At NAMM 2022 in June, Audio-Technica announced that it was re-entering the wireless in-ear monitor market with the new ATW-3255 system, part of its acclaimed 3000 Series of wireless products. The move was right for the times, given the rising popularity of IEM systems (particularly in the house of worship and live performance markets) and it has been years since A-T discontinued its M2 and M3 IEM systems — which operated in the now-forbidden 600 MHz and 700 MHz frequency bands. Essentially, the timing for the ATW-3255’s arrival was spot-on.
So enter the new ATW-3255, an affordable ($849/street), rugged in-ear monitor system that’s easy to use, and thanks to its sharing of technologies from the 3000 Series, provides high-quality audio with dependable RF and new features like network monitoring and control via Audio-Technica’s Wireless Manager software.
Adding to the value, the ATW-3255 includes ATH-E40 pro in-ear monitor earphones, which alone sell for $99/street. Typically, the IEMs that come with such systems are of poor quality, but the ATH-E40’s proprietary dual-phase push-pull drivers offer a natural sound and can handle plenty of SPLs. Even if you are currently using higher-end custom molded IEMs (I also tested the system with my Ultimate Ears Pro and Future Sonics earpieces), the ATH-E40’s are a solid backup and ship in a protective zippered case with multiple eartips to accommodate nearly anyone.
In the Box
The ATW-3255 system includes the ATW-T3205 half-rack stereo transmitter; 12-volt wall wart power supply; detachable 50-ohm antenna on BNC connector; detachable rack-mount ears; ATW-R3250 beltpack receiver and of course, the aforementioned ATH-E40 earpieces. One thing absent in the box were batteries, which as the old saying goes, are “not included.”
Also in the box were two mostly-useless bits of documentation: a hard to read Quickstart Guide (a 2×3-foot fold-out, roadmap style primer in nine languages) and a frequency chart that lists every country except the USA. However, one thing I like about the ATW-3255 is that most of the operations are easy to figure out without having to actually read the manual. One exception is scanning for clear frequencies (a great feature) and synching the transmitter / receiver to the same frequency. The latter is done via an infrared link and is a simple procedure, but the Quickstart sidesteps this and instead refers users to the (non-included) manual.
The ATW-T3205 transmitter has: an AC power button; IR sync window; large, bright OLED display of levels, frequencies and parameters; a “back” button and a rotary data dial with push-to-select data entry. Menu navigation is fast, logical and straightforward. The rear panel has a BNC antenna connector; a standard network connector; barrel-type 12-volt power input; and left/right XLR inputs (the left one doubles as a single mono feed). I like the use of balanced XLR inputs; however I would have preferred having combo XLR/TRS connectors, as the aux outs on most consoles use ¼” TRS jacks.
Speaking of TRS, the rear panel also has left/right “loop” outputs on two balanced ¼” TRS jacks. A useful feature, these loop out jacks can be used to route the input signal to a recorder, floor wedges, etc. Alternately, a loop out can send a mono band mix from one ATW-T3205 to a second unit and feed another instrument in to create a second custom mix for a different player.
Additional features include network monitoring and control via the standard RJ-45 port on the rear panel and A-T’s Wireless Manager software, while a “3000Link” mode enables compatibility with 3000 Series wireless microphone components.
The ATW-R3250 beltpack receiver is lightweight, rugged and runs up to seven hours on two NiMH AA batteries (six hours on alkalines). When using NiMH cells, the R3250 can be charged using Audio-Technica’s optional ATW-CHG3 or ATW-CHG3N charging stations — which are the same chargers used by the beltpack transmitters in Audio-Technica’s 3000 Series UHF wireless mic systems.
I was impressed by the build quality of the ATW-R3250 beltpack, which is often a weak link in competing wireless systems. But here, the ATW-R3250 shined, with a rugged metal body and solid-feeling access door to the inside controls and battery compartment. No matter how careful artists and crew are with wireless packs, “stuff” happens and the ATW-R3250 seems ready for the task of providing years of service.
The ATW-R3250’s OLED screen and simple control make navigation/setup easy. Incoming audio mixes can be individually tweaked at the ATW-R3250, with control of EQ, limiter, pan and personal mix controls and individual beltpacks can be “named” via an alphanumeric menu. Also useful is a cue mode where an audio engineer can switch between up to 10 channel presets to monitor several IEM channels from a single receiver. I should add that the beltpack’s audio is clean and capable of some very high SPLs — enough to suit any metal or rap artist.
In operation, the ATW-3255 system was a breeze. I really appreciated the included rack ears, although it would be nice if they had been pre-punched to accommodate a front antenna mount, making it easy to connect to an external paddle antenna instead of climbing inside a the back of a rack case to make the connection. Also, two units can be easily mounted side by side in a single rackspace, but only with the optional AT8631 joining plate, so if you’re planning an install or loading racks for the road, make sure one or two of these is on your shopping list.
With 138 MHz of available tuning range in the USA FCC-approved DF2 (470.125 to 607.875 MHz) UHF band, I never had any issues finding clear space, even in the congested RF spectra of the San Francisco area. Here, the Scan function was highly useful, providing a fast overview of available frequencies.
The Verdict
I like this one. The audio and RF performance was stellar. The build quality was tough and the feature set / ease of operation was impressive overall. Best of all, the $849 price tag (including the ATH-E40 earpiece) makes this a strong contender to anyone at any budget. Yeah!
At a Glance
Rock-Solid, Affordable IEM System
With the new ATW-3255 system, part of its acclaimed 3000 Series of wireless products, Audio-Technica returns to the IEM hardware market with an affordable, rock-solid system. Along with ATH-E40 pro IEM earphones, the ATW-3255 system includes the ATW-T3205 transmitter, ATW-R3250 beltpack receiver and more.
Audio-Technica ATW-3255 IEM System
PROS
- Great sound & RF performance
- Affordable pricing
- Includes quality ATH-E40 IEMs
- Networkable
CONS
- Documentation is confusing
- XLR-only inputs; no TRS/Combo
- Online manual hard to find on website
STATS
- USA Frequencies: 470.125 — 607.875 MHz
- RF Power: 10mW/50mW, switchable
- Max Range: 300-feet, line of sight
- Batteries: (2) AA cells
- Max Battery Life: 7 hours, NiMH; 6 hours, alkaline
- Frequency Response: 40 Hz — 14.1k Hz
- Stereo Separation: 75 dB
- Antenna Output: BNC-type, 50 ohms
- Dimensions: 8.3×7.5×1.7” (WxDxH)
- Street Price: $849
Manufacturer: Audio-Technica
More Info: www.audio-technica.com
