Anyone Happy / Frustrated with Rode Wireless Go II ???

[Off The Mark]

Would love any real world feedback from anyone who has used the Rode Wireless Go II system.

I am looking to buy a wireless lav system and in paper the Go II look like the best option out there.

I am not really a big fan of the SOUND of Lav mics, as far as I can tell (even when they have the rode Lav plugged in to the Go II), In fact, I much prefer the sound of my (cheap) saramonic CO2 in to my cheap Tascam recorder when compared to all the reviews of the Rode Go II. Maybe that's just because the reviewers don't now how to "do audio."

Heck, I much prefer the sound of my $30 takstar shotgun in to a zoom h1 when compared to the sound of the Rode Go II in pretty much all of the reviews I have seen.

But they just seem so dang convenient and the though of having an internal recording (in 32-bit) really seems helpful.

Any real-world experience appreciated.

 

[used5dsquared]

Would love any real world feedback from anyone who has used the Rode Wireless Go II system.

I am looking to buy a wireless lav system and in paper the Go II look like the best option out there.

I am not really a big fan of the SOUND of Lav mics, as far as I can tell (even when they have the rode Lav plugged in to the Go II), In fact, I much prefer the sound of my (cheap) saramonic CO2 in to my cheap Tascam recorder when compared to all the reviews of the Rode Go II. Maybe that's just because the reviewers don't now how to "do audio."

Heck, I much prefer the sound of my $30 takstar shotgun in to a zoom h1 when compared to the sound of the Rode Go II in pretty much all of the reviews I have seen.

But they just seem so dang convenient and the though of having an internal recording (in 32-bit) really seems helpful.

Any real-world experience appreciated.

I use the Tascam DR-10L Lavs and the quality is amazing. If you've used Tascam recorders before then you'll know the quality I'm talking about. Each unit has a built-in control menu and they're easy to set up, clip up and go. The lavs screw-down to the DR-10L and it records internally to a micro SD card. Each recorder can record a safety track at a lower decibel level too. They're not wireless but I have never experienced any clipping issues with them.

The Rode's will let you wirelessly monitor the audio but settings for each transmitter and receiver have to be changed using a phone app, which for me is a downside. The Rode's built-in mics are also a downside for me since I prefer the low profile look of lav mics and sometimes when filming wedding ceremonies it tends to rain and that built-in mic on top is like the hole in the Death Star, a vulnerability. And not being able to change out the batteries is kind of a bummer.

Just my opinion as I have not had any hands-on experience with them but did debate whether or not to buy them instead of the DR-10L's for my needs- a quick set up, a safety track, and they use regular batteries.

 

[Andrew S10]

I haven't used that unit, but I'll bump the thread, and include a few related thoughts.

Could you go into more detail about what you don't like about the sound in the reviews you've watched, e.g frequency response, self noise, sensitivity, etc.?

I remember watching reviews for the first Wireless Go iterations, where it only worked for shortrange line-of-sight situations, which is fine for most YouTubers, but not most production applications.

I don't think I'd use the transmitter's built-in mic, as I'd have better mic placement and more control over rubbing and handling noise with a lav.

Some lavs are better than others, and generally the more you pay the better the lav. The Sennheiser MKE 2 & Countryman B6 are widely used and well liked, but Oscar SoundTech makes good lavs for the money.

It goes without saying that lavs benefit heavily from equalization adjustments, so perhaps you could get satisfactory results by creating an EQ preset for the Rode lav mic.

 

[Off The Mark]

Would love any real world feedback from anyone who has used the Rode Wireless Go II system.

I am looking to buy a wireless lav system and in paper the Go II look like the best option out there.

I am not really a big fan of the SOUND of Lav mics, as far as I can tell (even when they have the rode Lav plugged in to the Go II), In fact, I much prefer the sound of my (cheap) saramonic CO2 in to my cheap Tascam recorder when compared to all the reviews of the Rode Go II. Maybe that's just because the reviewers don't now how to "do audio."

Heck, I much prefer the sound of my $30 takstar shotgun in to a zoom h1 when compared to the sound of the Rode Go II in pretty much all of the reviews I have seen.

But they just seem so dang convenient and the though of having an internal recording (in 32-bit) really seems helpful.

Any real-world experience appreciated.

