Finally, it seems like Roland released a meaningful product for musicians. The new Boss WL series of dedicated wireless transmitters for musical instruments is a clever solution that looks right on target for the intended applications. Many other companies have attempted to release wireless systems for musicians, currently on the market. But those solutions have always faced some serious adoption obstacles, initially related with audible latency and unreliability of the transmission. Even after those challenges where mostly tackled, most musicians have remained skeptical of carrying another series of battery-operated devices, which are always tricky to configure. The Boss approach seems to be on target since musicians know the brand well, they already carry the transformers needed for Boss pedals, and most guitar and bass players already have an effects pedalboard to connect this new series of devices.
The Boss WL series offers sound quality with nearly effortless setup. The optimum wireless connection is set automatically when the transmitter and receiver components are docked - for about 10 seconds to set the optimum wireless connection - with no other user intervention required. A built-in rechargeable battery in the transmitter provides up to 12 hours of continuous play time.
Ultra-compact and affordable, the WL-20 Wireless System is as simple to use as a standard guitar cable. A small transmitter plugs into the instrument and a matching receiver plugs into a pedal or amp. The receiver includes cable tone simulation, which reproduces the natural capacitive effect of a 10-foot/3-meter guitar cable.
The WL-20L Wireless System is identical to the WL-20, but it eliminates the cable tone simulation. This makes it a good choice for use with an acoustic/electric guitar with an onboard preamp, active pickups, or a line-level instrument such as a keytar or Roland’s Aerophone.
With its stompbox-size footprint, the WL-50 Wireless System is ideally suited for pedalboards. It features an integrated transmitter dock, plus two cable tone simulation options. The receiver is powered via a PSA-series adapter or AA batteries. With adapter power, the receiver’s DC output can distribute power to one or more pedals.
A WL-T Wireless Transmitter can also be purchased as a spare for use with a WL-20, WL-20L, or WL-50 system or the Katana-Air wireless guitar amp.
All these wireless transmission solutions are ready to use all over the world since they work on the 2.4GHz unlicensed band, and offer ultra-low latency, with only 2.3 ms, and 50-foot/15-meter range in line-of-sight propagation. The optimum channel is set automatically by the system to ensure the better performance in the existing conditions. Up to 14 BOSS wireless systems can be used simultaneously in one space, allowing multiple musicians to enjoy wireless freedom at the same time.
Recharging of the batteries is done with a standard USB adaptor (5 V/500 mA or greater). When docked, the built-in batteries in the transmitter and receiver can be charged together with a standard USB adaptor (5 V/500 mA or higher), the same type used with the latest smartphones and tablets. The transmitter and receiver can also be charged separately, and a micro USB cable is included for charging.
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