Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsSecond Time Around Proved To Be A Charm
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2017
Below is my original assessment of this system on February 20th. Since then, I was contacted by a representative of the product and asked if I would consider retesting another unit. I agreed and was sent a newer system to test. I received the new unit last Friday, March 10th and tested it both at home over that weekend and at my workplace the following Tuesday. I was quite pleased with the results of both tests. I noticed immediately that the unit sent operated on frequencies labeled as channels 5 and 6 instead of the original paired frequencies of my original unit labeled as channels 3 and 4. I don't know if there was anything else different in the electronics or circuitry, but I was pleasantly impressed by the result. Gone was the loud horrible cross-interference noise I experienced previously when using both microphones and some noticeable drop-outs. These were the main deal breaker for me then.
I returned to the same dinner/dance hall that I performed my original test in February and walked around the 55ft x 105ft hall. I had one microphone. A friend had the other. We distanced ourselves at varying points from the receiver both near and far from each other as well. The receiver was located at the mid-length of the hall. We included all corners as well. Both of us spoke on our respective microphones during the test. I still had had to readjust the way I position the microphones closer to my mouth whenever I speak for optimum pickup and clarity. In spite of that, the microphones performed very well. Both microphones did not pickup any unnecessary ambient noise or hissing was. I set the microphone gain controllers similar to those of the other wireless microphone units that I currently use. These settings were identical to those in the initial test in February. It seemed to work just fine when the 1/4 inch mixed microphone output is sent directly to my amplifier and by-passed its builtin music mixer. I left microphone gain setting alone and then tested the output only from its music mixer, I still find the music volume controller up front has too much gain and sensitivity against the mixed microphone output when only using the 1/8 inch auxiliary output to feed into my amplifier/speakers. I know that tweaking down the gain of my output source signal fed through to the music mixer via the 1/8 inch input could remedy that problem. Let me say that these were definitely not deal breakers for me.
I just wish I had received this newer unit during my initial purchase. I would have definitely rated it better then and kept it instead of gifting it away!!!
My Original Review:
Performance Is Not What It's Hyped Up To Be - (rated 2 stars) dated Feb 20th
First let me say that I've bought several wireless microphone systems on Amazon throughout the years. I learned in the nearly ten years that I have been volunteering to play music for a various functions that for the most part, I need a light, compact, portable, economical, dependable, durable dual wireless microphone system that not only performs relatively well, but if possible allowed mixing and controlling music outputted from my laptop. The key words here are light, compact, portable, economical, wireless, dependable performance with a music mixer. I currently use the Azusa MIK0115 Karaoke Mixer with Microphones which I purchased from Amazon in 2014 together with the Audio2000s AWM6952U UHF Handheld Portable Wireless Microphone which I purchased in 2015. Though not perfectly how I would like it because the music output controller of the Azusa MIK0115 is in the back of the unit and the Audio2000s AWM6952U receiver is a bit bulky, but the combination works for me. BTW, the Audio2000s AWM6952U can also be operated without plugging its power adapter into a wall receptacle since it has the option of using batteries from its built-in compartment underneath. When I found the Fifine Dual Channel Wireless Handheld microphone system on Amazon and read the reviews, I thought it the answer I had long awaited. Not!!!
Why?! While testing the Fifine Dual Channel Wireless Handheld system at the hall where I volunteer my time weekly, the first thing I noticed was a considerable drop in microphone output from the receiver unit versus any other microphone wireless receiver that I've used in the past, necessitating rotating the gain knobs on the unit fully clockwise. The output from the music input had the opposite problem. I had to turn its gain down to almost fully counter-clockwise to balance the mixed output of the two microphones. Still usable but strange. Where it fell short of expectation was the performance of the two wireless microphones. I had to pretty much point the microphones to my mouth while speaking to get the best clarity. Just holding the microphones close to my mouth and just slightly down as t do with other microphones that I use, would produce an obvious drop in its pickup. The biggest problem with the system was the cross-interference when both microphones were on. It sounded like someone with a bad case of flatulence! It was loud and quite annoying, rendering the use of both microphones at the same time impossible. I don't know if it matters, but the two microphone units displayed that they were either fixed on channels 3 or 4 when I received them. Though less concerning, those bright neon end-caps on each wireless handheld microphone made them seem less "professional quality" to me. Easily remedied, but nonetheless distracting.
For the price, the wireless system, if it performed satisfactorily for me, would have been the answer to my wish. The wireless receiver seemed solidly built, had a metal casing and seemed to have the controls, inputs and outputs were situated where I wanted, all in a very compact unit. I would have given it a lower rating but I decided to keep the unit and gift it to a good friend of mine instead who only really needed to use a single microphone. I did share my experience with the system beforehand.