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Old 02-07-2019, 05:17 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Default NWD (New Wireless Day): Boss WL20 with comparison to Xvive U2

Update: I wanted to post this up top to inform anyone looking at this system that after a few months of use this I have deemed this system to be unusable for gigging use. It is VERY susceptible to interference from mobile phones causing dropouts. There is more on this issue throughout this review below in posts from others and myself as well.

A year or so back I bought the Xvive U2 wireless system and I was in love - initially. The small, dual unit (transmitter & receiver) rechargeable battery powered system seemed like an answer to the prayers of someone that absolutely hates guitar cords. At first all seemed to work well. Then I noticed an issue: For some reason when I mute the strings suddenly and/or aggressively, I get this loud 'SNAP' or 'POP', a sound like an electrostatic discharge - but amplified! I cannot feel any sort of discharge but you can most definitely hear it.

This made the Xvive system unusable for live performance. I kept it to use for practicing. I'll also use it at a gig during setup and soundcheck to walk around the venue (as much as I can) to check sound levels while playing the guitar. Just this past Christmas time I found another use in that I can use it to send the output signal to a satellite speaker located in another room or different part of the venue as needed. It worked great.

I've been keeping my eye on the Boss WL20 system that was announced last year. The WL50 is the larger system that has a base unit that plugs into a wall-wart but can then power other pedals. Then there is the WL20L which 'simulates' being plugged into a 10' guitar cord, which apparently is something that is beneficial for electric guitar players from a tone standpoint? I went with the plain 'ole WL20 which is 'ideal for acoustic'. I've seen very little posting any of these systems here though. I was kind of hoping several of you would be the Beta testers for me! I finally pulled the trigger this past weekend and got the system yesterday and auditioned it today.

The Boss WL20 - like the Xvive U2 - consists of two very small units, a transmitter and a receiver, both powered by rechargeable batteries. The similarities pretty much end there. I'll break down each category below:

Packaging: The Xvive comes in a very nice, heavy-duty cardboard box with foam cutouts for each unit along with a large(ish) center compartment for the charger. The Boss came packaged in a very small, thin-cardboard box with that origami inspired cardboard brain teaser puzzle packaging that you initially attempt to remove carefully and in the end just rip to shreds in frustration. With a sharp knife I was able to cut up the Xvive center section to hold both the Xvive AND Boss systems for easy, convenient and durable gig transport. Plus one to the Xvive.

Physical Build: The two systems are relatively similar in size but the Xvive has the hinged 1/4" plugs which is very convenient for positioning. The Boss system does not have this and because of this the transmitter cannot be left on the guitar when the guitar is put into either of my portable stands. With the Xvive I can put the guitar down on one of mine but not the one I gig with so that's a wash. The Xvive each has it's own on/off button while the Boss units power up (and down) automatically when they are plugged in. The Xvive is better in this regard as I can easily just kill the power on the transmitter when I want to change guitars and then turn it back on. With the Boss I have to mute the signal somewhere and then pull the transmitter out - or else! The Xvive system comes in different colors and both units are nearly identical. On the Boss system, the receiver until is a lighter grey and is slightly larger while the transmitter is dark grey and slightly smaller. Xvive gets the nod again with the dual on/off switches and the hinged plug.

Battery/Charging: The Xvive units charge separately, each having it's own port and it comes with a split Y cable that allows for charging both at the same time. The WL20 units, while they can charge separately, are designed primarily to plug into each other and then charge via the single head charge cable included. Both have lights on each unit that tell you when they are on, paired, being powered and full charged. I have no idea how long they last in comparison yet but I can say that I use the Xvive system for practicing at home and generally get several days out of them before they start to blink. The Boss gets the slight nod here for convenient charging. Having the two units plug together and charge as one is just a tad better.

Performance: Though I've only had a short amount of time to test the Boss system out (as compared to the Xvive) I can say right out of the gate that my biggest issue does not exist on the Boss. No loud 'snap' or 'pop' no matter how hard I tried - YAY! So right there is a game-over win. Both systems pair easily and quickly with each other. I've taken the time with the Xvive in the warmer summer months when I first got it and tested the distance and it was quite impressive. I walked around my house today with the Boss and had no drop outs, so that's good. The Xvive system has four separate channels to select from in case you find you run into some interference when pairing you can change. The Boss system is kind of neat. You just wait until you get to the gig and then plug the two units into each other and it automatically finds the best frequency to connect. Once the light stops blinking you unplug them from each other and plug into their respective sources. I've only tested this at home but I plan to use this system at two very different gigs this weekend - a small golf course pub and then a very large gun show. I'll report how it performs after that. The Boss get's the biggest nod here as without the loud snap it's usable live, assuming no other issues surface.

