OK, folks, no messing about, let’s get straight on with it. Since I reviewed the Lekato Wireless system, it hasn’t left my set-up and it is still doing me proud, so the opportunity to give it a little competition intrigued me.
So taking it step by step, opening the box is our first nice little surprise. The C-5RC comes in a neat and tidy little case perfect for popping into my kit bag and transporting around. But wait, what’s this? On one end is a USB port. Hmmm, I’m intrigued. So I open the case to get nice surprise no:2, the case is actually a gucci little charger. with the transmitter and receiver plugged in. The two units are quite a bit smaller than my Lekato’s which I do like, nobody wants anything too cumbersome sticking out of their guitar inputs, do they? So visually these things get top marks so far.
Removing the units from the charger, I find they are very light. Maybe a little lighter than I feel safe for my ham-fisted hands. I must emphasise they do not feel cheap, just light. I can be a little clumsy from time to time and I wonder if I’ll end up damaging them? Anyway, onwards…
The charging unit really is a thing of beauty. Once you’ve fully charged the power pack, you can actually get three full charges out of it for the transmitter and receiver before plugging it back in again, the unit’s take about 3-31/2 hours to fully charge up from flat, about the same as my other ones but coming with it’s own charging unit really is a stroke of genius. It basically means between set’s and gigs you simply have to put the transmitter and receiver back in the case and they charge without having to plug them into your PC or mains outlet, brilliant!
So I turn them on, one simple button for off and on and automatic syncing. Nice and easy, plug them into my pedal and guitar and get to playing. The sound quality is what you would expect from the 5.8 Ghz frquency, nice and clear with no noticeable latency. NUX promise 5.5 milliseconds. Basically, in laymans terms, you can’t hear the time delay it’s so small. You get the same signal quality as you do from a lead. In short, they sound great with no drop-outs. At least I haven’t had any so far but then again, I don’t expect any from the 5.8 Ghz.
Range is estimated at 30 metres (100ft) which really is plenty for the best stage wanderer. Personally I’m never more than 5 metres away from my rig so again, thumbs up on the range.
Here’s the winner.you get about 5 hours out of a charge and with the power pack, you will get around 15 hours of playing time before you need to plug the unit in again. How cool is that?
So I’m going to be unfair to everybody and compare them to the set I use. They both sound great, first and foremost. If any of them had compromised the sound, they would have been out of the window. Your sound is the most important consideration. They both have great range and they both last a long time although the C-5RC’s have the addition of it’s own power pack which is a bit of a game changer. They both run off the superior 5.8Ghz frequency which is far more superior than the cheaper 2,4Ghz and both of them are really good looking.
So here are the differences, Lekato comes with USB cables only and NUX has it’s own carry case and charging system. The final difference is the price. Lekato comes in at around £45 while the NUX C-5RC’s retail at around £130 which I have to be honest, is actually really worth the money. Basically, you’re paying for the upgraded technology. Don’t worry Lekato, I still love you…