Lynx Studio Technology has announced that the new Aurora TB converter with Thunderbolt connectivity, as well as the new LT-TB Thunderbolt LSlot interface that may be retrofitted into any Aurora or Hilo converter, are both now available.
The LT-TB is a two-port Thunderbolt expansion card that supports daisy-chaining of Aurora and Hilo converters and any other certified Thunderbolt device on both Apple and Windows computers.
“The worldwide response to this new, powerful Thunderbolt connectivity for Lynx converters has been huge,” states Phil Moon, Lynx VP sales and marketing. “The ability to daisy chain up to six Lynx converters on any Thunderbolt-equipped Mac or Windows computer with stability and very low latency is the quantum leap in connectivity that a lot of our customers have been waiting for. All this with very low latency.”
“The LT-TB was in development for over a year. We opted to wait a little longer and develop with the latest Cactus Ridge second-generation Thunderbolt controller. This device allows for a more robust design electrically,” adds Bob Bauman, Lynx co-founder and chief hardware engineer. “Months of in-house testing along with support from Apple and Intel assured that LT-TB works well with any other certified Thunderbolt product on the market.”
The Aurora 8-TB, Aurora 16-TB and Aurora 16-VTTB models are now available, as well as the LT-TB LSlot interface for use in existing Aurora and Hilo converters. The LT-TB and accompanying Aurora and Hilo models are the first Thunderbolt audio devices to be certified for Windows as well as Mac. Hilo TB models, in silver and black, will be released later along with Hilo Firmware Version 6.
Whereas some earlier Thunderbolt-equipped converters are limited to two units and 32 analog channels, the LT-TB can be used in a chain of up to six Aurora converters for up to 96 analog channels, plus 96 digital channels on one Thunderbolt port. So theoretically, the new 6 port Mac Pro could deliver up to 1,152 channels.
“The Thunderbolt protocol allows up to six devices and one display to be connected to the computer on a single Thunderbolt port. So in addition to Lynx converters, you can have external drives, displays, expansion chassis and so on. The LT-TB has two Thunderbolt ports, which allows this daisy chaining of devices,” explains Lynx co-founder and chief software engineer David A. Hoatson. “One of the other nice features of the LT-TB and other Thunderbolt devices is the ability to hot plug them. This allows you to easily bring in an additional Aurora or Hilo or other Thunderbolt device without needing to reinstall drivers or reset anything. It’s all automatic.”
Thunderbolt delivers 10 gigabits per second speed, twice the speed of USB 3.0. Thunderbolt technology is the fastest connection to your PC at 10Gbs – in each direction, and at the same time. Thunderbolt provides flexibility and simplicity by connecting to data and display devices with a single cable, up to six devices in a daisy-chain.
U.S. suggested retail prices: LT-TB $650; Hilo-TB $2,795; Aurora 8TB $2,395; Aurora 16TB $3,395; Aurora 16 VTTB $3,695.
