In terms of range, the 500 series wins hands down, although the 100 series is still pretty impressive.
Rock-solid performance
Super easy setup
Impressive range
Will upset your vintage fuzz pedals and treble boosters
Creating a high-quality product suitable for the rigours of the road and yet still capable of producing an open and transparent sound aimed at giving an accurate representation of the original performance is no easy feat. However, this is exactly what Sennheiser have sought to achieve with their EW G4 100 and 500 Series Microphone System. Nick Jennison takes a closer look.
Sennheiser’s G3 range of wireless units has been the system of choice large touring productions, theatre companies and houses of worship for ages now, not to mention guitar players and vocalists with stadium pretensions, no matter the size of the venue. Their combination of rock-solid performance, easy setup and tour-proof construction make them hard to beat as a wireless solution.
Never ones to rest on their laurels, Sennheiser’s G4 range represents a significant update across the board. You can now happily run up to 12 systems, and setup is easier than ever. Hooking up both the 100 and 500 series was an absolute breeze - finding an open channel was a simple case of scrolling through the presets and pairing the transmitter using the infrared interface.
Of course, as guitar players, our biggest concern when shopping for a wireless is how it sounds. Comparing the G4 100 and 500 series units against a cable, there was a tiny touch of extra brightness and volume - comparable to running a buffer in line with your guitar. Winding up the gain on our test amp, both G4 units performed admirably with no real additional noise introduced. Using the volume to clean up the amp, the wireless units responded just like a cable - something less sophisticated units can struggle with because of over-aggressive companding. Plugging into a vintage style fuzz did upset the apple cart somewhat. Fuzzes, treble boosters and some germanium overdrives need to “see” a guitar’s output directly and get really nasty when confronted with a buffered output like the ones on the G4 units. This is pretty common with wireless systems, but fuzz users should be aware of this before they cut the cord, so to speak.
In terms of range, the 500 series wins hands down, although the 100 series is still pretty impressive. Either system will allow you more than enough wandering room to deal with any stage in the land, but if you’re playing stadiums (or maybe you need to, say, pop across the road for a sandwich mid-gig) you might want to opt for the 500 just to be sure.
The Sennheiser Evolution Wireless G4 100 and 500 series wireless units are super solid and easy to use. If you’re in the market for a wireless, be sure to check them out.
For detailed specifications, please visit:
We will never share your email without your prior consent. Please see our full Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
We will never share your email without your prior consent. Please see our full Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
