Sennheiser accelerates the evolution of pro audio at NAB 2026

At NAB 2026, the group Sennheiser will share cutting-edge technologies from content capture, enrichment and monitoring to integration and connection.

The Sennheiser booth at NAB 2026 (4931 Central Hall) will be divided into three areas: reliable integration, connection and future and innovation. Visitors will be able to go from capturing, enriching and monitoring content with solutions Sennheiser, Neumann y Merging, to integration and connection, where your partner SoundBase will showcase the new features added to its brand-neutral RF planning and control application. The tour culminates in the Future and Innovation area, where the Ambeo Zone, the exhibition of Spectera and the Spectera Lab. The German company will also invite professionals to attend a talk with Joe Ciaudelli, by Sennheiser, about Wireless microphone operation for mega events in the 1435–1525 MHz band, which will take place on Saturday, April 18, from 2:10 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., in room N25.

Spectera news

With the latest Spectera firmware update, version 1.3.0, the OpenAPI 17.0 specification for the Spectera base station. The Spectera API allows a deeper integration, new workflows and partner-driven innovation, as engineering teams, system integrators, automation specialists and enthusiasts can now integrate Spectera into their own control systems, control panels and production workflows using the secure https-based SSCv2 interface for remote access.

Benedikt Euen, senior product manager at Spectera, highlights that "API access is not an extra, but is essential for an ecosystem that wants to thrive in users' environments and workflows. It opens Spectera to all those resourceful operators and automation enthusiasts who are eager to create custom workflows, to manufacturers looking for integration with their own devices, and to programmers creating audio plug-ins or other software."

At the stand, the customization possibilities offered by the Spectera API are displayed with the Bitfocus Companion and Buttons apps- In a typical live and tour setup, the app can be used in conjunction with the DAW control and allows you to switch instruments and activate engineer mode via the active Spectera beltpack.

The possibilities are endless: users can interact, control and monitor Spectera through devices such as Stream Decks, touch screens or DAW software, and activate functionality such as engineer mode and instrument switching, or create mobile device backups with the push of a button.

Whenever large broadcast productions require additional Spectera units, the Spectera Rental Finder Helps Locate Spectera Systems Worldwide through a scrolling world map. Available on the Sennheiser website, the tool connects customers with a network of professional rental partners, making it easy to find and obtain the necessary equipment.

Sennheiser has also announced a change in Spectera software. “The extensive feedback from our user community has shown a clear preference for Spectera WebUI over LinkDesk, as well as strong interest in SoundBase for advanced management of multiple systems and vendors,” says Euen. "Therefore, we have decided not to continue development of LinkDesk beyond version 1.6.0, and for SoundBase to focus on the integration of Spectera to cover all LinkDesk functions in the future. This will make SoundBase the first brand-neutral application capable of coordinating both narrowband and broadband wireless technologies, while Spectera WebUI will remain the cornerstone for individual base stations."

Spectera now offers activation licenses for Taiwan (LIC ZONE 15), China (test, LIC ZONE 17) and Brazil (LIC ZONE 16), where Anatel certification has already been obtained. Additionally, the permitted frequencies in the 1.4 GHz band for LIC ZONE 1 (EU, EFTA, UK, Turkey) have been expanded and now include 1492-1525 MHz in addition to 1350-1400 MHz. “This expansion makes the Spectera 1.4 GHz even more attractive to users,” says Euen, “especially given the saturated and increasingly scarce.”

Spectera firmware version v 1.3.0 also has the ecosystem ready for managing AFTRCC dongles for 1.4 GHz systems in the US.

Immersive and OTT Workflows

The Ambeo Zone will allow broadcasters, OTT platforms and content creators to discover how they can deepen audience engagement through advanced streaming technologies. immersive audio that elevate content played on non-immersive systems, both in real-time broadcasting and file-based VOD productions.

“Today, content playback is most often done on stereo devices, especially in mobile use cases,” he explains. Kai Detlefsen, director of Ambeo, the immersive audio initiative of the Sennheiser group. “Our adaptive immersive workflows help professionals deliver consistent, reliable, high-quality audio experiences that reinforce viewers' emotional connection, all without losing sight of creative intent.”

At NAB 2026 it will be presented Ambeo 2-Channel Spatial Audio Renderer file-based, a post-production solution optimized for VOD and catalog content, available for both local use and cloud processing. This workflow allows you to automatically render immersive mixes in an engaging 2-channel Ambeo experience, while giving engineers full access to parameters whenever creative adjustments are desired.

Inspired by the same principles, the Ambeo 2-channel spatial audio renderer for real-time broadcasting encodes immersive, immersive tracks into a dynamic Ambeo 2.0 stream in real time. In this way, the renderer offers an immediate path to audience-ready immersion, without requiring any changes on the part of listeners. At NAB, Ambeo will show how the renderer can be implemented on compact professional devices such as the Neumann MT 48, enabling effortless integration into existing AES67, ST 2110 or Dante environments.

Last but not least, the Ambeo zone will have the Neumann VIS visionOS application, which shows how immersive productions can be created and refined in context using spatial computing devices like the Apple Vision Pro. By visualizing the elements of spatial mixing within the actual playback environment, audio professionals gain an intuitive understanding of location, depth, and motion, streamlining creative decisions and accelerating iteration cycles.