Sennheiser Digital 9000 Wireless System Takes Center Court at Elite US Tennis Tournament

	Main Stage in Arthur Ashe Stadium for the Arthur Ashe Kids' Day on August 24.

The US Open is the final major Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2013, with a purse of $34 million and over 700,000 fans expected to attend between now and Monday, September 9. In addition to drawing international tennis stars such as fifth-ranked Roger Federer, top-ranked Serena Williams, and Grand Slam defending champion Andy Murray, this year's tournament began with a special appearance by First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, who spoke during the 18th annual Arthur Ashe Kids' Day.

Audio Inc., provided the audio infrastructure, which includes eight channels of Sennheiser Digital 9000 wireless, 12 channels of evolution 300 series wireless, and six channels of evolution 300 series in-ear monitors (IEMs). "The Sennheiser Digital 9000 was selected for its robust construction, audio quality, and the ability to provide us with frequencies that are not available in the analog world," commented Mike Sinclair, VP at Audio, Inc.

The new Sennheiser Digital 9000 system, which the company says features uncompressed audio, artifact-free wireless performance, and superb dynamics in a package that is easy to set up and operate, was used during Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, which occurred on Saturday afternoon and was broadcast to millions of Americans by CBS Sports.

First Lady Obama, who was introduced by tennis champion Serena Williams, spoke through a Sennheiser ME 34 and an ME 35 wired back-electret condenser microphones, situated on an MZH goosneck at the podium. Her message, which was delivered in crisp and detailed audio, helped mobilize her "Let's Move" campaign directed at youths.

In addition to the First Lady, Arthur Ashe Kids' Day also featured performances by The Wanted, and Coco Jones -- who donned a Sennheiser HSP 4 headworn wireless microphone.

The Sennheiser Digital 9000 system was at the core of the audio infrastructure on Monday night's opening ceremonies, supplying flawless wireless audio as dignitaries including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and 39-time Grand Slam winner Billie Jean King delivered opening remarks. The evening also featured a moving rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," as performed by 11-year old Frenie Acoba -- star of Broadway's hit musical Matilda.

"Considering the importance of this live broadcast event and the difficult RF conditions in New York City, the Sennheiser Digital 9000 series really shined and was the professional system that put everybody at ease," Sinclair observed. "The quality and reliability of the wireless audio, as well as the overall flexibility of the system, was absolutely spectacular."

"The built-in spectrum analyzer on the Digital 9000 helped our techs consistently monitor RF signals as they came on line, keeping the audio clean and interference free for the duration of the event," he added.

"We are grateful to Audio, Inc. for selecting Sennheiser to be part of this extremely high profile sporting event, which is of international significance," commented Brian Walker, market development, Sennheiser. "With over 700 microphone channels being used at the venue, Audio, Inc. needed a flexible and robust wireless microphone system that could meet not only the demands of the environment, but deliver flawless, unsurpassed audio quality."

During soundchecks, which occurred throughout the day and evening on Friday, the Digital 9000 system proved to be extremely easy to manage sonically: "The EQ on the consoles were set absolutely flat, and the voices sounded perfect through the PA speakers," he said. "With analog wireless, there is usually a fair amount of EQ adjusting required to get a good sound."

In addition to the opening ceremonies, Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, and for general announcements, the Sennheiser Digital 9000 wireless system will also be used during the closing ceremonies of the US Open, scheduled to occur in two weeks.