The Evolution Wireless-Digital Portable (EW-DP), the digital successor to Sennheiser’s analog G4 wireless microphone system, is perfect for videographers, creators, and filmmakers alike.
I’ve had the pleasure of using the Sennheiser EW-DP ENG Set for the last couple months and it has proved to be a great successor to the analog G3 and G4 wireless microphones that I’ve been using for my single-person interviews. The EW-D series is a full digital UHF system providing several improvements to the legacy analog counterpart including:
- Improved transmission range of up to 330′ compared to 300′ for the G4
- App-monitoring of audio and smart notifications
- Bluetooth sync between transmitter and receiver
- Improved dynamic range of 134dB
- 56 MHz bandwidth
Disclaimer
Sennheiser sent me the EW-DP ENG Set for testing but this is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own.
Sennheiser also notes that this EW-DP is not meant to reside in an audio bag, but is meant to sit on top of your camera or cage. This is supported by the various mounting options available on the units and by the supplied cheese plate and cold shoe adaptors.
There are also different sets for the EW-DP with each set including different packs, so you have the option of getting precisely what you need. This Portable ENG Set includes the EW-DP SKP Plug-On transmitter.
What’s included
Before even taking the product out of the box, I noticed all the environmentally friendly packaging that was inside—along with the No More Plastic leaflet. It was great to see a company take initiative and change all of their packaging.
The Sennheiser EW-DP ENG Set comes with the following:
- EW-DP EK Receiver
- EW-D SK Bodypack Transmitter
- EW-DP SKP Plug-On Transmitter
- ME 2 Lavalier Microphone
- A Li-ion rechargeable battery and two sets of AA batteries; Li-ion and AA batteries are interchangeable.
- Mounting cheese plate
- Cold shoe adaptor for cameras
- 3.5mm to 3.5mm TRS cable
- 3.5mm to XLR cable
- USB-C to USB-C cable
- Belt clip and accessories
Digital UHF vs. 2.4 GHz
Many of the content creators’ wireless microphone sets (RODE, DJI, Hollyland, etc.) operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency, which is the same band as what many of our WiFi products use. With so many items occupying the same frequency, it will be prone to interruptions and dropouts, making them unreliable in busy areas. Ultra High Frequency, or UHF, uses a separate range of frequency and thus offers superior reliability and control, making it the standard for many industry professionals.
On the other hand, while the 2.4 GHz frequency is available around the world in most areas, UHF availability and range will vary from one country to the next. Moreover, using illegal UHF ranges in certain countries can get you fined. For this reason, Sennheiser offers different versions of their EW-DP wireless microphones, so you can use them in different parts of the world. Be sure to check which version of the EW-DP system you are purchasing, making sure it is right for your needs.
Dynamic Range
The Sennheiser EW-DP has a dynamic range of 134 dB, which according to Sennheiser, is five times the amount of most other wireless microphone solutions. By using two analog to digital converters, the system can capture this extremely wide dynamic range to ensure the transmitter will not clip any audio.
Because of this, there is no longer a need to change the gain on the transmitter—and instead, allows you to change all of these settings directly on the receiver, which I have found to be really convenient.
I had the Gain on my receiver at max (+42), Output Level set to 0, the volume on my camera at +1, and yelled while using my lavalier microphone and it had no problems with it!
EW-DP EK Receiver
The EW-DP EK Receiver may not be as small as the previous generation G3/G4 receivers, but it’s still small enough to be able to sit on top of my Nikon Z9 or Z8 mirrorless cameras. You can mount the cold shoe adaptor directly on to the receiver (receiver has a 1/4″-20 thread on the bottom), or mount it on to the cheese plate, which in turn magnetically attaches to the receiver.
The large OLED display provides a clear and bright way to access all the settings with the UI being straightforward. The base of the receiver has four magnetic points to accommodate for the magnetic cheese plate or to attach a second receiver on the top of the first receiver (the top also has four magnetic points).
The left side of the receiver has a standard 3.5mm Mic Out port, a headphone port, and a USB Power port so you can power the receiver with an external battery pack.
The receiver is rated for 7 hours at full charge.
EW-D SK Bodypack Transmitter
The body pack transmitter is sleek and smooth as Sennheiser did away with the display screen that was on the G3/G4s. The power button is discretely located inside the battery compartment, as was the case on the G3/G4 units.
