While wireless microphones have been around for a while, over the past few years we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the ways portable lavs are being implemented. From live events to video production to vlogging to live streaming, the demand for good quality, dependable wireless mics has never been higher.
With the introduction of the Galaxy Trek GT-V Portable Wireless Lavalier Mic system, Galaxy Audio is targeting users who are looking for drop-dead simple, dependable results without breaking the bank. In this Church Production Magazine review, we put the GT-V through its paces to see how it measures up and which users could get the most out of it.
Going big by going small
The GT-V is a complete wireless lavalier mic solution that transmits on the 2.4GHz frequency range. The unit retails for $79.99, which is an extremely aggressive price point given all of the features built into this little device.
The GT-V system itself is tiny. Imagine a slightly oversized USB thumb drive and you’d be pretty close to the size of the transmitter and the receiver.
And speaking of little, the GT-V system itself is tiny. Imagine a slightly oversized USB thumb drive and you’d be pretty close to the size of the transmitter and the receiver. Both are less than 4.5”x1.5” in size and are extremely lightweight without feeling cheap. The transmitter is paired to a standard condenser cardioid lav mic that boasts a 20Hz to 20KHz frequency response and a 16-bit, 44.1KHz sampling rate.
The receiver plugs directly into any 3.5mm audio port, and is lightweight enough that the port itself supports the weight of the unit. The GT-V comes bundled with a selection of adapters that allow it to plug into camcorders, powered speakers, smartphones and tablet Apple and Android devices. It also includes a 3.5mm-to-1/4” adapter, a 20” extension cable, a belt clip for the transmitter and a USB Y-cable for dual charging the unit’s built-in lithium ion batteries.
The gift of simplicity
From the first time you power the device up it’s clear that Galaxy Audio has put the emphasis on making the device a breeze to use. LED lights on the transmitter and receiver indicate when the unit has successfully paired, a task that took three seconds or less in our experience. The LEDs also blink to let the user know when the battery levels are low, which in our tests was around the five and a half hour mark.
The advertised range is 50’, which seemed pretty close to correct when we kept the devices at line-of-sight.
The only other control on the unit is a volume rocker located on the side of the transmitter. In our experience this functioned more as a glorified mute switch, but it’s still a useful function to have. The advertised range is 50’, which seemed pretty close to correct when we kept the devices at line-of-sight. We wouldn’t recommend pushing beyond that range or putting too many barriers between the transmitter and receiver.
In action
Given the various ways the GT-V Portable Wireless Lavalier system can be implemented, we decided to test the unit using a number of different devices. We ran it into a Scarlett 2i2 interface running into a MacBook Pro, a Tascam DR-100 field recorder and an iPhone running FiLMiC Pro just order to see just how it performed in different scenarios.
Right away we were impressed with the build quality. The GT-V strikes the right balance of staying very lightweight while still seeming like it would stand up under normal, moderate stress. The fact that the receiver sticks straight out from whatever port it’s plugged into seems a bit dangerous, but is probably necessary to ensure optimal range.
We were also very impressed with how simple the device is to get up and running. While it doesn’t provide many customizable aspects to its operation, it powered up and was ready to go within a few seconds of turning on every time we used the device.
Probably the biggest question potential users would have about the GT-V is how it stacks up in the audio quality department. Is the sound quality equal to a high-end $600 portable lav mic system? No, it’s not. But at $79.99 is it seven and a half times worse? Absolutely not.
While the frequency response tends towards the lower mid-range a bit, it’s very usable for many of the types of applications it’s designed for. In fact, the slight under-representation of the higher frequencies probably helps single system operators avoid unwanted feedback in less-than-ideal settings. The only other drawback on the unit was that the maximum volume being put out by the unit was a little lower than we’d have preferred.
Wrap up
Deciding whether the Galaxy Trek GT-V Portable Wireless Lavalier Mic is the right choice ultimately boils down to who’s going to use it and what they’re planning to use it for. For most church tech teams the GT-V is probably not going to be a first choice for the weekend sermon, unless you’re similar to a portable church plant model with very limited budget resources, and you just need something quick and easy. There are a number of other cases, however, when it could be just what you’re looking for as well.
One-man-band video producers shooting with camcorders or DSLR-style stills cameras might find the GT-V to be a great way to introduce wireless audio into their interview and talking head workflows. In the same way, church leaders wanting to live stream or vlog from their smart devices might find the GT-V to be a great option for capturing high-quality audio without needing a dedicated sound engineer onsite.
With its ability to run directly into a powered speaker, the GT-V could also make a great solution for smaller kids or youth ministries that just need to get some audio reinforcement in a classroom or out in the field. The system’s ability to work seamlessly without any need for trained audio personnel makes it the perfect device for these kind of applications.
At the end of the day, Galaxy audio has packed a lot of thought and intentionality into the Galaxy Trek GT-V Portable Wireless Lavalier Mic system. It’s an undeniably impressive value proposition at its modest $79.99 price point. Ultimately, the GT-V solves a very practical problem in a very elegant way, which is usually more than enough with a device like this.
