Flexible IO Combinations. The prism family scales from the smallest 4×4 to the largest 16×16, providing the perfect amount of class leading Symetrix quality IO for any installation.
Dante™ in Our DNA. Prism DSPs are equipped with optional factory installed 128 (64×64) Dante channels. The Dante protocol enables ultra-reliable multi-channel audio networking over IP. Together, Symetrix and Dante provide the fastest possible way to implement, control, and maintain a system of networked DSPs and accessories – including third party Dante-enabled microphones, loudspeakers, power amps, and mixing consoles. Models without Dante provide even more accessible DSP pricing for smaller systems.
Scaling Up. A Prism system’s analog input and output count may be increased using Symetrix Dante-enabled xIn 4, xIO 4×4, xOut 4, xIn 12, and xOut 12 analog I/O expanders.
Unlimited Programming Flexibility. Prism is programmed using Composer – Symetrix’ award winning open-architecture CAD application. Unique to Composer is the ability to natively configure Symetrix and select third party Dante hardware – thereby eliminating the confusion of multiple or redundant software applications. Learn more about Composer here.
Control Made Easy. Multiple control options include low-cost Symetrix ARC wall panels and an easy to generate SymVue Windows virtual GUI. The human readable Composer Control Protocol supports programming of third-party touch screens and control devices.
An Embedded Web Server for Status and Even More Control. Prism’s embedded web server displays I/O levels, diagnostics data, and hosts ARC-WEB – a browser-based interface for smart phones, tablets, and computers.
Form, Fit and Function. Prism 8×8, 12×12 and 16×16 have been designed using standard 19” x 1U enclosures. For convenient point-of-use or rack mounting, Prism 4×4 features 1/2 rack 1U form factor. (Surface and rack mount kits sold separately.)
Analog Inputs
| Number of Inputs | Four (4) switchable balanced mic or line level. |
| Connectors | 3.81 mm terminal blocks. |
| Nominal Input Level | +4 dBu. |
| Maximum Input Level | +23 dBu. |
| Mic Pre-amp gain | 0, 12, 24, 44 or 54 dB switchable with ± 24 dB trim. |
| Mic Pre-amp EIN | < -125dB with 150 ohm source impedance. 22.4 kHz BW. |
| CMRR | > 79 dB @ 1 kHz, unity gain. |
| Input impedance | 8k Ohms balanced, 4k Ohms unbalanced. |
| Phantom power (per input) | +48 VDC, 10 mA maximum. |
| Dynamic range | > 113 dB, A-weighted. |
| THD+Noise | < -100 dB; 22.4 kHz BW, unweighted; 1 kHz @ +15 dBu with 0 dB gain. Course gain is set to +4dBu. |
| A to D Latency | 0.28 mS. |
Mechanical Specifications
| Space Required | Half rack unit (WDH: 20.83 cm x 22.86 cm x 4.37 cm / 8.2 in. x 9 in. x 1.72 in.) Depth does not include connector allowance. Allow at least 3 inches additional clearance for rear panel connections. Additional depth may be required depending upon your specific wiring and connections. |
| Electrical | PoE+ IEEE 802.3at Class 4, 25.5 Watts maximum. No line voltage switching required. |
| Ventilation | Maximum recommended ambient operating temperature is 30 C / 86 F. Ensure that the left and right equipment sides are unobstructed (5.08 cm, 2 in minimum clearance). The ventilation should not be impeded by covering the ventilation openings with items such as newspapers, tablecloths, curtains, etc. |
| Certifications or Compliance | Safety: UL 60065, cUL 60065, IEC 60065. EMC: “Class A” device (applies to all of the following) EN 55032, EN 55103-2, EN 61000-3-2, EN 61000-3-3, FCC Part 15, ICES-003. Environmental: RoHS. |
| Shipping Weight | 5 lbs. (2.27 kg) |
Analog Outputs
| Number of Outputs | Four (4) balanced line level. |
| Connectors | 3.81 mm terminal blocks. |
| Nominal Output Level | +4 dBu with 20 dB of headroom. |
| Maximum Output Level | +24 dBu (+22.8 dBu into a 2k Ohm minimum load). |
