Wireless Headphone help

[SaffronSmoke]

I'm Production Managing an outdoor, site specific, immersive show, where the 100-strong audience use wireless headphones to listen and follow instructions through the 1.5hr performance.

The audience are split into 5 groups, and each group listens to a separate pre-recorded audio feed ( mostly likely sent through Qlab ) The each audience member only listens to 1 audio feed for the whole performance, no channel switching and also no pressing play/pause/stop. The range needed is 100m, outdoor. The director would prefer no wires, at all. So ideally no packs. Or wireless packs??

 

So far I'm looking into Silent Disco headphones which can only reliably send on 3 channels, using CH. 70 frequencies. Some suggest they can do more than that, but I'm skeptical about the sound quality.

A full IEM system for 100 people would be way too expensive

Also considering a audio walking guide/museu/translation set-up, though this does involve wires again.

Other suggestion have involved an induction loop (would this work? given the above terms?)

Wi-Fi direct - not something I know a lot about, and this it might be a bit unreliable in the urban wasteland performance space.

 

We can pay for a co-ordinated RF licence, but I'm stuck on how/where to source transmitters that I can tune to these frequencies and then how to get matching wireless headsets.

 

At this point we are considering both hire and buying. There's about £4k to play with.

 

To recap:

5 channel feed - 1 per group (5 groups)

100 headphones

100m outdoor range

Ideally no wires

 

Not being a sound tech, please advise in PM/SM terms. Or pictures. With Crayons. Thoughts, anyone?

[cedd]

Is this one audience stood together listening to 5 different feeds, or is it 5 smaller audiences moving around different areas? If it's the latter then are there specific locations that they stop to listen at, or is it continuous audio the whole way around, even when they're walking?

If you have several separate specific locations then you could just set up an infrared transmitter and use stethosets designed for audio description/hard of hearing use. All you have to do is ensure there's not line of sight to any of the other transmitters from each location and you have an interference-free system and all 100 of your stethosets are set up the same - it's the location that chooses what audio you hear, not the channel.

 

Of course if the audio has to be 100% continuous then that's not going to work.

 

If not then is there an internet-based solution you could come up with? Maybe something along the lines of an internet radio station/podcast per group with provided wifi across the site. Maybe you could ask the audience to use their phones as the receivers then and to just connect to the wifi?

[Simon Lewis]

It would be helpful to know the answers to the questions Cedd has posed.... but if this is outdoors, then infra red may be iffy (depending on how it deals with sunlight etc.). IR systems can cope with up to 10 channels though if you get the right ones. Induction loop carries only a single audio signal, so if your group is fairly small and the area is small too, you might be able to get away with five separate loops? However, spill between adjacent loops would most likely be a problem.

 

A few firms have audio over IP systems (e.g. Sennheiser Connect). They can be very clever, but do rely on the customer and BYOD, and the Senny system has a maximum number of connected devices limitation (plus some latency).

 

 

Although not too cheap, you could consider the Sennheiser Tourguide 2020 system? You need a SR 2020-D transmitter for each 'send' and either an EK 2020-D-II with earpieces (or neckloop) or an HDE 2020-D stethoscope receiver per person.

The system transmits a digital signal in the deregulated part of channel 70 and can achieve six to eight simultaneous channels, which are selectable on the receiver. This is primarily a speech based system, so it doesn't have the widest frequency response, but the radio does transmit over a wide area. I tried a system out at the local velodrome and got good coverage at all points within the arena, FOH and backstage areas.

 

[pete10uk]

You've pretty much mentioned all the solutions I would look at.

 

My thoughts would be towards the sennheiser tour guide system.

 

Pretty much exactly what you want.

 

Cost is the only issue as a quick count up is at around 5-6k for the system your wanting. That's inc vat and del from our German friends, so you may be able to find a trade price and if your budget is ex vat, you could be just about there. You then do need to consider charging 100 sets, but that's not the question.

[SaffronSmoke]

Thanks for your responses!

 

To fill in the gaps,

 

Its one collected audience who remain working interacting ,together, listening constantly, to 5 separate feeds. They only ever listen to one feed, now switching inbetween. The idea is that they listen to a constant soundtrack with directions included for the whole thing. The directions make then interact with things, like 'pile up those cubes', 'pull on the rope', which also explains the need for ordinary public not the be impeded or distracted by wearing wires that they aren't used to. We're avoiding using people's phones for the same reason, so that cuts out any app / wi-fi options.

 

Simon Lewis - I really like the Sennheiser Tourguide System, - was it tremendously costly/do you know of a cheaper alternative? The only quote I've got so far was £2000 hire for the week...

 

Thanks pete10uk, I figure its the best way to go, though I *might* be able to use digital silent disco set-ups... they can apparently supply up to 5 channels using 2.4ghz , though I'm not confident about have a clean feed....

 

Any thoughts gratefully received!

[Simon Lewis]

Simon Lewis - I really like the Sennheiser Tourguide System, - was it tremendously costly/do you know of a cheaper alternative? The only quote I've got so far was £2000 hire for the week...

 

I haven't bought one of these systems - just listened to one and checked its coverage in a large building. I do not know of a similar cheaper system providing that many channels in a bit of free to use spectrum.

If you have a trade account with a Sennheiser supplier, then I'd check with them for prices, but otherwise the usual suspects (AC-ET etc.) should be able to help, especially on what might be quite a large purchase should you decide not to hire....