Sennheiser Presents The ADN Discussion System

At InfoComm in Las Vegas, audio specialist Sennheiser is presenting the ADN discussion system, a premium product for the conference market. The wired, digital discussion system comprises of an easy-to-use central unit and two conference terminal options, one for the conference manager and the other for the participants. Special features include superb Sennheiser sound quality, sophisticated design, an intuitive user interface and a fully integrated software package within the central unit.

ADN (Audio Distribution Network) was designed as a premium entry-level solution for the conference market. "High-quality acoustics were of particular importance to us," explained Jens Werner, Sennheiser's Product Manager for confer¬ence technology. "All the components have been carefully developed in-house to ensure we can offer our customers the highest audio quality – as well as simple operation and total reliability."

Good sound quality starts at the front-end: with the microphone. The ADN conference unit uses a high-quality Sennheiser KE 10 capsule, whose super-cardioid pick-up pattern brings the speaker into focus, efficiently attenuating ambient noise. A DSP limiter ensures that the audio signal can not over-amplify. Audio is reproduced by the terminal's integrated twin loudspeakers; they create a pleasant sound with excellent voice intelligibility over the whole conference room – even when just a few conference units are in use.

The design of the conference units blends in harmoniously with all environments, being equally at home in modern conference halls as well as listed buildings and council chambers. The stylish, understated visual appeal is emphasised by the concealed cable connections of the conference units. Thanks to the RJ-45 ports the system can be set up quickly and easily, ready to use. For fixed installations, a cable strain relief is available for added reliability.

The central unit boasts a wealth of features; for example an integrated PC with pre-installed conference software. It delivers a graphic overview of the conference room (including a room photo if desired), enabling control of the microphone distribution and the conference settings – all you need to do is connect a screen, keyboard and mouse! At the balanced XLR audio output, the sound can be distributed in various ways: fed through a mixing desk to an additional public address system, transmitted via a radio system or connected to a system for the hearing impaired for example. External audio sources such as a wireless microphone receiver can be input professionally via the XLR audio input.

Fan noise is extremely low so that the central unit can even be positioned within the conference room itself. Data transmission takes place via an EtherCAT bus; depending on the length of the system cables used the central unit can supply between 30 and 40 conference units. Remote PC access and future media control have been factored in as the central unit is equipped with an Ethernet connection.

These units are the start of a comprehensive system: "ADN is based on a platform which can be extended to accommodate new functions and additional conference unit types and quantities," explained Jens Werner. "All the important interfaces – XLR, Ethernet, USB, VGA – are provided. And with the continued global trend towards digital networking, ADN rises to the challenge and offers customers a safe investment for the future."

The Components At A Glance

• ADN CU1 Central unit with integral PC and conference software (seven languages; can be extended), XLR Audio in, XLR Audio out, RJ-45 conference bus, 2 x USB, 1 x VGA, 1 x Ethernet
• ADN D1 Delegate unit complete with microphone and headphone socket
• ADN C1 Chairman's unit complete with microphone and headphone socket, plus buttons for conference control (priority/cancel, next)

Accessories:

• ADN TR1 Strain relief for the conference unit cables
• ADN RMB-2 Rack-mount kit for the central unit
• SDC CBL RJ45 CAT5 system cables, available in 2 m, 3 m, 5 m, 10 m, 20 m and 50 m lengths

www.sennheiser.com