AMSTERDAM – At the IBC broadcasting show in Amsterdam Sept. 7-11, Sennheiser showed Digital 9000. The culmination of a 10-year effort, and the largest R&D project in the company’s history, Sennheiser Digital 9000 is an all-digital wireless system that promises the ability to transmit completely uncompressed audio, artifact-free and with superb dynamics.
The Digital 9000 system includes the EM 9046 receiver, SKM 9000 handheld and/or SK 9000 bodypack transmitters, and a comprehensive suite of accessories. Also important in today’s increasingly dense frequency environment, Digital 9000 is designed for high channel counts.
“This system is a masterpiece, both in the digital and the wireless realm,” said Kevin Jungk, portfolio manager for wireless microphones at Sennheiser. “It offers unprecedented sound quality and ease of use. For example, users will no longer have to calculate and circumvent intermodulation frequencies but can conveniently place their transmission frequencies in an equidistant grid.”
Inside the Digital 9000 System
This all-digital wireless system features two transmission modes to suit any need and environment. The High Definition (HD) mode will transmit entirely uncompressed, artifact-free audio, as if a high-quality hard-wire cabled microphone were used. The Long Range (LR) mode has been designed for difficult transmission environments with many sources of interference. It ensures maximum range with a proprietary Sennheiser digital audio codec. “This refined codec ensures an audio quality that is superior to that of an FM system,” explained Jungk. “These two modes make Digital 9000 the most versatile digital wireless system available, and the best adapted to on-site requirements.”
Ease of Use
In addition to IR synchronization between receivers and transmitters and a convenient antenna loop-through for creating larger receiving systems, Digital 9000 offers a number of unique features. First and foremost, the system does not generate any intermodulation products – the high linearity of the entire system, from transmitters to antennas and receivers, and a special transmitter design make laborious intermod calculation a thing of the past. Transmission frequencies can simply be set in an equally spaced grid.
The receiver also automatically measures the RF cable loss between the receiver and the booster and adjusts the gain accordingly. “This makes the RF wireless system easier to operate for users with less RF knowledge,” said Jungk.
The EM 9046 Receiver
Housed in a sturdy four-rackspace mainframe chassis with a large central TFT LCD screen display of parameters, operations and system status monitoring and control of eight digital wireless channels is the new EM 9046 receiver, which forms the central core of the Sennheiser Digital 9000 system.
Three display modes ensure that the RF or sound engineer has an optimum overview of important parameters in live situations and can change settings quickly. Navigation is fast and intuitive, thanks to the 15 hardware softkeys surrounding the screen and a large data entry wheel.
The system is modular and expandable and a single EM 4096 can house up to eight receiver modules, with each installed internally within the unit. Besides offering control/monitoring to the individual modules, the EM 4096 also provides the ability to measure the attenuation of the antenna feed line, and automatically handle amplifier gain in real-time to compensate for the changes. Channels can be monitored via the headphone output, either individually or any number can be listened to combined.
The receiver system covers the UHF range from 470 to 798 MHz (328 MHz bandwidth). To easily integrate the system into an existing infrastructure, the user can choose between transformer-balanced analog or digital AES3 audio output modules, or a mix of both. Both analog and digital output connectors are on individual XLRs as well as D25-sub multicore.
System set-up is facilitated by a built-in graphical spectrum analyzer that scans the RF landscape, and an RF level recorder for checking reception and optimizing antenna positions. The receiver will also suggest the best transmission mode for the environment being worked in, and will automatically set an appropriate gain to counteract RF cable losses. The system’s antenna boosters can be controlled via the receiver, which is helpful for installations with remote antenna positions.
The multichannel receiver and the transmitters can optionally use encrypted data transmission, with proprietary keys generated randomly. This will protect a radio link against hijacking and tapping.
The receiver stores up to ten complete system configurations so that setups can easily be recalled and repeated.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO ON FOH-TV
The Handhelds
A wide choice of four dedicated 9000 Series microphone heads plus all evolution wireless G3 and 2000 Series capsules will provide just the right sound for the SKM 9000 handheld transmitter, as well as two more from Neumann (the KK204 and KK205) – essentially anything that works with existing 2000 Series handheld transmitters.
