The Sennheiser Profile Wireless is Three Microphones in One
Sennheiser announced the Profile Wireless, a two-channel, 2.4 GHz wireless microphone system that can connect with smartphones, cameras, or computers and is designed to work as a clip-on mic, handheld mic, or desktop microphone.
It’s a system that tries pretty hard to be “one mic to rule them all” and is able to handle every common audio situation that modern content creators could ask it to. The system all comes together in what Sennheiser calls the charging bar, which stores and charges the pieces of the system but can also act as the body of the Profile Wireless when used as a handheld microphone or on a desktop.
The charging bar holds a two-channel mini-receiver with an OLED touch display, two pre-paired clip-on microphones that automatically connect to the receiver, magnetic clips for attaching the mics to clothing, and adaptors for connecting the receiver to mobile phones or a camera cold shoe mount.
Sennheiser heavily emphasizes the mic’s ability to adapt to a creator’s needs, giving them more freedom to choose how to use the mic than is typical of a wireless system. A lot of young creators will hold a lapel or lavalier mic up as if it were a handheld mic while on the street but also do the same even at home. Sennheiser’s design allows the mic to, of course, be used like this but also provides two distinctly more convenient ways to deploy the mic depending on the shooting situation.
While it can be a clip-on style mic, Sennheiser also included a lockable 3.5mm TRS jack for connecting external microphone capsules. Sennheiser also includes a 3.5 mm jack coiled cable for connecting the mics to a camera, a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, and windshields for the clip-on mics and charging bar. With these pieces, the Profile Wireless can connect to a dedicated camera and a smartphone. When using a mobile phone, it connects to Lightning, mini USB, or USB-C — the two older connections aren’t gated off because Sennheiser includes a Lightning or mini-USB adaptor. All Profile Wireless components come with mounting threads too, letting them easily attach to accessories creators already own.
Sennheiser says that the microphone has a range or 245 meters with line of sight and up to 150 meters line of sight “when taking body blocking into account.” Each clip-on microphone has 16 GB memory for internal recording and when Backup Recording Mode is activated, internal recording will be automatically turned on if the wireless signal becomes too weak too weak. There is also a Safety Channel Mode that outputs and records backup audio at a lower volume to help protect against clipping.
“Profile Wireless is the first and at present only compact 2.4 GHz wireless system that has a handheld option integrated, and this option gives you a real 15+ hours of runtime, while with other sets, you cannot use the mics when the system is being recharged,” Sennheiser adds.
Profile Wireless can be pre-ordered starting today for $299 and will start shipping sometime between the end of the year and the beginning of 2025.
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