OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT - AUGUST 2009: The Grammy nominated and platinum-selling artists, Jonas Brothers, continue to ascend to ever-greater heights of success, with over eight million albums sold, film and TV spots aplenty, and tour after triumphant tour throughout the world charming audiences with their charisma and musicianship. For those with ears tuned to pop music, they've been huge for years, and now fame has captured the attention of an even wider audience with the Billboard chart-topping release of their fourth studio album "Lines, Vines and Trying Times" (Hollywood Records). The Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009 supports the album with shows across the Americas and Europe making use of Sennheiser's new 2000 Series wireless equipment, which offers performance and reliability with an enhanced user interface and intuitive frequency coordination. Sennheiser's Global Relations supports the tour throughout the world to ensure consistently flawless audio.
 
At any moment, there are literally millions of fans throughout the world whose greatest joy would be to see the Jonas Brothers in concert, and the boys do their level best not to disappoint them as they criss-cross the continents to perform for their fans. Show programmer and back line crew chief Chris Nauda (Wolfmother, Matchbook Romance) drew a stark picture of the grueling itinerary: "We just finished a promotional run from New York, to Madrid the next day, to Paris the day after that, and then to London before returning back to Dallas for rehearsals!"
 
Last year, The Jonas Brothers used a Sennheiser G2 rig but now the tour has upgraded to Sennheiser's new 2000 Series components. Joe Jonas sings into a wireless Sennheiser SKM 2000 handheld mic, whereas Nick and Kevin Jonas each sing into Sennheiser's HSP 4 headsets. The headsets, together with Sennheiser SK 2000 wireless instrument packs, give the brothers the freedom to run around stage and switch instruments between riffs. Longtime Jonas bassist Greg Garbowsky also has a Sennheiser 2000 Series wireless instrument pack, which features a full and lusciously transparent frequency response from 25 to 20,000 Hz. A rack of Sennheiser EM 2050 receivers ties the signals to the wired world.
 
"We wanted to use headsets on this tour for Nick and Kevin since they both sing and play multiple instruments. Kristy Jo Winkler, Sennheiser's global relations manager for the Americas, suggested we try the HSP 4s," recalled Nauda. "The headsets are perfect - great sounding, reliable and unobtrusive.
They take an incredible amount of stage abuse and still come up sounding like they did the first day we got them. Best of all, the group can put on an even more engaging show without missing a beat to switch mics!" The HSP 4s are extremely high-quality, permanently polarized condenser headsets with cardioid pick-up pattern and an adjustable, rugged neckband.
 
But great sound would be nothing without a great performance, and a great performance hinges critically on superior monitors. The new rig features Sennheiser's latest 2000 Series wireless personal monitors - SR 2050 IEM twin transmitters and EK 2000 IEM receivers. Built using adaptive diversity technology, the wireless monitoring systems reduce dropouts from rare to practically nonexistent by using the earphone cable as a second antenna.
 
The 2000 Series continues Sennheiser's tradition of continually improving performance and reliability as research and technology advance. In addition, the 2000 Series adds grace and clarity to frequency coordination in what can oftentimes seem like RF soup. Users can easily select an open frequency with an intuitive scan feature and then "zap" the wireless device with that frequency using infrared (IR) technology. "The IR sync feature is wonderful," said Nauda. "It saves a ton of programming time and is a real lifesaver when we have to change frequencies on the fly. We just hit a button, and that's it!" Nauda is also fond of the 2000 Series' new interface. "It's really smooth and easy to get around on. The backlight display is the best I've seen - especially in direct sunlight!"
 
The intensity of the Jonas Brothers' schedule has placed unique demands on Sennheiser's support services, which, appropriate to the act's international reach, are globally distributed. "If there's anybody out there who's pushing the boundaries, it's this act," said Nauda. "Sennheiser, and especially Kristy Jo Winkler, have been very accommodating, both in terms of getting us the gear we need when we need it and supporting us around the world. It's challenging enough for the actual technicians and engineers on the tour to keep everything straight, yet Sennheiser rolls right along with us, adapting to last-minute schedule changes without hesitation."
 
ABOUT SENNHEISER
Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser's pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.