In my tests, was unaffected by walls between transmitter and receiver
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Results at a Glance
Price
Inexpensive, but still slightly more expensive than similar competing wireless guitar systems
Sound Quality
No noticeable affect on tone. Latency is nearly undetectable
Build Quality
Tough ABS plastic feels sturdy and well made. Switches and buttons are sturdy as well
Ease of Use
Really not much to it, basically just plug and play
What I Liked
What I Didn’t Like
Cuttin’ the Cable – Back in the Day
For years, if you wanted to go wireless with your guitar you had to buy an expensive wireless system that included a large desktop or rackmount receiver with protruding antennae, as well as a cell phone-sized guitar transmitter powered by batteries. These wireless systems are still popular amongst the pros and definitely what you want to use if you’re a gigging musician. They’re reliable, sound good, and have a long range but are still expensive and a little inconvenient to use. While you may not be tethered to your amp anymore, you’ll still have several pieces of gear to set up and contend with.
These are exactly the reasons I’ve never “gone wireless.”
A New Way to go Wireless
However, in the past few years we’ve started to see lower cost, hobbyist-friendly wireless guitar systems emerging. They lack the pro features and long range of their bigger cousins, but there’s no bulky receiver, batteries, power cables, and cell phone-sized transmitters to contend with.
While browsing Amazon recently, one such system caught my eye. It wasn’t the cheapest compared to its competitors, but had a LOT of positive reviews:
It was the Xvive U2 wireless guitar system.
However, as we all know, Amazon reviews don’t always tell the whole story. So, I decided to order one for myself and put it to the test.
The Xvive U2 Wireless Guitar System
A few days later, I heard the telltale sound of a box being thrown at my door from across the yard. My Xvive U2 system had arrived! Now, I crossed my fingers that it survived the trip.
Tech Specs at a Glance
Before we dive in and start unboxing everything, here are the tech specs for the Xvive U2:
- 2.4GHz digital wireless signal transmission with 24-bit/48KHz uncompressed conversion
- 100 ft. range, line-of-sight
- Compact form factor with swiveling plug; no bodypack or wires
- Rechargable; included USB split cable recharges both units at once
- Four channels
- 20Hz – 20kHz frequency response
- Approximately 4-5 hours battery life
- Not for use with active pickups
Similar Products (Competitors)
The Xvive U2 is just one of about a dozen similar compact wireless guitar systems available. Here are a few systems with very similar specs and features that you should check out before you lay down your hard-earned cash:
Note: I have not tested the 3 systems listed above. The fact that they’re listed here is not an endorsement or recommendation for any of them. I’ve listed them simply so that you can comparison-shop.
Unboxing and First Impressions
Okay, enough talk already. Let’s open up the box and see what we’ve got inside.
The opened box
Instructions and warranty information
USB charging y-cable and carrying bag
The Xvive U2 system consists of:
- 1 wireless transmitter
- 1 wireless receiver
- USB charging cable
- Carrying bag
- Instructions and warranty information
The wireless transmitter and receiver feel sturdy and well-made. I believe these are made of ABS plastic (the same plastic that many guitar flight cases are made of). The swivel mechanism of the plugs has a good stiffness to it, so once you’ve pivoted the Xvive into position, it’ll stay where you put it. To ensure the Xvive doesn’t scratch your guitar or other equipment, there is a soft rubber pad on the back.
Top view of the wireless transmitter and receiver
Bottom view, showing the little rubber pads that prevent them from scratching your gear
On one side of the Xvive you have a power switch, channel-change button, and two LED’s. One LED is dual-purpose for showing power (on/off) and battery status. The other LED is the audio signal indicator LED, which tells you which channel you’re using and whether the two units are synched. It sounds complicated when I explain it, but it’s really not. When I first got my Xvive, I didn’t even read the instructions. I turned on the power, plugged them in, and they automatically synched themselves. It was almost as easy as plugging in a guitar cable.
Side view showing power and channel-change buttons
Side view showing USB Micro-B ports for charging
Below I’ve taken a few shots of the cable and manuals that come with the Xvive U2.
USB charging cable
Instruction booklet cover
Inside the instruction booklet
The Xvive U2 In-Use
You should probably charge your Xvive U2 before first use, but I was too eager to try it out, so I didn’t. Luckily, it had enough juice right out of the box.
That said, the first thing you need to do is plug the transmitter into your guitar. This is where I decided to test the plug design on the Xvive–too see how universally it’ll fit different guitars. For this, I grabbed 2 guitars and 1 bass–all with very different output jacks.
The Xvive fit just fine on 2 of them, but would not plug into my Ibanez SR bass, which has a very narrow jack on the front of the guitar–a style unique to Ibanez. It’s sort of a modified Stratocaster-style input jack as you’ll see below. So if you play and Ibanez guitar or bass with this style jack, be aware that the Xvive will not work for you. Strat players, fear not, the Xvive U2 fits a Strat’s output jack just fine. To prove it, I borrowed a Stratocaster image from the Xvive website.
