Linden deCarmo wrote:Hopefully, Greg will be able to chime in this thread...
Well you're lucky I stopped by...the constant static of the mini crowd has really driven me away from this site.
I have many ST belt packs, 370/372/374 models. They are my choice for Dante belt packs, period. Love the "A" versions even more, this adds remote config via app instead of needing to personally visit the unit to set switches. Since Dante is very fiber friendly, sometimes my belt packs are literally a mile or more away from me, so remote config is huge in my book.
How much functionality Dante belt packs buy you hinges on the rest of the system. By themselves, they are just networked 4wire talk/listen devices. Partylines have to be created, either with a Dante based audio mixer, or a DSP engine like the ST Model 5421/5422, or my choice something like the Symetrix DSP Radius or Prism. At this point they behave like traditional RTS/CC 2wire belt packs.
The OMS pictured above is sold as a transition unit. It only offers 4 talk/listen channels, and mainly acts as a bridge between 4x 2W/4W and OMNEO/Dante. You need to buy at least 3 levels into the upgraded software to do all of that. Wouldn't be my choice, I think if you want to get past simple 2W Beltpack functionality use go straight to a full matrix and be done with it.
You asked about the Zeus series, discontinued AFAIK and replaced with the ODIN. The Zeus is a baby version of the ADAM, with most of the features minus trunking (linking frames together for more ports) in a smaller/fewer port package. I have 4 Zeus (2 org, and a II and a III). They are all analog 4W ports, so if you want Dante it happens through a conversion box, changing each port into a talk/listen resource on the Dante network. You then make routes in Dante to connect the dots so to speak. The Tascam ML-16D/32D is the best budget converter for this. Skip the 16port version of the ZeusIII, you really need more ports to do cool stuff. The Zeus and ZeusII are 24 port and the smallest matrix I will own/play with. My ZeusIII is the 32 port version. In addition to party line creation, the RTS matrix units also allow for point-to-point, IFB, and many other cool tricks. They also support the use of key panel user stations (KP-12 and KP-32 being the most popular in trucks). Nothing like handing a director ONE headset that can selectively talk to Dante belt packs, camera CCUs, walkie talkies, wireless belt packs, internet chat like Zello/Discord, phone calls, IFB to talent with return comms, stage announce speakers, as many PL channels as you have resources for .... need I go on??
The ODIN builds on this, and includes the traditional analog ports, 2x 2W channels for old style belpacks, and adds the RVON and OMNEO network ports. RVON uses TCP/IP and works over open internet directly, OMNEO is the RTS local IP protocol. While OMNEO is unique to RTS (proprietary), it's basically Dante audio for talk/listen wrapped in the proprietary packet to carry the data used by RTS devices. The good news is that OMNEO ports still show up in Dante Controller and you can route to/from these ports like any other Dante resource. As such, you can connect any Dante based intercom device, like ST or GlenSound directly to the ODIN, or any OMNEO based ADAM. The ODIN contains everything you need to go up to 128 ports, most of them being networked as the 16 analog on the back is all there is available unless you trunk more boxes-up to 8. *BUT*, they only enable using 16 ports in any combination for the base pricetag. To get 32/64/128 ports (or up to 1024 via trunking!) there is a license fee to unlock the rest of the box. Still, it's a deceptively potent intercom solution in 1RU and the only thing I will buy into if I ever need more intercom than I already have in my personal stable.
If you want to go down the RTS habit hole I highly recommend getting a consultant/guide/official help from RTS. I was lucky enough to break in ADAM system number 1 in the 90's and have been a heavy ADAM user since then with all kind of network level broadcasts. While this is all second nature to me, a newbie would be very hard pressed to gain enough knowledge to build out a system on their own...there are a LOT of pieces that make up any given system and you need to make sure you are getting the right stuff, including programming as OOTB the system doesn't really do anything until you tell it. OTOH, RTS ADAM/ODIN/OMNEO is THE best intercom platform on the planet and will do anything you could ever want it to.
If you want more info than this novelette, email/FB me. It will prob be another month before I check in here again.