If you are looking to buy wireless microphones and don’t know what to look for in the microphones you buy, then you have come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss the things that you might want to keep in mind while making the purchase.

First of all, a little brush up on the basics on how the wireless microphones work. All wireless microphone systems are generally made up of two components, a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is the part held or worn by the person using it, usually a speaker or a performer. The receiver collects the radio signals which are transmitted and converts them into audio. It then sends these audio signals to your mixer or power amplifier via cable.

Now, there are a number of questions that you need to ask yourself before making the final decision of choosing your wireless microphone system. Some of them are discussed below.

The first thing you need to ask yourself is the number of channels that you require. If you buy a system that only has two or three channels and you realize later that you need to run five systems simultaneously, you’ll find yourself in a little bit of a tight spot. It is important to make sure that you buy the system that fulfills all your systems’ requirements.

The second thing you need to keep in mind is the range. This means the distance your receiver will be at from your receiver to successfully catch all signals without distortion. If you are going to be using the system in a crowded place, there are bound to be obstacles in the way. In this case it is recommended to choose a system with twice the range that you will actually be using it at. For example if you wish to operate from a 100 ft. Choose one with the range of 200ft.

It is important to keep the frequencies in mind. Your receiver receives the radio signals at a specific frequency. Radio waves are transmitted by other appliances as well. It is also possible that someone else might be using their own wireless microphones systems near you, which could cause the signals to cause interference. The receiver frequency is usually printed at the back of the receiver, so make sure that you choose a receiver with a frequency that does not cause any interference.

Lastly you have a choice between the analog and the digital system. In theory, digital systems should provide less noise and longer ranges with a better frequency response but it is important to remember that it is not the case. These systems are usually more expensive and people tend to think they are better as compared to analog systems. In reality, the analog systems are rated much higher than the digital systems. There is one major difference between the analog and the digital systems. If you want to encrypt the signal, you cannot do so while dealing with analogs and you have to switch to digital.

Let us take a look at few examples of different wireless microphone sets just to give you a few choices.

Sennheiser XSW 35-A, manufactured by Sennheiser, come at a price for $400 with the following features.

• Mic frequency response: 80Hz to 16kHz
• Receiver frequency - can be bought in the following UHF bands:
  • A: 548MHz to 572MHz
  • B: 614MHz to 638MHz
• Range: Up to 250 feet
• Balanced XLR and non-balanced 1/4" output
• 12 coordinated channels in each of the 8 frequency banks
• Rack mountable 1U (half-rack)

Shure SLX24/SM58, manufactured by Shure, come at a price of $599 with the following features.

• Mic frequency response: 50Hz to 15kHz
• Receiver frequency - can be bought in the following UHF bands:
  • G4: 470MHz to 494MHz
  • G5: 494MHz to 518MHz
  • H5: 518MHz to 542MHz
  • J3: 572MHz to 596MHz
  • L4: 638MHz to 662MHz
• Range: Up to 300 feet
• Balanced XLR and non-balanced 1/4" output
• 12 channels available in all areas with up to 20 channels in regions that allow it.
• Rack mountable 1U (half-rack)