Serious Wireless Woes

According to this review of the QLX series you're right Fro. Sonically, the two products are the same with their "Quadrature" something or other tech. The real differentiator to me between the two products is the RF capabilities. They both play in the same frequency spectrum, but the ULXD series does a lot more with it, splitting the spectrum into some 2500 different channels vs. something like 60 on the QLXD. Plus you can have higher power transmitter packs, which will instantly help combat RF interference.

So, even if you don't need to have 100 wireless channels, the more robust RF agility of the ULXD may be worth the extra cost if "Failure is not an option".

From review:
As I alluded to earlier, QLX-D shares much with the pricier ULX-D — same digital transmission, and anecdotally, the same sound quality — but ULX-D brings pro features such as Dante, dual/quad-channel receivers, and the option of a stronger 20W transmitter power. There’s also Shure’s ULX-Pro analogue system, with QLX-D almost certainly taking much of its market share — only the die-hard ‘analogue or nothing’ wireless stalwarts will insist on ULX-Pro.
Meanwhile, if you’ve got more than a handful of wireless channels and you find yourself spending, say, 30 minutes before every gig configuring the system and checking/replacing batteries, you deserve to upgrade to a system like QLX-D. Anything cheaper is false economy. Anything more expensive, could well be unnecessary for all but those ‘failure is not an option’ applications I mentioned earlier.
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AWallbrecher said:
It is absolutely essential that all Line6 wireless is in the same RF mode. Either all in RF1 or all in RF2. If this is not the case trouble is almost guaranteed. I would also strongly recommend the P180 antennas pointing at the area where you will be performing with the G90.

With all the wifi these days it also a good idea to spend some time at every location to find the best channel and switch wifi routers to 5gHz, if possible.

Full disclosure: I work for Line6 :)
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Thanks for this. Just let the other guys know so they can check what they're running and also so I can "borrow" one of their receivers to perform the firmware update.


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We have FOUR L6 "digital" wireless units going at each gig - G90, 2 * G50 and a G30... all set up to be on different/separate channels. NEVER had dropouts, never had any of the issues outlined in this thread in.. the last 2 yrs. Yes, we do 6+ gigs a month in a variety of venues.
Not saying it doesn't happen tho', but not seen it.

Switching routers to 5Ghz wont' solve any issues with your L6 gear if your other connecting devices - iPad, iPhone, Android, etc. don't support 5Ghz connections (we connect to our mixer for our IEM mixes). Plus, many "phones" are set to use the 5Ghz band for wireless when available. Yes, the router switch might free up some bandwidth in the 2.4 range, but it might create other challenges.

The "real" issue is the clogged frequency spectrum. There's a lot floating around the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands. Best you can do - without spending thousands on analysis equipment like the pros do - is to ensure as much channel separation as possible on your devices.

For my IEM's (Senn G3) I scan at each venue and pick an open ch/freq. Some venues have lots of TV station interference, but none of those are in the G-series range! Again, been a non-issue for us.
 
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Well, if anyone is interested in an update, I have one. I did a bunch of testing tonight. It turns out that as far as the sound quality issue goes, I did have the gain set too low on both of the Shure units. I was being way too conservative, and bumping both of them up made a world of difference in the thickness and sustain of the tone.

The other thing is that I think with the latest round of firmware updates, and me doing a bunch of pickup experimentation, and also being in 2 very difficult sounding venues (a tin shed and a tent) my ears were just too confused and fatigued at both gigs this last weekend. Plus the humidity was messing with my strings. Oh yeah, and the rain, but I digress.

The moral of the story… do I still hear a difference with the wireless units? Yes. But with the proper gain settings, it's minimal and I can live with it. To my ears now, the QLX is the better sounding unit. The G90 and GLX are pretty comparable. The cable settings on the G90 are helpful to tweak the tone, but I like the frequency options and the rechargeable battery on the GLX. But when all is said and done, QLX will stay in my main rack for now.

I'm going to have some fun and do a complete overhaul of my patches. I want to try some different amps, maybe try a few things that are out of my comfort zone just for fun. I'm going to dial in my patches while using the wireless this time. We will see if that helps.

Thanks everyone for the input.
 
Fro said:
The cable settings on the G90 are helpful to tweak the tone
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Yeah, but you can just as easily use an actual long cable to plug in your receiver, and then if you start having wireless issues you can simply unplug the cable from the receiver and plug it into your guitar.
 
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ccroyalsenders said:
You need the Shure ULXD4.

You're not going to like this, maybe (though you did say that money isn't an object), but if you're in a high-traffic area, you're going to need to shell out for the big guns. With wireless systems, you absolutely get exactly what you pay for.

Several years ago, I wanted to try wireless. I wanted to do it cheap/keep the costs down. I bought a mid-level Line 6 wireless. It was okay, but not great. And when it comes to signal path, okay just doesn't cut it.

I finally bit the bullet and got the ULXD4 last year. It is awesome in every way. If money really isn't an object, this is a no-brainer.
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I agree wholeheartedly, I went from cheap ones to Line 6, and eventually the ULXD4, I now have 3 units, and I've never had a better wireless unit......you do get what you pay for.
 
I had been using a g55 for years with no issues. It just required me to find an appropriate channel for wherever I happened to be, but once it was set I rarely had dropouts.

The kicker for me was that the most WiFi heavy area I jam at is my own neighborhood, and finding a good open channel could be difficult at times.

I recently jumped to the sennheiser evo digital unit... not enough time with it yet to really pass judgment, but it seems very reliable thus far.
 
Fro said:
Aside from the reception discussion, have you noticed a difference in the sustain of single notes with the GLXD? I need to give the GLXD another shot. I'll be doing some testing tonight. But the QLX and SLX both gave me single note sustain issues. It was very difficult to solo while using the wireless unit. I was constantly re-picking notes as the kept cutting off, something that wasn't happening with the Line 6. The reception was good with the GLX.
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No issues. I'm super picky about my 'thing' with tone, no issues using the GLXD.
 
I switched from a G90 to a Shur QLXDX4 couldn't be happier. I needed to get out of the 2.4 MHz spectrum. All the wireless units at the location we're interfering with it. I'm in the TV spectrum now.
 
Tone Collector said:
Shure ULXD4 -G-50 or J50? I'm new to this.
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Yes, me too! There seems to be four:- G50 470-534mhz. H50 534-598mhz. J50 572-636mhz. L50 632-696mhz,
Which one for guitar? Is there any benefit over the GLXD14? Which seems to be the dedicated guitar system on their website, the antenna looks much more sturdy on the glxd transmitter.
 
The Lectrosonics IS 400 is the only way to go are far as I am concerned it works and sounds amazing with my AXE 3.
 
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