Phenyx ProTrue Diversity Wireless Microphone System w/ 1000 Tunable Channels, Single Cordless Mic Set w/Auto Scan, UHF Professional Dynamic Microphone for Singing, Stage & Studio (PTU-1U)

I’m a sound tech with approximately 25 years of experience as well as a musician and singer in two cover bands. When I’m not performing, I’m providing sound for other bands in my area. I’m very comfortable on both sides of the sound console and know what I’m looking for in my equipment. I look for equipment that meets my needs regardless of the cost. It needs to be reliable and durable because I’m going to be carrying in and out of venues almost every weekend both indoors and out. In addition, it needs to have a reasonable set of features and in the case of microphones, they need to have a consistent and reasonably neutral sound before you introduce any eq, compression, etc.I've used a LOT of wired and wireless solutions over the years from every major brand and honestly this is one of the best values in wireless mics I've run across. The PTU-1 is comparable in features, quality, and sound reproduction to much more expensive units. Features considered; this unit matches very closely to the Shure SLX series which is currently 699.00. The biggest difference on paper appears to be the PTU-1 is an analog unit, and the SLX series is digital.Pros:- Solid all metal build quality- Good button layout and easy to read displays on both the handheld transmitter and receiver. The controls are very intuitive, and controls are well laid out.- Good neutral and consistent sound signature from the handheld capsule. Very similar to an SM58 but slightly darker.- Very good unwanted sound rejection from the sides, front, and distance from the capsule. Typical carotid pattern.- Comparable handling noise to the SLX and GLXD series. Wireless handling noise can be minimized by proper gain staging at every level. (You don’t want to turn the volume knob on these units all the way up. I’ve found that setting the volume at 9 O’clock gives me a very similar input level into my console as a wired dynamic mic allowing me to properly gain stage.)- Good wireless range and large available frequency options. I’ve been able to move around in venues with around 300 people very easily without signal issue using the included antenna mounted to the front of my rack with decent line of site.- Good battery life. I use Panasonic eneloop rechargeable batteries for years and I can easily get though a 5-hour gig without switching batteries.- GREAT feature set particularly the auto frequency scan and sync. This is VERY usefulCons:- Capsule CAN get a little muddy if you get right up on the mic with your lips. This is common for all carotid mics and this system is no different.- The capsule is screwed into the grill instead of the body of the mic. This makes cleaning the grill regularly a bit more time consuming. Since I work as a sound professional, I like to clean my equipment after each show, and I would prefer the capsule to stay with the base for easier cleaning.Bottom line is this is a fantastic unit and VERY reasonably priced. I’ve been carrying the PTU-7000 series for 3 years every weekend and they have proved to be very reliable and consistent. I wouldn’t hesitate to carry the PTU-1 and PTU-2 units either. Phenyx pro has earned my trust as reliable, well built, and reasonably priced gear. If you’re needing sound reinforcement for a local church, cover band, or small to medium sized venues, I recommend you give Phenyx Pro a look.

You could say I have a lot of microphones. You could also say I know a bit about RF, as I've made a career out of it, including a lot of antenna design and construction. I'm also a semi-pro musician and sound guy and recordist with a few decades of experience. No illusions, this isn't a $2k Sennheiser or Shure unit, but if you just want a standard wireless mic that feels good in the hand for general PA (speaking) use, you should consider it. In my application, a medium-sized class reunion in a large hall, it performed flawlessly. The required range was well over 100', perhaps 140' at the farthest I tested it, and I never noted any noise or dropouts throughout the event. The diversity receiver indicates when it changes between RF front ends, and it does so silently with grace. The power/mute control on the bottom of the mic is nicely out of the way of stray fingers, and the display only lights up on the hand-held for a few seconds when you change modes to conserve battery. Speaking of that, we had it running throughout the event, maybe 5 hours, with plenty of battery left, so it's not a current hog. As to interference, we did not experience any, but there is an RF level meter - you can easily change channels if you see any RF activity (with the handheld turned off, of course) and choose another, quieter channel. Pairing to a new channel is easy enough with the infrared pairing process (read the manual). If that is not enough gig security for you, invest $60 in one of the handy "tinySA" spectrum analyzers and make a sweep of the 500-600 MHz band at your venue before your event. That will tell you exactly where to drop in your wireless mic frequency to avoid nearby signals. Since we did not have any local activity on the frequency I was using (mid-band), I cannot speak to the possible intermodulation (interference from nearby channels) performance of this unit. I did however run the included antennas over a calibrated R&S Network Analyzer and both antennas are tuned resonant where they should be. :) This is key to any transmitters performance and yet some manufacturers go cheap on "close enough" antennas.The only real down sides I found were two fold -1. audio quality. This mic is bass-rich. Easy to EQ out, but it is a little lumpy in the bass region. This will make a lot of presenters sound more authoritative, but it's too warm on many voices. It also really exaggerates the plosives, so plan to use a foam windscreen. The downside to that is the foam will cut some highs, which are not all that present in the mic to start with.2. Some handling noise is definitely present. The mic capsule is not well isolated from the body, however this is pretty typical in lower-priced microphones, so no surprise there.I wanted to add a little foam inside the windscreen, but when I removed it the capsule stays within it by design. I might yet find a way in if I am careful and place a little extra foam in there to help with plosives.Overall a decent presentation mic, no latency that I could discern and reasonable performance for the price-point. I'd buy it again for any similar gig. By the way, the receive antennas are supposed to be 1/2 wavelength apart for maximum benefit from the True Diversity receiver. Here's a hint: in the 500-600 MHz band, that's around 25cm or 10". Leave the antennas parallel and vertical, and orient them so they are both in-line with the hand-held transmitter (not perpendicular). That means if you are looking at the front panel of the receiver straight on, the talent is far to your left or right, not behind the receiver. It seems counterintuitive until you analyze it....That will give the receiver the ability to listen to at least one antenna that's in a peak rather than a null, as they occur in free space every 10" (1/2 wavelength), in a circular pattern around the transmitter. If you see your talent at a distance directly BEHIND the receiver (or in front), both antennas will see the same null at the same time, which does not give you protection against dropouts. The idea is that at any time one antenna NEEDS to be radially 10" farther away from (or closer to) the talent than the other for this idea to work well . Little things make a difference, and understanding breeds success, even on a budget.