The Xvive U2 transmitter plugged into a standard guitar jack.
Plugged into an Ibanez “Jem style” jack.
Plugged into a Stratocaster jack.
Image courtesy xviveaudio.com
The Xvive would not go into my Ibanez SR bass jack
Next, plug the Xvive U2 receiver into whatever you would normally plug the other end of your guitar cable into. That could be your amp’s guitar input, a rack effects unit, a guitar pedal, etc.
Now, you’re all set… just flick the power switch on the transmitter and receiver. It doesn’t matter which one you turn on first. They should automatically synch with each other without you actually having to do anything. At least, that was my experience. They just worked… right out of the box.
Plug the Xvive U2 receiver into whatever you’d normally plug your cable into. Here, I’m plugging into my rackmount Axe-Fx.
Or, if it’s a pedal that you normally plug your cable into, then that’s where the Xvive U2 receiver goes.
When both units are on and synched properly, here’s what you should see:
Transmitter: Solid red light only
Receiver: Solid red and solid blue light
Don’t be thrown off by the red light here. In a weird twist of logic, Xvive decided that a red light means the battery is good. As long as the light is solid and not blinking, then your batteries have plenty of juice. If that red light every starts to blink or actually goes off, then it’s time to recharge.
On the Xvive transmitter, a solid red light means the rechargeable battery has enough juice. The only time you’ll see the blue (other) light is when/if you change channels.
On the Xvive’s receiver, a solid blue light means the receiver and transmitter are successfully synched. The solid red light means the rechargeable battery has adequate juice.
The only time you’ll see the blue light on the transmitter is if you change channels. To do this, press the “channel” button once, and you’ll see the blue light on your transmitter flash. Count the number of flashes, because this will tell you what channel the unit is switching to. One blink is channel 1, two blinks is channel 2, and so on. When you do this, you’ll see the blue light on the receiver go off. The receiver does not automatically change channels along with the transmitter. You have to physically go over and make the same channel selection on the receiver too. So, follow the same procedure. Press the “channel” button on the receiver until you see the same number of blue blinks, and once the two units synch up, the receiver’s blue light will stay solid. Remember though, you’ll never see a solid blue light on the transmitter, only the receiver.
Sounds confusing, but don’t worry. After actually doing it a couple times it makes total sense. It’s just difficult to explain in words.
Note: Something I noticed, and I’m not sure if it’s normal, is that sometimes pressing the “channel” button once doesn’t do anything. Nothing changes. Instead, I have to press the button twice to get it into channel-change mode. After that, a single press works as normal.
Sound Quality and Distance Tests
There were two main things I was curious about when I ordered the Xvive U2: sound quality and range.
To break each of those down further, here’s specifically what I was looking for with sound quality:
- Would the Xvive U2 sound as good as a guitar cable?
- Would I notice the 6ms of latency? I hate latency; drives me nuts.
With regard to range, here’s what I was wondering:
- How far away from the receiver could I get?
- How would the Xvive be affected by walls, closed doors, etc?
- What about other wireless signals buzzing around in my house like my wireless router, cell phones, etc?
Sound Quality Tests
I won’t lie, I didn’t have a scientific approach to this part. I let my ears be the judge, and my view is that if I can’t actually hear or feel a difference in fidelity, I’m happy. Even if there IS some measurable difference that a machine might be able to pick up, I don’t really care as long as my ears can’t detect it.
That said, I couldn’t detect any difference in sound quality between the Xvive and my favorite guitar cable. I would play a phrase with the Xvive, then quickly switch to my cable and play the same phrase. I’d do this while continually switching back and forth, and I just couldn’t detect any difference in sound quality. I also recorded myself in my DAW while doing this switcheroo, and the wave forms looked identical to me. I’ve seen other reviews where people say they could see a slight reduction at the extreme ends of the frequency spectrum when using the Xvive. Maybe, but as I said, as long as I can’t hear it with my ears, I’m happy.
As far as the 6ms of latency, well, I kinda think I could maybe hear/feel it, but that could’ve been my imagination… tainted by the fact that it’s stated in the product specs. Said another way, I think that if I hadn’t read about the 6ms of latency in the specs, I probably wouldn’t know it’s there. Basically, latency was a total non-issue for me.
Distance and Obstacle Tests
Again, this was pretty unscientific, but my method here was to record myself paying the same riff, over and over, into my DAW while moving to different positions throughout the house. I recorded into my DAW because, after a certain point, I was too far away to hear myself well enough to judge sound quality. Recording allowed me to come back and listen for any audio issues while I was on the other side of the house (or outside). We have neighbors, so cranking the amp to concert volumes isn’t an option.
