Just because you’re on the move with a portable rig or working in a project studio doesn’t mean you should sacrifice a single thing when it comes to monitoring. If anything, these are environments where you need the most accurate monitoring possible, so that absolutely nothing is left to guesswork! The SOURCE from Dangerous Music is a compact and affordable solution to all your monitoring needs with a no-compromise Chris Muth design strategy that’s made Dangerous monitoring products the worldwide standard among top professionals. Throw it in your backpack or use the rackmount kit for permanent installs, the SOURCE is ready for any job.
Portable or rack-mounted (kit optional)
2 speaker outputs – can be engaged simultaneously
Headphones and speaker outs can monitor single or multiple sources
2 analog inputs: 1/8″ Mini Stereo & XLR/TRS combo jack
2 onboard stereo 24-bit/192kHz D/A converters
2 digital inputs: AES/SPDIF and USB
AES/SPDIF thru-port for additional uses outside The SOURCE
Analog inputs for both professional and commercial analog signals
Selected Line Output allows for more elaborate routing of the main monitor signal
TEC Award (winner)
Mix Magazine Certified Hit
AES Best of Show
You can’t mix what you can’t hear! With the advent of “prosumer” gear, the monitoring path is typically sacrificed to meet a price-point, allowing what should be true craftsmanship to become guesswork. But true craftsmanship lies in the details – everything from the placement of a mic to an EQ setting to coaching a vocalist requires that you can hear all the nuances perfectly. To deliver that quality of monitoring, the SOURCE incorporates audiophile-grade components in an unconditionally transparent design that reveals every last detail, letting you hear absolutely everything the first time.
As the centerpiece to your studio, the SOURCE is equipped with a balanced stereo professional level analog input on XLR/TRS jacks and an 1/8” stereo commercial level input for iPhones, laptops and other devices. Digital inputs include both USB (for Windows and Mac) and AES/SPDIF up to 192khz, and the AES/SPDIF has a very useful thru-port, allowing you to capture or monitor that signal outside the SOURCE any way you see fit. The Selected Line output provides an analog mirror of whatever you’re monitoring in the control room, bypassing the main volume control. Use the Selected Line output to feed an external meter, recording device, club PA system or even for creative re-amping setups. The two onboard reference-grade D/A converters deliver every last detail of your music, while the robust, crystal clear headphone amplifier and two speaker outputs round out the SOURCE’s incredibly versatile signal paths.
Any input and speaker outputs can be used individually or simultaneously for all sorts of studio solutions. By switching the input and output sections between “toggle” mode (one at a time) and “latch” mode (simultaneously activated), you can layer sounds and double-up the inputs in creative and very useful ways. For example, set the speaker switches to “latch” and use the second speaker output as a switchable subwoofer out – or perhaps to provide simultaneous live-room monitoring, or to just blast both sets of speakers at once! Set the input switches to “latch” and you can jam along with your portable devices, or otherwise creatively layer multiple input sources. Return to “toggle” mode and easily let the singer hear their own personal headphone mix from an analog input while you engineer the real mix from the USB. Whatever’s needed, wherever you are, the SOURCE will deliver!
It would be hard to overstate the number of recordings that have arrived at the mastering stage with all kinds of noises, flaws and other unintentional problems because the monitoring chain was inadequate. Get the most accurate monitoring available with the SOURCE, and you’ll hear everything, eliminate the guesswork, and get it right the first time – all in a portable, rugged unit equally at home in your studio or your backpack!
Input 1 to Selected Line Out and Speakers:
Frequency Response: +0, -0.5dB from <10 Hz to >80 kHz
THD+N: < 0.0025% @+4dBu
IMD (SMPTE): < 0.0025% @ +4dBu
Crosstalk rejection: >108dB
Noise: < -93 dB, unweighted
NOTE: Speaker outs can run at -6dB (factory setting) or unity gain (remove jumpers 3 and 4)
Maximum input level: > +26 dBu
Input 2 to selected line out and Speakers:
Frequency Response : +0, -0.5dB from <10 Hz to >80 kHz
THD+N: < 0.0025% @ +4dBu
IMD (SMPTE): < 0.0026% @ +4dBu
Crosstalk rejection: > -98dB
Noise: < -90 dB, unweighted
NOTE: Input 2 can run at -10dBV or -16dBV (by setting JP1 and JP2. Remove for -10dBV)
Default factory setting is -16dBV to accommodate 1/8” headphone outputs of iPhones and cell phones
Frequency Response: +0, -0.5dB from <10Hz to >50kHz
Outputs:
The meter and speakers outputs are fully balanced and 600 ohm drive capable to >+26dBu.
Volume knobs track better than +- 0.5dB from unity to -40dB.
The headphone amp can easily drive several sets of cans.
Maximum output level: > +26 dBu
Shipping weight (in carton): 7 lbs.
Dimensions: 12 3/4″ Wide x 8″ Deep x 1 5/8″ High
Digital inputs:
The AES inputs lock from 32kHz to 192kHz sample rates with the following: <0.004% THD+N
-0.2dB at 10 Hz and 22kHz (48kHz sample rate)
-0.2dB at 10Hz and 34kHz (higher rates)
Crosstalk Rejection: >103dB
Power Supply: 12 volt, 2 Amp (Part number PSU-SRC)
Optional Rack Kit: SRC (Source Rack Kit), $49.99
MANUALS
OTHER
SETUP DIAGRAMS
USB Compatibility:
Mac: Requires Mac OS 10.6 or higher for driverless plug and play
PC: Requires a driver for Windows operating systems (available in downloads section)
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.
MIKE METLAY • RECORDING MAGAZINE
“I really think this is a great box for just about any setup that needs a reliable, high-quality monitoring router. This little router is reference and headphone monitoring with a vengeance.”
THOM MONAHAN • TAPEOP MAGAZINE
“The SOURCE’s fidelity is open and uncolored but seriously musical. I loved listening to music through the SOURCE and just found myself wanting to crank it all the time. It has massive headroom and sounded great.”
RAY MCHARD • PRODUCER/ENGINEER
“I bought a Dangerous 2-BUS LT and SOURCE, and now I am the happiest man in Glasgow! Amazing equipment!”
DAN BLACK • PRODUCER
“I instantly heard lots of detail, the SOURCE made the music instantly a lot less fatiguing. I am also able to work at a lower volume and still be ‘into the vibe’ of the track.”
JOSEPH FRAIOLI • SOUND DESIGNER
“From the second I plugged it in I could tell it was very pristine and transparent. The low frequencies feel tighter and less intermingled with the other frequencies. The mids feel really lively in a good way, and the highs are clear and present.”
DOUG DOPPLER • M MAGAZINE
“The SOURCE excels at delivering pristine audio. Two independent D/A convertors and just about every routing format and connectivity option you could imagine allows one to hear music as never before.”