AKG WMS 40 Mini - Master Of Close Quarters

The WMS 40 Mini from AKG is a nifty little UHF guitar wireless system that covers the needs of most guitarists player small and medium venues. The device boasts two major points that make it stand out above the rest: 1) All the crucial features are solid as a rock, and 2) It's cheap, possibly the best cheap wireless system for guitars out there. Even if you're playing large venues and you don't run around too much during performance, this fella will do fine. We took it out for a little spin, check out our conclusions below.

Features

The first thing we noticed about this package is that it packs a whole lot of goodies for such a low price. Specifically, the combo includes an SR40 dual receive, a PT40 mini body-pack transmitter, an MKG L Instrument cable, a universal power supply with an adapter for US, UK, and EU power sockets, and a single AA size battery. The device sports a 661.100 MHz frequency, which places it within standard UHF system category. These systems are quite widespread in today's musical world, and while digital systems have gained more prominence since they were introduced thanks to a significantly strong performance, the old-school bad boys still get the job done. The device is compatible with all guitar and bass levels, as well as headsets and instrumental microphones. It has a super long battery life of 30 hours and features a standard 1/4-inch jack output.

Control

As far as controls go, this is a pretty standard and basic device, as it should be. You can control the overall output volume and make some frequency adjustments, but that's about it. The manufacturer made this fella as simple as possible, which some users hailed as highly effective while others deemed it as limiting. But for most users, we believe that the system's controls are just fine.

Performance

Now the big thing – performance quality. As far as guitars go, the device does a pretty neat job in maintaining signal strength even with objects blocking its path, with very low amounts of delay and an acceptable chunk of sound compression that still beats the cable. However, one thing to look out for is when using this puppy with bass guitars. Lower frequencies are trickier to handle for this device, and sonic interferences are significantly more frequent, and the range at which they start occurring is lower than with guitars. So if you're a bassist in need of a wireless system, we say try something else for size, the Audio Technica System 8 ATW-801/G-T8 system for example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEIqr6aWgk0

Value/Conclusion

When all factors are combined, this is definitely one of the best cheap guitar wireless systems. It gets the job done, and if you don't perform on large venues or change sonic environments too frequently, we can't see one reason why it wouldn't fit you. If you're after a solid performance and very good value for money, this is it. Good stuff! For more info about AKG WMS 40 Mini, click here. For more top Guitar Wireless systems, click here.