Saramonic Intercom systems for professional video, broadcast and streaming teams

Saramonic has become a reference brand in professional location sound since its launch in 2012. With more than 400 registered patents, multiple international design awards and a global presence in over 130 countries, the company focuses on practical audio tools for film crews, live production, TV studios and streaming facilities. Its portfolio spans wireless microphones, full-duplex intercom headsets, timecode generators, mixers and monitoring solutions, giving technical teams a coherent ecosystem from set to control room.

Within this ecosystem, the WiTalk9 and WiTalk9 SE headset families form the backbone of the brand’s intercom offering. They sit alongside the Saramonic K9 UHF microphone, a digital UHF wireless audio system aimed at production sound mixers and camera operators who need robust links with timecode and backup recording. Together these products address the complete communication chain: crew talkback, talent microphones and audio feeds into cameras, recorders and streaming encoders.

Engineering approach: from microphones to full-duplex intercom

Professional intercom for multi-camera production needs more than basic voice chat. A modern full-duplex wireless intercom must support simultaneous talk and listen for every user, maintain stable RF links in congested environments and keep latency low enough for live switching. It also has to deliver consistent speech intelligibility around cameras, lighting rigs, drones or PA systems that often raise background noise well above 90–100 dB SPL.

To address these challenges, Saramonic WiTalk9 and WiTalk9 SE headsets use purpose-built RF platforms combined with a three-microphone ClearTalk™ array. The system combines beam-forming and digital noise reduction to maintain clear voice pickup, while dual antennas and encrypted links increase robustness in busy RF environments such as OB vans, arenas or trade-show floors.

WiTalk9 – 1.9 GHz DECT full-duplex intercom for medium and large crews

The Saramonic WiTalk9 series is a 1.9 GHz digital DECT intercom platform for teams that need reliable communication across large sets or venues. A single configuration such as the WiTalk9-9S provides up to nine users (one master plus eight remotes), and by cascading multiple sets via cabling you can scale to as many as 30 active headsets on one production.

Operating in the 1.9 GHz band, the system offers a line-of-sight range of approximately 500 m (about 1,640 ft). RF modulation based on GFSK with proprietary encryption ensures stable, full-duplex audio with typical latency below 83 ms, which is suitable for live vision mixing and stage cueing. The headsets act as both transceiver and earpiece, eliminating the need for belt-pack base stations and simplifying cable management on set.

Each WiTalk9 headset uses two removable Li-ion polymer batteries (around 1450 mAh each). In practice, a master unit runs for about 9 hours, while remote units can reach roughly 15 hours from a pair of fully charged batteries, covering a long event day. Charging time is around 3.5 hours in the multi-slot dock, and USB-C ports on the headsets allow top-up charging during breaks.

From an audio perspective, the headsets use an electret condenser boom mic with omnidirectional pickup and strong off-axis rejection via digital processing. The nominal frequency response for both microphone and driver is 150 Hz to 8 kHz, focused on speech clarity. Signal-to-noise ratio above 65 dB, maximum SPL of around 120 dB at the mic and 128 dB at the headphone side ensure clean talkback even near PA systems or loud cameras.

For physical durability, the frame employs a PC+30GF composite with IPX5 water resistance and protection against level-3 wind conditions. Quick-release earpads, including on-ear foam cushions and over-ear cooling-gel cushions, allow crews to configure comfort for long days in mobile production trucks or temporary control rooms. Single-ear construction keeps one ear free for room sound or stage monitoring.

Control functions are optimised for one-hand operation: a rotating encoder adjusts volume, while boom movement acts as an instant mute switch (up to mute, down to talk). A dedicated key provides one-touch broadcast or group announcement from the master to all remotes. Through the Saramonic intercom app, supervisors can name headsets, form groups, monitor battery status and manage priorities from a smartphone or tablet.

WiTalk9 SE – decentralised 2.4 GHz intercom for agile teams

Where the WiTalk9 targets medium and large crews, the WiTalk9 SE series focuses on compact setups that still need professional full-duplex communication. It runs in the 2.4 GHz band with adaptive frequency hopping to dodge interference from Wi-Fi and other devices, providing a working radius up to about 350 m in open environments and around 60 m through obstacles, depending on building structure.

A standard WiTalk9 SE configuration supports five simultaneous users with hub-free operation. Two linked systems via the TRRS cascade port can host up to nine users in total, ideal for small OB teams, mobile ENG units, conference production or drone show crews. One distinctive feature is decentralised master-remote switching: any headset can become master, and failure or loss of a single unit does not halt communication for the rest of the team.

