### UPDATE ###
It turns out you CAN use this system for electric instruments, like an electric guitar, but it requires a bodypack made especially for electronic instruments. You can purchase the 401X system here with guitar packs or you can buy them individually through Nady’s website as I don’t see them listed here. The model is the WGT 15 VHF Guitar replacement bodypack.
### ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW ###
You get a lot of bang for the buck with this VHF system. It is a 4-channel system that comes with 2 handheld microphones and 2 wireless packs that you can plug the included lavalier microphone or included headset microphone into. You can also plug in pretty much any source you want with a 3.5mm cable.
Each of the microphones and packs is set to a VHF channel. In my case, the channels are A – 171.905MHz, B – 185.15MNz, D – 209.15MHz, and N – 197.15MHz. You cannot change the frequencies of the microphones or the packs so if you happen to run across a noisy frequency that can be a bit of a drawback.
I found the range with the included antennas to be pretty good. Had no problem using them anywhree in my basement and even taking a pack across the house and up a level into my office provided a fairly strong signal. This is VHF so it’s possible to get drops and some interference if you’re near different types of electronic equipment. In my basement, I thought it did a really nice job considering the interference it could possibly have. You can hear a few points during the review where there is a bit of a high-frequency sound but it’s fairly quiet and did not interfere with the audio.
Each channel acts independently of the other and you can either use a single photo plug out of the back or you can use individual XLR cables out of the back for each channel. If you use the XLR outputs, as I did in the video, the volume knob on the front of the unit will not have any effect on the sound. It acts simply as a pass-through in this mode and you control the levels at your mixer or channel strip. If you use the photo out the volume knobs are active and the unit acts as a basic mixer for the 4 channels.
In the video, I am using one of the lavalier microphones clipped to my t-shirt. The microphone is connected to one of the wireless packs which transmits the signal to the rack-mounted receiver. From there, an XLR cable routed the signal to my DBX channel strip which provided some compression and a noise-gate.
One thing I neglected to mention in the video is that all of the wireless devices require a 9V alkaline battery to operate. I tested using these batteries from Amazon and they worked great – [[ASIN:B00MH4QM1S AmazonBasics 9 Volt Everyday Alkaline Batteries (8-Pack)]] I have not been really good about timing each unit but the specs of about 20 hours per battery seem accurate.
Overall I thought the audio quality on the unit was excellent. It’s by no means perfect, but more than good enough for everything short of professional audio recording. I’d highly recommend it for people doing things like making YouTube videos or for performances like church choirs and the like. The main thing to watch out for in VHF interference in the frequencies the units use. If you have clear channels you’ll get good results.