Small, affordable wireless audio systems are great.
They make it easy to get high quality sound and put wireless audio- something
that used to be prohibitively expensive- within the reach of just about anyone.
But new models are released on what feels like a near monthly basis,
and despite all the nifty features and capabilities introduced, every
single one of these systems, as far as I'm aware, has a glaring issue.
So let's get tangled up in the problem with all these wireless systems.
I don't like making negative videos, so even though I am sharing
a complaint here, my goal is to explain and contextualize it.
as clearly as I possibly can, and try to offer some sort of a solution.
So what is this problem that I'm talking about?
All of these small wireless systems, and boy, there sure are a lot of
them, have some really cool features, from built in 32 bit float recording,
and microphones that are embedded within the transmitters themselves,
to dual transmitter capabilities, and smartphone app integration.
These things can do a lot.
But the one thing they can't do, and the one thing they're not
designed to do, is last a long time.
And I don't mean that they don't offer great battery life.
What I mean is that no matter which system you buy, RØDE, DJI,
Deity, Hollyland, something else, whatever, none of them, as far as I'm
aware, have replaceable batteries.
But if they get good battery life already, why is that even a problem?
Most of these wireless systems are fast charging, with long lasting batteries,
and newer versions Even offer charging cases, so they're pretty much always ready
to go in case you ever want to use it.
But, despite what any pink drumming bunnies might say, their batteries don't
keep going, and going, and going, forever.
A lot of variables play into overall battery health and all the different
devices that we have these days, but in general, the small lithium
batteries That are in these systems can really only stay optimally
healthy for like a couple of years.
So, forgive me if I'm a bit charged up over this issue.
After the batteries age, or after they go through a lot of charge
cycles, their capacity diminishes.
Which makes the whole wireless system less reliable and less useful.
And more likely to just end up in the trash.
Because sometimes, like with my dei Oh!
Deity system here!
If they're not used for a long time, the batteries in these things can
deplete beyond the point of no return.
So this system, which works great, or is capable of working great, is actually
entirely dead because it spent just a little too long sitting in a drawer.
And sadly, that's the fate of all of these really awesome systems,
whether it's diminished battery life that makes them impractical to
use, or totally dead batteries that make them impossible to use, even
if This is why it's so frustrating.
Even if the transmitter and the receiver are in perfect working condition,
all of the components inside, all the microphones, all the fancy good technology
inside, even if that's in perfect working condition, they become totally useless.
Once the battery's health fails.
So that's the problem.
That's why it bothers me so much.
Is there a solution to this problem?
There, there really is.
It's a really simple solution.
And I know you might even be tempted to go, Well, Tom, what
about something like an AirPod?
Or all these other devices we have that have built in non changeable batteries.
And my answer is, that also sucks.
Like, I wish they didn't.
I wish those devices had batteries you could replace.
Because that would make them last longer, and reduce a ton of e waste, and reduce
expense on you and I as customers.
But, when it comes to wireless audio systems specifically, in the past, if you
bought a wireless mic system, you could expect it to last for years and years.
In fact, right here, I've got two professional level UHF
transmitting wireless systems.
I have the Sennheiser EW-DP and the Deity Theos.
So this is my thesis on the Theos.
The downside, of course, to these more professional systems is the price.
At the beginning of this video I said wireless audio used to
be prohibitively expensive.
The Sennheiser has an MSRP of $700, while the Deity, noting that it does have dual
transmitters, has an MSRP of $1,100.
This makes them way more expensive, these UHF systems, than all of these 2.
4 gigahertz systems over here.
And that topic right there, UHF versus 2.
4 gigahertz, is it's something I want to do in a separate video because that's
a really important thing to consider.
But while I totally understand that the higher end features, the improved
reliability, and the ability to transmit via UHF is not something
I can realistically expect at the price point of the smaller 2.
4 gigahertz system and just for reference the most expensive one that
I have and I think the most expensive one available right now is the Rode
Wireless Pro, which is a two transmitter system, and it has an MSRP of $400.
That's the most expensive one.
You can get other ones, you know, like the Deity one is relatively
inexpensive, or the Hollyland one, you can get some for $100 to $150, the DJI
one in the $200 to $300 price range.
So $400 is kind of the max price point for these systems.
But even with that in mind, there's really no reason that these cheaper
wireless systems Can't have some kind of replaceable battery whether it's a lithium
battery that you have to get directly from the manufacturer Or something more
traditional like this alkaline trio.
I'm holding right here or a combination of the two.
Because, for example, this is my Rode VideoMic Pro Plus that I got in 2018.
It has a removable battery.
It has a lithium ion battery from Rode that's right here, but you can also just
put AA batteries right in here as well.
So it can use a proprietary battery or widely available,
super easy to use batteries.
So, as the Pro Plus' name implies, that is a huge plus.
Because it gives this mic a much longer lifespan and I can always replace the
battery any time And I never have to worry about forgetting to charge it
because even in the worst case scenario where this battery is totally dead
I can just go get double a batteries from like any convenience store pop
them in the microphone and I'm ready to go with these systems if I forget
to charge them I'm just totally out of luck and I have to wait to charge them.
But once the batteries start failing or totally go dead, there's nothing
I can do I can't replace the battery.
Maybe I could try to take it apart and figure out what
battery's in here and replace it.
But that is beyond my repair skill and probably not something that you could
reasonably expect most consumers to do.
So I know that a lot of people do love these systems because of that
lower price point, but when you think of it that way That price benefit
kind of disappears pretty quickly.
By the time you've purchased two or three of these 2.
4 gigahertz systems, you probably could have just invested in a UHF system
that will last for years and years.
Because every UHF system that I'm aware of that I've ever used over many years
allows you to just replace the batteries.
Most of them just take AA batteries, some take AAA batteries.
In the case of the Sennheiser EW-DP, the receiver does have a lithium ion battery,
but just like with the Rode Mic, if this battery's dead, I can just pop in
some AA batteries and use it that way.
So that means since the battery is not an issue here, and the build quality is
reliable, and the internal components are so reliable, You can buy one of
these systems and expect it to last you just for many, many years to come.
So there are really two points I want to end with here because
I don't want to just complain.
I want to try to offer some sort of solution and just make this topic
maybe a little more talked about.
Point one is directed at audio companies.
Please, manufacturers.
Add replaceable batteries to your wireless audio systems regardless
of price point and whether or not they're consumer or professional.
Just let us change out the batteries.
And point B is directed at you, the consumer, right there.
Consider how often you use wireless audio and if you're frequently on those
wireless frequencies, really consider investing in a higher end UHF system.
There are a ton of benefits to these systems beyond just the battery
issue, and again, kind of like I said, that's something that's
probably worth its own separate video.
But I totally understand, at the same time, it might not be practical to
buy something like this if you're on a budget, or if you rarely use
wireless audio, these little 2.
4 GHz systems, I do think they're great.
I have a bunch and I use them all the time.
I definitely encourage anyone who does regular video production to have some
sort of wireless audio system in their kit because it does help you get better audio.
And as I've said many times, audio is half, if not more than half
of your overall video quality.
So anything that you can do to improve your audio.
is a really great thing.
And for me, even though I have several of these systems, and I do use them
very regularly because they're simple and they're super convenient, I'm not
going to buy any more until there's an option that offers replaceable batteries.
But speaking of things that I'm not going to not continue to
enjoy, does that make sense?
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