Archives for 2003

While digital music files such as MP3 and Widows Media Audio (WMA) are popular for playback on portable MP3 players and personal computers, CD players and radios still reign supreme in family rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms.

At CES 2003, Onkyo demonstrated the new NC-500 Net-Tune Client, a compact stereo system that unites high fidelity sound with home PC networking, to deliver MP3 music to any room in the house.

Onkyo is positioning its Net-Tune® technology as an easy-to-use home audio network that delivers audio from PCs and digital media files to hi-fi stereo and home theater systems.

Net-Tune is available as a compact ‘stereo receiver’ component, the NC-500, priced at $400 (US) by itself, or $500 (US) in a compact stand-alone package with speakers. Net-Tune capability is also provided on the Onkyo TX-NR900, a full-featured 7.1-channel home theater receiver ($1,500 US).

To audio enthusiasts, the Onkyo NC-500 is a compact ‘stereo receiver.’ Computer networking people will call it a network ‘client’ device. Either way, it connects to standard wired or powerline Ethernet local area networks (LAN), which are becoming increasingly popular with consumers to simultaneously connect multiple home PCs to the Internet. Onkyo’s Net-Tune searches your home network to access MP3 files stored on family PCs or to play streaming Internet radio stations arriving at the PC through a high-bandwidth DSL or cable modem.

Up to 12 NC-500s can independently access music on the network at the same time without interfering with each other. Each person can listen to the same or different music as others on the network, selecting songs by album, artist, genre, or playlist.

With millions of homes adding broadband DSL and cable modems, consumers are adding home Ethernet networks so everyone in the house can go on-line simultaneously. As these networks expand, Onkyo Net-Tune products can plug into these networks, giving consumers even more benefit from their networks.

The Onkyo NC-500 has connections for an external CD player and includes a built-in AM/FM radio. It can also be used as a source component with outputs for delivering music from the network to a conventional stereo receiver.

Onkyo USA Web Site

Universal Audio, the manufacturer of authentic vintage analog reproductions and DSP-powered plug-ins, demonstrated its 2192 Dual Digital to Analog and Analog to Digital Converter at the NAMM Convention in Anaheim, California on January 16-19, 2003.

True to the company motto, Analog Ears; Digital Minds, the 2192 Dual DA/AD Converter is the first product to combine Universal Audio’s expertise in high-quality vintage analog gear with the advanced digital design technology it acquired with the recent purchase of software developer Kind of Loud Technologies.

The 2192, a single rack unit, provides simple front panel controls, supports sample rates up to 192K, and transcodes between AES/EBU, S/PDIF and ADAT in realtime, with single and dual wire AES modes. The 2192 is due to begin shipping in April 2003, retail price has not yet been announced.

“What really sets the 2192 apart from other DA/AD converters,” said Universal Audio VP of Engineering Joe Bryan, “is its Class-A analog circuitry, which has exceptional detail and image clarity, yet retains the warmth and character of the original source at all sample rates.”

The 2192 offers tremendous flexibility in signal routing and monitoring. For example, you can run signal into the analog inputs at sample rates ranging from 44.1K to 192K, and simultaneously output it to AES/EBU (single- or dual-wire), S/PDIF and ADAT (with industry standard S-MUX interleaving for sample rates above 48kHz). The selectable output monitor allows you to monitor any of the digital inputs, or the analog input with no interruption to the transcoding, making the 2192 an ideal hub in any personal or professional studio integrating the best of analog and digital technologies.

The 2192 also serves as an extremely high-quality digital to analog and analog to digital converter. As a front end for a native workstation, the 2192 provides two channels of sterling sound quality for tracking, monitoring and mastering. Or if you’re working on a digital console or workstation that utilizes higher sample rates, the 2192 will dramatically improve your monitoring environment and the quality of your analog masters.

More 2192 Details

Universal Audio Web Site

More Winter NAMM Coverage

German sound and audio works TerraTec Electronic is offering a new professional preamplifier/converter for PC-based workstations. The EWS MIC8 AudioSystem is a standard 19-inch rack unit with eight high-quality balanced line and microphone inputs, and eight balanced outputs. It should be available in late January 2003.

Other features of the MIC8 include 48V phantom power for condenser mics, a low-cut filter per input channel, ADAT interface, EWS88 PCI card including 4 meter connection cable, 24-bit S/PDIF, 2 MIDI ports, WordClock I/O and flexible routing of all sources. The EWS MIC 8 will be available after the NAMM.

The core 8-channel microphone preamp of the EWS MIC8 AudioSystem was developed by TerraTec in close cooperation with SPL (SoundPerformanceLab) Germany. It can be used as a stand-alone device – for example, as a microphone preamplifier, or as 24-bit/96-kHz AD/DA converter in connection with ADAT devices or cards – or connected to a PC-based workstation through the available TerraTec EWS88 PCI card.

TerraTec also introduced a lower-priced companion product at NAMM, based on the MIC8 19″ module. The AudioSystem EWS MIC2 offers all of the features of the MIC8, including the 8 balanced analog inputs and outputs, but with only two microphone preamps rather than eight.

Each of the new rack units is available individually, or in a bundle (MIC8+, MIC2+) with the EWS88 PCI card and connection cable.

Key Features of the MIC8 & MIC2

• 19″ rack mounted external module for EWS88 PCI card interface (hardware version 2.0 or later), or any ADAT interface cards
• 24 bit/96 kHz A/D converters with 105 dB (A) SNR
• 24 bit/96 kHz D/A converters with 106 dB (A) SNR
• 8 channel balanced analog I/O, XLR and 6.3 mm stereo jack
• 8 gain controls on front side for analog inputs (20 dB range)
• 8 input signal and clip LEDs on front side
• 2 XLR balanced Mic In’s on front side, alternatively to input 7 and 8 (auto priority)
• Input switchable between Mic and Line/Instrument
• 8 (2 with MIC2) high quality microphone amplifiers, developed in co-operation with SPL Germany
• Direct Out setting for all analog channels on front side (monitoring)
• Phase, low-cut and mute settings for each channel
• 48 Volt phantom power
• High quality headphone DAC and amplifier for monitoring the mixed signal
• Internal power supply
• Integrated ADAT interface (Light-Pipe)
• TOS-Link interface for ADAT or S/PDIF
• Up to 8 ADAT channels and audio channels can be mixed
• 2 separate MIDI-interfaces (with EWS88 PCI card)
• WordClock I/O
• +4/-10 dB setting
• Stand-alone operation mode (microphone preamp, ADAT interface, DI-Box)

TerraTec Web Site

More Winter NAMM Coverage