The Age of Wireless

A short while a go, I was contacted by Xvive to see if I was interested in the chance to review their U2 Wireless system.Of course as a wireless user already (Line 6 G30), I am full aware of the problems and shortcomings with using Wireless units live, so I was very keen to see what the new kid on the block had to offer and how it worked in a live situation. During the review period I used the unit at a series of gigs and at home in the studio (as well as doing the 'making a cup of tea' challenge'). I feel that this gave me a strong indication of the U2's abilities.NOTEI will state now (as I state in the video), I don't work for Xvive or the distributors, nor am I endorsed by them in any way. The review (as with all my reviews) is my simply my thoughts and opinions and nothing else (as you will know if you have seen any of my other videos), if I find a problem with a product I will let you know.

Cableless or wireless?

The first thing that struck me about the U2 unit (well, actually the first thing that struck me was that it came in a really nice box, and I like boxes!), was how light and small they are! The unit consists of a standard 1/4" jack and a bulb shaped, flattish transmitted and receiver. The shape means that they fit well with Strat style jack, and also on to a side mounted jack (e.g. Tele, Les Paul etc), I did have a concern for a moment that it might come flying out, but after trying to get it to fly out with some crazy guitar swinging antics, the unit stated firmly put. This put my mind at rest as my Line 6 transmitter pack has gone flying across the stage and into the audience on numerous occasions. So no worries on that point! The plastic was fairly robust and I am sure would last if treated with respect, if you are the kind of person that jumps up and down on your gear and treats it with contempt, then perhaps it might not be as robust, but then again you probably break a lot of gear!Firing up the units it was a matter of two button presses to get the to sync to the correct channel and I was a way. A series of flashing lights indicated which channel each unit was on and the process was extremely simple to assign each to the same channel. I should not that there are only four channels available in the band. This make be an issue for bands with a large amount of wireless gear which is operating with in a fixed band.

My concerns

I only had one concern about this unit before starting the review and that was about using rechargeable battery. NOW I will state strongly that this is my issue about batteries, I don't trust them after years of gigging and experiencing everything that can happen with batteries. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to quickly swap them for a new set should they go down. Again I will state that this is my issue and something which concerned me about the unit. BUT in hindsight this concern was not an issue at all. With the supplied double charging cable, there is no reason why these should ever go down. One thing is to get into the routine of charging them before a gig or leaving one of them permanently on charge on your pedalboard.Of course, I then came up with the perfect solution, connecting them to a USB power bank , there are so many was you could charge them using these, including leaving a battery connected. This to me seemed like the perfect solution. From that point on wards I never thought about the batteries again.....

But how long do they last?

I did a couple of tests on the battery life, during gigs and then a couple of tests where I left them on until the batteries died. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that they lasted 6-8 hours constantly on. That is really impressive! That will cover most gigs, if not 2-3 gigs with one charge. They also charged quickly when on charge!

Where do we go now?

Probably one of the most pertinent questions in relation to a wireless unit is....how far can I go before the signal cuts out? Now (bring on the internet hate!), given that most guitarists who don't use wireless units are probably using 3 or 6 metre cables (usually), I personally think that anything further than that is a bonus!! Please ask yourself HONESTLY about the stages you are playing on, be honest with yourself!! Are they that big? REALLY?To give you a point of reference, I play on very large stages and the occasional stadium, and the 30 metres of the G30 has never been tested. The one time where it can cut out, is if I jump down and go and check the FOH sound from the back of the room. If you are playing arena shows, and large venues as a point of course, I doubt you will be looking at this unit. You will no doubt be looking at integrated units to tie in with all the wireless signals floating around (IEMs as well). Just be honest with yourself and your requirements.Anyway, I did do the distance test with the U2, I would say going beyond 30 metres the unit did cut out, but there was a thick stone wall in the way as I went back stage. When the signal goes be prepared for an onslaught of horrible noise. I also did the 'make a cup of tea test', where I went downstairs to make tea in my house and the unit performed flawlessly with this test.

Cable tone

One thing that I found missing from the U2 was a 'cable tone' feature. This feature is on the Line 6 units and basically adds in some capacitance to mimic the effect on high frequencies of using a cable. Basically just a low pass filter circuit. If you haven't used wireless before you will probably be surprised at how bright your guitar can suddenly sound. Line 6 countered this with the option to switch in certain lengths of cable.This really isn't a big deal, you can just role off some of your treble on your amp, but I am mentioning it for completeness. I tend to like the duller sound of a cable, so I always have the cable tone switched in at it's maximum value! I am sure this wouldn't be a massive change should Xvive choose to add it to a future product (the U3?)

Conclusion

The biggest compliment I can pay to the Xvive U2 unit was that after my initial concerns about the battery life, I literally forgot about the unit, I didn't give it a second thought. The review unit performed flawlessly throughout the review period and all the gigs that I did during that period. I was sad to send it back, I will be seriously considering replacing my Line 6 G30 System with these in the near future. Perhaps I might even get two!! One from guitar to pedal board and then another from pedalboard to amp! No more cabling on stage!! That is pretty cool.Obviously, there is a consideration about how many channels the U2 has, but if you don't have many other wireless units on stage then this isn't a problem. Simply put, if you are looking to embrace the freedoms' wireless can offer you, then you can do a lot worst than cutting the Xvive U2 at the top of your list of units to check out. Highly recommended.Pros

Very Lightweight
Ease of use
Battery Life
Can be used for other instruments, not just guitar

Cons

I think I need to buy two sets :)
Lack of cable tone option (if I am really pushed)
Number of channels (for some people)

EnjoyPeaceNeil