The What: Williams Sound has introduced WaveCAST Dante, the next generation of Wi-Fi-delivered assistive listening systems with Dante control.
The What Else: WaveCAST Dante is a Wi-Fi platform designed for pro-audio applications where high-quality sound is required for streaming audio in real time to smartphones and/or tablets. It is built on a hardware-based DSP audio system architecture, allowing system optimization to achieve the highest quality experience for the particular audio stream being delivered. 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 for specific performance applications.
The WaveCAST Dante interface is based on the Audinate UXT Ultimo chipset. This chipset supports both AES67 and SMPTE 2110. Dante’s Ultimo UXT support of AES67 and SMPTE 2110 allows integrators multiple audio options to chose from for greater interoperability with other audio equipment with their system design. This allows the WaveCAST Dante to be controlled by the Dante Controller — the easy-to-use software from Audinate for setting up and managing audio routing of Dante-enabled products on an audio network.
Professional audio inputs on the WaveCAST Dante include 1/4”/XLR, 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 Bottom Line: The 16-bit DAC provides a 48Khz sample rate for a smooth digital stream and minimizes digital harshness. WaveCAST Dante supports both unicast and multicast network configurations. Up to four WaveCAST systems can be connected to the same Wi-Fi network to provide multiple listening channels — supporting 45 users in unicast mode or 1500+ users in multicast mode.
The new, free WaveCAST app provides an easy-to-use, intuitive user interface and is available in iOS or Android. Listeners easily select channel and volume level once their personal device is connected to the Wi-Fi network.
