# Sennheiser Rebate / 300 vs 500 series?



## DannyDepac (Mar 28, 2019)

Hi

I'm looking for some advice from someone with some Sennheiser rebate experience. I'm planning on trading in my audio technica 2000 series wireless mics and lav set up that are in the 608 MHz Range as well as a Sennheiser camera transmitter and receiver in the same range. 

I want to buy the either the 300 or 500 series. Sennheiser says there's a $200 rebate for buying the 500 series. Will my audio technica trade-in get me that $200 rebate? Is there any rule about the level of gear that you're trading in? Has anyone done this and have any experience with it?

Also can someone tell me what the difference between the 300 and 500 is? It seems like the receiver might be the same but I can't tell. I rent 500's and really like them but if the 300's do the same thing and the receiver is the same I have no problem using them. We don't get really technical we just scanned for channels and use them with countryman Mics. I plan on using the laptop software but that'll be new for me too. I'm a real a noob with this stuff....sorry

I'm buying it for my high school theater, we do two musicals a year so it's not like they gets heavy use but we really like the Sennheiser's we rent. We're in New York so I feel like the 100s might not have enough channels for us. Or do you guys think the 100 is a good series and will be fine?

Thanks! PS I know the rebate ends on the 31st am trying to get this done before that!!!


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## macsound (Mar 28, 2019)

Not sure if you'll get it in under the March 31 deadline. 
You'll need the physical UPC label from the box to submit.
It doesn't matter what you trade in. Only Shure defined that. It just has to be a wireless microphone that operates in the 600Mhz range.

300 and 500 is only defined (as far as I know) by the transmitter. Although I can't find any difference between them on the beltpack. The 300 HH uses the 800 series capsules, the 500 uses the 900 series. 
Here's an example from the B&H website
Product Highlights

SKM 300 G4 Handheld Transmitter
EM 300-500 G4 True Diversity Receiver


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## manuallyfocused (Mar 30, 2019)

Hopefully you've already made a decision. If not, a couple of pieces of information that I hope are helpful:

The 100s, 300s, and 500s all have the same tuning abilities and can have the same number of simultaneous channels, but the 300/500 receivers have more pre-programmed coordinated frequencies built in (if you are looking at G3s, the 300 and 500 series receivers are different. In the newer G4s, they use the same receiver). If you are using Sennheiser (WSM) or Shure (WWB) software to coordinate frequencies, then you can use any of them with similar performance.

Beyond the difference in pre-programmed frequencies, the major added items you get as you go above the 100 series is an integrated monitoring headphone jack, the ability to network the receivers to a computer and make it a bit easier to coordinate, and variable transmitter power. The series are also compatible with each other, so you can use EW100 transmitters with EW500 receivers, and vice-versa. With the 500 series, you do get nicer microphones (900-series capsules and the MKE2 lavalier) but if you use countryman mics that's not an issue for you.

We use a mixed rig of 500, 300, and 100 series receivers and transmitters in a high school environment, mostly G3 but with a few G2s still kicking around. They all play nicely with each other, and I generally use my 500 series receivers to scan for channels so I get the benefit of the extra pre-programmed frequencies without having the cost of all 500 series systems. We also came up with a workaround for the lack of monitoring jacks on the 100 series receivers, if you look at my other posts you can read about it.

Good luck!


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## cekren (Mar 30, 2019)

Another difference is that the 3/500 series receivers have "tighter" frontend filters - that is the technical reason they're listed as supporting higher simultaneous system counts. That said, in my experience you can usually still use more than double the max count listed for the 100 series if you use Wireless Workbench with "More Frequencies" compatibility.


Sennheiser 100 Series said:


> Adjacent channel rejection: typ. ≥ 65dB
> Intermodulation attenuation: typ. ≥ 65dB
> Blocking ≥ 70dB




Sennheiser 3/500 Series said:


> Adjacent channel rejection: typ. ≥ 75dB
> Intermodulation attenuation: typ. ≥ 70dB
> Blocking ≥ 75dB


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## manuallyfocused (Mar 30, 2019)

@cekren, that's great information, I hadn't seen that before! Is that true of the G3 as well or just the newer G4?