Like WiTalk9, the SE variants rely on the ClearTalk three-mic array with 360° pickup and a dedicated noise-cancellation algorithm offering weak and strong modes. An AGC stage and high-headroom analog front-end maintain intelligibility in environments approaching 120 dB SPL, such as concert stages or motorsport pit lanes. The audio spec lists a 150 Hz–8 kHz bandwidth, noise-cancellation depth around 50 dB and SNR above 65 dB, tailored to speech rather than full-range programme material.

Each WiTalk9 SE headset ships with hot-swappable rechargeable batteries and a six-slot charging case. With efficient power management, a five-user configuration can reach up to a full working day of runtime, and the ability to charge individual headsets via USB-C in shutdown mode offers additional flexibility on long shoots. IPX5 moisture protection, aviation-style protein-leather ear cushions and lightweight construction around 228 g (including battery) make the system suitable for outdoor work and long shifts.

For workflow integration, the TRRS link port supports remote communication through platforms such as Zoom or Teams, or connection to an external recorder or mixer for monitoring and logging intercom audio. The Saramonic app provides graphical control for grouping, AFH activation, naming and basic monitoring, mirroring the behaviour of the WiTalk9 platform so crews can switch between systems without re-learning controls.

Saramonic K9 UHF microphone – digital UHF link with timecode and 32-bit float recording

The Saramonic K9 UHF microphone system complements WiTalk intercoms by providing a robust digital UHF link for talent mics, plant microphones or IFB feeds. It operates on a selectable UHF spectrum with digital modulation, 100 kHz RF step size and 200 kHz RF bandwidth. RF power is selectable in several steps (10, 25, 50 and 100 mW, region dependent), allowing crews to find a balance between range and battery consumption while respecting local spectrum regulations.

Audio is captured at 48 kHz / 24-bit with a wideband 20 Hz–20 kHz response and transmitter input dynamic range around 130 dB. End-to-end latency sits near 6.3 ms, which keeps lipsync tight when signals hit cameras or switchers directly. A digital low-cut filter with selectable corner frequencies at 75, 100 and 150 Hz helps to attenuate rumble and handling noise on location.

A key differentiator of the K9 UHF microphone platform is onboard 32-bit float recording to a microSD (TF) card with capacity up to 256 GB, creating a safety copy that can recover clipped peaks or very low-level dialogue in post. The transmitter also supports SMPTE LTC timecode in slave mode, with frame rates from 23.98 to 30 fps including 29.97 drop-frame. Timecode can be jammed via wired TRS, local wireless sync from Saramonic TC-NEO generators or via the Saramonic System app, ensuring alignment with cameras and recorders.

Both transmitter and receiver accept standard AA cells in multiple chemistries (NiMH, lithium-iron, alkaline or rechargeable lithium), or external USB-C power from distribution boxes and power banks. Typical operating times are around 9 hours for the transmitter and 8 hours for the receiver with suitable batteries. Detachable SMA antennas, IP-rated lavalier microphones (around 3 mm diameter, IP67), dual TFT/OLED displays and headphone / mono / stereo output modes map well to the requirements of film sound bags and mobile streaming rigs.

Used together with WiTalk9 or WiTalk9 SE, the K9 allows a production to separate crew talkback and programme audio while staying within a single brand ecosystem. Intercom audio can feed recorders through WiTalk link ports for documentation, while K9 transmitters carry presenter or actor tracks to the same recorder with time-aligned backup recording.

Choosing between WiTalk9, WiTalk9 SE and Saramonic K9

For OB vans, large multi-camera studios or complex stage shows, the Saramonic WiTalk9 intercom provides the required user count, 1.9 GHz DECT robustness and long-range coverage up to roughly 500 m. For agile teams that still need secure, full-duplex talkback but favour lightweight packs and flexible master selection, the WiTalk9 SE offers decentralised control and 2.4 GHz operation with adaptive frequency hopping.

Whenever dialogue, ambience or IFB needs to travel alongside intercom, the Saramonic K9 UHF microphone fills the gap with digital UHF transmission, timecode-capable 32-bit float recording and a workflow tailored to professional sound mixers. In combination, these systems enable production companies, live streaming providers and broadcasters to standardise on a single Saramonic ecosystem for communication and audio capture across demanding field and studio environments.