GEAR REVIEW
DPA N-SERIES WIRELESS MIC SYSTEM | Kent Morris
DPA Microphones is known around the world for the pristine audio quality of its wired and wireless microphones and the company’ s unparalleled ability to manufacture nearperfection at scale. With application-specific mics for every conceivable situation, DPA is capable of addressing any capture or mix environment. In an industry beholden to wireless as a default, DPA has long provided adapters for use with wireless systems produced by others. Now, the company has introduced its own premier digital wireless microphone system, designed to compete on equal footing with some of the most well-known wireless solutions in the industry.
Building microphones is complex and DPA has decades of experience with transducers, cases, mounts, and cabling. Building wireless systems is a completely different set of skills and abilities, but DPA has managed to leverage its approach to precision, delivering a wireless product with the expertise of a veteran, not a novice.
The company’ s new N-Series is, as expected of DPA, a top-tier offering with a complete digital envelope. Starting with the robust N-DR1 dual-channel receiver and extreme broadband spectrum of 470-870 MHz, which makes the system capable of working anywhere, continuing on to its internal LAN control for loop-through, built-in Dante Switched and Redundancy modes and ending with an astounding 126dB of dynamic range, it is clear N-Series is not your average first attempt. Given the vulnerability of unprotected RF signals, DPA has wisely chosen to equip the N-Series with AES256 encryption for worry-free use in sensitive situations.
All wireless systems must find clever ways to incorporate as many channels as possible into a given spectrum space. DPA has built out a technology capable of hundreds of simultaneous channels in some circumstances, meaning the wireless will never be the limiting factor on an event. Digital wireless inherently possesses a latency issue based on the math time needed to process signals. To their credit, DPA has managed to keep latency under 3ms here. On the bodypack front, the N-BP1 forgoes the usual rectangle shape for a more body-matching contoured design and sports more than eight hours of continuous use via AA batteries with rechargeable options available separately.
The aforementioned 126 dB of dynamic range isn’ t just an academic exercise; it has realworld application. For churches with pastors who whisper and then shout, it can make the difference between having to constantly adjust console trim and being able to leave it alone the entire service or, worse, choose the gain setting on the transmitter only to have it
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