Price: The Xvive is currently selling for $154 on Amazon while the Boss goes for $179. There's also a plethora of other, similar knock-off options on Amazon for much less that I'm hoping others will try. Barring any performance issues with upcoming gigs I'll keep the Boss. There is some chatter in the online community about battery issues though I've not looked into that. I vaguely recall early on people complaining that the batteries, once they weaken, cannot be replaced. I'm assuming it's the same for the Xvive. My hope that by the time this becomes an issue newer, better models will be out that will rectify. As anyone that owns an expensive mobile phone knows, once the batteries start to lose their ability to hold a long charge, it's time for a new one, be it battery or phone. But in the interim, the Boss seems to work very well and doesn't suffer from the issue I had with the Xvive.

Conclusion: While the Xvive system has a few things going for it over the Boss, that loud snap/pop makes it unusable live and annoying even in practice. The Boss system seems well made and at least initially functions as it should. Assuming all goes well with the next few live gigs I think it will be a winner and once again allow me to perform in cable-free nirvana.

Last edited by Methos1979; 03-27-2019 at 12:27 PM.
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Old 02-07-2019, 05:34 PM
larryjoh814 larryjoh814 is offline
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Hey, Methos, I wondered if you ordered the Boss unit after I saw a comment the other day. I used mine last month for the first time at a large coffee house with a listening audience that filled the place at La Costa Coffee Roasting in Encinitas. At that venue I join a husband/wife duo, and the most fun (besides not standing on the guitar cord) was venturing into the audience to sing harmony and play a solo from across the room (while standing in line to order a coffee.)
No drop-offs so far, but I have bumped that bug that sticks out of the guitar jack a couple of times.
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Old 02-07-2019, 09:38 PM
ceciltguitar ceciltguitar is offline
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Thanks for the great review! Do you have any idea how the Boss unit compares with Shure GLXD14 Digital Guitar Wireless System?
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Old 02-07-2019, 10:11 PM
AeroUSA AeroUSA is online now
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I have the WL-50 and it drops out even in my apartment, the WL-20L was unusable for me. I had more luck with the Xvive but it does not work with my active guitars and I could hear noise in the signal.

I would go for the Line 6 G10S for a pedal board and passive guitars or the new Sennheiser for a compact system that works with any guitar.
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Old 02-08-2019, 02:26 AM
Silverspur Silverspur is offline
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I brought the Boss WL20L and it works great with my Martin which has an active pickup. I also have the Xvive U3 for my Sennheiser E945. No problem with drop outs, popping sound or interference. Together with a S1 Pro, gigging (in a roughly 2800' restaurant with a 12' ceiling) has never been as easy and enjoyable.

I'll need to practice more with my new toy Boss VE8 before taking it to a gig. When I do I'll probably get another set of U3 or WL20 for easy hookups.

The new Sennheiser systems are really nice, especially the set that works with condenser mics' but it's going to be prohibitively expensive (for my budget anyway) when it becomes available in Canada. It'll probably be in the $600-700 range. The U3 sells for $269 and the WL20L for $259. I just can't justify the extra cost for the Sennheiser.
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Old 02-08-2019, 05:23 AM
AeroUSA AeroUSA is online now
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I’m glad they work for you. I live and gig in NYC and there are a million different WiFi signals here so it makes it more of a challenge.
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Old 02-08-2019, 08:03 AM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AeroUSA View Post
I’m glad they work for you. I live and gig in NYC and there are a million different WiFi signals here so it makes it more of a challenge.

Wouldn’t that be true of any 2.4 GHz system (including the new Sennheiser XS)?
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Old 02-08-2019, 08:46 AM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Lots of great comments and questions here! Going to address them in the order they were posted rather than quotes.

Larry - Good to hear the system is working for you well so far. I do worry a little but about the transmitter sticking out but it only sticks out about as much as a straight cord plug (I always use angled). I won't be moving around as much as you depending on the gig but I might venture out a bit more depending on the venue.

Tom (cecilguitar) - I have not used any other guitar wireless systems beyond the two reviewed here.

Aero - I can only imagine that NYC is the about the the worst (or best) area to test these systems out for interference due to the massive amount of Wi-Fi's, mobile phones and people using both. I considered the new Sennheiser but the price is prohibitive or at the very least was not worth it before trying the Boss. I should have mentioned that all my guitars are K&K. I did own briefly an active Baggs system in a guitar which I could not use the Xvive with. But now I'm all K&K so no feedback (pun intended) on using the WL20 with active systems.

