It's about time: Sennheiser Spectera offers step change in digital wireless technology By Kevin Emmott
Monday, September 23, 2024 - 10:42
Print This Story
(L-R): Sennheiser's Vice President Sales EMEA Christophe Van Den Berghe, Category Market Manager Theresa Vondran and CEO Andreas Sennheiser at the Spectera launch event
It's been almost 70 years since Fritz Sennheiser invented the world's first ever wireless microphone in 1957, and wireless audio technology has worked pretty much the same way ever since. So, when Sennheiser unveiled a spectacular new way of managing wireless signals at a glitzy launch event at De Hallen Studio's in Amsterdam during IBC2024, you would be forgiven for thinking it's about time.
And you'd be right, in more ways than one.
Sennheiser says Spectera is the world's first wideband, bidirectional, digital wireless ecosystem and it is literally all about time. Not just the 11 years Sennheiser has been developing the idea of managing wireless signals with broadband technology, or the six years it has spent lobbying the FCC, or the 18 months of dedicated development since the company first announced its Wireless Multi-Channel Audio System (WMAS) technology in March 2023.
Time is Spectera's defining feature because it is central to its technology.
Introduced on stage by CEO Andreas Sennheiser, Spectera represents a step change in digital wireless technology. Using Sennheiser's WMAS technology, Spectera does a whole bunch of stuff. It reduces wireless system complexity, it increases capability, it simplifies setup, and it does all this with way less equipment. It delivers full remote control and monitoring (including permanent spectrum sensing); it is highly resistant to RF fading; and its compact bidirectional bodypacks deal with digital IEM/IFB and mic/line signals as well as control data simultaneously, and in the same wideband RF channel.
Oh, and its base station can handle up to 64 wireless audio links (32 in/32 out) in just 1U of space.
Challenges
It's a lot, so it's no surprise that Andreas Sennheiser admits that it was a challenging development.
There's not a single challenge there but a multitude of challenges that you have to overcome in order to create a system that's really compelling, he says. Whether that's working with the authorities on regulations for the use of the RF broadband spectrum, the development of a brand-new transmission scheme, or the software integration. There are so many moving parts that we had to totally rethink.
It's the first time in 65 years that we're not just transmitting on one carrier, and therefore it's right to say that this is a new era in wireless transmission, but from the beginning we had a system in mind that didn't operate like a transmitter and receiver; we envisioned a system that would make it simpler for the customer to do their job now and be able to evolve in the future to cater for future needs.
A different approach
At the centre of everything is Sennheiser's WMAS, a development which began in 2013 and took many years working alongside the authorities to get adopted. For decades, narrow-band microphones have always stipulated a maximum RF transmission bandwidth of 200kHz, but in 2017 Sennheiser's work with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) resulted in getting WMAS included in EN 300 422-1.
A year later the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) removed bandwidth limits from its own recommendations for wireless microphones, and Sennheiser filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the FCC to request a modification in their bandwidth specifications for wireless microphones. This led to the FCC permitting operation of WMAS in the US earlier this year.
Spectera was launched just a few months later.
It's the first time in 65 years that we're not just transmitting on one carrier, and therefore it's right to say that this is a new era in wireless transmission
Instead of using those individual 200kHz narrowband RF carrier frequencies, WMAS uses a single wideband RF channel for the bidirectional transmission of audio and control data; in fact, it uses a TV channel of 6 or 8MHz.
The system coordinates itself by organising every single audio link within this channel, whether it's a mic or an IEM, and every signal is assigned a specific time slot for transmitting its audio information. This makes it possible to have multiple IEMs and mics in the same TV channel instead of two channels separated by a guard band, which makes setup easier by massively simplifying frequency coordination, not to mention the reduction in the amount of kit required to do it, especially for larger productions.
In addition, as every audio link uses the full width of the RF channel when it is its turn to do so, it greatly reduces RF fading as well.
Four areas of development
The system is made up of four main components.
