Having used quite some of akg sr470 wireless receiver, and particularly the wms 400 collection, used to be excited to get a have a look at the wms 470, which become introduced final year. i have constantly been impressed with the audio great of the 400 collection, and presuming that akg could have made improvements no longer most effective in terms of audio pleasant but in different domains as properly, i was advocated to spend a while with the device.

I received  wonderful mic structures for assessment, a wms 470 vocal set d5 and a wms 470 presenter set. the vocal set consists of an ht 470 hand held transmitter, an sr 470 range receiver, and a d5 dynamic mic detail (tablet). akg makes a condenser element to be had as nicely, the c5, and i have usually had splendid experiences with akg's condenser mics (my favored mic for my own vocal is the c414) but their dynamic mics also are superb. the presenter set consists of a pt 470 bodypack transmitter, an sr 470 diversity receiver, a c 555 l headworn mic, and a ck 99 l clip-on mic. akg has aimed all in conjunction with the wms 400 collection to string the needle—to find the best compromise among a best wireless system and ease in phrases of operation. i thought that this is what i would find with the new variation.

Step by step

I unboxed the hand-held first and observed the mic with its d5 element attached, the receiver, the antennae, the power deliver, a battery, and a mic clip. i installed the battery and implemented electricity into the receiver. the electricity twine connects with a screw-on kind coaxial plug that forestalls a lack of energy due to the plug being yanked out. this is a large deal to me. i've wi-fi transmitters and receivers at my church that lose strength for this reason all too frequently, requiring me to troubleshoot thru the machine and move slowly around to get it reconnected.

I always like whilst manufacturers listen what their clients have to say, and incorporate the tips.

I linked the antenna, and then the output to my mixer. upon powering up each ends of the system, the receiver right now started out searching out to be had channels. as soon as it determined the to be had channels, it locked directly to the sign from the handheld. i reprogrammed the hand-held with the frequency of the receiver with akg's infrared communications system—a completely simple system—and i dialed up a clear frequency and placed the receiver into ir programming mode. i then pointed the ir sensor towards the receiver at a distance of about four inches and pressed the input button. the receiver programmed the transmitter thru ir to its identical frequency. this can be quick and easily accomplished with each transmitter/receiver pair to your device, however i'm also very fond of the “auto” feature in a multichannel system that unearths and selects available frequencies for all transmitter/receiver pairs.

The front panel of the half rack-space sr 470 receiver is straightforward—just 4 pushbuttons, on/off, and 3 navigation/select buttons—and commonly, navigating via menus with simply more than one buttons is worrisome for me because buttons that have multiple functions can get puzzling. fortuitously the menu shape of this receiver is quite simple, without a complicated menu-diving. there is also an output degree knob that recesses into the front panel or pops out for adjustment with successive “button pushes” of it.

The backlit lcd displays in segmented bar-graph fashion the rf strength of the carrier to which it's tuned, as well as audio level, at the left and right facets of the display, respectively. the center of the display is targeted on frequency, organization wide variety, channel, and menu navigation data. it also indicates which parameter is being adjusted throughout editing, and the mode of the system. there may be a dedicated lock indicator, and show of to be had channels as properly. i just like the tender backlight—the show would not poke me in the eye in a darkened surroundings.

The rear panel functions bnc connectors for the antennae on both quit, a ¼-inch unbalanced audio output, an xlr balanced audio output, a 30-db pad switch, and a electricity connector for the machine's wall-wart power supply. this gadget operates inside the uhf band, with frequencies ranging from 500 mhz as much as 864 mhz.

Transmitter notes

The ht 470 handheld transmitter is very simple and easy. from the performer's point of view, there is very little to remember—only a unmarried slider switch with 3 positions: off, mute/program, and on. it has an liquid crystal display display to suggest frequency and other programming-oriented statistics.

Its dynamic tablet sounds excellent, and seeing that most performers are familiar with the usage of dynamic mics, the proximity impact of this mic is acquainted to them. the mic grants a spherical, complete representation of the vocalist's voice. i had numerous people, male and woman, do each spoken and sung vocals, and i was very pleased with the effects. this is nothing new, though—i've always been very glad with the sound of akg wireless mics.