Apogee Symphony I/O MkII Connect Series 8x8+MP Thunderbolt Audio Interface with Dante and Pro Tools HD Cards

The Symphony I/O Mk II 8×8 MP and Symphony I/O Mk II 16 MP Connect series audio interfaces deliver Symphony-quality sound with robust, high-performance AD/DA converters and Apogee’s Advanced Step Gain Architecture™ mic preamps at unprecedented prices. Using cutting edge components and a simplified, optimized analog circuit design, Apogee engineers are able to place more AD/DA converters and mic preamps on a single module board. The result is a single Symphony I/O Mk II with up 32 mic preamps at an unprecedented price for Symphony Quality and an extremely competitive price for the market. With industry leading sound quality and scalable, high density I/O configurations for Dante®, Pro Tools® HD and Thunderbolt® systems, the Symphony Connect series is the ideal choice for broadcast, live sound, education, post, house of worship and recording studio facilities.

Features:

• New Symphony analog input with Advanced Stepped Gain mic preamp and Industry leading A/D Conversion
  Mic pre:
  — Up to 72 dB of gain in 1 dB increments, noiseless gain adjustment
  — +26 dBu maximum input level
  — Improved Common mode noise rejection and EMI suppression for optimal performance
  — Switchable impedance (2.4k/10k ohms) to support passive mic splitting in Live sound applications
• Control all mic preamps from Symphony I/O's front-panel, the optional Apogee hardware remote control, or in Apogee control software
• Simplified and optimized signal path – fewer components, higher channel count, same flagship audio quality
• Available in configurations of 8, 16, 24, or 32 flagship mic preamps per unit
• Connect to Dante, Pro Tools HD, and Thunderbolt systems

Superior Converter and Mic Preamp Design
Apogee engineers have made it their passion to improve every new flagship product by using the latest in electrical components and designing optimized circuitry that often exceeds the expectations of the component manufacturer. This is the Apogee Advantage. Symphony I/O Mk II is the culmination of this commitment and raises the bar on all Apogee products before it with even better audio clarity and sonic transparency.

Advanced Stepped Gain Architecture Mic Preamps
Apogee has taken a high-end design approach to the mic preamps in the Connect Series I/O modules to achieve the best performance of any audio interface. With Apogee’s Advanced Stepped Gain Architecture™ Connect Series interfaces feature a mic preamp circuit that is dynamically optimized at different gain settings to provide superior bandwidth, ultra low noise and nonexistent distortion across an expansive gain range of 0-72 dB.

The Advanced Stepped Gain Architecture™ functions a bit like a finely tuned race car with many gears: optimal circuit performance (low noise and low distortion) is maintained regardless of the gain required. Digitally-controlled analog switches “shift the gears” of the circuit at each gain setting to ensure the best sound and performance. Other mic pres struggle at the extremes of gain – they are essentially “two-gear” circuits.

INPUTS

• Analog IN: 8 balanced inputs on 1 DSUB 25-pin connector
• 8 microphone preamps with up to 72dB of gain
  • Featuring Advanced Stepped Gain Architecture™
• *AES-EBU IN: 8 inputs on 1 DSUB 25-pin connector
  • (192k single wide compatible)
• *Optical IN: Supports ADAT, SMUX and S/PDIF
  • ADAT: 8 channels 44.1-48 kHz
  • SMUX: 8 channels 88.2-96 kHz
  • S/PDIF: 2 channels, up to 96 kHz
• Coax IN: 2 channels of S/PDIF, up to 192 kHz

OUTPUTS

• Analog OUT: 8 balanced outputs on 1 DSUB 25-pin connector
• *AES-EBU OUT: 8 outputs on 1 DSUB 25-pin connector
  • (192k single wide compatible)
• *Optical OUT: Supports ADAT, SMUX and S/PDIF
  • ADAT: 8 channels 44.1-48 kHz
  • SMUX: 8 channels 88.2-96 kHz
  • S/PDIF: 2 channels, up to 96 kHz
• Coax OUT: 2 channels of S/PDIF, up to 192 kHz

* Hardware switch selects AES or Optical digital input format

Connection:

• Pro Tools HD Core card
• Pro Tools Accel PCI card
• Pro Tools HD Native PCI card
• Pro Tools HD Native Thunderbolt
• Pro Tools HDX PCI card

Performance:

• 44.1kHz – 192kHz
• Sample accurate compatibility with Pro Tools Delay Compensation