Audient

Reviews | Audient ASP800
94
T
he fi rst thing I think of when I
hear the name Audient is
great quality, clean
recordings. Having used both
the consoles and mic pres on many
occasions, I know I can rely on them to
give me exactly what I expect from my
choice of microphone and placement.
Sometimes that is all you want but
there are those times when you need a
little extra, and that is where the new
Iron and HMX circuits come in.
But, before I get on to the new bits,
let’s just recap on the fundamentals of
the ASP800. As with all Audient
products, the mic pres are the same as
those in their fl agship console the
8024. So sonically you have the same
quality as the ASP880 which we loved.
Where it differs with the more
expensive 880 (£739 inc VAT) is that
here only channels 1 and 2 have
polarity reverse, there are no insert
points, no variable impedance and no
variable HP fi lters. The A/D converters
are to all intents and purposes the
same (but there is no output D/A) and
really are exceptionally good for this
price range. I compared them directly
to my Prisms and they came out very
well. Not quite the same depth and
tonal range but at a fi fth of the price
they punch well above their weight.
Mic/Line connection is via Dual XLR
/TRS jack sockets on the rear panel.
Channels 1 and 2 also have front panel
DI inputs, and then to the rear there are
two ADAT outs (for 96kHz SMUX
operation), a 25-pin D-Sub with eight
analogue outs and a Word Clock input.
Sample rates are chosen using the
switch on the front panel and, if you
use external sync, the switch lights up
solid when locked. The unit itself is
surprisingly heavy and is very well built
with a positive feel to all of the knobs
and switches.
HMX and Iron
The new bit of the 800 is those fi rst
two channels with their HMX and Iron
circuits. It’s a real departure for Audient
but their design team have a history
that goes back to the ’70s so these
guys are designing these circuits from
fi rst-hand experience and knowledge.
Starting with the HMX circuit, this
is a classic MOSFET design that gives
asymmetrical harmonic distortion,
thickening the sound and in subtler
settings giving it depth and edge
alongside a slightly limited sound that
can really increase apparent volume.
Good fun on a DI’d electric guitar and
mic’d acoustic too. With the electric it
adds punch and warmth and on that
acoustic it adds very controlled bite to
the top. Used subtly on a vocal it adds
clarity and I like that limited feel,
especially on something aggressive.
Iron is based around a specially
designed transformer and also has a
MOSFET amplifi cation section. This
affects drive impedance, bass response,
high-frequency damping, phase shift,
magnetic saturation and transient
shaping. The curiosity for me here is
that, while I would expect this to be
perhaps more Neve like (which in its
lower settings it is), as you push it there
is a bit of vintage Trident there too. It’s
possible to get some edge as well as a
warm blurring of the low-end and the
upper mids get brought into focus.
Great for drums and bass and really
lovely on an acoustic guitar.
Sweet success
The secret with both of these sections
is to experiment with the mic gain as
well as the actual controls. With
judicious use of input gain against
effect setting you can hit a sweet spot
for most sources. Aside from the tonal
variations there is always a touch of
compression/limiting in there too which
I fi nd helps to get things to sit in a
track without having to resort to
bringing a compressor into play.
The ASP800 is a very useful tool.
With its impressive basic pres and
converters it’s already better than many
competitors in the same price range
but, with the addition of those two
variable channels, it is truly excellent
and very capable of putting colour into
your music. And for this price, it can
only be considered a bargain.
Audient ASP800 Multi-
Channel Preamp | £599
Not content with their well earned reputation for sonic purity, Audient
want to put a bit of colour into your recordings. Stuart Bruce investigates
WHAT IS IT?
An eight-channel ADAT
Mic Pre
CONTACT
Who: Audient
Tel: [phone]
Web: www.audient.com
HIGHLIGHTS
1 Excellent Audient Mic Pre
2 Two channels of highly
variable tonal colour
3 Solid construction
SPECS
Mic input
Mic gain: 0 to 70dB
Switchable pad: -15dB
Frequency response:
±0.5dB 10Hz to 100kHz @
min. gain
THD+N @ 0dBu (1kHz):
<0.003% (-90.5 dBu)
mostly 3rd harmonic
A/D converter
CHIPSET: Burr-Brown
PCM4204 24-bit PCM
THD+N @ -1 dBFS (1kHz):
0.0015% (-96.5dB)
Digital output
ADAT 8 CHANNEL SMUX:
44.1 to 96kHz
Dimensions:
482 x 286.5 x 44mm
Weight:
4.5kg
VERDICT
BUILD
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
VALUE
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EASE OF USE
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
VERSATILITY
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
RESULTS
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
From build quality through to its
high-quality conversion and sonic
capabilities, an excellent unit.
FMU303.rev_audient.indd 94 2/24/16 12:24 PM