Cranborne Audio 500R8 USB Audio Interface and 8-slot 500 Series Chassis

Studio In A Box

The Cranborne Audio 500R8 is, essentially, a studio in a rack. It’s an 8-slot high-current 500 Series chassis, a 28-in/30-out USB interface, an analogue summing mixer, a zero-latency artist mixer, and a monitor controller — everything you need to build your dream hybrid analogue/digital studio. The 500R8 is fitted with high-performance AD-DA conversion, reference-grade headphone amplifiers, a reference-quality master clock, and more. In fact, there’s very little you can’t do with the Cranborne Audio 500R8. Configure it to suit your preferred analogue flavouring for any source. Pack it with vintage-style 500 Series preamps for recording drums; clean, pristine preamps for vocals; and EQ, compression, and saturation modules when it’s time for mixdown.

USB audio interface
Connect the 500R8 directly to your Mac or PC via USB and utilize the 500R8’s onboard 28-in/30-out USB audio interface for recording and playback directly to and from your digital audio workstation of choice.

Discrete summing mixer
Give your mix the crowning touch of analogue character by sending submixes and stems back through your 500 Series modules, into the 500R8’s discrete analogue summing mixer, and back into your DAW.

Monitor controller
Use the 500R8’s onboard high-headroom monitor controller to switch between two sets of speakers, toggle mono sum, mute, dim, and talkback facilities while monitoring the peak level of your mix on the high-resolution 28-segment LED meter.

Audiophile headphone amps and zero-latency artist mixer
Drive any headphones with 500R8’s two reference-grade headphone amplifiers — they have enough power to drive low-impedance ’phones with gobs of headroom and a linear frequency response to below 1Hz! Use the 500R8’s two aux buses to create pristine analogue cue mixes that you can blend with DAW playback and send to the talent with zero latency.

C.A.S.T. away
Spec’d with Cranborne’s innovative C.A.S.T. system, the 500R8 does away with excess cable spaghetti, delivering a cost-effective, low-maintenance, plug-and-play solution by transmitting four channels of balanced analogue audio over shielded Cat 5 Ethernet cable directly to the destination of your choice.

Expandable, in the studio or on the road
When you’re ready for additional 500 Series connectivity, connect your 500R8 with Cranborne Audio’s 500ADAT via ADAT for 16 channels of 500 Series modules. Housed in a 19" 4U rack-mountable rugged steel frame, the 500R8 makes an ideal 500 Series chassis for mobile recording setups. Packed with cool, useful features, the Cranborne Audio 500R8 is one of the more innovative pieces of pro audio gear we’ve seen.

Main features: 

28-in/30-out USB interface, summing mixer, artist mixer, and monitor controller

Low-latency USB 2.0 interface:

Compatible with macOS and Windows computers

ADAT I/O (16x16 channels @ 44.1/48kHz, 8x8 channels @ 88.2/96kHz)

S/PDIF I/O; 5-pin MIDI I/O

High-performance A/D conversion:

Dynamic range: 121dB A-weighted dynamic range, 20Hz–20kHz

Frequency response: 2.2Hz to >80kHz (-1dB)

THD+N: <0.00032% (-110dB) @ -4dBFS, 20Hz–40kHz (1kHz, A-weighted)

Max input level: +24dBu

High-performance D/A conversion:

Dynamic range: 121dB A-weighted, 20Hz–20kHz

Frequency response: <1Hz to >61kHz (-1dB)

THD+N: <0.0003% (-110.5dB) @ -4dBFS, 20Hz–40kHz (1kHz, A-weighted)

Max Output Level: +24dBu

Reference-quality internal master clock:

Sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192kHz; <0.5ps jitter

Dedicated word clock I/O via BNC

External sync options using word clock BNC, S/PDIF, or ADAT

Monitor controller with talkback:

Speaker A/B switching, mono check, dim, mute, and 28-segment peak meter

Dedicated talkback input with phantom power, push-to-talk activation, and automatic routing to all headphone and C.A.S.T. facilities

Easy-access illuminated front panel controls for all monitor controller functions

Analog summing mixer:

8x2 analog summing mixer with +26.5dBu of headroom and dedicated ADC

Balanced 1/4" jack outputs

C.A.S.T. link port for increasing Summing Mixer to 16x2 using Cranborne Audio 500ADAT

Zero-latency Artist Mixer:

Analogue Artist Mixer with per-channel physical level/pan controls and DAW return blend controls

2 high-power headphone outputs with independent blend and level controls

Reference-grade headphone amplifier:

THD+N: <0.0006% (-104.4dB) @ 20dBu, 1kHz A-weighted, 300 ohm 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: <1Hz to >70kHz (1dB)

High-current 8-slot 500 Series rack:

Per-slot current: 250mA , 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 500 Series modules

Per-slot module bypass switches allowing 500R8 to be used without 500 Series modules installed

C.A.S.T. compatible:

C.A.S.T. ports per channel for routing analogue I/O using passive or active C.A.S.T. breakout boxes via standard Cat 5 cable

External power supply:

24V, 5A external locking power supply for improved analogue audio performance and heat dissipation

Designed and engineered in the UK:

A team of dedicated engineers extensively tests each 500R8 to ensure reliability and consistency

Tech Specs:

• Number of Slots: 8
• Inputs: 8 x XLR, 2 x 1/4" (DAW), 4 x CAT5
• Outputs: 8 x XLR, 2 x 1/4" (aux), 2 x XLR (speaker), 2 x 1/4" (speaker), 2 x 1/4" (mix), 2 x 1/4" (headphones)
• Other I/O: 8 x 1/4" TRS (insert), 1 x CAT5 (link), 1 x XLR (talkback), 2 x BNC (word clock)
• Digital I/O: 2 x Coax (S/PDIF), 4 x Optical (ADAT)
• MIDI I/O: In, Out, USB
• USB: 1 x Type B
• Power Supply: 24V power supply (included)
• Height: 177,8 mm (4U)
• Width: 482.6 mm
• Depth: 218.4 mm
• Discover more Cranborne Audio [500R8]: https://www.cranborne-audio.com/500r8