I use the Tascam DR-10L Lavs and the quality is amazing. If you've used Tascam recorders before then you'll know the quality I'm talking about. Each unit has a built-in control menu and they're easy to set up, clip up and go. The lavs screw-down to the DR-10L and it records internally to a micro SD card. Each recorder can record a safety track at a lower decibel level too. They're not wireless but I have never experienced any clipping issues with them.

The Rode's will let you wirelessly monitor the audio but settings for each transmitter and receiver have to be changed using a phone app, which for me is a downside. The Rode's built-in mics are also a downside for me since I prefer the low profile look of lav mics and sometimes when filming wedding ceremonies it tends to rain and that built-in mic on top is like the hole in the Death Star, a vulnerability. And not being able to change out the batteries is kind of a bummer.

Just my opinion as I have not had any hands-on experience with them but did debate whether or not to buy them instead of the DR-10L's for my needs- a quick set up, a safety track, and they use regular batteries.

Thanks for the reply. I like the analogy with the Death Star. Yeah, I dislike the "look" of the transmitter units so I would probably at the least need to get some actual lav mics to plug in to at least hide them / reduce likelihood of rustling around.

 

[Off The Mark]

I haven't used that unit, but I'll bump the thread, and include a few related thoughts.

Could you go into more detail about what you don't like about the sound in the reviews you've watched, e.g frequency response, self noise, sensitivity, etc.?

I remember watching reviews for the first Wireless Go iterations, where it only worked for shortrange line-of-sight situations, which is fine for most YouTubers, but not most production applications.

I don't think I'd use the transmitter's built-in mic, as I'd have better mic placement and more control over rubbing and handling noise with a lav.

Some lavs are better than others, and generally the more you pay the better the lav. The Sennheiser MKE 2 & Countryman B6 are widely used and well liked, but Oscar SoundTech makes good lavs for the money.

It goes without saying that lavs benefit heavily from equalization adjustments, so perhaps you could get satisfactory results by creating an EQ preset for the Rode lav mic.

Basically, I don't like the frequency response of the Rode wireless go built-in transmitter mics. They sound kind of "dead" to me. I am NOT an audio engineer by any stretch of the imagination, but I would say that the built in mics tend to lack clarity in upper mid-range area.

Some reviews have plugged them in with better lav mics and they do sound SIGNIFICANTLY better than with the built in mics, but they still have something of that "omnidirectional" sound.

 

[used5dsquared]

Would love any real world feedback from anyone who has used the Rode Wireless Go II system.

I am looking to buy a wireless lav system and in paper the Go II look like the best option out there.

I am not really a big fan of the SOUND of Lav mics, as far as I can tell (even when they have the rode Lav plugged in to the Go II), In fact, I much prefer the sound of my (cheap) saramonic CO2 in to my cheap Tascam recorder when compared to all the reviews of the Rode Go II. Maybe that's just because the reviewers don't now how to "do audio."

Heck, I much prefer the sound of my $30 takstar shotgun in to a zoom h1 when compared to the sound of the Rode Go II in pretty much all of the reviews I have seen.

But they just seem so dang convenient and the though of having an internal recording (in 32-bit) really seems helpful.

Any real-world experience appreciated.

I use the Tascam DR-10L Lavs and the quality is amazing. If you've used Tascam recorders before then you'll know the quality I'm talking about. Each unit has a built-in control menu and they're easy to set up, clip up and go. The lavs screw-down to the DR-10L and it records internally to a micro SD card. Each recorder can record a safety track at a lower decibel level too. They're not wireless but I have never experienced any clipping issues with them.

The Rode's will let you wirelessly monitor the audio but settings for each transmitter and receiver have to be changed using a phone app, which for me is a downside. The Rode's built-in mics are also a downside for me since I prefer the low profile look of lav mics and sometimes when filming wedding ceremonies it tends to rain and that built-in mic on top is like the hole in the Death Star, a vulnerability. And not being able to change out the batteries is kind of a bummer.

Just my opinion as I have not had any hands-on experience with them but did debate whether or not to buy them instead of the DR-10L's for my needs- a quick set up, a safety track, and they use regular batteries.

Thanks for the reply. I like the analogy with the Death Star. Yeah, I dislike the "look" of the transmitter units so I would probably at the least need to get some actual lav mics to plug in to at least hide them / reduce likelihood of rustling around.

