Onyx 800R 8-Channel Preamp w/192kHz Digital Out

The Mackie Onyx 800R 8-Channel Preamp w/192kHz Digital Out gives you outstanding studio performance. This one rackmount unit features 8 flagship Onyx preamps, audiophile-grade components, analog circuitry, and rugged professional build quality. Variable input impedance; front-panel mic/line switches on every channel; 2 front-panel instrument input jacks; and low cut, phase, and phantom power on every channel deliver flexibility. Immaculate digital connectivity via AES/EBU, ADAT lightpipe, and S/PDIF featuring 24-bit/192kHz A/D converters built to be the best in the industry.

8 channels of fantastic-sounding preamps
The Onyx 800R is equipped with 8 of Mackie's flagship Onyx mic preamps”which meet or surpass the fidelity and dynamic range of ultra-expensive one- or 2-channel models”but at a much more reasonable cost. Onyx preamps are clear and extremely detailed, with a full-spectrum sound that's absolutely faithful to whatever microphone you're using. Specifically, the Onyx 800R delivers a whopping 123dB of dynamic range and an amazingly low 0.0007% THD. With this degree of sonic transparency and multiple analog and digital output formats, the Onyx 800R makes an ideal audio interface for direct tracking to MDM, HDR, or software recording applications.

24-bit/192kHz digital output
The 800R's sample rate selector allows you to choose 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, or 192kHz sample rates or an external clock from the rear panel. You can also select between 24-bit or 16-bit dithered word lengths at the digital outputs. Digital outputs are provided on 2 optical TOSlink connectors using the ADAT lightpipe digital audio format.

AES/EBU or S/PDIF formats are available on a DB25 connector, with selection buttons for impedance, pro or consumer status bits, and single-wire (2-channel) or dual-wire (single-channel) operation.

Variable mic impedance
Channels one and 2 feature an Impedance Select switch, which lets you fine-tune the mic preamp for a wide variety of microphone types. Variable impedance gives you the ability to dial in various sweet spots. The result is multiple sound choices from the same microphone. It also helps you achieve optimum performance from certain types of microphones that may have nonstandard impedance values”such as ribbon microphones or older tube microphones.

Mid/side decoder unlocks stereo mysteries
Channels one and 2 also provide the option of engaging a decoder for mid-side stereo miking. For the uninitiated, mid-side (or M-S) stereo miking technique not only provides a stereo image of the source, but also allows you to adjust the width of the image by varying the balance between the mid (or mono) and side signals. Mid-side requires the use of 2 microphones, one with a cardioid pickup and one with a figure-8 (bidirectional) pattern. The cardioid microphone (mid) faces forward toward the center of the sound source, while the figure-8 (side) microphone's 2 elements face sideways, perpendicular to the mid microphone.

And for your additional convenience...
Channels 7 and 8 feature high-impedance instrument inputs so you can connect an acoustic, electric, or bass guitar directly to the mic preamp, eliminating the need for an external direct box. Each channel also has a mic/line switch, a polarity reverse switch, individual 48V phantom power switch, low-cut filter switch, and a gain control. As for the rear panel, it provides individual XLR balanced mic input connectors for each channel and balanced line inputs on a DB25 connector. Finally, analog balanced line outputs are also provided on a DB25 connector.