Specialty Audio Company With Offices Around the World Take Sennheiser’s Most Advanced Wireless Audio System on the Road, to the Delight of Artists, Fans
Old Lyme, Conn. – September 30, 2013
– Jonas Productions, Inc. is a specialty audio and backline services company with a primary focus on backline. The company, which has offices in Indianapolis, Las Vegas and Sydney Australia, recently adopted the groundbreaking Digital 9000 —
‘no compromise’ wireless system that was introduced at last year’s IBC after having been under development for more than ten years. Jonas Productions is a longtime user of Sennheiser and handles production Harry Connick, Jr. and many major music festivals in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Australia.
Once the Digital 9000 was introduced in the fall of last year, owner Ted Jonas was among the first to express interest in the new system: “We were making a large purchase and upgrading some of our Sennheiser G2 wireless units,” he recalls. “We always try to stay on the cutting edge of technology with what’s new, and we knew the Harry Connick Jr. tour was coming up. We were so pleased with the system that we ended up purchas-ing quite a few of the Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitters as well as the Digital 9000 system itself.”
The Sennheiser Digital 9000 features completely uncompressed audio, artifact free wireless performance and superb dynamics while making frequency coordination nearly effortless. These features have made it a top consideration for many high-end appli-cations in broadcast, on Broadway and of course in live performance environments.
For Jonas Productions, the timing was right to upgrade to a world class, state of the art wireless system. “The product was available and the system itself was really impressive,” says Jonas. There are many considerations that go into such an investment, not the least of which is flexibility and long-term viability. “You want to make sure that the system is both expandable and flexible, and that the expected longevity of the product is there so you can realize your investment,” Jonas explains. “Since the Digital 9000 works in almost any situation, be it film, broadcast or special events, it seemed like the right investment to make — especially with the RF environment getting as busy as it is.”
For Jonas Productions, the ultimate measure of any investment comes back to the cus-tomer. “We want to be able to provide the best possible service,” Jonas says. “Competi-tion is really tough in the marketplace, and if you can offer something that is better than anything else, it gives you an edge. As an audio manufacturer, Sennheiser has always been able to do that.”
The Sennheiser Digital 9000 — Taking Wireless into the Digital World
The Sennheiser Digital 9000 enables users to keep the audio signal entirely within the digital domain, from the microphone all the way to the speaker. On its touring operation with Harry Connick, Jr., Jonas Productions is using the Digital 9000 in conjunction with a Midas digital console. “We use the Midas interface right out of the Digital 9000, and main-tain a digital signal right from the microphone itself all the way to the speaker box,” Jonas explains. “And we can have the digital split to monitors and front of house. As far as I know, that’s something that nobody else can do.”
Since Jonas Productions has operations in different regions of the world, the company also appreciates the modular flexibility of the Digital 9000 as frequency requirements change country to country: “If we are traveling overseas where there are other frequency regulations, we can maintain the same EM 9046 receiver unit – racked and ready to go at any time – and just grab the appropriate transmitters and antenna boosters to comply with local regulations.”
Perhaps the most important feature of the Digital 9000 is its sound, which is noticeable to both fans and artists alike: “When we graduated to the Digital 9000, we didn’t tell Harry that we were going to make a switch,” recalls Jonas. “He walked up, sang a few verses, stopped almost immediately and asked me, ‘What’s up? This sounds really good.’ I told him we upgraded our wireless system and he noticed right off the bat that there was something different.”
Jonas says that the Digital 9000 has also helped simplify the overall touring set up, which translates to time efficiency: “When we find a product that fits nicely into our workflow, like the Digital 9000, we have fewer things to worry about — it’s a cleaner package. As a small example, the rechargeable battery solution on the Digital 9000 saves a huge amount of money, not to mention it is also helping the environment,” he says.
About Sennheiser
Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Conn. Sennheiser’s pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the com-pany with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Sci-entific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.You can find all the latest information on Sennheiser by visiting our website at
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Captions:
1) Josh Sprague, Ted Jonas and Chuck Smith of Jonas Productions, Inc.
2) Sennheiser Digital 9000 Wireless product spotlight
3) The Sennheiser Digital 9000 rack