 

[Joe Lynch]

I used the original Rode Wireless Go until I lost a transmitter at a shooting range. I replaced it with a dual Hollyland Lark 150 system that I like much better anyway. But the main limitation with all of these 2.4gh systems is signal reliability. Close range with line of sight is usually fine, however. When I need wireless, the Lark 150 works great.

But I am a one man show and I tend to use a Tascam DR-10L and a Tentacle Sync Track E body pack recorders with lav mics taped under the bill of a ball cap for narration of shooting range videos. That positioning alone helps the audio quality a bunch compared to chest placement outdoors in the wind. The Track E is my main recorder and the DR-10L is backup now, but was my main recorder until the Track E became available. The Track E is phenomenal in a shooting range environment with the 32 bit capability.

I also have two Samson CO2's and a Tascam SGC 600 mics and prefer them or almost anything to a lav when it is practical to use them. I am also half deaf and have very low standards for audio!

Edit to add--The recording feature of the Wireless Go II makes it well worth considering as it gets around the main difficulty with wireless. But I don't think the Rode records in true 32 bit float like the Track E, could be wrong, but suggest you verify that. True 32 bit limits clipping unless the max SPL of the mic is reached, as in a close by gun shot.

Joe

 

[Off The Mark]

I used the original Rode Wireless Go until I lost a transmitter at a shooting range. I replaced it with a dual Hollyland Lark 150 system that I like much better anyway. But the main limitation with all of these 2.4gh systems is signal reliability. Close range with line of sight is usually fine, however. When I need wireless, the Lark 150 works great.

But I am a one man show and I tend to use a Tascam DR-10L and a Tentacle Sync Track E body pack recorders with lav mics taped under the bill of a ball cap for narration of shooting range videos. That positioning alone helps the audio quality a bunch compared to chest placement outdoors in the wind. The Track E is my main recorder and the DR-10L is backup now, but was my main recorder until the Track E became available. The Track E is phenomenal in a shooting range environment with the 32 bit capability.

I also have two Samson CO2's and a Tascam SGC 600 mics and prefer them or almost anything to a lav when it is practical to use them. I am also half deaf and have very low standards for audio!

Edit to add--The recording feature of the Wireless Go II makes it well worth considering as it gets around the main difficulty with wireless. But I don't think the Rode records in true 32 bit float like the Track E, could be wrong, but suggest you verify that. True 32 bit limits clipping unless the max SPL of the mic is reached, as in a close by gun shot.

Joe

Thanks so much for sharing your input. I really appreciate it.

Yeah, regarding 32-bit for the Rodes... I think that is for the INTERNAL recording, but I was watching TL;DR Filmaker and he mentioned the clipping, too (with Rode's own lav mic), so that is a concern.

I will look in to the Track E as well and the Lark 150. Thanks for mentioning them.

 

[John Vickers]

Would love any real world feedback from anyone who has used the Rode Wireless Go II system.

I am looking to buy a wireless lav system and in paper the Go II look like the best option out there.

I am not really a big fan of the SOUND of Lav mics, as far as I can tell (even when they have the rode Lav plugged in to the Go II), In fact, I much prefer the sound of my (cheap) saramonic CO2 in to my cheap Tascam recorder when compared to all the reviews of the Rode Go II. Maybe that's just because the reviewers don't now how to "do audio."

Heck, I much prefer the sound of my $30 takstar shotgun in to a zoom h1 when compared to the sound of the Rode Go II in pretty much all of the reviews I have seen.

But they just seem so dang convenient and the though of having an internal recording (in 32-bit) really seems helpful.

Any real-world experience appreciated.

Hi OTM -

I sent back the first WG2 set I received, because of problems with one of the transmitters.

A few notes on the problematic transmitter unit:

1. On arrival, I charged the two transmitters and the single receiver. The receiver and one transmitter appeared to charge normally, indicating full charge after a couple of hours. The problem transmitter first indicated full charge at about the same time as the good transmitter. But then, rather than continuing to indicate full charge, it cycled between "almost full" (three flashes) and "full" (steady LEDs) with a cycle time of about 30 seconds to a minute. This concerned me, as overcharging lithium batteries can be extremely dangerous.
2. I then spoke to [Redacted] - I believe - who suggested setting the transmitters and receiver running, to see how long they lasted.
3. The outcome of this test was:
4. 1. Receiver ran for more than 9 hours.
   2. Good transmitter (configured in uncompressed recording mode) ran for about 6 hours 14 minutes.
   3. Problem transmitter (also in uncompressed recording mode) ran for 9 minutes before stopping. On restarting it, without recharging, the receiver reported a full battery on this transmitter, but it ran for only 6 minutes. Restarting again, the receiver again reported a full battery on this transmitter, but it ran for only 3 minutes. Then 2 minutes.
   4. Connecting the problem transmitter to a PC, "RODE Central" reported the battery charge as 97%.

