Wired Microphones vs Wireless Microphones

Let’s take a look at the some differences between wireless and wired microphones. Are wireless microphones really better?

1) Range

For a wired microphone, it’s basically how long your cable is. Wired microphones with XLR connectors typically are good for about 30m (300m in theory) before static and noise start to creep in.

Wireless microphones may be able to reach further - our Sennheiser handheld microphones are usually OK for up to 30-40m, and you can get more range with an better antenna

An XLR cable, a professional standard in the audio industry

2) Interference

Wireless microphones rely on either the UHF or 2.4/5GHz spectrum to transmit and receive signal and can be susceptible to interference from other electronic equipment. Wired microphones clearly do not have that problem.

The RODE Wireless Go II microphone uses the 2.4GHz spectrum to transmit audio

3) Comfort & Convenience

Wireless microphones make things neater, with less wires laying about. All wireless equipment will require some kind of battery and transmit/receive hardware, which will make it larger and heavier as compared to their wired counterparts. But it will give you the freedom to roam around easily (as long as you have enough range!).

You will also need to take into consideration the battery life - while some microphones have swappable batteries, others have built in batteries that you will need to charge. Most wireless equipment can last at least 3 hours, which would be sufficient for a small performance.

There are other wireless equipment that can make your life easier, such as wireless guitar transmission systems, wireless headset microphones, and even wireless speakers!

We provide a whole range of both wireless and wired microphones and equipment, so do contact us to advise you on what is best for you.