BEYOND TRANSPARENCY
DEDICATED MULTI-CHANNEL DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERSION
Whether you’re tracking, mixing or mastering, the CONVERT-8 will deliver powerful low-end, articulate mids and transcendent highs to every channel in your analog rig. Patched into one of our award-winning analog summing units like the 2-BUS+ or the D-BOX+ (or to your favorite analog console) the CONVERT-8 will empower you to create the spacious, three-dimensional soundscapes that only real analog summing can deliver. Compatible with today’s digital signals (including the ubiquitous ADAT format) the CONVERT-8 is ready to take on any mixing or monitoring job from standard stereo and 2.1 to 5.1 and the increasingly popular Atmos format. Recognizing the needs of those who don’t need more analog inputs, the CONVERT-8 brings today’s very best digital-to-analog conversion within reach of any studio.
OUR NEXT-GENERATION CONVERTERS
Dangerous has been building award-winning, standard-setting converters since 2002 when the Dangerous Monitor’s onboard digital-to-analog converter swiftly became the industry reference. We’ve been asked over the years to build a stand alone DAC, and they’re finally here in the CONVERT series. Eager to embrace the opportunity to develop a new and better DAC, we designed the CONVERT-8 from the ground up, utilizing cutting-edge digital technology coupled to a Chris Muth designed analog circuit that delivers our signature sound: open, articulate and powerful from top to bottom. As a dedicated digital-to-analog converter, The CONVERT-8 has been optimized for the job of delivering stunning sound when mixing, mastering and monitoring while tracking. The CONVERT-8 goes beyond transparency: you won’t just hear everything, you’ll hear it beautifully.
IT’S ALL ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION
While in theory most converters should be the same, among those who truly understand this hotly debated and endlessly researched area of audio technology, the mantra is implementation, implementation, implementation. How a converter’s components are selected, tweaked and assembled according to a specific design, and then tuned for superior performance within that plan is what sets a converter apart – for better or worse. The Dangerous CONVERT-8 has been developed by a team of experts with deep, up-to-the-minute knowledge of digital and analog converter technology.
FINE TUNING THE ANALOG SIDE
A legend among mixing and mastering engineers for decades, Chris Muth has designed the analog gear used to mix and master an endless list of hit records and classic reissues. Chris’s powerful, articulate, hi-fi designs dominated the big studios in New York City since the 1980s, and via Dangerous his designs have become essential components in the best modern mixing and mastering DAW-based studios. When we set out to develop a new dedicated stereo D-A converter, Chris brought his relentless design philosophy and world-renowned sound to the CONVERT’s analog technology. Not only did he develop the audiophile-grade analog audio path, Chris also meticulously fine tuned the low-pass reconstruction filters mandatory to implementing any DAC. These filters lie at the heart of how a converter will perform, and the CONVERT series has the jaws of top pros hitting the floor when they hear the big natural sound and the powerful, ultra-clear low-end.
PERFECTING THE DIGITAL SIDE
We brought in digital guru Paul Messick to make sure the digital side of the CONVERT series would sing in perfect harmony with its finely tuned analog circuit. Paul rigorously refined the CONVERT’s JetPLL ultra-low jitter clocking technology until it surpassed the JET’s stated specs, resulting in the virtual elimination of jitter in the audio-band and beyond. Gone are the sonic headaches and end-of-day fatigue brought on by long-term exposure to jittery digital audio systems. The CONVERT-8’s superbly implemented digital technology delivers such a natural, open and inspirational sound that you’ll forget you’re even listening to converted 0s and 1s.
DETAILED INFORMATION & DELIGHTFUL INSPIRATION
Reaching beyond transparency and accuracy, the sound of the CONVERT-8 is so open and 3-dimensional that many are saying that these are the most beautiful, natural sounding converters they’ve ever heard. Whether your focus is tracking, mixing or mastering, when you choose a dedicated DAC, you’re choosing the unit you’ll trust to make all your judgements. You need your DAC to be honest, but you also need it to sound beautiful. With the CONVERT you get the uncanny combination of detailed information and delightful inspiration. Coupled with any of our analog summing mixers – or with your favorite console – the CONVERT-8 not only assures that you’ll hear the best sound possible, but you’ll be immortalizing that amazing sound into your final prints.
YOUR NEW MASTER CLOCK
It’s no secret that many digital audio systems are slaved to the best sounding clock in the rack, and The CONVERT’s customized JetPLL ultra-low jitter technology is winning shootouts again and again – subsequently sending expensive external clocks into retirement. Simply use the Word Clock output and set the CONVERT into Master mode from the front panel, and all the digital gear in your studio can benefit from The CONVERT’s cutting-edge Jitter Elimination Technology (JET).
ELEGANT FEATURES
Our design philosophy includes a strict demand that our equipment be elegant and easy to use, and the CONVERT-8 exemplifies that philosophy. No menus, no cryptic multi-finger combinations to remember – just clearly labeled single-function buttons.