Not only was each test spot progressively further from the Xvive receiver, there were progressively more obstacles between me and the receiver–such as walls, furniture, and cars.
Test #1
Distance: 4 ft. – 11 ft. away from receiver
Location: In the same room as receiver
This test started with me sitting in my usual guitar practice spot. The Xvive transmitter and receiver were only about 4 feet away from each other with no obstacles between them. As you might guess, I had absolutely no issues whatsoever. Excellent sound quality with the Xvive being indistinguishable from a physical guitar cable.
Next, I stood up and moved back to the farthest corner of my small music room. Here, there was approximately 11 feet between the Xvive transmitter and receiver, with no obstacles in between. Again, absolutely no issues. Quality was no different than when I was sitting just 4 feet away.
Test #2
Distance: 13 ft. away from receiver
Location: Outside of the room with the receiver, door to the room closed
Next, I actually went outside my music room and closed the door. Now, there was about 13 feet between the Xvive transmitter and receiver, as well as a closed door. Zero issues here. Nada. Zip. Again, the sound quality was pristine and no different than when I was sitting directly in front of the receiver.
Test #3
Distance: 25 ft. (approximate) away from receiver
Location: In my living room
Next, I walked down our zig-zag hallway and out into our living room. The door to the music room was still closed, so now in addition to a door I had a couple walls between the transmitter and receiver, as well as a television going and my girlfriend browsing Facebook on her phone via wi-fi. To my surprise, no issues here either. I listened to the audio playback in my DAW very carefully, and even repeated the test, but could find no fault with the audio. No discernible interference, degradation in quality, nor any signal dropouts. Pretty impressive.
Test #4
Distance: 35 ft. (approximate) away from receiver
Location: Garage (connected to my house)
I moved out into my garage. The distance was only slightly more than where I was in the living room, but there were new obstacles introduced. Now, there were 2 closed doors, bits of walls, and 1 car between us. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I found no issues here either. I went back and checked the recording in my DAW, and everything sounded great. So far, I’m seriously impressed with the Xvive, but I’ve got 1 more test for it…
Test #5
Distance: 70 ft. (approximate) away from receiver
Location: My back yard, outside
This is the absolute farthest I’m able to get from the transmitter while staying on my property. I went into my back yard and tucked myself into the farthest corner of my fence, where I estimate I was about 70 feet away. I also now had several walls and closed doors between the transmitter and receiver. This was the biggest challenge I could give the Xvive, and it’s certainly not a place I’d ever actually play guitar. This time, I got 2 different results:
- When I first did this long-distance test, I came back to my DAW and heard definite dropouts all throughout the riff. Imagine a CD skipping–that’s kinda what it sounded like. Right about that time I realized that I’d been using the Xvive for a few days now (about 4+ hours of use) without charging. So, I fully charged the transmitter and receiver, and repeated the test.
- The next time, with a full charge, the Xvive was nearly perfect. There was only one very slight dropout toward the end of my riff. It was very faint though, nothing dramatic like before. Otherwise, the entire riff was loud and clear with no other issues.
So, the moral here is: the Xvive does better with a full charge (impressively well, I might add), but as the battery gets low it’ll have less tolerance for longer distances and obstacles.
What Others Are Saying
But hey, don’t just take my word for it. Here are a couple really great videos demoing the Xvive U2.
Results, In-Depth
Price
While I’d consider the Xvive U2 very affordable for a wireless guitar system, if you compare apples-to-apples, it’s a bit more expensive than similar competitors. This is why I’ve deducted 1.5 stars here. However, I think the value is there. The transmitter and receiver are well constructed, rugged, and I like the swiveling jack. Not many of the Xvive’s competitors have this swiveling jack feature, which means the Xvive will fit more guitar jack-styles than its competitors.
Sound Quality
I couldn’t discern any difference in sound quality between the Xvive and my guitar cable–and I repeatedly switched between the two to test this aspect. Regarding latency, I couldn’t actually detect any latency with my own ears, despite the fact that Xvive’s specs state that there’s 6ms (or less) latency. If it was there, it was so low that it was basically a non-issue for me.
It’s important to note here that I did NOT test the Xvive in a live/stage situation. I’ve read a few reviews on Amazon where gigging musicians said they experienced some interference, but I can’t confirm that for myself. So, keep this in mind when making a purchasing decision. If you buy the Xvive and use it for a live gig, please come back here and leave me a comment in the “Leave a Reply” section below.
Build Quality
The Xvive transmitter and receiver don’t feel cheap. They’re made from ABS plastic and feel very sturdy. I think they could stand to be dropped and not break or have any issues. The swivel mechanism on the plugs isn’t loose and sloppy–so the body isn’t going to flop around once it’s plugged in. The power switch and channel-change buttons feel sturdy and are low-profile and firm enough that you’re not going to accidentally switch the thing on/off or accidentally change channels.
