AKG WMS40 Mini Wireless System AKG
System This compact and affordable new analogue wireless system from AKG claims to be the lightest and smallest in its class…let’s go walkabout!
WMS40 Mini Wireless
Words: Tim Slater
Wireless systems offer more than just a convenient way for musicians to move around the stage unfettered by leads. In certain circumstances they can also help to keep the user safe by isolating them from a potentially harmful dodgy mains electricity supply! The WMS 40 Mini from pro audio specialists AKG is a budget-priced analogue-based version of its all singing-all-dancing DMS 700 digital system that shares a similarly compact design but with higher specifications and a price tag to match.
The DMS 700 won’t be available in the UK until around March so in the meantime we are taking a look at this affordable wireless rig that is primarily aimed at instrumentalists but is also compatible with lavalier and headset microphones from AKG’s own MicroMics range.
Life begins at 863.100 MHz
The WMS40 is a UFH system that operates on ISM legal frequencies (863-865 MHz) that don’t require licensing under the new wireless frequency regulations that are due in 2012. The full kit comprises AKG’s own SR40 mini receiver, a mains PSU for the receiver unit, a PT40 belt pack transmitter and a guitar cable that interfaces the guitar with the transmitter pack.
This has to be one of the most compact wireless rigs we’ve ever tried: the receiver unit takes up one third of a standard 19-inch rack mount unit whilst the transmitter is even smaller. Its diminutive size
notwithstanding, the WMS system feels pretty robust, which it needs to be considering the punishment that your average busy semi-pro working muso can unwittingly dish out to their gear over the course of a few months. Personally I prefer the WMS 40 transmitter over the bug-type unit by another major brand that I was happily using until it literally fell apart after a few months on the road! The AKG transmitter feels more substantial than a typical bug and the integrated guitar lead feels more versatile and less prone to accidental damage than a bug, allowing the transmitter to be tucked away neatly in the guitarist’s back pocket or clamped firmly onto the guitar strap via the integrated clip whose bulldog-like spring loaded jaws leave little fear that the transmitter will accidentally come loose during a performance! The battery compartment houses a single AA battery and is similarly rugged, inserting the battery required some effort and once snugly ensconced within its cocoon the battery will happily remain in place until its claimed 30 hour lifespan has expired.
In Use The mini-receiver unit contains a simple set of controls and status indicators that may seem a bit minimal but still provide enough information for the user to quickly judge that everything is working properly. The RF LED indicates that the received signal is of sufficient strength, with a clip warning light and a rotary volume control that
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SHOULD I BUY ONE? We hope to be testing the WMS40 for a little while before Sound Technology prize it back from our vice-like grip and so we’ll publish a follow up over the next few weeks, once we’ve lived with it for a while. As far as first impressions go, however, this affordable yet neatly spec’d AKG wireless system seems like a very good solution for those who prefer a more conventional wireless setup instead of a guitar bug-type unit.
THE GOOD BITS:
THE NOT SO GOOD BITS: Perhaps not as versatile as a digital wireless system.
Compact, well made. Inexpensive.
SRP: £120.00 Contact: Sound Technology -
www.soundtech.co.uk/akg
adjusts the signal level leaving the unit via the ¼-inch output jack. The receiver’s compact size also means that it doesn’t take up to much real estate, either in a rack, on top of an amplifier or even on the floor adjacent to your effects if you are in the habit of using multiple stomp boxes or an effects processor. One nice feature is the built-in switch mode power supply that automatically compensates for any AC voltage from 110 to 240 VAC; which is obviously handy if you are in the habit of gigging overseas. The sound quality from the WMS40vis more than acceptable and its range extends over several meters.
Now, lets be honest here: Few people that will be using this unit will be chasing Ronnie Wood down a 200-meter ramp during the next Rolling Stones stadium tour but in the context of a decent sized club gig or outdoor venue when your backline is often placed fairly far back, the WMS40 offers superior freedom than even the longest guitar lead. There also seems to be a degree of built-in capacitance that emulates the very slight natural signal degradation generated by a standard guitar cable, ensuring that the guitar’s signal and tones remains authentically warm after via its journey through the airwaves. PM
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