Musical Instrument Museum chooses innovative Sennheiser audio tour system
(Dave Molter | Posted 2010-07-24)
Three years ago, Sennheiser began
working on one of its most ambitious guidePORT wireless audio tour system installations to date: the Musical
Instrument Museum (MIM), which opened to the public in Phoenix, AZ
this spring. The museum contains 75,000 square feet of exhibits with
some 4,000 objects on display, drawn from a total collection of over
10,000 instruments and artifacts from all over the world. The
instruments have been selected for their fine construction, the
reputation of their makers, special origin or connection to famous
performers.
The audio delivered by guidePORT plays an integral role in bringing
MIM's exhibits to life, dramatically enhancing visitors' overall
learning experience--regardless of age or background. The system
ensures that each user receives pristine, 16-bit audio quality for the
ultimate multi-sensory experience.
MIM's guidePORT infrastructure is able to accommodate 1,800
simultaneous visitors, each with his or her own audio receiver. As
visitors enter the MIM, they are provided with a guidePORT unit and
the rest is automatic; there are no buttons to push or other actions
required. As visitors move throughout the museum, guidePORT detects
their position and introduces the appropriate 'soundtrack' to
accompany whichever exhibit they are viewing. Audio seamlessly fades
in and out according to their location within the facility.
Since music is the foundational building block of MIM and its vast
collection, our selection of the audio technology was obviously of
paramount importance," commented Bob Ulrich, MIM founder and board
chairman. Sennheiser's guidePORT system plays an integral role in our
ability to deliver an experience like no other, allowing musical
novices and experts, tourists and scholars, children and grandparents
to hear, see, and feel the powerful and uniting force of music in an
entirely new way.
As a leading manufacturer of microphones for the world's most renowned
music artists, Sennheiser's own equipment is also featured among the
museum's exhibits. The "Sennheiser: Rockin' the Mic," exhibit features
the original or replicas of customized Sennheiser microphones used by
world-renowned artists in the music industry.
Susanne Seidel, president of marketing, Sennheiser, commented: "As
soon as you step into the MIM, the uniqueness of the collection and
quality of the exhibits are immediately apparent, and indeed, audible.
Sennheiser worked with MIM to deliver an incredible listening
experience that reflects the unique sounds and rich background of each
of the exhibits. We are pleased that our guidePORT technology plays
such an integral role in the MIM's visitor experience."
The guidePORT system, which is fully automatic and requires no action
by the user, is a powerful example of how Sennheiser's
innovative audio technology is able to deliver an astonishingly rich
experience to consumers. This is true not only with guidePORT, but
throughout Sennheiser's entire product line, which includes
microphones, headphones, wireless systems and other high quality audio
products. For more information on guidePORT, please visit
http://www.guideport.com (
http://e2ma.net/go/8469768758/2963216/96705116/25524/goto:http://www.guideport.com/
