I'd think that would be true. I think it seems like it would hold up pretty good to typical intermittent club gigging, as long as it was taken care of and properly cased. But, for day in and day out touring, that might be asking a little much for an entry level system. Although, maybe someone will chime in and let us know how much they use theirs. Coffee shop duo, church praise band, weekend warrior band... All seem like good candidates for this.

I completely agree. The biggest take away that I would like people to hear is that Phenyx Audio does take care of their customers. I have always been so hesitant to buy these budget options because it feels like you're just going to throw it away if something breaks and you're out the money. Their support is a little slow to respond but that's to be expected given they are likely somewhere over seas. The company is real and back their product so don't hesitate to try this gear if you think it fits your budget and needs.

Let me know about whether these are available in the UK.

@@AlanHamiltonAudio doesn't look like it at the moment. the only Phenyx Pro iem unit I can find is a single transmitter and belt pack at about £250 ($300), compard to $360 for the PTM22 in the USA.

You're confusing two different types of connection: BALANCED mono versus UNBALANCED stereo. A balanced signal requires 3 pins (like in an XLR or TRS connector (shield, + and -)). Unbalanced stereo just needs a common shield plus ONE wire for the left, and ONE wire for the right. The two shouldn't really interconnect with each other because it will cause (sonic) issues. Balanced connections offer the ability to run lines over long distances and remain noise free. The balancing process (which happens on each end of the cable INSIDE the receiving and sending devices (not the cable itself)) uses cancellation to null out any noise picked up in the run of the cable. The cable and connector types just allow this to happen as it allows all 3 connections to be made on both sides. Meanwhile, there's nothing like that happening with an unbalanced stereo send. So, while the cables LOOK identical, the process that you are connecting to is MUCH different. A mono balanced input will see that stereo unbalanced signal as a mono signal and it won't like the signal it's seeing on what it EXPECTS to be +/-. Instead it's seeing L-R... (both +) but it doesn't know that. Unbalanced signals start to max out at 20'. 30' is about the useable limit before noise will be a definite possibility. Meanwhile, balanced lines can be ran 100's of feet. You should always strive to use balanced interconnects in your sound system, except for things like an MP3 player connecting right at the console, or when you have the mixer onstage and connect your acoustic directly to the console with an instrument cable. Also, once you unbalanced a connection, it stays unbalanced. IOW, if you have a snake running to the stage to your amps... and it's balanced snake line all the way... but you connect a 1/4" TS instrument cable from the mixer to the snake, you've just unbalanced that entire snake run on that line. This video talks about this with some visuals (specifically looking at stereo unbalanced vs mono balanced and typical interconnect mistakes): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i8-RqNp3qqzJj58.html I think this video on 1/4" cables does as well, plus the info dovetails anyway: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rbVnhK9917-pl58.html And the DI video also discusses balanced connections vs unbalanced: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bM-nipiQrsedhZc.html

Hi alan, im using a 1 meter xlr female from XR18 to 1 TS jack input of the ptm 33 and im not seeing any issues with the sound or am i missing something by not using sa balanced trs jack at the end.

I used an XLR-F to Male TRS from mix one output of the mixer and connected it to the LEFT channel of first channel of the PTM22. That's XLR out of mixer into TRS 1/4" of PTM22. The I did the same with the mix 2 output from the mixer, this time connecting to the LEFT input of the 2nd channel of the PTM 22. Technically, left OR right input doesn't matter, but normally in audio L is the 1st input so I just use that system here to be consistent always. If you are setting up sep mixes in your console, that should get you 2 sep mixers (which is all the PTM22 is capable of as I mentioned in the video). Is that how you're connecting it?

No. I originally thought maybe you could feed a beltpack from the left input, and another beltpack from the right input of a transmitter channel, but the ability to do that is not there on either the transmitter or the beltpacks. I double-checked with Phenyx Pro about that when I read the manual and that seemed to be the case... and I tested for that when I connected the unit. I wanted to make sure and point out in the video it can only do 2 mixes because I'm sure some people assume since it has 4 beltpacks it must be able to do 4 mixes. Some stereo IEM systems allow you to use a system as 2 sep mono IEM systems, and then their beltpacks have a blend control to let you listen to only the left or the right side (as a mono signal). But these aren't like that. The transmitter isn't designed to transmit in stereo... only mono... So that alone effectively limits the ability to do just the 2 mixes per side.

PTM-10 is stereo. I think I answered my own question..

I haven't tried the PTM 10.

Ptm-10 is stereo, or you can also go mono, and use left and right to get 2 mono mixes off the 1 transmitter. Been very happy with the flexibility with the unit

I don't recall off the top of my head. I'd need to hook up the rack and check. But if you're just wanting one mix in all 4 packs, if nothing else, you could just take a Y cable and split you single monitor feed from your console into 2 outputs that feed into each input on the Phenyx. So even IF the two channels are on different RF frequencies, they'd be getting the same signal from the console and so every pack would have the same mix that way. But it's possible that's not necessary... Maybe the 4 packs can be assigned to the same channel. I just don't recall if side 1 and side 2 are dedicated to two different RF groups, with the packs dedicated to those groups or not. If I can remember, I'll try and check the next time I'm in the shop.

@@AlanHamiltonAudio if ur just another review youtuber who does videos never mind. I will try to find my aswer somewhere else thank you.

@@SuAmigoElilegal I've just never used them that way. I've always done two mixes and just one pack per mix with the others as spares/engineer packs. I don't like sharing mixes unless the band really, really wants to do that. And most bands don't want to share mixes.

One of the things this does is allow you to do exactly that. Put the click on one input and the rest of the mix on the other input. It'll still be combined to mono when it's sent to the beltpack(s), but you can turn the click send up or down before it hits the IEM transmitter to get the balance you want. It also lets someone feed their vocal into one input, and everything else they want into the other input and adjust the feeds into the transmitter for the mix they want. The caveat with these type of things are that the transmitter doesn't give you way to change the levels (independently) on it (just an overall level per transmitter side), so you have to change the levels BEFORE they hit the transmitter. Not necessarily a problem, just something to be aware of.

@@AlanHamiltonAudio Got it. Both the click and backing tracks or other audio will be heard in both ears, not click on left and mix on right since this is mono, BUT at the source I could turn up click louder than mix so it cuts through...just not have click on one side and mix on the other. Thanks.

@@jeffcarta Yip! You got it. :)