Deity Theos 2-Channel Wireless Kit Test // Initial Impressions

[@mauriciolee7349]

Thanks for your INDEPENDENT review and informing us of the HISSING issue with this wireless system. I've watched more than 10 review videos of this product but nobody mentioned this. We need more reviewers like you.

[@xdanielpatrick]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I honestly wish someone could point out the user-error on my part cause what Deity has in their kit is impressive, and I would have preferred to keep it…but the self noise just seems excessive. I really think Deity has a lot of potential with the kit and interacting with them has been awesome in terms of customer service.

[@creativegreatsvisuals]

@@xdanielpatrickcan Firmware fix this ?

[@xdanielpatrick]

@@creativegreatsvisualsI’m not sure

[@petercofrancesco9812]

I'd say the hiss is mostly do to the poor amplifiers in the camera. I'd record directly to the MixPre for important jobs. Wired lav mics provide the best quality for static interviews. It just depends on how much inconvenience you're willing to put up with.

[@xdanielpatrick]

Thanks, I actually ended up returning it. Everything else about the set is solid though. I have heard mixed things about the receiver being the issue by some sources but idk. I’m not expecting perfection but in several other recordings that I haven’t posted on my channel, it was very noticeable. I guess I was just expecting it to be a bit cleaner overall. Also, for less than the price of the deity kit I could get a Zoom F3 as a backup recorder and a 2.4ghz wireless kit with some cash to spare. Yeah, UHF is better but I think half the time I may just record to the transmitter and sync in post anyway.

[@petercofrancesco9812]

@@xdanielpatrick No matter what you choose it has pros and cons. 2.4ghz can be fine but has a greater chance of drop outs in locations with a lot of wifi. Rode Pro is good options but the lav mics are poorly designed, internal non replaceable batteries etc. I did a test with my Sony UWP with my cameras. The Sony A74 surprisingly did best when giving it 20 gain instead of the lowest, because otherwise I had to apply 24 gain in post and then you could hear the noise floor. Good luck.

[@creativegreatsvisuals]

You don’t hear hissing when plugged into mix pre 6ii ? What part of the video cause I heard hissing

[@johanvanvuren]

I own 4 theos kits. I rarely run the gain higher than 12db on the TX. Don't have self noise issues

[@xdanielpatrick]

I’m glad to hear that. This was my second kit (replacement from Deity) and got similar self-noise performance in multiple gain-staging configurations outside this video. The staff there are awesome and I probably will revisit the Theos in the future.

[@creativegreatsvisuals]

What’s the deity theos camera $1435 hop kit all about ? What’s needed to make a hop kit if I already plan to use the basic $1090 kit ?

[@creativegreatsvisuals]

What recorder do you use ? What mics are u using with Theos system? Do proper mics reduce hiss sounds ?

[@SoundItOutFilms]

I'm having the exact same issue on my C70. I found when recording internally that hiss is GONE. This seems to prove that it's something in the transmission causing the noise. On my next shoot I'm going to monitor wirelessly until we start shooting and then trigger the internal recording on the App to get 32bit float WITHOUT noise. This is a terribly inconvenient work around but so far it's my best solution.

[@xdanielpatrick]

Yeah I’m not sure if it might have something to do with the circuitry they use for the UHF system but it could be and yeah that doesn’t sound like the most convenient workaround. Also, enjoy your channel I’m in MA as well.

[@jmmy7463]

Hello Daniel, do you remember what was the mW setting on the TX for the Range test, 10, 25, 50 or 100mW? And how do you find the noise issue you mentioned acceptable or usable with the MixPre recording? Thanks for the info.~

[@xdanielpatrick]

Hey, so tbh I can’t recall now, pretty sure I had it on the default setting. I did return the Theos kit because overall I thought it was just a little too noisy. I’m more than willing to admit it could possibly be user error but I have my doubts from feedback I received. I tried multiple tests (outside of this video) and always had apparent self-noise. I only had so much time before I could return the kit and this was a replacement kit from Deity directly and I still got the same noise performance. I will say, the preamps on my S5II do have an issue and that could also be a factor but I just figured I would return it and revisit down the road. I do think what Deity includes in the overall kit is excellent and the customer service from them is great in my experience. I think the noise performance was better going line level into the Mixpre but I wouldn’t say it was anything great.

[@albancousinie9455]

On Reddit I saw some posts of other users complaining about self noise issues with the Deity Theos. Some others have been complaining about RF connexion drops even from only a few feets away. Also all those reviews on KZbin about the Deity Theos are shot in the countryside with barely any RF trafic. No one has shown tests so far in an RF crowded area. There may be a reason for that. Show us tests made in New-York or in Paris ! How is the Deity Theos behaving in a crowded environnement ? So far we don't know... Having read about some horrific user experiences with the previous Deity HF kit, and having had very poor experiences myself with a low cost Saramonic kit, I have decided against purchasing the Deity Theos and, after having watched and listened many tests, I spent my money on a couple of Shure SLXD15 which feature a super reliable digital connexion and an ultra low noise floor. In my opinion this Theos kit is too good to be true. If it is so low priced, there are necessarily some tradeofs.

[@xdanielpatrick]

That’s a good point. I personally did test within a mid-size city (obviously not in this video) and didn’t have any issues. I noticed the 900Mhz range was wide open so I went with that range and it worked fine but yeah for me it was the self noise. I’m curious about the Shure kit now.

[@richardweddle3408]

Thanks for this test and review. I bought the same kit. I don't like Deity's w-lav pro mics that come with this kit. It's their best lavalier mics but they're not just good enough to my ear. That's the source of the problems. I'm buying better lavalier mics. Sanken COS-11D are high-end lavaliers that work well with the Theos, according to some reviews. I will get two or those or take a risk on Sennheiser MKE ll's or perhaps DPA's with the same locking pin connector.

[@xdanielpatrick]

Appreciate the comment, I did try another test with a different lav but it wasn’t a COS-11D

[@richardweddle3408]

@@xdanielpatrick -- did a different lav work okay?

[@laughingthrushmusic5269]

Just to clarify is this demo done using the w.lav pro? Did the kit include these lavs?

[@xdanielpatrick]

Yes, this was done with the included lavs. I did do a separate test with other lavs (not in this video) and had similar results. Again, I’m not claiming something is inherently wrong with the Theos kit, others have managed to make it work perfectly for their wireless recording needs I’m just surprised how much noise I was getting. Would love to know if there was something I was missing.

[@creativegreatsvisuals]

Did you auto connect or manually connect the Theos system ?

[@xdanielpatrick]

I’m not sure what you mean? You mean scanning the frequencies and pairing?

[@marklholloway]

In my experience B&H and Adorama do not thoroughly test hardware in detail before selling used. Way too suspect someone traded a newly released product unless they damaged it. I would have gone with brand new.

[@xdanielpatrick]

Yes it was a bit of a risk, but I mentioned that Deity sent me a brand new Theos kit and I still had the same issues I was running into.