Products

Prism Sound Shipping New Dream ADA-128 Audio Conversion System

Modular design delivers up to 128 channels of A/D D/A conversion joined by networkable audio distribution and processing in a single 2U rack unit for a range of applications.
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Prism Sound's Mark Evans (left) and Jody Thorne providing front and back panel views of the new ADA128.

Prism Sound has announced that it is shipping the new Dream ADA-128 modular audio conversion system, with the first units already sent to facilities in the UK, Japan, the USA, Germany and France, and other customers expected to take delivery in the coming weeks.

Prism Sound sales director Mark Evans says, “The ADA-128 is aimed at audio professionals across many different disciplines, including music recording, post production, broadcast, installation and, of course, Dolby Atmos and archiving. It builds on everything that is great about Prism Sound conversion but takes it to a new level in terms of power and flexibility.

“Our flagship ADA-8XR multichannel converter has been a best seller for more than 20 years and that longevity is due to the care and attention to detail Prism Sound put into its original design,” he adds. “The same level of care has gone into the design of the new ADA-128 and we are confident that this revolutionary product will be just as well received for many years to come.”

The new ADA-128 provides up to 128 channels of 32-bit A/D and D/A conversion joined by networkable audio distribution and processing in a single 2U rack unit, with a modular design that can be configured to a range of needs. The mainframe can be fitted with up to 16 analog and digital IO modules (each of which nominally provides eight input or output ports, or both).

There are also four host cards offering various connection options such as Dante, DigiLink and AES. Users can mix and match these, and also route audio between them for added flexibility. Because the ADA‑128 houses four internal, independent clocks, these systems can all run at different sample rates at the same time.

The unit, which also has a mic/line input module housing eight preamps, can be controlled via the front‑panel touchscreen or via a browser-based interface. It can also be used as an HDX interface, directly from within Pro Tools.

The design for the ADA-128 originally came from discussions between Prism Sound managing director Jody Thorne and The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, a faculty of Birmingham City University. The conservatoire wanted a high channel count conversion system that could be networked across their entire facility.

“When we first came up with the concept for the Dream ADA-128, we wanted to give our customers a product that incorporated new ideas and brought significant improvements to their workflows,” Thorne says. “We were unwilling to compromise or sacrifice our long-standing reputation for audio quality. As a result, we now have a product that fulfils all our customers’ wishes and we are confident that everyone who purchases the ADA128 will be delighted with it.”

The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, which has been using Prism Sound ADA-8XR converters, will now be switching to the ADA-128. Other early adopters include the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, NHK in Japan, Dean Street Studios for its new Dolby Atmos room, and producer Jess Jackson, who plans to install ADA-128 in his own studio in the USA.

Prism Sound