Unveiling Spectera at CABSAT 2025

At CABSAT 2025, Sennheiser Middle East, in partnership with Venuetech, will introduce and showcase Spectera, touted as the world’s first bidirectional wideband wireless audio solution. This groundbreaking system, powered by advanced WMAS (Wireless Multichannel Audio Systems) technology, is set to revolutionize wireless audio by simplifying system design while enhancing performance, offering comprehensive remote control, and enabling continuous spectrum monitoring.

Live Demonstrations at the Sennheiser Booth

Experience Spectera firsthand at Sennheiser’s booth in the Sheikh Saeed Halls 1, where attendees can engage in live demonstrations. The system boasts sophisticated bidirectional bodypacks that manage digital IEM/IFB and mic/line signals simultaneously. With its exceptional resistance to RF fading and the ability to utilize a wideband RF channel, Spectera achieves digital IEM latency as low as 0.7 milliseconds.

Transforming Wireless Audio for Large Productions

Mig Cardamone, Sales Director of Sennheiser Middle East, expressed excitement about the launch: “We are thrilled to see years of technological advancements and spectrum policy efforts culminate in a digital wireless ecosystem that addresses many challenges faced by users of wireless multichannel systems today. Our wideband solution is perfect for large productions across touring, broadcasting, theatre, and any sector requiring multichannel audio setups. Spectera meets our customers’ primary needs for ease of use, operational reliability, and flexibility, offering reduced hardware requirements, simplified frequency coordination, and an adaptable ecosystem that grows with your demands.”

Addressing Common Wireless Audio Challenges

Spectera tackles prevalent issues in wireless audio, such as complex frequency coordination, cumbersome rack setups, and large system footprints. By utilizing a proprietary variant of OFDM-TDMA designed for reliable, low-latency, bidirectional multichannel communication, it replaces multiple narrowband carriers with a single 6 or 8 MHz wideband RF channel. This innovation allows seamless integration of IEM and mic signals within the same channel, eliminating the need for separate frequency bands and significantly reducing RF fading through high diversity across the channel.

Compact Design with Enhanced Functionality

A standout feature of Spectera is its Base Station, which consolidates the capabilities of an entire rack of mic receivers and IEM transmitters into a compact 1RU unit with up to 32 inputs and 32 outputs. This innovation, combined with versatile bodypacks that function for both transmission and reception, drastically reduces hardware footprint and simplifies logistics for engineers and performers alike.

Streamlined Operations for Sound Engineers

“Having just one pack is not only beneficial for performers,” noted Ryan Burr, Head of Technical Sales & Application Engineering at Sennheiser Middle East, “but it also simplifies the sound engineer’s job, who now only needs one type of pack and can quickly add an IEM to a mic if necessary. This also streamlines warehousing, with just one Base Station and two frequency variants – UHF and 1G4 – for bodypacks and antennas.”

Enhanced Control and Monitoring Capabilities

Spectera represents a significant advancement in control and monitoring: it provides continuous two-way communication, allowing for complete remote control. Through a permanent control data stream, users can adjust audio settings, adapt IEM and mic levels, monitor RF health and battery status, and more. The system employs AES 256 encryption (AES 256 CTR Mode with >10k Years expiry) for both audio and control data, ensuring essential data privacy.

Continuous Spectrum Sensing

All units continuously monitor the spectrum, scanning for potential interference from other RF sources. For the first time with Spectera, users can visualize the RF channel in use and detect interference effectively.

Exceptional Audio Quality

Spectera delivers the renowned Sennheiser digital audio quality for mics, instruments, and IEMs, utilizing various application-optimized audio codecs processed with 32-bit-float precision.

Flexible Audio Link Modes

With eleven Audio Link Modes, operators can flexibly control audio quality, latency, channel count, and operating range for each audio link throughout a production. This flexibility allows for maximizing the RF channel, whether prioritizing fewer audio links with high quality or accommodating more links at a reduced quality.

A Game-Changer for the Pro Audio Industry

“Spectera is a transformative innovation for the pro audio industry, and we’re excited to introduce it to the region in collaboration with Sennheiser at CABSAT 2025,” stated Alice Macaluso, Brand Manager of Sennheiser at Venuetech. “Its unparalleled ability to combine high performance, compact design, and complete bidirectional signal and control opens a new chapter in wireless audio. This launch underscores Venuetech’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge innovations to our clients across broadcast, live production, and installation sectors.”

Visit us at Stand H1-G15!