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## cekren (Mar 30, 2019)

manuallyfocused said:


> @cekren, that's great information, I hadn't seen that before! Is that true of the G3 as well or just the newer G4?



Yep - both G3 and G4. Can't speak to G2, though.


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## Jay Ashworth (Apr 1, 2019)

I looked at the 300/500 decision last year when the rebates were first announced, and my appraisal was that the extra features the 500s had, we didn't need... at least, not for the price, but I don't recall what those were.


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## NickVon (Apr 3, 2019)

I'd argue the G4 300/500 are better suite for touring and quick deployment. For an installed system you can save your self some money with the 100's. What you get with he higher series is a base better Lav/ or Handheld Capsul (which i think is irrelevant to you), and slightly better tuning. NYC is a congested area so the better more precise tuning and rf filtering that @cekren mentioned may be of benefit.


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## NickVon (Apr 3, 2019)

NickVon said:


> I'd argue the G4 300/500 are better suite for touring and quick deployment. For an installed system you can save your self some money with the 100's. What you get with he higher series is a base better Lav/ or Handheld Capsul (which i think is irrelevant to you), and slightly better tuning. NYC is a congested area so the better more precise tuning and rf filtering that @cekren mentioned may be of benefit.



And @cekren you can totaly use a G2 transmitter with G3/G4 receivers. You do need to disable the "Pilot" function from both however. The new G3/G4 receivers also "tune" a little lower in the A band then the G2 stuff does, so that's something to be aware up but mostly during your RF cooridination phase.


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## cekren (Apr 3, 2019)

NickVon said:


> And @cekren you can totaly use a G2 transmitter with G3/G4 receivers. You do need to disable the "Pilot" function from both however.



Oh, yeah - I've used a few mixed G2 and G3 systems (G2 Rx/G3 Tx), I just wasn't sure if the difference in frontend filtering between the 1/3/500 series was the same in G2 or not.

That said, I don't think I've ever disabled Pilot tone when mixing G2/3 systems! I'll be using a mixed system again in a couple months so I'll have to remember to check that..


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## macsound (May 8, 2019)

Has anyone received their rebate from Sennheiser?
I shipped off 4 old systems and they arrived in Scottsdale on March 27 ( a few days before the March 31 deadline) and still on the rapid-rebates website, there's no record found of my rebate. 

I've heard in the past that people have been shafted, but more or less trusted Sennheiser. 
That being said, besides the tracking number on the box, I'm not sure how I'd prove what I shipped and that I'm entitled to $600


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## TimFrancis (May 8, 2019)

macsound said:


> Has anyone received their rebate from Sennheiser?
> I shipped off 4 old systems and they arrived in Scottsdale on March 27 ( a few days before the March 31 deadline) and still on the rapid-rebates website, there's no record found of my rebate.
> 
> I've heard in the past that people have been shafted, but more or less trusted Sennheiser.
> That being said, besides the tracking number on the box, I'm not sure how I'd prove what I shipped and that I'm entitled to $600



We sent our equipment back 2/12/19 and got notification of "Your rebate has been processed and your rebate check has been mailed" on 4/25/19.
I never saw any record or confirmation on the rapid-rebates website. Still waiting for the check.......

Tim


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## TimFrancis (May 8, 2019)

TimFrancis said:


> We sent our equipment back 2/12/19 and got notification of "Your rebate has been processed and your rebate check has been mailed" on 4/25/19.
> I never saw any record or confirmation on the rapid-rebates website. Still waiting for the check.......



I'll be. The check showed up today!
Tim


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## macsound (May 8, 2019)

TimFrancis said:


> I'll be. The check showed up today!
> Tim


Makes me feel better that it took over 2 months for you. Thanks!


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