Audient ASP800

Audient ASP800 - microphone preamplifier with 8 channels, ADC, HMX and IRON. It uses Burr-Brown class A conversion technology, two JFET D.I.s and two Retro channels with revolutionary tone control. Just connect your microphones, guitars, keyboards or drum machine, and it's ready to use.

If you don't have enough channels, the ASP800 is the ideal solution for expanding your existing interface via the ADAT output. Its flexible and intuitive specifications make this preamplifier ideal for recording electric or acoustic instruments.

The 2 Retro channels offer 2 variable harmonic colouring controls HMX and IRON per channel. Designed to emulate tones associated with 1960s tube sounds or 1970s British tones, HMX and IRON will add a new dimension to your sound, providing warm and crystal-clear tones, and even the possibility to combine them.

The harmonic distortion control, HMX with Mosfet Drive, offers a tone similar to that of 1960s tube preamplifiers, a defined and well-rounded tone that sounds incredible from drums to electric guitars. By using MOSFET technology, HMX produces asymmetric harmonic distortion, which adds grandeur to the clean sound of microphone preamplifiers, D.I. output or line input.

The new IRON saturation transformer uses a British transformer combined with a high-voltage mosfet drive circuit, designed to generate that crystalline sound of the 1970s. With a single control over drive impedance, low-frequency response, high-frequency roll-off, phase inversion, magnetic saturation or transient shaping, IRON can instantly transform the sound just by turning a potentiometer. It sounds incredible on vocals, bass, acoustic guitar or any other instrument that needs a bit more personality.

All of this is offered in an ergonomic 1RU rack-mountable unit, with hand-crafted aluminium potentiometer knobs, a metal chassis, providing durability both in the studio and in live situations.

Features:

• 8x world-class microphone preamplifiers
• 2x Retro channels with Dual Stage COLOUR saturation control - HMX and IRON
• 2x discrete JFET instrument inputs
• High-quality 118-dB Burr-Brown A-D converters
• Balanced analog line outputs
• ADAT output for expandability
• Word Clock input
• Metal chassis

Technical specifications:

• Microphone preamplifiers
  • Microphone gain: 0 to 70 dB
  • Selectable PAD: -15 dB
  • Line gain: -10 to 60 dB (-25 to 45 dB inc. PAD)
  • Phantom power: 48V ±4V @ 10mA / channel
  • Microphone EIN:
  • CMRR: >80 dB @ 100Hz to 2kHz
  • Maximum input level: +20 dBu (+35 dBu with PAD)
  • Input impedance (Microphone): >2k Ω balanced (approx. 2.2k Ω)
  • Input impedance (Line): >8k Ω balanced (approx. 8.6k Ω)
  • Frequency response: ±0.5 dB 10Hz to 100kHz at minimum gain
  • Crosstalk:
  • THD+N at 0dBu (1kHz): <0.003% (-90.5 dBu)
  • Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR): >90 dB at minimum gain
  • XLR COMBI female: Pin 2 (Hot), Pin 3 (Cold) and Pin 1 (Shield)
  • 1/4” TRS Jack: Tip (Hot), Ring (Cold) and Sleeve (Shield)

• D.I JFET outputs
  • D.I Gain: 0 dB unity gain (0 to 70 dB)
  • Maximum input level: +17 dBu
  • D.I input impedance: 1Meg Ω unbalanced
  • Frequency response: ±0.5 dB 10Hz to 50kHz
  • THD+N at 0dBu (1kHz): <0.01% (-80 dBu)
  • Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR): >85 dB at minimum gain
  • 1/4” TRS Jack: Tip (Hot) and Sleeve (Shield)

• Balanced analog line outputs
  • Maximum output signal: +22 dBu
  • Output impedance: <200Ω , <100Ω unbalanced
  • Channel 8 DB25: Tascam type with 25-Pin

• A-D converters
  • Type: Burr-Brown PCM4204 24-bit PCM
  • Digital reference level: selectable from the back of the unit
  • 0 dBFS = +18 dBu (iD22 Professional)
  • 0 dBFS = +12 dBu (iD14 Prosumer)
  • Frequency response: ±0.1 dB 20Hz to Fs/2 (Nyquist)
  • Crosstalk:
  • THD+N at -1 dBFS (1kHz): 0.0015% (-96.5 dB)
  • THD+N at -6 dBFS (1kHz): 0.0009% (-101 dB)
  • Dynamic range:
    • 113.5 dB un-weighted
    • 116.0 dB A-weighted
  • PEAK LED LINEUP: -2 dBFS (moves with reference level)
  • SIGNAL LED LINEUP: -38 dBFS (moves with reference level)

• Digital Outputs:
  • Channel 8 ADAT SMUX: 44.1 to 96.0 kHz
  • CLOCK: Internal Crystal or external source
  • Wordclock input: 75Ω BNC - selectable 75Ω

• Power:
  • Shielded linear transformers with low noise
  • Noise-free operation, fanless: 35W maximum consumption
  • Internal D.C. power lines: ±15V, +48, +30V & +9V
  • Selectable power voltage: 100, 120, 220 or 230Va.c
  • Temperature fuse (Slow-Blow Type)
• Weight: 4.5 kg
• Dimensions: 1RU, 482 x 286.5 x 44mm