Optimum quality and communication reliability - these are the key benefits of digital audio transmission. Now, audio specialist Sennheiser is launching the first visitor guidance system with digital wireless transmission in the license-free band. TourGuide 2020-D offers up to six channels for reliable information transmission in museums, during factory tours and at tourist attractions. Users can benefit from this superior technology immediately and without the need for registration formalities, as the system operates in the license-free ISM band (Europe: 863-865 MHz; USA: 926-928 MHz). TourGuide 2020-D consists of a sturdy SK 2020-D beltpack transmitter with an HS 2-ew professional headset microphone and, for the visitors, an HDE 2020-D receiver with integrated stethoset headphones.

"Fully digital transmission allows us to operate on a completely new quality level," explains Norbert Hilbich, Sennheiser's Industry Team Manager Installed Sound. "Interference that used to be audible with analog systems is corrected by the redundancy of digital transmission." " A further plus point is the fact that the system is license-free, which is a special asset for private users and companies. "With Tourguide 2020-D, users can go `on air´ immediately, without having to apply for a license as is usually the case with wireless systems."

Close to the Source of Information

Visitors simply need to put on the headphones and they´re ready to start. Opening the ear bows automatically switches the receiver on. A comfortable volume level is preset and can be adjusted using a large volume wheel, while a switch located in the center of the level control allows a channel to be selected. The backlit display shows all the settings clearly. And audio transmission is equally clear: the design of the stethoset headphones effectively attenuates outside noise, allowing visitors to hear what is being said even in noisy production environments.

Convenience for the Operator

Up to six tours at the same time with a single license-free system " TourGuide 2020-D is completely uncomplicated. External sound sources can simply be fed in via the transmitter´s line input, and the microphone can either be mixed with the external source or switched to "mute". The sensitivity can be adjusted separately for both inputs. The charging case (EZL 2020-20) fully recharges the receivers and the transmitter within about three hours. A particularly convenient feature of the EZL 2020-20 is the "Copy" function. Simply set one receiver to the required frequency and the "Copy" button then adjusts all other units to this channel, saving the visitors the trouble of searching for the right channel before their tour begins.

TourGuide 2020-D as a Mini Interpretation System

By using additional transmitters, TourGuide 2020-D can be used as a mini interpretation system for foreign visitors and small conferences. Users also benefit from a further feature of this system: the wireless signal is digitally encrypted, which means that it cannot be intercepted by commercially available AM and FM scanners - thus guaranteeing secure communication.

Visit Sennheiser at the IBC, Hall 8, Stand 550.

As one of the world´s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems, the Sennheiser Group with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, had total sales of about €300 million in 2005. The export share is 82.5%. Sennheiser has a total workforce of more than 1,650 employees, of whom about 60% are employed in Germany. Sennheiser is active worldwide and, in addition to other partnerships, has its own sales subsidiaries in France, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, China, Singapore, Canada, Mexico and the USA.