Inavate + Sennheiser: New to the family

Sennheiser launched the TeamConnect Ceiling Medium microphone at ISE 2023. Jens Werner from Sennheiser explains how the product is bringing the audio excellence associated with the manufacturer to a new range of applications.

The evolution of spaces means that communication, collaboration, and learning happen in rooms of all shapes and sizes. The modern workplace now features ‘meeting spaces’ that range from luxurious boardrooms to more flexible and adaptable spaces such as huddle rooms, phone booths and everything in between. And pedagogy going hybrid has led to the emergence of a new breed of learning and teaching spaces.

In addition, the role technology plays in enabling these spaces to perform their function has come to the forefront of the conversation with end users. Technology solutions and systems that enable communication and collaboration are one of the first points of discussion in the process of creating spaces today.

The plethora of modern spaces being envisioned, designed, and delivered require new tech solutions that have been created with the requirements of today in mind. Sennheiser is cognisant of this fact and has just released the TeamConnect Ceiling Medium [TCC M] as an answer to the needs of today’s meeting spaces and the requirements of end users.

Jens Werner, product manager of Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling Medium, details: “The TCC M is our newest addition to the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling solutions portfolio. Unveiled at ISE 2023, the TCC M is our new ceiling microphone for mid-sized meeting rooms and lecture or collaboration spaces. TCC M delivers all the innovation and features of our award-winning TeamConnect Ceiling 2 [TCC 2] to a new segment of the meeting space market. With a coverage area of up to 40 sq m, customers can now bring the power of TCC 2 to their mid-sized meeting space with the TCC M.”

What it boils down to when it comes to the TCC M and its release to the market is application. Sennheiser is taking the positive impact made by the TCC 2 microphone and with the TCC M bringing that impact to modern, flexible, hybrid spaces that are beginning to be developed across the corporate and education sectors.

Werner says: “With the worldwide success of our TCC 2 for large meeting and learning spaces, and based on customer feedback, we wanted to provide the same experience to midsize conference rooms and educational spaces with a new sleek design at an attractive price point, while also allowing us to make a sustainable impact with smaller housing. With the latest addition to the TeamConnect family, we want to provide state-of-the-art technology that suits the size and setup of any conference room or learning space.”

While the TCC M and the TCC 2 are designed for different applications, the TCC 2 has built a reputation for high performance and audio excellence. For proof you need to look no further than the fact that the TCC 2 was a core component of the deployment at the Siemens Advanta facility in Bengaluru, India, a project that won the Corporate Project category of the Inavate APAC Awards 2022. Can the TCC M meet this high-performance benchmark?

Werner answers: “Our TCC 2 is well known in the industry and TCC M delivers all the same innovation and features. These solutions employ patented automatic dynamic beamforming technology and TruVoicelift functionality, which significantly increases speech intelligibility while allowing the speaker great flexibility in terms of movement and position. TCC M features 15 high-quality SMD electret condenser capsules made in Germany which offer outstanding audio quality. The microphone can constantly determine the position of the speaker and if additional control is required, priority and exclusion zones can be set using the industry-leading Sennheiser Control Cockpit to eliminate unwanted noise. The TCC M definitely meets the high internal standards for audio excellence that Sennheiser always strives for.”

Sennheiser has also been able to implement feedback from end users, taking into account that everything is going ‘hybrid’, and the TCC M, as well as the wider TeamConnect Ceiling range, now has an increased focus on the user experience.

Werner says: “Ease of use is one of our core ambitions for the complete Business Communication portfolio. Our products are designed to be easily installed and intuitive to use. With our TeamConnect Ceiling solutions our goal is that the end-user can use their meeting space without thinking about the microphone. Meanwhile our Sennheiser Control Cockpit is designed to allow for flawless digital workflows with an intuitive user interface.”

Thought has also been given to the challenges end users are facing as the footprint of meeting, communication and collaboration spaces increases across facilities. With an increase in connected technologies deployed, security and network vulnerabilities are the first concern for facility and IT managers.

Sennheiser has taken steps to provide peace of mind to these individuals as Werner says: “A new important topic that we will address with TCC M is network security. We identified that securing the control communication is very important to our customers. That is why each TeamConnect Ceiling Medium follows industry best practices and requires device password protection before use. The communication to our Sennheiser Control Cockpit, as well as third-party media control environments is encrypted using industry standard Transport Layer Security 1.2.”

But perhaps the most important question on the minds of AV professionals is availability. The supply chain issues and product shortage have made integrators wary and the launch of any new product is greeted with a dose of scepticism. No matter the promise and potential of a particular solution, if the product cannot be acquired then it cannot be installed.

Sennheiser however is bucking the trend and Werner explains how this is made possible: “By owning our own manufacturing, we have managed to navigate the supply chain crisis significantly better than others and were able to provide customers with reasonable shipping timeframes. We’re expecting to have the TCC M out with our partners and distributors in APAC soon and we believe that the TCC M will make the quality audio Sennheiser is known for available to a whole new range of applications. We are so confident with the advances we have made in our manufacturing and R&D that starting with all TeamConnect Ceiling Solutions manufactured in 2023 Sennheiser is extending the warranty period from two to five years with product registration.”

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