Sennheiser to spotlight Spectera at PLASA Focus Leeds 2026

1 May 2026

Bidirectional wideband wireless system takes centre stage for live production, broadcast and theatre applications

Marlow, UK, April 2026 – Sennheiser will return to Leeds for PLASA Focus 2026, one of the UK’s key meeting points for the live production and entertainment technology industry. With professionals from across theatre, live events, broadcast and installation coming together to discover the latest production innovations, the show offers the perfect setting for Sennheiser to highlight Spectera and other wireless solutions built for the demands of modern live environments, while also introducing visitors to selected recent additions to its wider portfolio, including the newly announced HD 480 PRO closed-back headphones.

At the heart of Sennheiser’s presentation is Spectera, the world’s first wideband, bidirectional digital wireless ecosystem, enabling simultaneous audio transmission, system control and monitoring within a single RF channel. It allows up to 64 channels (32 in / 32 out) of simultaneous audio transmission, monitoring and control within a single rack unit, significantly reducing RF complexity and improving stability. Spectera’s bidirectional bodypacks can handle both in-ear monitor and mic/line signals simultaneously, while its flexible Audio Link modes allow users to optimise latency, audio quality and link performance according to the needs of each production.

Already proving itself across a broad range of demanding live and broadcast applications, Spectera is set to play a central role at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 (ESC 2026) in Vienna, where Sennheiser and Agorà are supporting host broadcaster ORF with the largest Spectera deployment to date. For the event, Sennheiser will deliver its biggest Spectera set-up so far, including manufacturing samples of the soon-to-be-launched handheld transmitter, as well as a dedicated firmware variant developed to meet the specific requirements of the production.

Beyond ESC, Spectera has also been deployed across a growing number of high-profile productions and tours, including work with Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Sam Ryder, Racoon, Secret Cinema’s Grease, Arcadia’s Dragonfly at Glastonbury, Lollapalooza Chile, Australia’s broadcast operations, the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, and the broadcast debut of the Spectera handheld at Super Bowl LX.

Also featured at the show will be the newly announced HD 480 PRO, Sennheiser’s new closed-back professional headphones developed for critical monitoring across studio and live production environments. Designed to deliver the isolation benefits of a closed-back design without compromising monitoring accuracy, the HD 480 PRO combines precise, reliable low-frequency reproduction with a detailed, transparent sound signature and high wearing comfort for extended sessions. This makes it well suited to recording, tracking, editing and mobile production, as well as broader professional monitoring applications for engineers, producers and creators.

Kevin Gwyther-Brown, Business Development Manager at Sennheiser, concludes: “We are delighted to return to this year’s PLASA Focus Show and showcase Spectera, our ground-breaking bidirectional wireless system. It’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with both long-standing customers, meet new industry friends, and to demonstrate how Spectera’s bidirectional wideband approach is helping to streamline wireless workflows across live production, broadcast and theatre applications, while also giving visitors a closer look at the wider Sennheiser portfolio for professional live environments.”

Visitors can find Sennheiser at Stand N-C00, while additional Sennheiser solutions will be showcased on Leisuretec’s Stand N-C03 on 12th and 13th May.

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