Sennheiser Announces EW-DP Digital Successor to G4 Wireless

Sennheiser's G4 series has long set the bar for reliable wireless microphone systems with camera-mount receivers, so when the news broke at B&H that the brand was gearing up to release a new digital successor to that highly regarded lineup, we were very excited. The company's new EW-DP sets feature the compact, single-channel EW-DP EK receiver, a professional-quality digital UHF receiver compatible with the EW-D SK bodypack and EW-D SKM handheld transmitters. Additionally, the EW-DP SKP plug-on transmitter/recorder has also been announced, allowing you to incorporate your favorite handheld XLR microphone into the system easily.

Impressive Specs that Deliver in the Field

This fully digital UHF system makes it easy to get pristine, nuanced sound you can depend on for your news gathering, videography, and filmmaking applications. Sennheiser's equidistant spacing-grid technology from its top-tier wireless systems allows you to use multiple mic channels simultaneously without having to worry about frequency coordination and channel groups. With an impressive 134 dB dynamic range on the transmitters' inputs, your days of worrying about overloading the signal are officially in the past; the EW-DP can handle a wide variety of sound sources, including loud vocalists and performers, connections to musical instruments, and even line-level signals from mixers, all without requiring any gain adjustment at the transmitter. The EW-DP SKP handheld plug-on transmitter can also supply 48V phantom power for condenser microphones and even features an additional 3.5mm input jack. Backup recording to a microSD card ensures that wireless interference or dropouts won't ruin a perfect take.

Conveniently, the EW-DP eliminates the major hassles that can make setting up a wireless system challenging, especially for first-time users, with an automatic setup assistant that you can use remotely from your phone or tablet. The system offers exceptionally low latency of only 1.9ms and, with the channels spaced apart equally across the wide 56 MHz bandwidth, intermodulation issues that can cause interference are eliminated and setup is made simple. The auto-scan function automatically searches up to 2240 available frequencies to find a clean operating channel in the UHF range, far away from the crowded 2.4 GHz spectrum used by Wi-Fi devices, while Intelligent Switching Diversity technology ensures a dropout-free signal you can rely on. You don't even need to bring the transmitter close to the receiver to sync the components; that's handled by a Bluetooth low-energy connection, so the transmitter and receiver can sync together even when they're up to 120 feet apart.

Bluetooth Low-Energy Connection

The Bluetooth low-energy connection offers additional benefits via the EW-D Smart Assist app for Android and iOS phones and tablets; it's a bit like having an engineer at your disposal. The app shows you battery statuses and gives you remote control over setup automation, manual frequency allocation (if you need it), channel naming, muting, and other functions on a maximum of 16 mic channels, via your mobile device. Additional channels can be controlled from another mobile device. Of course, settings can be updated directly from the receiver's front panel.

Intelligent Powering

The transmitter's rechargeable battery will power it for up to 12 hours, while the receiver's will power it for up to 7 hours between charges. The receiver can also be powered via USB, allowing you to extend your shooting time indefinitely via AC adapters or USB battery packs. With its intelligent battery management, the system clearly shows you the remaining operating time for the transmitter and receiver on the receiver's vivid OLED screen.

You've Got Options

The EW-DP is available in a wide variety of configurations, with sets including the bodypack transmitter, the handheld transmitter mic, or the plug-on transmitter. The bodypack systems include the EW-DP ME 2 set with an ME 2 omnidirectional lavalier and the EW-DP ME 4 with an ME 4 cardioid lavalier. Handheld users can choose the EW-DP 835 set with an MMD 835 cardioid dynamic mic capsule, but the interchangeable capsule system lets you swap it out for a different Sennheiser (or even a Neumann) capsule, if you prefer. The EW-DP ENG set includes the bodypack transmitter with the ME 2 omni lav, as well as the plug-on transmitter, providing users with the most flexible option. Of course, all the components, including the new EW-DP EK camera-mount receiver and the EW-DP SKP plug-on receiver are available à la carte if you're looking to add to an existing system. Choose from three UHF frequency ranges: The Q 1-6 spans from 470.2 to 526 MHz, the R 1-6 from 520 to 576, and the R 4-9 covers 552 to 607.8.

We hope we've given you some idea of the terrific feature set in Sennheiser's EW-DP camera-mount wireless microphone systems. Are you ready to step up to equidistant-grid reliability for your next video project, documentary, or news story? Let us know in the Comments section, below. If you have questions, please call us, chat with us online, or stop by our B&H New York SuperStore.