IEM -> Speaker Alternative

[Ard]

I'll often do the trick of plugging an In-Ear-Monitor into a small battery powered speaker for anything that needs to be portable from mains-power (ie: speaker inside of a fake baby).

Is this newish Sennheiser wireless product useable in that context? Looking to spec something for a lower budget fringe performance.

Mixer -> XLR-Transmitter -> Receiver with 3.5mm output-> Battery Powered Speaker.

It advertises "2.4 GHz digital transmission" for "presentations" which makes me feel like it isn't safe for anything mission critical, but then again I trust the Sennheiser brand.

Anyone have experience with these units?

 

[TimMc]

No experience with this specific Senny unit but I've got more 2.4gHz wireless mic failure anecdotes than I have time to relate.

Here's the deal: 2.4 will work until it doesn't, and that will be when you have the audience in the auditorium. It will work without issue (or only deceptively minor issues) in rehearsal. You will have a false sense of security and then it won't work when needed. To compound your frustration it will work after the show, before the show, and any time you don't have 800-2000 or more 2.4gHz transmitters in the seats. Then it will fail.

You may have 100% success (and I hope you do if you choose this unit) but my experience is 180 degrees opposite.

 

[DrewE]

Note that this is not an IEM system, but rather a wireless microphone transmitter and receiver. It's the same basic idea, a radio transmitter and a receiver, but the connections and their expected levels are quite different. If you do use it, you will need to put a suitable attenuator (or a direct box would likely work) between the mixer and the transmitter to bring the line level output from the mixer down to a microphone level.