Ease of Use
I was able to use the Xvive right out of the box–without even reading the instructions. I simply plugged the transmitter and receiver in, switched on the power, and started playing. It was that easy. Charging is easy too. Just plug one end of the included charging cable into a standard USB power source, and the other two ends into your Xvive transmitter and receiver. Charging only takes a couple hours, max. However, I deducted 1 star here because changing channels can be a little confusing at first. Also, I found an odd inconsistency where sometimes I only had to press the channel-change button once to get the channels to change, and other times I had to press it twice. No idea why the discrepancy.
Recap: What I Liked
- In the tests that I did, the Xvive U2 seemed unaffected by walls and other obstacles between the transmitter and receiver.
- Both units are rechargeable via a standard USB port.
- To my ears, the sound quality of the Xvive was just as good as using my favorite guitar cable.
Recap: What I Didn’t Like
- The Xvive manual states that the system can not be used with active pickups.
- I didn’t test this, but based on some Amazon reviews the Xvive may be susceptible to some interference at busy venues.
- The Xvive’s plug will fit most guitars, but not all of them. It would not fit into my Ibanez SR bass jack.
The Final Verdict
As far as playing in the comfort of my own home and music room, I loved the Xvive. It sounded as good as a guitar cable and worked flawlessly. I’m honestly not sure if I’ll go back to using a guitar cable. So, if you’re primarily a play-at-home guitarist like me, go out and get yourself an Xvive U2. You’ll have a blast.
However, there are scores of you out there who are gigging musicians and wondering how the Xvive will hold up under live conditions. Unfortunately, I don’t play live anymore and wasn’t able to test the Xvive in a live situation where there are other signals flying around and other such interference sources. So, I simply can’t comment on the Xvive in that capacity.
What kind of batteries do they use? Can they be replaced? TIA!
John, they’re rechargeable via a USB port–and not a battery you can get to nor replace yourself.
Well, I suppose you could if you can find a way to pry the cases open, but finding a replacement battery might be difficult. If you’re wondering about the lifespan of the rechargeable batteries, you could write to Xvive and ask what the average # of hours is before they stop reliably holding a charge.
I was also quite satisfied with the Xvive U2. I would just like to know what the specifications are for the use of wall charger, the manual speaks that is 5V but does not specify whether it is 1A, 2A or other.
I’ve used wireless systems for years performing at various small venues with no problems. I received the U2 a couple of days ago – my goal is to avoid tangled cables and trip hazards at gigs and speed up set up/ tear down times. I’ve since tried it out on a number of different test cases (note – all within 10 ft Tx – Rx distance) before planning using it at small venue gigs playing solo and with a band. Here’s what I’ve learned as there’s some confusing info out there.
1) Acoustic guitar (Taylor T5z – active pickups) into effects processor (Digitech GNX3000). No problems, great sound even when I used a competitor (Donner Wireless) to send the effects processor output into the PA. This is in parallel with another Donner set up I have for vocals. There was no cross talk between any of the 3 units even on the default Channel 1.
2) Fender Stratocaster into the same effects processor. This is the same but with the Fender’s passive pickups. Again, no problems – this fits the Stratocaster socket no problem (the Donner doesn’t – the U2 is more compact, too).
3) Fender Strat into a cheap Zoom G1XN. I got a bit of crackling when I moved the receiver in the socket but reception was fine when I left it alone and played. This seems to be an issue between the Zoom and the U2 connection.
4) Carvin Bass with Active pickups. No problem going straight from the bass to the Carvin bass amp (so no issue with the active pickups on that bass). I had some noise when I put the receiver into a Zoom B1XN multi effects on some settings but the problem went away. Also had that crackling problem, so that might become an issue: I’d resolve that before using it at gigs with a bass.
4) Portable set up with a passive pickup travel guitar (Ministar Castar) into a Panasonic Pandora Stomp compact effects processor. This time I fed the Output of the processor into the transmitter (so an active signal) with the receiver plugged into a portable Roland Mobile Cube amp (my vacation/ trip “band in a bag” set up). I had no problems on any of the settings I had set up on the Pandora.
Bottom line – it works well so far, it seems more rugged than the Donner units, but is much more expensive. If I get creative (and have time), I’ll record some video/ audio footage.
Wow, that’s great info, thanks Steve! It’s good to hear from musicians who are actually using the Xvive U2 in live situations, since I’m not able to.
I use the XVive on live gigs and so far it has worked perfectly and without any problems at all.
Michelle, this is great info. Thanks for letting me and everyone else know how these work in a live gig situation.
I have had mine for about 6 months and the only thing I find wrong with it is I don’t plug it in when I’m done so it will die on me while I’m playing.