At IBC in Amsterdam this month, Sennheiser unveiled the Digital 9000, a digital wireless system that can transmit completely uncompressed audio. Targeting live audio events, Digital 9000 includes the EM 9046 receiver, SKM 9000 handheld and SK 9000 bodypack transmitters, plus a suite of accessories. Using a High Definition (HD) mode, the 9000 will transmit entirely uncompressed, artifact-free audio, rivaling what Senheiser claims as that of a cabled microphone. The Long Range (LR) mode has been designed for difficult transmission environments with many sources of interference.

In addition to IR synchronization between receivers and transmitters and an antenna loop-through for creating larger receiving systems, Digital 9000 also 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 intermodulation calculation a thing of the past. Transmission frequencies can now be evenly spaced without generating intermodulation, maximizing channel count in congested RF environments.

The SK 9000 is available in four different frequency ranges (88 MHz switching bandwidth) and a command switch for communication between crews and artists/reporters is available as an accessory. The AB 9000 provides a maximum gain of 17 dB and is available as a stand-alone booster or integrated into the A 9000 omni-directional antenna and the AD 9000 directional antenna. Two booster versions (470 to 638 MHz and 630 to 798 MHz) cover the receiver’s UHF range.