Originally Posted by
Colin Cool
QWM11 V ii review.
Did you know that if you want to use a wireless microphone for professional use you need a wireless microphone license for certain uses. Anything not for home use needs to follow OFCOM guidelines. There are three free to use channels (bands of frequencies) and two shared usage channels you can use anywhere in the UK with a 12 or 24 month licence, plus a plethora of other channels available to programme makers (Radio, Internet, TV and Special Events such as a music festival) that only cover a small usage area as long as they don’t interfere with other services (e.g. emergency, maritime, TV station or other Pre-booked special events). The latter channels are on a pay per event basis, booked in blocks of 24 or 48 hours, as opposed to a shared annual licence and over the course of several weeks work out extremely costly and above the budget of small users like DJ’s or Karaoke operators.
I’d been looking for a wireless microphone for a couple of months, as I’m getting back into DJing at the age of 60. Budget was small. I’d bought mainly 2nd hand named gear (Citronic amp) AT and Numark Turntables, Peavey mixer and Technics CD players. After lots searching (mainly due to the fact that most of the unbranded budget wireless microphones on Amazon were illegal to use in the UK due to the frequencies used), I decided to order the QWM11 V ii. In my first itineration as a DJ I’d progressed from a cheap AKG,to an Altai which though it was budget at under £20.00 in 1987, sounded clear but needed more bass, a cheap Shure (bought in a fire damage sale for £15.00 a couple of years later) followed by a fantastic Audio Technica bought used for £20.00, and finally a Sure SM58 wireless kit bought used for £200.00 (they were £400.00 new at the time).
In the UK the three free to use frequencies are 173-175Mhz VHF frequencies (the original frequencies from the 80’s and 90’s (now used for older equipment), Channel 70 (863-865Mhz) and 2.4 GHz (also used for wi-fi and therefore prone to interference). The shared channels are Channel 38 (606-632 MHz) which come under the one PMSE (Programme Making and Special Events) license. US legal frequencies are usually in the 500-600Mhz range which is reserved for TV/film or Special events, and for Mobile DJ’s and Karaoke operators in the UK these are illegal, and if you’re caught using them without the correct license you face a hefty fine or jail time.
The microphones in the kit are clones of the Shure microphones GLXD2+, that sell for £281.00 without a receiver (Sold Separately). They really look the part without a windshield on. I’ve always loved the timeless look of the Shure wireless mics (and the SM/Beta 58’s as well). The box includes the two microphones, a twin microphone receiver with two balanced XLR outputs rated at 400mv and an unbalanced quarter inch Jack output and a switching power adapter. A jack to jack lead completes the package, but there are no XLR cables or foam windshields included. You can get cheap XLR to XLR cables on Amazon and Temu (Iz-Clive on Temu do a sturdy balanced lead for £3-£4.00 which sounds great and are well made and thick (I use one). Balanced XLR outputs sound a lot better than the unbalanced quarter inch Jack outputs, which is why kits with XLR out sound much better than the budget microphones of 15 or so years ago. With the XLR outputs and inputs there's significantly better sound quality and zero handling noise. Using the provided unbalanced 1/4" jack to jack through a quarter inch mixer input (Neutronik) was terrible. Handling noise was an absolute abomination, and at the same settings as using the XLR to XLR cable, was clearly obvious. The sound quality was much rougher as well. The only conclusion I could make is that it's essential that you use XLR if you need the best quality.
The receiver box has two antennae, one for each mic, seperate volume controls, signal strength, mic on and a signal being received indicator, and the frequency indicator (one for each mic). Everything on the display is fixed, nothing changes, apart from the lights that show when a mic is connected and when it’s working). Even the signal strength indicator is at full strength with no mics switched on. The display on the microphones is also a fixed backlit LED display, that never changes. There’s no battery life indicator on it. They take 2 AA batteries per microphone. The only difference between the two mic displays is that one says A and Channel 0001, the other says B and Channel 002, and obviously the frequency shown on each mic is different. The box is more than adequate for the job, but it’s not as well built as the all metal boxes most Chinese wireless mics use but is up to the job. It’s really easy to stop up, and there’s no connection problems as the box and mic are both tuned to the same frequency so it just works well. My old SM58 had a plastic box all those years ago.On the face of things it seems to be a decent package, but is it? About 10 years ago I bought my daughter a cheap £20.00 wireless mic for her karaoke machine. On that machine it sounded ok, but when I tried it on a proper P.A. rig through a pair of powered Mackie speakers it sounded really tinny and susceptible to bad feedback, and I was decided not to use it. The thought running through my mind was “Would the QWM 11’s would sound just as bad, and would the sound keep dropping out”? They are the cheapest Twin Wireless Microphone kits in the UK at the moment and can be bought for £69-79.00.
License fee wise, A Channels 38 yearly license costs £75.00 a year if booked online, or £85.00 for a two year license. Channels 38 has the largest bandwidth (which means it can fit more users in, which in turn means there’s a lot less chance of interference than the free frequencies). 2.4 GHz is particularly prone to mobile phone/internet interference, especially if your venue has free WiFi.
