At NAMM, Sennheiser announced major upgrades to its Digital 6000 wireless microphone system. A free firmware update for all EM 6000 receivers enables a Command function that lets users set up a talkback channel with suitable transmitters. In addition, the EM 6000 Dante has been upgraded to now feature a secondary Dante port.
“Since its launch in February 2017, Digital 6000 has met with huge acclaim from a broad range of users, from artists and live audio companies to broadcasters and corporations,” says Tom Vollmers, product manager for Digital 6000. “The new upgrade with a Command function and secondary Dante port adds further attractive features to a system that is already highly praised for its exceptional audio quality and fantastic spectrum efficiency.”
Digital 6000 is physically engineered to be intermodulation-free. More channels can be accommodated in less space, as they can simply be placed in an equidistant grid. Crucially important in today’s densely populated radio spectrum, the Digital 6000 system does not itself congest the spectrum with any intermodulation products. This leaves productions with more spectrum available for operating wireless links.
With an audio codec that has been specially fine-tuned and purpose-designed, Digital 6000 offers a very detailed and fully natural sound, while the digital principle eliminates the analog noise floor and compression and ensures a quieter overall floor for professional audio work.
The new firmware update 2.0 expands Digital 6000 with a ‘Command’ or talkback function. Whether it’s an artist wishing to communicate with the monitor engineer or a broadcaster seeking to establish a talkback link from an onsite reporter, Digital 6000 can ensure reliable communication while maintaining high-quality audio transmission.
To operate a talkback channel, users have a choice of several transmitter options: They are able to use the special SKM 9000 COM handheld or make the SK 6000 or SK 9000 bodypack transmitters “COM-ready” by connecting the KA 9000 COM command cable.
Any output of the receiver can be freely assigned as a talkback channel, and programmed to either work as “push to talk” or “push to mute.” On EM 6000 Dante receivers, dual Dante channels are supported. A “COM” icon will appear on the receiver display to indicate that the Command function is in operation. The icon will invert its color once the command button on the transmitter or the KA 9000 COM is pressed.
The new firmware version 2.0 also improves the Auto Setup function of Digital 6000. It is now possible to distribute transmitter sync settings from one master receiver to all associated receivers. Also included is a completely new sync option, “Frequency Only.” This option only changes the transmission frequency, leaving all other settings untouched – a feature very much in demand with touring productions.
The new software also provides an Audio Mute for the receiver as well as soft backlighting to all function buttons and switches, facilitating work in dark environments.
The new firmware 2.0 for all EM 6000 receivers can be downloaded here.
The secondary Dante port on the new EM 6000 Dante receiver further increases reliability by enabling the operation of a redundant network. The port can alternatively be used to daisy-chain several receivers. Early adopters of the Digital 6000 Dante that prefer a Dante-type receiver with two ports can take benefit of a Sennheiser swap service. They are asked to contact their local Sennheiser sales rep for more detailed information. The swap period starts on April 1 and ends on May 31, 2018.