Silver - I've been keeping my eye on the Xvive U3 for my wife's microphone but not planning on pulling trigger any time soon. Thank you for the brief feedback on that unit.

lkingston - I wondered the exact same thing. Looks like a great system and it also has the hinged featured but wondering for the significant price bump what else sets it apart from the Boss. Aero's recent review post did say it was usable for him where all others were not and though more expensive than competitors it's also much less expensive than old-style base unit systems, so there's that.

Keep the comments and opinions coming, especially those with actual experience with others systems. It's always great to have a thread with a ton of info grow as a resource for others to find using the Search function in the future.
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Old 02-08-2019, 08:52 AM
Petty1818 Petty1818 is offline
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Great info here. I never had any luck with the two U2 systems I used but others seem to love it. With that said, although I really want to switch to wireless to fix the stage clutter, I am starting to back away a bit. I think all of these more affordable systems are nice but they all tend to have negatives that keep me away. The Sennheiser is more in the professional range now so although it seems great, it's more of an investment.
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Old 02-08-2019, 08:55 AM
dcopper dcopper is offline
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I have been using the BOSS systems WL20/WL50 since they came out and they both work far better for me than the xVive. I get no dropout at all. I actually like the cable sim with my K&K pickups. If I want something cleaner or am using my Sunrise pickup I use the WL50 and turn the cable sim off. I also can use the WL50 to send a signal from one S1 to another.

I think the BOSS units are more road worthy and built like all BOSS gear- to last. I played using the WL20 last night with a K&K Taylor into a ToneDexter, with a touch of MXR Chorus into an S1 kicked back and the sound was gorgeous. The only complaint is the same as METHOS, that you can't use a regular stand, you just have to unplug the transmitter from the guitar on breaks or use a Hercules stand that raises the guitar up high enough off the floor. I can live with that!

The price is excellent for the quality on the BOSS.
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Old 02-09-2019, 08:51 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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The new Boss WL20 wireless system performed flawlessly at the gig tonight. In fact, the whole rig sounded awesome. I think I've got this dialed in right where I want it. I've got another, much larger show tomorrow in a huge venue that will have a lot more potential interference. Will update after that.
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Old 02-10-2019, 08:49 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Another real world test today with unfavorable results similar to Aero's experience. This time our gig was a large trade show (gun) in a hotel convention center. They put us right in the middle with several hundred people walking around plus vendors selling gear. Lot's of electronic transactions. I started getting dropouts right away and after the second song when over to cable.

So, none of the 'pop/snap' of the Xvive but in a crowded place in a big city it was unusable. Fortunately, most of our gigs are smaller venues so I'll keep it and continue to use it and see how it fares in other places but for those considering this unit that live in large metropolitan areas with a lot of exposure to multiple WiFi's and cell phone traffic, you might want to try something else.

It will be interested to see how the much pricier Sennheiser system performs in these crowded venues.
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Old 02-12-2019, 05:21 PM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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If you have an Android phone you can install a WiFi scanner app that will let you see just how busy the 2.4GHz spectrum is! I was trying to use a Behringer XR mixer in some hotel ballroom gigs and found the built in 2.4GHz WiFi unusable. I ended up using an Apple Airport Express WiFi hub for its 5GHz range and that worked fine.

I have no experience with the new Sennheiser 2.4GHz system, but just the fact that it shares that frequency range should cause the same problems in any kind of high WiFi traffic environment. Hotel ballrooms and high-school auditoriums are the worst. If anyone is live-streaming your show, you can lose contact all together!
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Old 02-12-2019, 06:11 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lkingston View Post
If you have an Android phone you can install a WiFi scanner app that will let you see just how busy the 2.4GHz spectrum is! I was trying to use a Behringer XR mixer in some hotel ballroom gigs and found the built in 2.4GHz WiFi unusable. I ended up using an Apple Airport Express WiFi hub for its 5GHz range and that worked fine.

I have no experience with the new Sennheiser 2.4GHz system, but just the fact that it shares that frequency range should cause the same problems in any kind of high WiFi traffic environment. Hotel ballrooms and high-school auditoriums are the worst. If anyone is live-streaming your show, you can lose contact all together!
I was thinking the same thing about the Sennheiser but I wasn't sure if it was running on the 2.4 GHz frequency range.

Note that AeroUSA did say this system works in his area (NYC) where the Boss did not. So, if it is running on 2.4 GHz then I wonder what the difference is?

Great tip about the WiFi scanner app - I'll have to look that one up as I do have an Android since, you know, I'm a man and all.
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Old 02-14-2019, 01:05 PM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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My day job is shooting and editing video and photography. I just ordered two Sennheiser XS lavalier mics, transmitters and receivers. The receivers will mount right on the XLR inputs of my camera setup. Hopefully they will avoid 2.4GHz WiFi Interference.
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