Mar 1, 2002 12:00 PM

PMC SUB BASS UNIT

The new TLE1 active subwoofer system from PMC (distributed in the U.S. by Bryston; www.bryston.ca) features an unusually tall and slender profile — the unit measures 21.5×7.75×19.75 inches (H×W×D) and weighs 42 pounds. Two 6.5-inch, shielded custom woofers are driven by a 150W, ultra-low-distortion amp based on a Bryston design. Featuring a true transmission line design with an effective length of 9.5 feet, the TLE1 offers a flat frequency response down to 22 Hz. The unit has stereo balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, level control with calibrated settings for THX^™ specifications, variable phase control (0°-360°) and a variable roll-off (12 dB/octave) from 38 to 155 Hz.

BRAUNER VALVET VOICE LIMITED EDITION

German microphone craftsman Dirk Brauner has introduced the Valvet Voice^® Limited Edition tube vocal microphone. Distributed by Transamerica Audio Group (www.transaudiogroup.com), the Valvet Voice LE offers a cardioid polar response and features selectable phase invert, hard ground, soft ground or ground lift. Technicians hand-assemble each microphone from Class-A amplifiers, custom-built Lundahl transformers and JAN tubes, and Dirk Brauner himself hand-tunes each production unit. No more than 500 Valvet Voice LE microphones will be manufactured.

SOUNDELUX E47 TUBE MIC

Soundelux Microphones has introduced the E47 tube condenser microphone. Distributed by the Transamerica Audio Group (www.transaudiogroup.com), the variable-pattern E47 is designed to emulate vintage Neumann and Telefunken tube condensers, but with a lower noise floor, better top end, improved reliability, lower maintenance and a three-year warranty.

GRACE DESIGN HEADPHONE AMP

Grace Design (www.gracedesign.com) offers the Model 901 Reference Headphone Amplifier, a rackmount stereo unit that accepts either analog or digital stereo sources. A front panel, 24-position rotary pot provides precise output level control; level matching between stereo channels is an unprecedented 0.05 dB. A front panel switch selects either analog or digital sources, and a 4-LED array displays digital source sample rates between 32 and 96 kHz. Two sets of headphones can be used simultaneously, connecting via a pair of front panel, parallel-wired outputs. Inputs include AES3 (XLR), S/PDIF (RCA) and Toslink optical digital; the 901 accepts +4dBu and -10dBV analog sources via XLRs and unbalanced RCA jacks. The 901 employs high-current, trans-impedance output amps for driving low-impedance headphones, and the unit includes an ultra-low-distortion, 24-bit DAC. Sealed gold-contact relays are used for all signal switching. Price: $1,495.

TELEX CD DUPLICATORS

SpinWise CD duplicators from Telex Communications (www.telex.com) feature 24x speed drives, enabling them to copy a full CD in under three minutes. All SpinWise duplicators offer Disc-at-Once support for audio, support for multiple CD formats, including all sizes of business card CD format, and a 24x recording speed. Models in the SpinWise line include 1-24, 50-24, 3-24 and 6-24 models. SpinWise 1-24 is a rackmount, 1-to-1 disc duplicator for low-volume applications. A digital readout indicates percentage of the disc that has been copied, and rejected discs are automatically ejected. SpinWise 50-24 is a stand-alone robotic system with a 50-disc capacity and the ability to reload media on-the-fly. SpinWise 3-24 features three internal hard drives and can make three copies at once. Alternately, the unit can act as a 1-to-2 disc copier. SpinWise 6-24 features six internal hard drives and can also act as a 1-to-5 copier. The three-rackspace SpinWise 6-24 is designed for production and studio applications.

OTARI RADAR-II FOR $8K

Otari Corp. (www.otari.com) has reduced the price of its legendary RADAR-II^® Hard Disk Recorder. The package offers 24 channels of analog I/O, 24 channels of digital I/O via TDIF, two channels of S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital I/O, a full-function remote control, a meter bridge and backup system, as well as additional user options and a one-year parts/labor warranty. The price cut brings the cost of a fully loaded RADAR-II system to $7,995. For a slight additional cost, the 24 channels of TDIF can be replaced with 24 channels of AES/EBU digital I/O, and the DVD-RAM backup device can be replaced with an Exabyte drive. A “super-sized” RADAR-II system adds a second HDR for 48-track digital recording.

M-AUDIO SHIPS DELTA 410

M-Audio division of Midiman Inc. (www.midiman.com) is now shipping the Delta 410 audio interface to U.S. markets. The Delta 410 functions as a 4-input, 10-output digital recording/playback interface for home studio multitracking and multichannel playback. The unit features two analog inputs and eight analog outputs, plus coaxial S/PDIF digital I/O at up to 24 bits and at sampling rates from 8 to 96 kHz. The eight analog outputs accommodate 5.1 to 7.1 surround applications, while the S/PDIF output allows AC3 or DTS to be streamed to an external decoder. The included Delta Control Panel software provides comprehensive digital mixing, routing and monitoring capabilities. Delta Series PCI-based analog and digital audio cards for the Mac and PC platforms are fully expandable and universally compatible. Like other Delta Series products, the Delta 410 is compatible with Windows XP and Mac OS, and supports ASIO, EASI and GSIF. Hardware sample-accurate sync allows linking multiple Delta units.

HENRY ENGINEERING PATCHBOX

The PatchBox from Henry Engineering (www.henryeng.com) is a passive “output multiplier” for distributing stereo line-level signals to multiple recorders and/or processing devices. From one stereo source, the PatchBox creates five balanced and six unbalanced stereo outputs. The PatchBox accepts both balanced and unbalanced inputs, and is compatible with any active balanced (transformerless) low-impedance signal source that is ground-referenced. Balanced outputs, on XLR and ¼-inch TRS connectors, provide a unity gain signal with a 600-ohm source impedance. Unbalanced outputs, on gold-plated RCA connectors, provide signals compatible with consumer gear. Because audio equipment input circuits are normally high-impedance (“bridging”), any combination of outputs can be used simultaneously without interaction or signal degradation.