Automatic Sample Rate Detection
Simply select “Auto” on the front panel and the CONVERT-8 will match its sample rate to the input signal. If you’ve ever started working at the wrong sample rate (we’ve all done it!), you’ll know why this feature can be so important. If you’re swapping among different DAW sessions at different sample rates, the CONVERT will follow your every move.
Instant Input Calibration
With industry-standard reference levels of -14, -16 and -18dBFS, you can recalibrate the CONVERT-8 with the push of a button. While many professional converters are only aligned at the factory, the CONVERT-8 lets you move flexibly between different reference levels on the fly. Anyone who’s ever fumbled around behind a rack with a “tweeker tool” while a second person watches an external meter knows the special value of our front-panel calibration buttons, especially when there are eight channels or more!
On The Fly Input Switching
Unique to the CONVERT series, you can now swap between multiple digital inputs on the fly from the front panel buttons. No more digging into elaborate menus and system settings just to listen to iTunes, no more rerouting software drivers just to hear a different output. And because the CONVERT can automatically lock to the incoming signal’s sample rate, you don’t need to even think about sample rates as you switch between inputs. Four digital inputs include USB, AES/SPDIF, ADAT and Optical SPDIF (TOSLINK).
Essential 8-Channel Metering
Aside from giving you instant visual confirmation of audio signal present across all eight channels, our “3-word-over” indicator tells you when three consecutive samples have clipped, meaning you’re a breath away from violating industry standards for CD reproduction and are about to generate clipping distortion that would be audible in any digital file.
Monitor ST Remote Connectivity
Simply hook up our award-winning MONITOR-ST/SR Remote to the rear panel ports and you’ve got best-in-class desktop remote control over the CONVERT’s front panel input selectors. Add the CONVERT-8 to your existing Monitor ST/SR rig for seamless integration of today’s best DAC to your surround monitoring system.
SACRIFICE NOTHING.
If you’re ready to add the world’s most articulate, open and natural sounding conversion to your studio, The CONVERT-8 will deliver the beautiful truth of all your digital signals into the analog realm without ever tiring you out. Contact a dealer to hear the difference and we’re certain you’ll become a CONVERT.
SPECS
Note: Dangerous Music, Inc. publishes actual measured specifications, not theoretical numbers derived from data sheets published by chip manufacturers.
Signal to Noise Ratio A-weighted, 20Hz to 20KHz: < 114dB
Signal to Noise Ratio unweighted, 20Hz to 20KHz: < 113dB
Dynamic Range A-weighted, 20Hz to 20KHz: < 114dB
Dynamic Range unweighted, 20Hz to 20KHz: < 113dB
THD+N:
THD+N, 1kHz, unweighted, 20Hz to 20kHz, +4dBu out: < 94.5dB (0.00188%)
THD+N, 1kHz, unweighted, 20Hz to 20kHz, +22dBu out: < 106.5dB (0.00048%)
Frequency Response @ 96KHz sample rate:
DC to 20KHz: +0, -0.25dB
DC to 30KHz: +0, -0.5dB
DC to 40KHz: +0, -1.0dB
Jitter:
16ps (100Hz to 40KHz), 18ps (100Hz to 1MHz)
Crosstalk rejection:
> 114dBu @ 1kHz
Replacement Fuses:
USA 2 amp slo-blow for 120V
Europe 1 amp slo-blow for 240V
DOWNLOADS
MANUALS
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SETUP DIAGRAMS
VIDEOS
This product incorporates JetPLL® clocking technologies, used under license from Sonopsis. JetPLL® designs are covered by Sonopsis copyright and/or multiple patents. The JetPLL®word and logo are trademarks of Sonopsis. Further information can be found at JetPLL.info.
Warranty:
Free 2 year extended warranty with online registration.
Standard Warranty:
90 days parts and labor, subject to inspection. Does not include damage incurred through abusive operation or modifications/attempted repair by unauthorized technicians.
TESTIMONIALS
DANIEL SADOWSKI • MUSIC COMPOSER
“Everything coming out of the CONVERT-8 sounds so expensive. VST samples all sound so real now. Before I would have to work so hard at getting a sound or instrument to a place where I felt it was worthy of being in my composition. Now, it all comes so easy and fast, it feels amazing.”
RYAN WEST • RECORDER/MIXER
“Clocking is rock solid!”
TODD WHITELOCK • AUDIO ENGINEER
“I heard tones ring longer and blend better than when I tracked them – a detail I didn’t even know I had been losing with my old converters.”
ALLEN FARMELO • PRODUCER/ENGINEER
“As far as I can tell (and I’ve really looked and listened), there are very few stereo units that will sound as good as the CONVERT-2, and (I will go on record here) no multichannel converters that can top the CONVERT-8.”
FAB DUPONT • MIX ENGINEER
“With the CONVERT Series, Dangerous Music managed to beat their own DAC-ST as my favorite Reference D/A.”
RUSSELL ELEVADO • MIX ENGINEER
“When I switched my master clock to the CONVERT-8’s clock there was instant improvement in the sound of my mix. The imaging had better focus and the bass sounded more natural”