| Output Impedance | 300 Ohms balanced, 150 Ohms unbalanced. |
| Dynamic Range | > 117 dB, A-weighted. |
| THD+Noise | < -97 dB; 22.4 kHz BW, unweighted; 1 kHz, 0 dB gain +8dBu output. |
| D to A Latency | 0.60 mS. |
System
| Sampling Rate | 48 kHz. |
| Frequency Response (A/D/A) | 20 Hz – 20 kHz, ± 0.5 dB. |
| Dynamic Range (A/D/A) | > 113 dB, A-weighted. |
| Channel Separation (A/D/A) | > 110 dB @ 1 kHz, +24 dBu. |
| THD+Noise | <-95 dB (22.4 kHz BW, un-weighted); 1 kHz @ +15 dBu with 0 dB gain. |
| Latency (A/D/A) | 1.04 mS, inputs routed to outputs. |
| Processors | 1 x Analog Devices SHARC 21489 @ 400 MHz SIMD. |
| Raw Processing Capacity | 400 MIPS, 1.6 GFLOPS. |
| Delay Memory | 174 mono seconds. |
| Analog control inputs | 0-3.3 VDC. |
| Recommended External Control Potentiometer | 10k Ohm, linear. |
| Logic Outputs | Low (0V) when active, pulled high (5V) when inactive. |
| Logic Output Maximum External Power Supply Voltage | 24 VDC. |
| Logic Output Maximum External Power Supply Current Sinking | 50 mA. |
| Logic Output Maximum Output Current | 10 mA. |
| RS-485 Serial I/O | 38.4 kbaud (default) 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, no flow control. May be broken out of ARC port. |
| Ethernet Cable | Standard CAT5e or CAT6, maximum device-to-device length = 100 meters. |
| Dante Cable | Standard CAT6, maximum device-to-device length = 100 meters. |
| ARC Cable | Standard CAT5, distance dependent upon load and number of devices. 8 Watts maximum power available. |
| Maximum Devices Per System | 80 units per Site File. |
| Maximum Stored Presets | 1000 |
| Models | Prism 4x4, Prism 4x4 Dante |
Architect and Engineer Specifications: Prism 4×4.
The half rack device shall provide four analog mic/line inputs that are adjustable from line to mic level with coarse gain, fine trim and phantom power plus four analog line outputs that are adjustable with fine trim. Levels, phantom powers, signal inversions and mutes shall be controllable via software. Audio connections shall be accessed via rear panel 3.81 mm terminal block connectors.
Network audio expansion shall be provided by a factory installed optional Dante™ card with a capacity of 128 (64×64) channels. The connector shall be 1000 Base-T RJ45 utilizing CAT6 cable.
A designer software application shall be provided that operates on a Windows computer, with network interface installed, running Windows® 7 or higher operating system. Computer connection for configuration shall be via the device’s rear panel Ethernet connector. All internal processing shall be digital (DSP). Available DSP components shall include (but not be limited to) various forms of: mixers, equalizers, filters, crossovers, dynamics/ gain controls, routers, delays, remote controls, meters, generators, onboard logic, and diagnostics.
The front panel shall include a white on black 256×64 pixel OLED display and momentary switch. The display shall indicate unit name, IP address, MAC address, Site File version, and fault messages.
External control shall include dedicated software screens as well as preset selection, I/O level control and muting using the optional ARC wall panel remote controls via industry-standard CAT5 cable with RJ45 connectors. A built-in web server shall provide four instances of ARC-WEB, which allows for user control from nearly any web browser or mobile device. Logic I/O shall consist of four contact closure or two potentiometer inputs along with four logic outputs. The logic outputs may be used to drive LEDs directly or control external relays or switchers. All program memory shall be non-volatile and provide program security should power fail. The device shall provide an on board real time clock to facilitate automatic, timed changing of presets and may sync to NTP. Third-party control systems may interface over IP using a published ASCII control protocol.
