Zhuosheng XS 9 Wireless Mic
I’ve had the opportunity to look at and and use a couple of different twin transmitter wireless microphone systems lately. In this video we’ll take a look at one of the choices you have in this category – the Zhuosheng XS 9.
Opening
If you’ve seen or read those reviews on my Gadget Talk channel and web site, you know I’m a big proponent of investing a bit more to help ensure your video’s audio is the best you can afford. The fact is, your viewers will ignore or excuse video faux paus to a much greater extent that they will audio ones.
Think about it. How many times have you clicked on a video that looked like just the right information you were looking for but clicked off a few seconds later because of poor quality audio? One of my favorite examples of this was a YouTuber reviewing a microphone while using the really bad mic in his camera. I kept asking myself, “Why don’t you use the mic you’re reviewing?” As it happened, I owned the mic he was reviewing and it produces good audio. Why he didn’t use it was beyond me and I clicked off.
Using a lavaliere mic when spoken words are important to your video is probably the best choice for a solo producer or one working on a tight budget. You can wire a mic into your cell phone or digital recorder or use a wireless mic directly into your camera or recorder. Wireless mics give you freedom of movement while keeping the mic close to the speaker’s mouth.
With dual transmitter sets like this one from Zhuosheng, you can have two speakers as with an interview setting or a show with a helper. For example, perhaps you’re doing a cooking demo or perhaps demonstrating make-up techniques.
XS 9 Contents
The XS9 Max set comes with two transmitters, one dual receiver, two sets of foam wind covers, and a set of two furry wind covers for blustery days.
Additionally, it comes with connection cables, a TRS to TRSS adapter cable, a TRS to XLS adapter cable and an interesting 3.5 millimeter to USB alpha adapter to plug into your computer.
XS 9 Operation
This set uses the UHF frequency band and has 100 channels which in most cases will ensure no interference from others on the UHF band. That 100 channel description means 50 pairs of channels for the two transmitters. For example, channel 30 on transmitter A is a different frequency than channel 30 on transmitter B.
Controls are simple to use. Simply select the channel you want to use for each channel. When both the transmitter and receiver are on, listen to check for interference and to adjust the gain. If there is interference on one of the channels, simply choose another.
Controls include a low cut filter selection, channel selection, and muting. Take a look at the video review for a deeper dive into controls and options.
Closing
The XS9 Max set produces good sound quality and works well up to about 200 feet in an outdoor setting. Beyond that, the audio sometimes drops out. For the beginner, the set’s limited settings options are a big plus. Simply set the audio output level, headphone level, the Low cut filter and you’re good to go. If you want to mix the output channels together or if you’re only using one mic, set the mix switch to mix. Otherwise leave it set to ST for two track recording for easier editing. That’s it. You’ll probably develop a favorite setting combo and use that most of the time.
The foam and furry wind covers are effective and the screw-on connectors help ensures the various cables stay connected.
Last, the ability to power the units using a power bank can extend recording time considerably.
I had one complaint with this set. The up and down buttons on the receivers and transmitter cases were backward. A press on the up button caused the channel to go down. Same with recording levels.
The main con I’ve found with this mic set is the range is a bit less than that advertised. It does say range will be less with things like trees in the way. I started losing signal at about 200 feet. In fact, I reshot that scene after making sure the antennas on the receiver were in the same vertical orientation as the transmitter’s antenna. That helped quite a bit but signal drop out in the 200 to 300 foot range still occurred.
For most creators, that’s not going to make much of a difference. I can’t think of too many instances where one would be recording from such a distance. I promise honest reviews and that did happen so you need to know.
If you’re not recording from long range, the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