The SKM 9000 handheld transmitter is compatible with all evolution wireless G3 and 2000 Series microphone heads, including the Neumann capsules KK 204 and KK 205. This means that an artist’s favorite sound can easily be transferred to the new system. Besides these capsules, the handheld can be fitted with four dedicated 9000 Series capsules.
The rugged SKM 9000 comes with an 88 MHz switching bandwidth, and is available in black and nickel. Command switch versions for easy communication between broadcast units or artists and their crews are also available. The handheld transmits digitally, and does not employ a compander, ensuring a cable-like purity of sound.
The SK 9000 Bodypack
The SK 9000 is easy to hide and easy to attach; it comes in a magnesium housing that combines maximum robustness with low weight. The transmitter can support a wide range of inputs ranging from lavaliers and headset mics with a 3-pin Lemo connector and has a line input for guitars or other instruments. “As the system is able to deliver cable-like audio, we have added a three-step guitar cable emulation to round off the perfect instrument sound,” explained Jungk.
The SK 9000 is available in four different frequency ranges (88 MHz switching bandwidth); a command switch for communication between crews and artists/reporters is available as an accessory.
Accessorize!
To protect Digital 9000 against unwanted frequencies and interference, the AB 9000 antenna booster has been fitted with eight highly selective filters to allow just a specific frequency window to pass. Unwanted signals are thus blocked out before the first active component, adding to the overall excellent reliability of the system. The filter can be set manually on the booster or remotely via the antenna cable on the receiver.
The AB 9000 provides a maximum gain of 17 dB and is available as a stand-alone booster or integrated into the A 9000 omnidirectional antenna and the AD 9000 directional paddle antenna. Two booster versions (470 to 638 MHz and 630 to 798 MHz) cover the receiver’s UHF range.
Power, Power, Power
The transmitters of the 9000 Series operate on environmentally friendly lithium-ion rechargeable battery packs, with a precise remaining operating time indicated on the handheld and the bodypack transmitter as well as on the receiver. The SKM 9000 is powered via the BA 60 rechargeable battery pack, which will power the transmitter for 5.5 hours. The SK 9000 bodypack is powered by the BA 61, which lasts for 6.5 hours. Operation on standard batteries is possible too.
The L 60 charger will recharge two BA 60 or BA 61 in any combination. It reaches 70% of charge in an hour and full charge after three hours, with the charging status being indicated by 3-color LEDs. Up to four chargers can be daisy-chained and powered via a single power supply unit.
Spectrum-Efficient Wireless
“Digital 9000 is a meticulously designed wireless tool,” said Jungk. “Spectrum is a scarce resource, so every part of the system has been designed for the highest frequency efficiency. We have put much effort into allocating the largest possible data rate to the actual sound transmission, ensuring the unmatched audio performance of Digital 9000. Because audio is what it’s all about.”
One Real Mystery Remains
So far, you know a little about Sennheiser’s Digital 9000 system, yet one mystery remains. These days, once something gets out on the web, you’d think word would spread quickly, yet the secrecy surrounding this new Sennheiser product remained intact, despite being shown to more than 10,000 audio pros at a major tradeshow last month and being featured on a Sennheiser website!
How is this possible?
The truth is, the results of this massive 10-year development were actually unveiled by Dr. Heinrich Esser (Sennheiser president of professional systems and installed sound), Kevin Jungk and Marc Vincent (president at Sennheiser greater China) two weeks ago at a digital wireless technology seminar organized by Sennheiser and the CSMPTE – the Chinese equivalent of SMPTE – at the Grand Millennium Beijing Hotel in the Chinese capital. This was followed by a public showing of the system at Sennheiser’s booth at the Beijing International Radio, TV & Film Equipment Exhibition (BIRTV) expo, held August 22 – 25, 2012 at the China International Exhibition Center. And that Sennheiser website was the company’s Chinese site [www.sennheiser.com.cn], so unless your Mandarin is pretty good, you might have missed it!
But for more details (in English), visit www.sennheiser.com