Audio conversion shall be 24-bit, 48 kHz and internal processing shall be 32-bit or 40-bit floating point, 48 kHz. The dynamic range shall not be lower than 113 dB, A-weighted with a maximum input level of +23 dBu and maximum output level of +24 dBu.
The device shall be powered over Ethernet (PoE+) by an IEEE 802.3at Class 4 standard compliant switch, or the included injector. The device Dante port should not be used to power the DSP. The device shall meet UL/CSA and CE safety requirements and comply with CE and FCC Part 15 emissions limits. The device shall be RoHS compliant. The chassis shall be constructed of cold rolled steel, and may be surface mounted or mount into a standard 19” 1U EIA rack using an available bracket or rack tray. The device shall be a Symetrix Prism 4×4.
Early to the Party. In 2007 Symetrix recognized the need for a standardized, high performance digital audio networking protocol – not only for our own products but for the pro audio industry at large. After considerable research, we aligned with Audinate to become one of the earliest licensees of the Dante protocol. The choice has proven prescient. Legacy protocols like Cobranet have faded into obscurity. Newer protocols, AVB for example, have failed to gain traction due to inherent technical drawbacks. With hundreds of third party licensees and a list of commercially available products that is growing exponentially, Audinate’s Dante protocol is now an established standard – far and above any competition.
Since the introduction of our first Dante enabled product in 2012, we’ve leveraged the benefits of the protocol for our own box-to-box audio networking, as well as for peer-to-peer connection with major third parties including Yamaha, Shure, and AudioTechnica. In countless case studies, designers have used off-the-shelf switches and cabling to link Symetrix DSPs to Dante-enabled mixing consoles, microphones, power amplifiers, loudspeakers, and laptop computers.
Dante is in our DNA … and that has placed us in a highly advantageous position. While our competitors choose to design for and support multiple network audio protocols, in some cases proprietary, Symetrix designs for and supports only one ubiquitous and clearly accepted industry standard: Audinate’s Dante.
Economical and Versatile. Dante does away with heavy, expensive analog cabling, replacing it with low-cost, readily available CAT5e, CAT6, or fiber optic cables. Using Dante’s logical routes instead of physical point-to-point connections, a network can be expanded and reconfigured at any time.
Symetrix Dante systems scale from a simple pairing of a DSP and an analog I/O expander, to multi-DSP distributed networks. System designers use Symetrix Composer software to easily connect Symetrix DSPs and analog I/O expanders to third-party Dante equipped mixing consoles, microphones, power amplifiers, loudspeakers, and computers.
Outstanding Audio Performance. Using the Dante protocol, Symetrix transmits and receives uncompressed full bandwidth audio with up to 32 bits of resolution at a 48kHz sample rate. Audio is transmitted and received digitally eliminating the analog challenges of interference from other electrical equipment, crosstalk between cables, or signal degradation over long cable runs.
Glitch-Free Redundancy. Symetrix Radius, Radius NX, Edge, xIn 12, and xOut 12 Dante-enabled products support glitch–free redundancy, enabling a secondary physical network to duplicate the audio traffic on the primary network, automatically preventing audio loss or interruption in the event of a primary network connectivity problem.
Unicast or Multicast. Dante channels can be configured as either unicast or multicast making the best use of available bandwidth. Unicast provides direct point-to-point connections; multicast streams audio to multiple destinations simultaneously.
Ease of Programming. Composer is used to program Symetrix Dante equipped DSPs and analog I/O expanders. In addition to the programming of Symetrix devices, Composer also natively configures the setup and routing of select third-party Dante endpoints. Integrators can design a complete end-to-end DSP signal path using just one application.
The Symetrix Dante Advantage. We provide our customers with a network audio solution that is flexible, dependable, scalable, and supportable. In short, just what you’d expect from an industry standard … and just what you’d expect from Symetrix.