So that leaves Channel 70. Whist there’s hundreds of excellent quality Radio Mics on Amazon UK, most are dedicated the American frequencies. The Major manufacturers like Shure, Senhieser and AKG all make Channel 70 mics for the UK, but they are expensive. There are about a couple of dozen of the cheaper lesser known models on Amazon, and a few more on the specialist DJ and Music websites, and are more expensive than their Chinese counterparts feature for features that are illegal to use in the UK
There were three big plusses and two main drawbacks for this kit. Firstly, it was a licence free frequency in the 863-865 MHz band which is free to use in the UK. Secondly, it came with it's own padded plastic carry case, and thirdly, it was the cheapest UK licence free twin wireless microphone. The first (minor) drawback is the fact it’s plastic bodied, though it's quite chunky ABS plastic, and the thread on the battery cover is not those thin threads that can easily rip, but are 3mm approximately which makes them much harder to rip. The second drawback is that it's a fixed frequency kit which although it works well 99% of the time the, there are the odd function suites with more than one room which can cause problems if the DJ or band are on the exact same frequency as this. There are license free kits with up to 20 switchable frequencies per mic, which is good as you can retune your way out of trouble. The microphone capsules are copies of the famous SM58 capsules but with a sticker on it that says the warranty is void if it's removed. They are marketed as replacements for the real thing on Amazon and cost around £10-12.00 for TWO! Surely the answer to the sound quality question I posed earlier must be a resounding no?
The mics are clones of the Shure GLXD2+ micropnes, that sell for £281.00 without a receiver – that’s sold separately). They really look the part without a windshield on. I've always loved the look of the Shure wireless mics (and the SM/Beta 58's as well) and you’d swear they were the Shure’s, as they look exactly the same, right down to the colour, apart from the display and the large green Q Audio logo.
The box includes the two mics, a twin microphone receiver with two balanced XLR outputs and an unbalanced quarter inch Jack output. A jack to jack lead is included, but there are no XLR cables included. You can get cheap ones on Amazon and Temu (I-Clive on Temu do a sturdy balanced lead for £3-£4.00 which sounds great and are well made (I use one). The receiver has two antennae, one for each mic, seperate volume controls which are very small (compared to other boxes), rear mounted (not front), and fiddly to adjust to the correct volume, signal strengthwhilst the mic on and a signal being received indicator, and the display for the frequency indicator (one for each mic) are all found on the front panel. Everything on the display is fixed, nothing changes, apart from the lights that show when a mic is connected and when it's working). Even the signal strength indicator is at full strength with no mics switched on. On the face of things it seems to be a decent package for the price, but is it? About 10 years ago I bought my daughter a cheap £20.00 wireless mic for her karaoke machine. On that machine it sounded ok, but when I tried it on a proper P.A. rig through a pair of powered Mackies it sounded really tinny and susceptible to bad feedback, and it was decided not to use it. The thought running through my mind was that QWM 11's would sound just as bad, and that the sound keep dropping out.
Due to time constraints I was unable to use them on my first gig back, so their first outing was on my second show. They were easy to set up. They feel great in your hand, and not too heavy. They take two AA cells and my battery of choice is Amazon Basics industrial alkalines, which are much cheaper than the one's advertised by the toy bunny with the black body and copper top. My mixer only had one input, so I'd bought an XLR splitter, to run the two balanced outputs into the one input. Would this degrade the sound.?
So once set up, it was time to gig the mics. They switched on and off without any noise like you get switching a normal mic on, not even the bump you get. I was expecting feedback, but that only happened at a very high volume when I was doing doing a quick setup test. They had wind filters on, so would that ruin the sound? Both in front of and behind the the speakers gave no feedback whatsoever. But what about the sound quality? Again it was excellent. The low notes were very much Shure like, but the highs were lacking that famous crisp Shure quality you get from the SM and Beta 58's. The lack of clarity wasn’t severe, and it was probably due to my mixer not having separate bass and treble controls for the mics. Turning the mixer’s mid range frequencies up a lot, but the Shure Clarity wasn’t there, not that you expected it from a budget radio microphone. The quality was better than youd probably expect with a budget twin microphone kit. With abetter mixer and no windshield I’m sure you’d be able to get it sounding much closer (especially in the high frequencies) to an SM/Beta 58 radio microphone.
The next test was to see how they worked together, with both being spoken into at the same time. My assistant had the second microphone. I’m pleased to say they passed with flying colours. The next thing I looked for was dropouts in the sound. There was nothing. Not a single dropout. A top notch performance so far. So I did a range test. At 40 feet or 12 metres away, the signal was rock steady. The claimed range is 150 feet or 46 metres, and I'm sure at 100 feet/35 metres this kit would manage it with ease. As it's not a 2.4GHZ frequency, wi-fi signals and mobile phone networks won't interfere with this setup, just other wireless microphone users in the odd.
So in summary, this is a well made piece of kit. It will be perfect for karaoke lovers and amateur singers just starting out, or DJ's and karaoke hosts on a tight budget but wanting to dip their toes into wireless microphones. It can be used as a main mic or for public speakingand conference suites. The battery life seems good, and you'll probably get two to four full evenings usage out of two AA cells. Sound quality is very amiable, though not on a Par with the expensive Shure or Senheiser microphones. With a quality setup you'll probably get better sound than I get with my basic setup. If you're looking for a cheap but decent price of kit, you won't go wrong with these.
PRO’S
Cheapest Twin wireless mic channel 70 kit in the UK.
Comes with proper padded carrying case.
Low battery drainage.
Easy Plug and play setup.
Good long range is suitable for most function suites/rooms,
Proper reciever box with good antennae and two balanced XLR connectors plus 1 unbalanced jack output.
Microphone output is very loud via XlR
Excellent sound quality, but not on a par with expensive branded mics.
CON’S
All plastic construction.
Fiddly volume controls.
Fixed Frequency so can’t change frequency to remove interference from other users on the same frequency.
No Mic windshield covers.
Update Jan 2025: I dropped on a used set of the other frequency kit (863.7 and 864.9MHz) for £42.00 on the CEX website. Listed as B Grade, it was actually A grade, and newer than my 6 months old kit. So for £111.00 I have a four microphone setup with an RRP of 160.00 saving me £49.00 against new.
Regards,
Colin.
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