Sooo,
about two weeks ago i finally bought the Stageclix Jack v4 wireless system.
So far, i did some testing at home, used it at one rehearsal and played a gig with it.
Overall, i really like this system and think i will keep it.
Here are my 2 cents so far:
Sound:
I tested it against my Line 6 Relay G30 with the cable tone setting at 5 Meters (middle position). I could not really hear any difference.
When switching the cable tone setting off on the G30, there was audible difference between the two, though i did like the Stageclix better (with the G30 with cable tone off, the high frequencies are rather prominent, which does not sound as good or natural to me).
Interestingly, i also noticed a quite obvious sound difference when compared to a cable. Though, this difference was the same when comparing the cable to the G30.
However, i could not say that the cable sounded 'better' or 'worse'. Using only a cable, the sound had more highs. The Stageclix and the G30 (with cable tone activated) had more warmth in the highs and mids.
Overall, i did like the stageclix and the g30 with cable tone activated best. Between the stageclix and the G30 there is no difference in sound that would make me choose one over the other.
Range:
When i did the first test of the Stageclix at home, i was pretty disappointed with regards to range. As soon as i had walked through two rooms (about 10 meters), i already got very bad dropouts. There were about 2-3 walls between me and the receiver at that point. However, when i took it to a (small open air) gig i had no problems at all. I did not test the limits of the system, but i was able to freely walk through to the front of house (about 20 meters) without experiencing any dropouts. I think that, as long as you have no obstacles like walls etc. between the transmitter and receiver, you will have decent range without problems.
Ease of use:
That is where the Stageclix really shines. You just plug the powercord and guitar cable into the receiver and the transmitter into your guitar and you are good to go. No fumbling around with a bodypack on your belt or your guitar strap and a cable that is always either to long or to short. Especially when you change guitars this is way easier to use than a body pack. Just take it out of the first guitar and plug it into the second one.
The Plug holds tight within the socket and is designed in a way that it fits nearly all types of guitars. So far, i tested it on a Stratocaster, an LP, a Junior-Style and an Ibanez S-Style.
And there's another cool thing: You do not have to make sure that you always have some batteries with you. You just plug the transmitter into the receiver and it charges the battery pack. In about an hour it is fully charged and i was able to play the whole gig without recharging, with plenty of charge left (i do not remember the exact state of charge, but i probably would have been able to do some 6 hours more of gigging).
There is one thing, though, that i did not like about the handling of the transmitter: It does not have any way of automatically cutting the signal when you unplug it from your guitar (like, e.g. the Line 6 Relay G10). You can turn the transmitter on and off quickly by using the built in button, which is easily accessible in most cases, but when you forget to turn it off, then you will hear the usual pops and cracks.
Conclusion:
I think it is a great system that does not harm your sound and is super easy to use on stage. Whether you will have problems with range will depend on the sourroundings and the place, where the receiver sits. I would say, that as long as you have a direct line of sight to the receiver and do not plan to walk to the other side of a football stadium you won't have problems. I did not have any dropouts with my Relay G30 at any gig and i think it will be the same with the Stageclix. The fact that it sounds as good as the G30 and is much easier to use (for me and my applications that is!) makes it a system that works really well for me and will possibly the system that i use from now on (though i will keep my G30 in case i get problems with the stageclix after all).
Pros:
- Sounds as good as a Relay G30
- Super easy to handle
- Charges when plugged into the receiver
Cons:
- Tending to have dropouts earlier than other systems when walls or other obstacles are between the transmitter and receiver
- Does not cut the signal automatically when unplugged
I hope this is helfull to some of you.
If you have any further questions, please let me know.
Regards,
LH