Sennheiser has introduced the XS Wireless IEM, billed as a complete starter set for musicians ‘who want to professionalise their performances by switching to wireless IEMs’. The system enables users to quickly establish an easy-to-manage wireless connection in the professional UHF range.

“No matter what your musical genre, whether you are rehearsing or performing live, XSW IEM will level up your sound and give you total freedom of movement,” says Bertram Zimmermann, product manager at Sennheiser. “Being able to hear yourself with clarity is a pre-requisite for a great performance. XSW IEM will give you consistency, reliability, and quality audio, and will let you focus on playing and singing your best.

“Once musicians have tried out wireless in-ears, they will not want to go back to wedges,” continuess Zimmermann. “The difference in sound is just too obvious. Hearing yourself well through floor monitors, side fills, or even the PA can be a real struggle. The sound changes constantly, especially when you move around, and is also very different from venue to venue. Trying to hear yourself better by increasing the monitor volume makes things worse, even to the point of causing hearing damage. Also, the overall sound for the audience will deteriorate substantially.”

XSW IEM uses the UHF band to provide a professional-level wireless connection. Aligned and pre-calculated frequency pre-sets get musicians started with ease. If desired, transmission frequencies can also be selected manually.

Backlit displays on both the receiver bodypack and the rack-mount transmitter help to clearly see settings even in poor lighting conditions. In addition, the system offers a limiter to protect user’s hearing and a high-frequency boost to increase detail and intelligibility.

For their monitor sound, users can opt for a mono mix (one mix, and the pan control adjusts the volume for the left and right ear) or a stereo mix. The latter provides two options: With Focus mode switched off, the pan control will change the left/right volume; with Focus mode switched on, it will determine which of the two input signals will be heard louder, creating a personal mono mix tailored to the musician’s needs.

An infrared sensor helps to easily sync multiple bodypack receivers to one transmitter.

XSW IEM includes a stereo bodypack receiver complete with in-ears and batteries and a stereo transmitter with antenna, rack-mount kit and a power supply with various country adapters.

XSW IEM is available in five UHF frequency ranges which are aligned with the XSW family of wireless microphones and instrument transmitters.