I have marked the problem transmitter with a small label.

Another, lesser, problem: Supplied USB cables are unreliable:

The supplied USB cables never seem to engage properly with the receiver or transmitters. Connection with the "Rode Central" program is unreliable. I had no problem with any other USB cable I tried.

Trying to make the supplied USB cables engage fully left me afraid of breaking the receiver and/or transmitters.

The problem does not appear to be with the connector in the receiver or transmitters.

Perhaps it would be better to not supply USB cables at all, if using the supplied cables is unreliable and/or risks damaging the receiver and/or transmitters.

The vendor said that they had spoken to Rode, and that Rode had said that they were experiencing a 10% [sic,!!!] battery failure rate.

Now I seem to have a problem with the replacement receiver: It seems to run flat when "off" in about a week. I can't think of where I've heard of that kind of problem before. Can you? While the replacement transmitters were at 99% and 97%, as reported by "Rode Central".

As for the audio quality, I might write about that later. I'm not an audio expert, and I'm not ambitious. I just want to record ordinary speech clearly and intelligibly.

I'm not trying to record Diana Damrau singingDer Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen! (I wish). She is the all-time best Queen of The Night. The hilarious part of that video - to me - is the way she unwinds after the end.

Best wishes,

John.

 

[Off The Mark]

Would love any real world feedback from anyone who has used the Rode Wireless Go II system.

I am looking to buy a wireless lav system and in paper the Go II look like the best option out there.

I am not really a big fan of the SOUND of Lav mics, as far as I can tell (even when they have the rode Lav plugged in to the Go II), In fact, I much prefer the sound of my (cheap) saramonic CO2 in to my cheap Tascam recorder when compared to all the reviews of the Rode Go II. Maybe that's just because the reviewers don't now how to "do audio."

Heck, I much prefer the sound of my $30 takstar shotgun in to a zoom h1 when compared to the sound of the Rode Go II in pretty much all of the reviews I have seen.

But they just seem so dang convenient and the though of having an internal recording (in 32-bit) really seems helpful.

Any real-world experience appreciated.

Hi OTM -

I sent back the first WG2 set I received, because of problems with one of the transmitters.

A few notes on the problematic transmitter unit:

1. On arrival, I charged the two transmitters and the single receiver. The receiver and one transmitter appeared to charge normally, indicating full charge after a couple of hours. The problem transmitter first indicated full charge at about the same time as the good transmitter. But then, rather than continuing to indicate full charge, it cycled between "almost full" (three flashes) and "full" (steady LEDs) with a cycle time of about 30 seconds to a minute. This concerned me, as overcharging lithium batteries can be extremely dangerous.
2. I then spoke to [Redacted] - I believe - who suggested setting the transmitters and receiver running, to see how long they lasted.
3. The outcome of this test was:
4. 1. Receiver ran for more than 9 hours.
   2. Good transmitter (configured in uncompressed recording mode) ran for about 6 hours 14 minutes.
   3. Problem transmitter (also in uncompressed recording mode) ran for 9 minutes before stopping. On restarting it, without recharging, the receiver reported a full battery on this transmitter, but it ran for only 6 minutes. Restarting again, the receiver again reported a full battery on this transmitter, but it ran for only 3 minutes. Then 2 minutes.
   4. Connecting the problem transmitter to a PC, "RODE Central" reported the battery charge as 97%.

I have marked the problem transmitter with a small label.

Another, lesser, problem: Supplied USB cables are unreliable:

The supplied USB cables never seem to engage properly with the receiver or transmitters. Connection with the "Rode Central" program is unreliable. I had no problem with any other USB cable I tried.

Trying to make the supplied USB cables engage fully left me afraid of breaking the receiver and/or transmitters.

The problem does not appear to be with the connector in the receiver or transmitters.

Perhaps it would be better to not supply USB cables at all, if using the supplied cables is unreliable and/or risks damaging the receiver and/or transmitters.

