Press

15.10.2008 - Wedemark

TV enjoyment at home and listening assistance when out and about: Set 900 from Sennheiser adapts perfectly to the user´s situation

Watching television at your own volume at home and hearing better when you’re out and about: the new Set 900 is both a TV listening system and a mobile assistive listening device at the same time. The sound of the infrared system can be individually adapted to the user’s needs to suit different listening situations. In addition to providing excellent stereo sound quality and speech intelligibility, the Set 900 system features ergonomically optimised controls and a modern design.
 

Listening pleasure at home
Turn the TV up as loud as you like without disturbing the neighbours – no problem with the Set 900 system. The wireless stethoset receiver amplifies the TV or hi-fi sound directly at your ears. The set’s transmitter is simply connected to the audio source and the signal is transmitted to the receiver using infrared technology. At the receiver, both the volume and the balance between the right and left ear can be individually adjusted according to the listener’s hearing. “Speech intelligibility is particularly important when watching television,” explains Oliver Berg, Product Manager Audiology at Sennheiser. For this reason, the Set 900 system allows speech intelligibility to be individually adapted to the listener’s needs by emphasising the trebles. “A person’s ability to hear high frequencies continuously deteriorates with age,” says Oliver Berg describing human hearing ability. “If the volume of these frequencies is raised, speech becomes much clearer and easier to understand.” In addition, a switchable compres-sion function balances out the often unpleasant differences in volume between quiet and loud sounds.
 

Apart from its individual sound optimisation, the Set 900 system is also particularly user-friendly: when the earbows are opened slightly to put the receiver on, the sound is switched on automatically. When the receiver is removed, it switches off automati-cally after 30 seconds. Set 900 also finds the right frequency completely automatically.
 

The phone rings or the doorbell sounds – when you’re watching an exciting film or listening to music, it’s easy to forget the world around you. Headphones in particular tend to block out external noises. For that reason, two small, switchable microphones are integrated into the stethoset receiver of the Set 900 system. These pick up surrounding noises and amplify them, allowing listeners to hear noises around them while watching television or listening to music.

Listening assistance when out and about
The stethoset receiver can also be used as a normal assistive listening device at home or when out and about. It not only lets listeners hear surrounding noises more clearly, it also makes it easier to understand conversations. When the microphones are switched on, the volume and the balance of the sound can be individually adjusted to suit the listener’s hearing ability in any situation, whether at a party or a lecture.
 

The Sennheiser listening system is also a useful companion at the theatre or concert hall. Today, more and more public buildings and cultural facilities are equipped with professional systems that use infrared technology to transmit the performance or lecture to receivers such as those of the Set 900 system. To receive these signals, the receiver has three frequencies – 2.3 MHz, 2.8 MHz and 95 kHz – which can be set according to the channel being used to transmit the information. As a result, even quiet instruments and speakers can be heard clearly.
 

The stethoset receiver can be easily and conveniently folded up for carrying. It comes with a black carrying case that also has space for a battery pack and a spare set of ear cushions. A useful wrist strap is also included.
 

Lightweight and comfortable
“Whether you’re at home or out and about, the Set 900 system allows you to adjust the sound to suit your individual needs in any listening situation,” says Oliver Berg pointing out the many possibilities for using the system. But the development of the new TV listening system didn’t only concentrate on providing optimum sound. “As well as ensuring the best possible sound quality, we also focused in particular on getting the best design. After all, the infrared set will not only be used at home but will also be expected to look good at social events or at the theatre.” For that reason, the trans-mitter with its integrated charger and the stethoset receiver are finished in a modern black-metallic design. At only 68 grams, the stethoset receiver is a true lightweight, and its flexible ear cushions ensure that it remains comfortable even when worn for a long time. A powerful lithium-ion battery guarantees up to twelve hours of clear, undisturbed sound.
 

The Set 900 system and accessories such as spare ear cushions will be on sale worldwide from December.
 

The Sennheiser Group, with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. The family-owned company, which was established in 1945, recorded sales of over €395 million in 2007, 83% of which were generated abroad. Sennheiser employs almost 2,000 people worldwide, around 55% of whom are in Germany. Sennheiser has manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA, and is represented worldwide by subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as by long-term trading partners in many other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones), K + H Vertriebs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (Klein + Hummel studio monitors, installed sound) and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centres).
 

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