On top is the Sync button, mute switch, and 3.5mm connector. You can disable this mute function directly on the Receiver allowing you to have full control of the recording process.
The transmitter is rated for 12 hours at full charge. It can take either two AA batteries or the included Li-ion rechargeable battery.
EW-DP SKP Plug-On Transmitter
The EW-DP SKP plug-on transmitter allows you to transform any XLR microphone into a wireless microphone. Moreover, this transmitter also acts as a recorder so you have the choice of transmitting the audio to your camera or recording directly on to the MicroSD card (sold separately).
Unfortunately since the receiver is only one channel, you can’t receive audio from both the SKP Plug-On and SK Bodypack transmitters simultaneously.
On the top of the Plug-On transmitter you have your XLR connector. On the bottom, you have the Power button, Mute switch, 3.5mm Mic In port, 48V Phantom Power Button for microphones that require phantom power, Sync Button, Record button, and the slot for the microSD card.
The Mic port lets you plug in a lavalier mic so you can essentially use this as a second bodypack transmitter as well. Note the XLR input does not work simultaneously with the lavalier mic. If you have both plugged in, the lavalier mic seems to have priority over the attached XLR mic.
Similar to the SK Bodypack, this also has a dynamic range of 134 dB and can be charged with two AA batteries or the included Li-ion battery. Separate from the SK Bodypack, the Plug-On bodypack can record 32-bit float on the microSD card.
In Sync
Syncing the Transmitter and Receiver was a breeze. Just press the sync button on both transmitter and receiver units and they will automatically pair. That’s it!
While I never had any issues pairing with the G3/G4 units, I do remember that you always had to have them right by each other in order to properly sync.
The EW-DP uses Bluetooth so the two don’t necessarily have to be so close to each other.
If you change frequencies though, remember to sync afterwards.
iOS application EW-D Smart Assist
The EW-D Smart Assist application is quite handy as it allows you to control all aspects of your EW-DP system.
You first need to sync your packs to the app itself over Bluetooth. Once that’s established, I found the connection between the app and the packs were flawless as I jumped from one screen to the next.
Once synced, an indicator on the app told me there were firmware updates available for all of my packs. Updating the firmware was as easy as just following the on-screen instructions.
For the Plug-On transmitter you can see that you’re able to format the microSD card, use Phantom Power, or change the Gain and Output Level.
Note that your iPhone requires a minimum of 50% power to update any of your packs.
Final Thoughts
The Sennheiser EW-DP ENG Set is a fantastic set for those wanting a reliable digital microphone system that can adapt to your needs. Furthermore, as someone who does everything solo, having full and easy control of settings directly on the Receiver unit (and app) is very convenient. I had no issues syncing the bodypack or plug-on transmitters to my receiver unit and it only took a couple seconds to do so.
With a wide 134 dB of dynamic range, it virtually eliminated those accidental clipping of audio, allowing you to work with peace of mind. I love the flexibility of the EW-DP SKP plug-on transmitter with its ability to transform any XLR microphone into a wireless microphone. Moreover it also acts as a recorder if you have a microSD card inside, allowing you to use the 32-bit float recording as a backup to the wireless audio that’s been transmitting to your camera.
I did notice the plug-on transmitter does not have indents to add a wired belt clip in case you wanted to use it solely as a bodypack transmitter recording to the microSD card, so you are left with having to put a rather bulky unit discretely in a pocket somewhere.
I also found the battery depletes fairly quickly in my experience—a little shy of the stated hours of each pack. I’ve only used the included AA batteries so perhaps using another brand of batteries might prove otherwise though. The fact that I’m not stuck using a proprietary Li-ion battery is great, since AA batteries are available anywhere. One thing to keep an eye on is that when both the receiver and camera are turned off, and you replace the battery on the camera, the camera stays off but the receiver turns on and stays on. If you didn’t notice this and walk away, the battery will drain even faster for you.
Overall I am very pleased with this upgrade from the G3/G4 units I had been using for my one-person interviews. If you’re a solo shooter like I am and you’re looking for a reliable and flexible wireless microphone solution, then I would highly recommend you consider looking at the Sennheiser Evolution Wireless Digital system.
Do you have a wireless microphone solution you like? Let me know in the comments below.