Cranborne 500ADAT 500 Series Interface

Here’s What Cranborne Audio Say About the 500ADAT Expander & 8-Slot 500 Series Rack:

500ADAT is the perfect tool to increase the I/O count of any ADAT-equipped audio interface. It's an 8-in/8-out ADAT expander that combines a 500 series rack with high-performance A/D-D/A conversion and ADAT I/O that allows any engineer to integrate the 500 series format into their studio using ADAT I/O on the back of any popular audio interface.

500ADAT features analogue essentials that unite digital and analogue production workflows such as an 8-into-2 analogue summing mixer, zero-latency artist mixer with 2 reference-quality headphone outputs, and true ADAT & SMUXII/IV transmission to enable operation at sample rates up to 192kHz!

The Best Of Analogue

By capitalising on the vast and ever growing 500 series market, you can configure your 500ADAT to suit your tastes of analogue flavour. By installing your favourite 500 series modules into the 8 available 500 series slots, you can create your ultimate analogue front-end/preamp stage that can be multi-track recorded directly into your DAW. 

Fill 500ADAT full of vintage preamps for recording drums. Fill 500ADAT full of clean and pristine preamps for recording strings. Fill 500ADAT full of Preamp, EQ, and Compressor modules to create your own custom, analogue channel strips. The possibilities are endless and every 500ADAT is entirely unique to your sound.

The Best Of Digital

In order to capture every subtle nuance of your analogue signal, 500ADAT features reference-class A/D-D/A conversion with 121dB (A-wtd) dynamic range and THD+N of <0.00032% (@ -4dBFS, 1kHz, A-wtd), all governed by 500ADAT’s master-reference grade internal Clock with <0.5 picoseconds of jitter. You can also slave your audio interface’s clock from 500ADAT’s internal clock to benefit from 500ADAT’s low-jitter design.

The combination of highly-accurate, low-jitter clocking and high-performance digital conversion ensures that every ounce of analogue character is captured with the utmost detail - free of unwanted digital artefacts from the conversion process and with a wide dynamic range thanks to 500ADAT's high-headroom analogue design and low noise floor.

8-in/8-out ADAT Interface

ADAT is tried, tested, and still one of the most widely available interfacing protocols in the audio industry, however it often remains unused and underutilised by many audio engineers and producers. Almost all major audio interfaces on the market feature a pair of ADAT lightpipe ports - simply connect 500ADAT to those ports and you can enhance and expand the possibilities of your studio. 

By containing its own converters and using ADAT to transport audio to and from the 500 series format, 500ADAT removes analogue cabling spaghetti between your rack and interface whilst eliminating the worry of mismatched analogue operating levels between interface inputs and 500 series module outputs. 500ADAT is compatible with any session running from 44.1kHz to 192kHz and can achieve 8 channels of I/O expansion at 44.1kHz to 96kHz or 4 channels of I/O expansion at 176.4/192kHz.

Summing Mixer

Analogue summing can give your mix the final bit of analogue character required to achieve professional and polished sonic results. What makes 500ADAT's 8-into-2 channel summing mixer so special is that it is positioned after the 8 500 series slots - allowing you to insert saturation or subtle 'bus-compression' modules and create a stereo mix using 500ADAT’s dedicated analogue level and pan controls beneath each module. 500ADAT's summing mixer also has a dedicated line output which can be used to send your stereo mix into your audio interface for recording.

Key Features

8 Channel A/D-D/A converter

• 8-in/8-out @ 44.1kHz - 48kHz
• 8-in/8-out @ 88.2kHz - 96kHz
• 4-in/4-out @ 176.4 - 192kHZ

High-performance A/D-D/A conversion

• Dynamic Range: 121dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz
• Frequency Response: -1dB, 2.2Hz to >80kHz
• THD+N: <0.00032% (-110dB) @ -4dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted
• Max I/O Level: +24dBu

Master reference-quality internal clock

• Capable of 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192kHz operation
• <0.5ps of jitter
• Dedicated Word Clock Input and Output via BNC
• External sync options using Word Clock BNC or ADAT

Analogue summing mixer

• 8-into-2 analogue summing mixer with +26.5dBu of headroom and balanced 1/4" jack outputs
• C.A.S.T. link port for increasing summing mixer to 16-into-2 using Cranborne Audio 500ADAT

Zero-latency artist mixer 

• Zero-latency analogue artist mixer with physical level/pan controls per channel and aux input blend controls
• 2 high-power headphone outputs with independent blend and level controls

Reference-Quality Headphone Outputs

• THD+N: <0.0006% (-104.4dB) @ 20dBu, 1kHz, A-weighted, 300ohm load
• Output Wattage (1kHz): 250mW x 2 @ 600 ohms, 650mW x 2 @ 220 ohms, 1.21W x 2 @ 100 ohms, 500mW x 2 @ 32 ohms
• Frequency Response: 1dB, <1Hz to >70kHz

High-current 8-slot 500 series rack

• 250mA current per-slot with 2A total for all slots
• XLR inputs, XLR line outputs, and TRS Inserts (pre-ADC) per 500 series slot
• Module source switching options to send Analogue, USB or external C.A.S.T. signals through your favourite 500 series modules
• Module bypass switches per-slot allowing 500ADAT to be used without 500 series modules inserted. 

C.A.S.T. Compatible

• C.A.S.T. ports per channel for relocating analogue I/O around the studio using passive or active C.A.S.T. breakout boxes via standard shielded Cat 5e, Cat 6, or Cat 7 cables.
• Compatible with all Cranbore Audio C.A.S.T.-equipped devices including N22, N22H, Camden EC1, and Camden EC2.

24v, 5a external locking power supply

• External power supply for improved analogue audio performance and heat dissipation.

Specifications

• Dynamic Range: 121dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz
• THD+N: <0.00032% (-110dB) @ -4dBFS, 20Hz - 40kHz, 1kHz, A-weighted
• Frequency Response: -1dB, 2.2Hz to >80kHz
• Clock Jitter: <0.5 Picoseconds