SOUND ON SOUND (UK) June 2004: ULTRAGAIN PRO-8 DIGITAL ADA8000
Words by Paul White
Eight channels of mic pre-amplification, A-D/D-A conversion, and ADAT lightpipe I/O, all at a remarkable price. Is it too good to be true?
If price were no object, I'd say the ADA8000 should have more detailed metering, its rear-panel sync switch is difficult to access in most rackmount setups, and there really should be some way to send the preamp signals directly to the line outputs. I might also say that having XLR line outputs is overkill on a unit of this kind where most users would probably prefer to use TRS jack cables to connect with the back of their patchbay. Having said that, price clearly is an issue, as the unit costs less than most single mic preamps in the UK, yet it does what it sets out to do extremely well. I've already bought one to add to my system, and its subjective performance is as good as from units costing several times the price. It will also save me acres of rack space!
Summary
The ADA8000 is such a useful and nicely presented piece of kit that you have to do a double take when you see the price. A useful addition to any system with free ADAT sockets!
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