New from Williams Sound: The Wavecast Assistive Listening System
Williams Sound introduced the WaveCAST, the next generation of Wi-Fi-delivered assistive listening systems. WaveCAST brings a professional DSP audio platform to the market, where digital signal processing provides spectacular audio quality, and the optional Dante interface provides a totally networked audio solution.
WaveCAST is built on a hardware-based audio DSP audio system architecture, allowing system optimization to achieve the highest quality audio experience for the particular audio stream being delivered. As a result, hearing assistance can be optimized for hearing loss, music can be optimized for high-fidelity playback, and voice can be set for maximum speech intelligibility. Custom pre-sets can also be established where tweaking is necessary for specific performance applications.
Professional audio inputs on the WaveCAST include 1/4” XLR connectors, phantom power, and a line level output jack. In addition to multi-stage gain control inputs, the DSP features include AGC, limiters, high and low pass filter, and adjustable range compressor control. The 16-bit DAC provides a 48Khz sample rate for a smooth digital stream and minimizes the digital harshness that occurs in low-bit-rate DACs used in embedded computer-based assisted listening systems.
The new WaveCAST app provides an easy-to-use, intuitive user interface and is available in iOS or Android. It features multi-channel discovery, allowing the app to automatically discover all WaveCAST units in the room and then select the desired channel. WaveCAST supports both unicast and multicast network configurations and can support up to 1500 clients, depending on proper network support.
“WaveCAST is a totally new Wi-Fi platform designed for pro-audio applications where high-quality sound is required,” explains Rob Sheeley, president, and CEO of Williams AV. “This system is unlike those other Wi-Fi systems that are simply embedded computers serving audio. We designed the WaveCAST on a true DSP platform, providing balanced and unbalanced inputs with phantom power, adjustable input gain, aux output, and easy integration into third-party control systems and Dante network audio solutions.”