Sennheiser EW-DX EM 4 Dante Receiver
Sennheiser·Model EW-DX EM 4 Dante·sennheiser-ew-dx-em4
Photos
Manufacturer product photography — the drawn faceplate above stays true to panel layout; these show the hardware itself.
About the Sennheiser EW-DX EM 4 Dante
The Sennheiser EW-DX EM 4 DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. is a four-channel digital wireless receiver with full Dante integration, the higher-end of the EW-DX line. Wide tuning bandwidth, AES-256 encryption, and tight integration with Sennheiser's WSMSennheiser’s Wireless Systems Manager — laptop software for coordinating and monitoring a rack of Sennheiser RF. control software make it a workhorse on broadcast and corporate rigs.
The EW-DX EM 4 DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. is Sennheiser's answer to the question every RFRadio Frequency — the wireless part of wireless. RF planning is why big rigs scan, coordinate, and combine antennas instead of hoping.-heavy touring and corporate engineer eventually asks: how do I get four channels of wireless into a Dante network without a patchbayA panel of front-facing jacks wired to everything behind it — re-route any signal with a short cable instead of climbing behind the rack. nightmare? In a single rack unitThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one., this receiver pulls four simultaneous wireless channels, hands them out as balancedCarries the signal on two wires and cancels whatever noise both pick up — why mic cables can run hundreds of feet hum-free. analog XLRThe standard 3-pin locking connector for mics and balanced line signals — pin 1 is the shield, pins 2 and 3 carry the balanced pair. or as four Dante channels over a primary EtherConAn Ethernet plug inside a rugged XLR-style locking shell — tour-grade network connections that can’t be yanked loose. port — with a secondary EtherCon for redundancyA second copy of anything critical — supply, computer, network path — already running so one failure can’t stop the show.. It lives at the top of the EW-DX line, and at $4,999 it's priced accordingly. AES-256 encryption and WSMSennheiser’s Wireless Systems Manager — laptop software for coordinating and monitoring a rack of Sennheiser RF. software integration make it a serious tool for corporate, broadcast, and high-production touring environments where RF management and network audio aren't optional afterthoughts.
Practically speaking, that 360mm depth is the first thing to measure before you commit — this unit runs deeper than a standard shallow rack, so confirm your case has the clearance. Power draw sits at 30W nominal and peaks at 40W, which is modest for what it does; a standard filtered outlet on your rack PDU handles it without drama. The two BNCThe twist-lock coax connector used for word clock and antenna runs — it locks, so it can’t be pulled out mid-show. antenna inputs mean you're running standard passive or active antenna distributionOne pair of antennas feeding many receivers through an amplified splitter — replaces the forest of whips and keeps RF levels consistent. into it, same as most EW-series infrastructure you may already own. Where this unit changes the load-in equation is on the output side: if your console or stage boxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. is DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes.-enabled, four channels leave this receiver on a single cable. That's four fewer XLRThe standard 3-pin locking connector for mics and balanced line signals — pin 1 is the shield, pins 2 and 3 carry the balanced pair. runs from the rack to the snakeA multicore cable bundling many channels into one stage-to-console run. A sub-snake collects one corner of the stage into a drop box., which matters when you're setting up fast.
This receiver belongs in rigs where DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. is already the backbone — if you're patching into a Yamaha or DiGiCo with a Dante card, or feeding a Dante-enabled IEMIn-Ear Monitor — earpieces that replace floor wedges, feeding each player their own mix. The reason this whole rack exists. system, the workflow payoff is real and immediate. It also suits engineers who manage large wireless counts across multiple events and need WSMSennheiser’s Wireless Systems Manager — laptop software for coordinating and monitoring a rack of Sennheiser RF.'s centralized frequency coordinationCalculating a set of wireless frequencies that won’t interfere with each other or local TV — the homework behind a clean RF night. and remote monitoring. Who should look elsewhere: if your console is purely analog or you're running a small club rig with one or two wireless channels, you're buying infrastructure you won't use. A two-channel analog receiver at a fraction of this price serves that gig better. The EM 4 Dante earns its cost when the network is already there to meet it.
In the rack
- Run the DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. Secondary EtherConAn Ethernet plug inside a rugged XLR-style locking shell — tour-grade network connections that can’t be yanked loose. port to a separate switch or redundantA second copy of anything critical — supply, computer, network path — already running so one failure can’t stop the show. network path — if your primary Dante network hiccups mid-show, the secondary keeps audio flowing without a single dropped sample.
- Measure your rack case depth before ordering: at 360mm this unit may overhang the rear rails in shallow cases, which puts stress on the IECThe standard three-prong appliance power inlet on rack gear — the kettle lead. C13/C14 in spec-sheet speak. connector and EtherConAn Ethernet plug inside a rugged XLR-style locking shell — tour-grade network connections that can’t be yanked loose. ports at every load-in.
- Use the dedicated Ethernet control port (RJ45) on a separate VLANVirtual LAN — slicing one physical switch into separate isolated networks, like keeping Dante away from lighting and guest WiFi. or management network, keeping WSMSennheiser’s Wireless Systems Manager — laptop software for coordinating and monitoring a rack of Sennheiser RF. traffic isolated from your DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. audio network to avoid any bandwidth contention during RFRadio Frequency — the wireless part of wireless. RF planning is why big rigs scan, coordinate, and combine antennas instead of hoping. scans.
- If you're splitting antenna feeds across multiple receivers using a passive DA, budget your signal loss carefully — the EM 4 DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes.'s BNCThe twist-lock coax connector used for word clock and antenna runs — it locks, so it can’t be pulled out mid-show. inputs expect clean RFRadio Frequency — the wireless part of wireless. RF planning is why big rigs scan, coordinate, and combine antennas instead of hoping., and each passive split costs you roughly 3.5dB before cable loss.
4-channel DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes.-capable digital wireless receiver.
I/O Ports (10)
| Port | Connector | Direction | Signal | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antenna A (BNC) | BNC | input | antenna | — |
| Antenna B (BNC) | BNC | input | antenna | — |
| Audio Out 1 (XLR) | XLR MALE | output | analog audio | — |
| Audio Out 2 (XLR) | XLR MALE | output | analog audio | — |
| Audio Out 3 (XLR) | XLR MALE | output | analog audio | — |
| Audio Out 4 (XLR) | XLR MALE | output | analog audio | — |
| Dante Primary | ETHERCON | output | digital audio | 4 |
| Dante Secondary | ETHERCON | output | digital audio | 4 |
| Ethernet (control) | RJ45 | bidirectional | data | — |
- Power (IEC) (IEC C14)
Deciding between two?
Rack space, watts, weight and every connector, side by side.
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