Grammy nominated and platinum-selling artists Jonas Brothers, with ongoing world tour shows across the Americas and Europe, are making use of Sennheiser’s new 2000 Series wireless equipment and Sennheiser HSP 4 headsets.
Last year, The Jonas Brothers used a Sennheiser G2 rig but now the tour has upgraded to the new 2000 Series components. Joe Jonas sings into a wireless Sennheiser SKM 2000 handheld mic, whereas Nick and Kevin Jonas each sing into Sennheiser’s HSP 4 headsets.
The headsets, together with Sennheiser SK 2000 wireless instrument packs, give the brothers the freedom to run around stage and switch instruments between riffs.
Longtime Jonas bassist Greg Garbowsky also has a Sennheiser 2000 Series wireless instrument pack, which features a full and lusciously transparent frequency response from 25 to 20,000 Hz. A rack of Sennheiser EM 2050 receivers ties the signals to the wired world.
“We wanted to use headsets on this tour for Nick and Kevin since they both sing and play multiple instruments. Kristy Jo Winkler, Sennheiser’s global relations manager for the Americas, suggested we try the HSP 4s,” recalls Chris Nauda, show programmer and back line crew chief for the tour. “The headsets are perfect – great sounding, reliable and unobtrusive. They take an incredible amount of stage abuse and still come up sounding like they did the first day we got them. Best of all, the group can put on an even more engaging show without missing a beat to switch mics.”
The HSP 4s are high-quality, permanently polarized condenser headsets with cardioid pick-up pattern and an adjustable, rugged neckband.
The 2000 Series wireless personal monitors – SR 2050 IEM twin transmitters and EK 2000 IEM receivers - are built using adaptive diversity technology, reducing dropouts from rare to practically nonexistent by using the earphone cable as a second antenna.
The 2000 Series continues Sennheiser’s tradition of continually improving performance and reliability as research and technology advance. Users can easily select an open frequency with an intuitive scan feature and then “zap” the wireless device with that frequency using infrared (IR) technology.
“The IR sync feature is wonderful,” says Nauda. “It saves a ton of programming time and is a real lifesaver when we have to change frequencies on the fly. We just hit a button, and that’s it.” Nauda is also fond of the 2000 Series’ new interface. “It’s really smooth and easy to get around on. The backlight display is the best I’ve seen - especially in direct sunlight!”
The intensity of the Jonas Brothers’ schedule has placed unique demands on Sennheiser’s support services, which, appropriate to the act’s international reach, are globally distributed.
“If there’s anybody out there who’s pushing the boundaries, it’s this act,” concludes Nauda. “Sennheiser, and especially Kristy Jo Winkler, have been very accommodating, both in terms of getting us the gear we need when we need it and supporting us around the world. It’s challenging enough for the actual technicians and engineers on the tour to keep everything straight, yet Sennheiser rolls right along with us, adapting to last-minute schedule changes without hesitation.”
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