanined sequences where the signal went in and out. This happened with new batteries, so I looked to figure it out and seek alternatives I started with AMT's tech support because I really liked the Roam 1. They basically said that Samson was the problem. Specifically, the frequencies that Samson's systems were using had been freed up by the FCC so that emergency broadcasts were also happening on those.
I had identified the Shure bundled system with the PGX-1 beltpack transmitter, the PGX-4 receiver and the Beta 98/h bundled microphone as a good value at $400. Even better, Shure's headquarters are 5 miles from my house so tech support would be pretty easy. The problem with that bundled system was that I didn't think the Beta 98/h was going to be good enough for tenor, although it might be ok for soprano.
So, I asked the AMT techs if they would retrofit the Roam 1 to the dedicated Shure connection. Well, no, they wouldn't, but they would sell me their new LSW-Shure mike for about 30% of retail price if I turned the old mike in.
That was all I needed to buy the Shure system. I am reviewing the components separately because I have not yet used the Beta 98H mike. Sennheiser's system was going to cost more than twice as much. AMT had a transmitter system but I couldn't find any ratings of it. I've used Shure standard mikes for years, and their wireless products have a great reputation.
The previous system had a transmitter attached to the mike. This system has the connector on the mike which plugs into the beltpack. The beltpack is fastened to a belt or pants, or, I suppose an armband using a light but sturdy wire clip of about 3 inches or so. There are a couple of really nice features. First, the on/off button has to be pushed for a few seconds to register. This is great because it means that the unit will not be inadvertently turned on or off. The second nice feature is an inexpensive cable management device. It attached to the beltpack with Velcro. The slack in the mike cord can be wound around it and a flap is folded over. The cable management device works a little better with the Shure mike because it has a thinner cord. It still worked ok with the AMT mike. Better yet, I asked Shure's tech support for another one in case I was performing with 2 mikes and they GAVE it to me.
The beltpack is powered by 2 AA batteries. It has a 3-position gain switch. The standard option worked fine. The second option is for guitarists and the third reduces high distortion. The unit is very light, weighing about 3 ounces without batteries.
Syncing the channel from the beltpack to the receiver took but a few seconds. It happened automatically using the very clear instructions.
The beltpack did take some getting used to. I'm a big guy and I usually like to perform in comfortable clothes, a polo hanging out over my pants. Well, when I saw the pictures from the show, I saw that the beltpack looked really odd with the shirt over it. So, I will need to figure something out, whether tucking the shirt in or putting it on an armband or putting the pack in back.
Sound-wise, the setup worked great. Loud and clear. No ins and outs - that is, until my batteries went out on the last cut. That is probably because I forgot to do two things I usually do in live performance. First, I turn off the unit during breaks. Second, I replace batteries during breaks. Then, I forgot to look on the indicator (the grren on light shows red when the unit is running out of power). So, it was a triple whammy that will not happen again. I thought I had new batteries in there. Shure says that the unit should get 8 hours of use out of alkaline batteries. It's possible there is some battery drain when the unit is off, or, more likely, maybe I left it on when I tested it the day before. So, I recommend being careful about turning it on and off, using new batteries for each performance and removing batteries when the unit is not in use.
I paid about $400 for the system on ebay. The beltpack goes for about $160, the receiver goes for around $180 and the Beta 98/h mike goes for around $200. I like the beltpack just fine, but you would have to use it with a compatible mike and a compatible receiver.
So, even with a beltpack to get used to, the system works great. It became a tremendous value once AMT offered a compatible version of their pro mike with a huge trade in.
5 stars.
Thanks for reading. God bless!
I have a new, live CD available. Check out samples on my member page.
Designed to meet the needs of traveling performers, Shures PGX1 can be used with headworn, lavalier, or instrument microphones, or with guitars or bas...More at Musician's Friend
Designed to meet the needs of traveling performers, Shures PGX1 can be used with headworn, lavalier, or instrument microphones, or with guitars or bas...More at Woodwind and Brasswind
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
Designed to meet the needs of traveling performers, Shures PGX1 can be used with headworn, lavalier, or instrument microphones, or with guitars or bas...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.