Sennheiser is offering its TeamConnect Ceiling 2 microphone as an option for the workplace that is maintaining hygiene rules and social distancing.

Protecting employees’ health is the top priority at all times, which means that, as lockdown restrictions are eased, strict rules apply to the use of conference rooms at companies. This “new normal” involves measures to avoid the risk of infection, including sufficient distance being maintained between the participants of a meeting, adequate ventilation of the rooms and thorough cleaning of all surfaces after every use. These disinfection measures are made much easier if the tables do not have microphones that need to be disinfected. Solutions using ceiling microphones save time and money in such cases.

The TeamConnect Ceiling 2 microphone array, which is specially designed for ceiling installation, can be integrated into every room environment and ensures that the participants’ contributions are transmitted with detail regardless of their individual position in the room. With its 28 condenser capsules that are linked via DSP matrixing, TeamConnect Ceiling 2 covers the entire room; the signal processing takes place within the microphone housing itself. Dependent on the signal level, the ceiling microphone recognizes precisely where the speaker is located in the room and “focuses” on the corresponding area in the form of a beam. Other areas are attenuated accordingly.

Dynamic beamforming means that the ceiling microphone does not have to be adapted to different seating arrangements or changes in the number of people in the meeting.

Audio output is through a three-pin Phoenix contact for analog connection (external audio processor, video conference codec) and two Dante ports (primary/secondary, 2 x RJ45) for digital scenarios. Power is supplied by PoE (Power-over-Ethernet). Setting the system up and trouble-free AV workflows are best achieved by using the free Sennheiser Control Cockpit software 4.0.0, which also supports the evolution wireless G3 and G4 microphone series, as well as the SpeechLine Digital Wireless series and the ground-breaking Digital 6000 system. As an alternative, TeamConnect Ceiling 2 can also be operated with a media control system.

An extensive range of accessories makes it extremely easy to install the ceiling microphone, which measures 590 x 590 x 43 millimeters (L x W x H). Special paintwork in RAL colors is also available. Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 is certified for use with Microsoft Teams Rooms together with a correspondingly certified DSP, and is compatible with Zoom.