Sound Devices Introduces New Long-Range Modulation, Q-Meter for A10/A20 Wireless System

REEDSBURG, WISC., APRIL 6, 2022 – Sound Devices is proud to introduce a new modulation type for their wireless products as part of version 5.00 firmware for the A10-TX, A10-RX, A20-Mini, and companion app A20-Remote. This new long-range modulation is 100% digital and offers the longest transmission distance of any wireless system on the market.¹ Both line-of-sight and heavy multipath transmission see marked improvements over the original “standard” modulation. Long-range modulation features the same renowned audio quality (10 Hz – 20 kHz) as the standard modulation with little additional latency. 

“We’ve been very pleased with the performance of the new long-range modulation in our field testing,” said Gary Trenda, RF Applications Engineer at Sound Devices. “We’re seeing significant improvements to audio range in all RF environments.” 

The new firmware also introduces a quality meter or Q-meter. Previously, the A10/A20 system only offered an RSSI meter, which only displays information on incoming signal strength. In an RF-heavy environment, it is possible to have a strong incoming signal but still experience dropouts due to RF interference. The new Q-meter displays the difference between the signal from the transmitter and any interference. When a frequency without little to no interference is selected, the Q-meter will display five bars. Professionals can use the Q-meter to confidently choose frequencies which will give the best performance and range. 

The long-range modulation and Q-meter join a growing list of state-of-the-art features in the A10/A20 Digital Wireless System. Building off the A10 Wireless System’s renowned audio quality and rock-solid timecode, the A20-Mini transmitter introduced internal 32-bit float recording and proprietary GainForward Architecture. GainForward Architecture eliminates the need for setting gain at the transmitter – instead, gain is controlled at the receiver or mixer. The A20-Mini’s companion application for iOS and Android, A20-Remote, offers full remote control the A20-Mini’s recording and settings – even the ability to turn the transmitter fully on and off. The A10-RX and A20-Mini offer a worldwide tuning range of 470-694 so professionals can bring their gear wherever work takes them. 

Other enhancements in version 5.00 include additional group control settings in A20-Remote, menu enhancements for A20-Remote and A10-RX, and more. 

Sound professionals can view a full change list for firmware v5.00 and upgrade their A10 Wireless System, A20-Mini, and A20-Remote by visiting www.sounddevices.com/download and www.sounddevices.com/a20-remote 

Learn more about the Q-meter at www.sounddevices.com/quality-meter 

¹ When comparing systems with same transmit power, same antennas, and same transmission frequency.