Spectera's Base Station squeezes 32 inputs and 32 outputs in a 1U footprint, and it can accommodate up to two RF wideband channels. It is frequency-agnostic, and activation of the respective local licence automatically loads the authorised frequency ranges. It is also extremely robust with two PSUs, primary and secondary Dante connections, two slots for optional redundant MADI connections, and four antenna ports. These ports not only allow for redundancy, but also for extended, synchronised antenna zone coverage or higher system capacity by using additional frequency ranges.
The system's bodypacks are just as hardworking, handling mic/line and IEM/IFB requirements at the same time; this means less equipment for the talent to carry, and less equipment for the sound crew to store, pack, test and fit. They feature a 3-pin connector for a lavalie
More from Sports Video Group
02/06/2026
Tennis Channel has completed a transition from satellite-based distribution to a...
02/06/2026
Daktronics has announced the 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day educational event for high school educators and student production teams, taking place Jun...
02/06/2026
Fandango will bring Telemundo's live Spanish-language coverage of the FIFA W...
02/06/2026
All Women's Sports Network (AWSN) has announced the live television schedule...
02/06/2026
Spalk, a cloud-based multilingual commentary and production platform, has announced three new partnerships: Ligue 1 (English and Portuguese highlights), Eurolea...
02/06/2026
NHL Network's 2026 Stanley Cup Final coverage began June 1 with NHL Tonight: Stanley Cup Final Media Day from the Carolina Hurricanes' Lenovo Center at ...
02/06/2026
Matrox Video has announced the Maevex MGX Series, a lineup of IPMX-ready video e...
02/06/2026
Marshall Electronics will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7521), showcasing a lineup of 4K and HD compact POV cameras for corporate, education, hospitality, wo...
02/06/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated have...
02/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C50...
02/06/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has announced the promotion of Joe Marchitto to Western Regional CTO. In his new role, Marchitto will oversee system design across ...
02/06/2026
The NHL has announced that Brothers Osborne will headline a free outdoor concert...
02/06/2026
CP Communications has announced the appointment of its first two female executives in the company's 40-year history. Tabitha Coleman has been named Vice Pre...
02/06/2026
The Lighting Design Group (LDG) has announced the completion of Studio C at Yahoo's headquarters at 770 Broadway in Manhattan. The studio launched April 24 ...
02/06/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (Z) has announced a partnership with FIFA to broadcast FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2030, FIFA Women's World Cup 2...
02/06/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and repo...
02/06/2026
The department is broadcasting NCAA Baseball Super Regionals at Plainsman Park this weekend
Broadcast and production crews at Division I institutions are busy ...
02/06/2026
The initiative is extends beyond the league's arenas to team training rinks,...
01/06/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
01/06/2026
Designed to solve a common problem in broadcasting, the automated workflow detects, identifies, removes, and documents copyrighted music
AudioShake has introdu...
01/06/2026
The sports-analytics company combines its data with proprietary AI to help leagu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
28/05/2026
FOX Sports' MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy ...
28/05/2026
One of the most memorable postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...
28/05/2026
NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most-decorated and most-watched pro...
28/05/2026
The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...
28/05/2026
Hosted by ESPN Senior Writer Ryan McGee, the ceremony honored winners from athletic departments, conference offices, professional networks, production companies...
28/05/2026
Major rights-holders rolled out their 2026 college football slates today, offering a first look at marquee windows, kickoff partners, and conference distributio...
28/05/2026
The 4 Nations Face-Off, an international competition that launched in February 2...
28/05/2026
Soccer is a truly global sport, and, to match the U.S. viewing audience's in...
28/05/2026
The NFL Today, CBS Sports' top-of-the-line NFL studio show, has a storied hi...
28/05/2026
Prime Video is no stranger to innovation, and, within the realm of live streamin...
It's about time: Sennheiser Spectera offers step change in digital wireless technology By Kevin Emmott 
