Product Review
Pulse PWM1 000UHF Handheld Wireless
Microphone System.
'The best budget handheld microphone we've
heard, and by a long way. Sound wise, this
system stacks up against wired microphones
costing much more, as well as wireless
systems many times the price.'
We must admit. We approached the idea of a sub £1 00ish
UHF handheld wireless microphone system with a degree of
scepticism. OK, it might be alright for speech, DJ, or MC
applications, but vocals? Nah. Can't be any good. That's the
sort of money people pay for a good wired mic, not a wireless
system.
Well, it's not often you come across a product that re-writes the
rule book, but Pulse may have just done that with this system.
The first thing we look for in a handheld wireless system,
certainly a system that's going to be used seriously for live
music vocal applications is the quality of the microphone
capsule. The PWM1 000UHF-HH employs a dynamic
microphone capsule and we have to say, it sounds great! It's
got a really nice warm 'bottom end', but it sounds crisp and
clear without any 'muddiness' or frequency 'honks'. At this
point, we decided to break out our hire department's entire
wireless and wired microphone inventory, just to compare and
see just how good this mic capsule was. We struggled to find
anything that significantty out-performed it in either a wireless
of wired microphone. One of our favourite wired dynamics
perhaps offered a slightly warmer, maybe a fractionally more
balanced kind of sound. But it was all pretty marginal. I think
the only real criticism of the mic was that it might be a little too
crisp and a little 'clinical' sounding. Users may find themselves
rolling back a little of the top end and high mid. But all in all,
really nothing to grumble about.
In terms of the wireless system details, the PWM1 000UHF-HH
operates in the 863Mhz - 865Mhz frequency range so you
don't need a license and you have a choice of 8 frequencies
within that range. So if someone in the vicinity is using your
frequency, you can move over to one of the other 7. It's what's
known as a 'frequency agile' system. The system employs a
PLL (phase locked loop) diversity system with the receiver
sliently switching to the aerial with the strongest signal. This
maximises signal reliability, and is not always found on
systems in this price range.
The required frequency is set via LCDs on the transmitter and
receiver and is very simple. We liked this. There are systems
out there employing IR frequency setting systems whereby the
frequency is set on the receiver and can then be transmitted to
the transmitter via the Infra-Red frequency band. We tend to
think this is rather unessasary and really complicates matters
more than anything, particularly in multiple mic systems.
So we were happy to see a simpler system employed here.
Something we really liked is that the blue blacklight turns on
when you start adjusting the frequency and autpmatically goes
out after a few seconds when it detects no button pushes. This
feature not only maximises battery life, but it also prevents any
light distraction from the transmitter. Nice touch.
PWM1 000/2000UHF Rack Kit
Gigging Musician
Other front panel features include an RF light that tells
you when the receiver is 'seeing' the mic transmitter and
an audio LED that tells you when audio is present.
Finally, there is a simple output level control. This has
caused slight confusion because it only seems to affect
the level from the jack output (jack and XLR are
available.) The XLR output seems to be fixed. It's also
quite high. We don't envisage this as a problem when the
system is employed with reasonable quality mixing
console with a large range of gain control, but it might be
an issue when used with PA heads, etc. If you need a
lower output then a jack - XLR cable can be employed.
The receiver is powered by a supplied external power
supply and the transmitter requires two AA batteries.
Access to the battery compartment is via a simple
threaded section at the bottom of the mic. Again, quick
simple and easy. Quoted battery life is 8 hours.
Physical attributes of the system are a nice quality metal
receiver with dual detachable aerials which are great for
easy transportation. The transmitter might be considered
a little lightweight and plasticky, but the grill seemed
pretty sturdy and handling noise wasn't a problem.
Finally, the whole system is supplied in a really nice foam
compartmentalised ABS carrying case which is a really
nice touch, and there is also an affordable, simple
rackmount kit available. This is supplied with aerial
mountings and cables, so your aerials can be
permanently mounted on the front and pivotted flat for
transportation. So no problem for users wishing to make
a PWM1 000UHF-HH system part of a pre-wired rack of
equipment.
The PWM1 000UHF-HH is a really well thought out, easy
to use, reliable handheld wireless microphone system
that deserves to become the 'system of choice' in this
price range. The quality of the microphone sets it apart
from anything else around, and the system electronics
ar e the right blend of functionality and simplicity. The ABS
case and the optional but inexpensive rackmount kit are
real bonuses. Highly recommended. Just watch out for
that fixed level XLR output.
Those requiring more than one mic may like to know
there is a dual channel version of this system that
represents even better value. Two transmitters, two sets
of outputs, two level controls, etc. At time of publishing,
these were available around £1 60. This is the
PWM2000UHF-HH
Other system variants include dual channel
handheld/lapel+headset systems as well as a single
channel headset/lapel system.
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