The vendor said that they had spoken to Rode, and Rode said that they were experiencing a 10% [sic,!!!] battery failure rate.

Now I seem to have a problem with the replacement receiver: It seems to run flat when "off" in about a week. I can't think of where I've heard of that kind of problem before. Can you? While the replacement transmitters were at 99% and 97%, as reported by "Rode Central".

As for the audio quality, I might write about that later. I'm not an audio expert, and I'm not ambitious. I just want to record ordinary speech clearly and intelligibly.

I'm not trying to record Diana Damrau singingDer Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen! (I wish). She is the all-time best Queen of The Night. The hilarious part of that video - to me - is the way she unwinds after the end.

Best wishes,

John.

Thanks very much for the input.

Wondering if the Panasonic engineers who designed the batteries for the S1 are now working for Rode???

 

[John Vickers]

[...]

Wondering if the Panasonic engineers who designed the batteries for the S1 are now working for Rode???

That's not a battery problem.

I think it goes something like this:

Software Team Leader: Boss, we think we know how to halve the power consumption of the S1, but we need another week to properly test the fix.

Pointy Haired Boss: Don't be silly. You all need to work on our new smart toothbrush.

(I'm more a hardware person).

 

[John Vickers]

Would love any real world feedback from anyone who has used the Rode Wireless Go II system.

[...]

Hi OTM -

I sent back the first WG2 set I received, because of problems with one of the transmitters.

[...]

The vendor said that they had spoken to Rode, and that Rode had said that they were experiencing a 10% [sic,!!!] battery failure rate.

Now I seem to have a problem with the replacement receiver: It seems to run flat when "off" in about a week. I can't think of where I've heard of that kind of problem before. Can you? While the replacement transmitters were at 99% and 97%, as reported by "Rode Central".

As for the audio quality, I might write about that later. I'm not an audio expert, and I'm not ambitious. I just want to record ordinary speech clearly and intelligibly.

[...]

I've used WG2 a bit more now, and I'm convinced that the receiver running flat was the result of me leaving it switched on, rather than any problem at Rode's end.

As for the sound, I'm very happy with it over wireless, and it's just a little better - to me - if I download the transmitter backup recordings. I'm no audio expert.

I haven't exactly stress tested the range - the longest range I've used might be 6m.

 

[robertfel]

I am not really a big fan of the SOUND of Lav mics

I like Curtis Judd's analogy. A boom mic 1-2 feet away sounds more natural because that's how we normally hear people. We don't usually put our ear on their chest. I prefer booms as well, it really isn't fair, since it's a much bigger mic capsule than a tiny lav.

But they just seem so dang convenient and the though of having an internal recording (in 32-bit) really seems helpful.

You can export the audio as a 32-bit file format, but it does not have the dual converters needed for real 32-bit float recording. It just saves you a step if you're working in a 32-bit environment with other files. Their marketing was not at all clear.

The Zoom F2 and Tentacle Track e have real 32-bit recording. I have the F2-BT just in case of UHF interference, NYC is getting very crowded spectrum-wise. It works great with my Zoom F8n and Atomos Sync modules for wireless timecode.

Any real-world experience appreciated.

The internal recording does no good during a live event/stream. I have a set for personal use and to loan friends that ask to borrow gear. I've tested it and it's fine in my apartment with routers, bluetooth, Amazon Echo and more. But it fails the microwave test, which I learned on a call while warming up my coffee.

I wouldn't use it for paid work since I have better UHF gear and my corporate clients are in a very 2.4G wifi intensive space. Yes, there's an internal recording, but if I can't monitor for clothing rustle, clanging jewelry or flailing hands hitting the lav, it's a non-starter.

They sound decent with Deity W.Lav Pro and Micro lavs. You really need to maintain line of sight, a person's body will block the signal from just 4' away.

If you have the money, go for a Sony UWP-D kit or the Sennheiser G4 512 with fantastic MKE2 mic.

 

[Rag and Bone]

You might want to look at the Curtis Judd review:

 

[Off The Mark]

You might want to look at the Curtis Judd review:

Thanks.

Yes, I have watched pretty much every review out there.

For audio gear, I pretty much respect Curtis Judd's opinion a lot.

The problem with reviews is that the reviewer wants to review as quickly as possible. So they don't usually cover long term issues.

My preference whenever possible is for real world experience.