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Samson Airline UHF Wireless Guitar System

 

Review of the Samson Airline Wireless System by The Man in the Jar

Choose between models suitable for edge-mounted jacks (like on a Les Paul) or dish mounted jacks (like on a Stratocaster). 

There are guitarists who will tell you it's silly to use wireless unless you are actually playing on a large stage where it is necessary to allow maximum movement. This is bullshit. Wireless is a technological convenience that is available for your benefit even if you travel no more than six feet from your amplifier.

I personally hate leads, and not just because they're always tripping you up. I tend to turn in the same direction when I'm wearing a guitar. So if I have to go back to adjust an amp or consult some notes or tab, I turn in a clockwise direction to protect my guitar's neck from unforeseen collisions (I'm right-handed). When I come back, I turn clockwise as well for the same reasons. Add up the effect of twenty or so such journeys and even the longest of leads ends up looking like a plate of spaghetti that would defeat even Lady and the Tramp.

The only real concern about using wireless is how it affects your tone. Hands up if you insist on using only the most expensive, top quality audiophile guitar cable. You don't? Well, the tone loss in modern wireless systems shouldn't bother you then.

I have a great affection for the Samson product line as I used to work for Shuttlesound, the one-time sole UK importer of the line. Most of the units we brought in back then were VHF and I remember the excitement when we got our first batch of very expensive, rack-mounted UHF units that were widely purchased by companies supplying touring gear to some very big names on UK tours. I'm now amazed to see UHF technology available in such a tiny plastic rabbit.

In simple terms Ultra High Frequency is better than Very High Frequency and will likely remain so until someone invents Very Ultra High Frequency or (God Forbid) Legend High Frequency.

The other thing you need to know is the difference between Diversity and True Diversity. A Diversity system has two antennae. The unit evaluates which one is receiving the strongest signal and that is the signal it uses. A True Diversity system goes one step further because it has two receivers in the same box, each with its own antenna from which it chooses the strongest signal.

The Airline is the simpler Diversity system which is fine for most of us. If you expect to play any stadium gigs in the near future you should upgrade to a True Diversity system.

The manual supplied takes you through the process of setting up the system in a clear and concise fashion so if you're a newbie there's no need to fret. Once you're used to the process it will take no more than 3 minutes to adjust to the venue in which you find yourself.

I found sonically the unit worked really well with minimum colouration to the sound. It would take a picky sound-man and an unusually perceptive audience to spot the difference. I was able to walk down the entire length of the iMuso warehouse before any degradation in signal occured, that's a good thirty yards amongst a maze of signal-sapping metal racks. The unit only cut out when I put a solid steel shutter between me and the receiver.              

 

Overall impressions of the Samson Airline. 

It works really well, which is all a wireless has to do at the end of the day. The real surprise is that the level of performance delivered by these little units comes at such a low cost. But there will always be two camps when it comes to wireless for semi-pro or amateur musicians. I say, if you gig at all, or intend to gig in the near future, a robust and affordable UHF wireless system is an asset you should be enjoying.

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