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Best Wireless ‘Bug’ Devices for Home Use


Deedee
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I’m looking to set up a small rig downstairs at home for occasional noodling. I don’t want wires all over the place, nor do I want to interfere with the WiFi (which my Line6 G30 seems to do).

What ‘bug’ type plug and play devices are you peeps using?

Cheers

Edited by Deedee
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I’m using the xvives mate. Be warned though they do seem to prefer a passive bass. They work fine with my status but don’t seem to like the shuker or sadowsky, there’s a high pitched Whitney noise. Nice and easy to use and charge pretty quick. I gig with them too   👍🏻

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16 minutes ago, Deedee said:

I’m looking to set up a small rig downstairs at home for occasional noodling. I don’t want wires all over the place, nor do I want to interfere with the WiFi (which my Line6 G30 seems to do).

What ‘bug’ type plug and play devices are you peeps using?

Cheers

Line 6 G10 excellent and exactly what I use it for

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5 hours ago, CameronJ said:

I use the Boss WL-20. Does what it says on the tin and perfect for casual/home use. I’d prefer something more robust and feature rich for proper live playing but at home and for little casual jams these little things are perfect.

Thanks for that. Which version do you have as a quick look online brings up both low and high impedance versions?

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My smoothhound is my live gigging wireless, and much better than the cheap wireless I use in the house, but it is bolted to my pedalboard and uses power. The advantage of the little cheap things is they are just two plugs that plug in and don't need any other power or hardware. You can move round the house, change amp, change bass, and I can play with my battery amp.

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12 hours ago, Deedee said:

Thanks for that. Which version do you have as a quick look online brings up both low and high impedance versions?

I’ve got the WL-20 “L” version, which doesn’t have any “cable tone”. It is definitely a bit brighter than a normal cable, which I find useful in some situations but you may not. If you want it to sound the same as a cable (which you most likely do) then just go for the standard WL-20.

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5 minutes ago, CameronJ said:

I’ve got the WL-20 “L” version, which doesn’t have any “cable tone”. It is definitely a bit brighter than a normal cable, which I find useful in some situations but you may not. If you want it to sound the same as a cable (which you most likely do) then just go for the standard WL-20.

Many thanks 👍

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ive got the Xvives and Boss WL-20

The Boss sound a bit better, less artefacts when the notes are dying off. I've only head this at home in a quite room when sitting in front of a rig. Never been a problem with the band though.

I did tend to favour the Boss for rehearsals and live use, as its a bit more robust as far as connection goes. My guitarist uses Xvives and he has had interference with his, while my Boss ones were fine. not a lot in in, but IME the Boss work a bit better.

Where the Xvives really win, especially (IMO) in the OP's case, is they have a proper on/off switch. As long as you aren't using an active bass and a pedal running on batteries you can leave them plugged in. The Boss ones have to be removed or else the battery drains more. I used to leave my Xvive plugged in to my Bass, even when its not being used and in its case, and the other end in my Stomp. I loved that i didnt need to plug anything in when i wanted to play bass, just switch on at each end.

I used to play sitting on the bed, which is against the other side of the wall that has our router on it. Never really had big issues with either system, although again, the Boss less so.

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I've previously used the first version of the Xvives,  and no problem with either passive or active basses, but after a couple of years, the internal batteries decided to no longer charge up, which was disappointing, considering i paid well over 100 quid for them.

I moved onto the Line 6 relay G75 which is so much better, and  wasnt much more expensive, but a thoroughly better system  IMO

 

line 6.JPG

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1 hour ago, fleabag said:

I've previously used the first version of the Xvives,  and no problem with either passive or active basses, but after a couple of years, the internal batteries decided to no longer charge up, which was disappointing, considering i paid well over 100 quid for them.

I moved onto the Line 6 relay G75 which is so much better, and  wasnt much more expensive, but a thoroughly better system  IMO

 

line 6.JPG

Yup I have one for sale atm too. I use the G70 and its epic

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On 30/11/2020 at 20:24, walshy said:

Yup I have one for sale atm too. I use the G70 and its epic

I have a G70 and g75. Excellent units.

I didn't plan on having both but I had a G70 and wanted a 2nd transmitter. Andertons were doing a cheap deal on the 75 that was the same price as just a transmitter on it's own!

 

Bug style is still easier for the house though.

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52 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

I have a G70 and g75. Excellent units.

I didn't plan on having both but I had a G70 and wanted a 2nd transmitter. Andertons were doing a cheap deal on the 75 that was the same price as just a transmitter on it's own!

 

Bug style is still easier for the house though.

Exactly what I did. I have 4 transmitters now, so selling my almost unused spare. I only need 3

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IMG_20201207_121552.thumb.jpg.4716b6ec5bdbedf372aadecae1b64966.jpg

It's the 5.8ghz model, the WS50. Plastic but feels as sturdy as you'd expect. Latency entirely unnoticeable (to me, others latency sensitivity may vary) bought (new) from ebay seller for just over 30 quid, arrived after a few days. 

I've been using it on and off for three days now and the battery shows no sign of dying. In a direct comparison with a quality cable there was no discernable difference in sound quality. 

I paired it with a line 6 g75, bug to pedal board, line 6 from pedal board to amp and the latency was there, no question, but the actual playing experience was like using a very, very small amount of echo. 

Playing live it would be as good as unnoticeable. Again, other people's sensitivity to latency varies. After a lifetime of gigging under all manner of different circumstances I've grown a fairly rugged shell and so minor niggles don't bother me in the least. When you've lost all sound on stage and are playing to what you can make of the front of house until the guys get it sorted, then you can talk about latency. 

Anyway, my very early take is that this is the best bang for your buck available, simply because it works, costs less than a pack of strings, and above all you are out of the 2.4ghz traffic jam. 

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The WL-20 finally arrived today and I’m very impressed. Only question is, why didn’t I buy one sooner?? No cables strewn across the floor, just plug-in and play.

Many thanks for all the advice folks. Greatly appreciated 👍

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