Line 6 XD-V70 Digital Wireless Microphone System Review
Sometimes I take things for granted. I'm getting paid up front, the club will be packed, and my mic will sound great, right? Wrong. It's not always the case for any of those, but I can definitely help with the last. We had the pleasure of using the new Line 6 XD-V70 digital wireless handheld mic recently and discovered just how advanced wireless technology has become. Microphone reliability is of paramount importance, especially in a live environment. These days most artists rely on a wireless microphone so they can have a broad range of mobility without fumbling over mic cables. For as long as wireless microphone technology has been utilized there have been issues with RF interference, signal loss, frequency redundancies, and recently a limited range of frequencies in which to operate. The XD-V70 offers the perfect solution to all of these issues as well as offering some unique mic-modeling options to choose from. Check it. Physically Fit and Versatile The XD-V70 receiver is fully cased in metal and conveniently has 1/4" and XLR outputs located on the back. There are also dual detachable antennas, with the option for remote antenna usage. The built-in loop-through antenna distribution system eliminates the need for additional external units. This saves rack space and potentially hundreds of dollars in additional expenses. Plus, it provides DC power to operate paddle antennas. The display boasts a bright LCD display and separate LED levels for audio signal, battery life, and RF signal. There is also a select knob for channel and frequency adjustments. The handheld microphone has a very solid metal construction, with a high quality cardioid capsule. The capsule is removable so you can switch it out with any compatible capsule of your liking. The system is very pro and definitely tour and road ready. Witness The Strength XD-V70 is outfitted with digital models, or detailed sonic reproductions, based on six top live-sound mics including a Shure SM58, Beta58, a Sennheiser e 835 and more. With the touch of a button on the microphone shaft, you can select a model to fit your voice, your venue, or the rest of your rig. Digital modeling is what Line 6 is all about and the ability to do it with this microphone truly sets it apart from the rest. The XD-V70 has 24-bit digital conversion and utilizes the 2.4 gHz IHM band, which is license free, so it is good to go in North America as well as oversees. It also employs frequency diversity to keep your signal free of interference. That means that your signal is transmitted over four different frequencies – other wireless systems transmit over one. The XD-V70 digital wireless microphone systems excel, even in hostile RF environments. For more details on this check out the Line 6 fan page here. When we plugged it in we first noticed how extremely quiet it was when we turned it on. There wasn't a loud "click" heard from the PA when we switched it on and off either. The mic itself has a great weight and feel to it, but there was absolutely no handling noise. When we spoke through the mic it was completely transparent and very crisp with an amazingly high output. This is because the XD-V70 does not utilize companding in the digital process. My input and output gain remain at an astounding 115dB frequency range unlike other wireless systems compress the output signal to about 50dB. The mic just sounded great. We walked through the studio and the offices where others operate bluetooth and WiFi devices and still had no issues with interference or signal degradation. Line 6 states the XD-V70 system has a range of 300 feet, but we still had clarity and signal just beyond that right outside our building. I don't foresee ever needing to crowd surf to the back of the venue with my wireless mic, but it's good to know I have that option with the XD. Surf's up! Can you hear me now? The Verdict The Line 6 XD-V70 has the goods. It's technologically superior, it sounds great in a hostile RF environment, and it offers versatility with a switchable mic capsule and incredible digital mic modeling. We were very impressed particularly with the range and clarity of the mic, but most of all the options for mic modeling. You would think that it's price tag is just as designer as it's features and quality but it is priced very competitively at under $500. Please check out the website for more details and awesome pricing on this and many other products. Until next time, happy gigs! Transcript:
Hey, what’s going on this is Scott Magno, DJ MadFlip here with UniqueSquared.com.
I want to talk to you about a really interesting product. This is the Line 6 XD-V70 digital wireless microphone system.
Now, we don’t really talk about wireless mics, but it is an essential part of DJing, and live performance and this is one. The technology within is just something we really want to cover here at UniqueSquared.
What we have here is a digital wireless, handheld microphone system, and what separates this is a couple of different things.
First of all, what we’ve got is a wireless microphone, just metal casing, very sturdy, really roadworthy. Both this operates at 2.4 gigahertz, which is a lot higher than a lot of the wireless microphones out there.
You know, what this means, is that since it operates at 2.4 gigahertz, we actually have four different frequencies per twelve channels operating there.
So this operates license free, this is a microphone that you can use in the United States and internationally without having to worry about having any kind of interference in that frequency range.
What really makes it unique is that it has an incredible clarity, it has an incredible gain, and the reason why, is that we have something in wireless microphones called companding.
It takes your input signals, compresses them, and then your output signal is going to be about 50 DB, where your input would be about 100 DB in a dynamic range.
Well the XDB 70 takes about 120 DB at the input, and then it doesn’t compress it at all, it actually has 120 DB coming out.
It’s got a high range. We plugged this microphone and there was absolutely no interference, we didn’t hear any of that so a truly fantastic microphone.
It’s also made by Line 6, so they’re very popular with modeling microphones. You can actually select things on the front and then you can model some of the more popular microphones out there.
The Shure SM58, the Beta 58, the Sennheiser microphone, as well as lots of others from like, Audio Technica and also Electrovoice.
So really fascinating, but even if those microphones don’t suit your fancy, you can take this off and then you can actually change the capsule with a compatible capsule of your own.
So if you’ve got your favorite microphone in that kind of environment, you can slip that in and use that with this microphone. It really truly is an incredible product.
I think it’s one that you’re going to start to see a lot more, a lot of people are using them.
It’s priced right, truly fantastic microphone.
So the Line 6 XD-V70 digital microphone system, it’s truly amazing, you should check it out.
Any other questions about this microphone, hit us up at UniqueSquared.com. Check out our blog as well and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and on Facebook. This is Scott Magno DJ MadFlip. Be you, be unique, at UniqueSquared.com.