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International Headquarters

Langley House3rd AvenueTrafford ParkManchesterM17 1FG

Tel: +44 (0) 161 868 2400Fax: +44 (0) 161 873 8010

Los Angeles

2740, W Magnolia Blvd #102BurbankCA91505

Tel: +1 818 973 1618Fax: +1 818 973 1622

Nashville

1449, Donelson PikeAirpark Business Centre 12NashvilleTN37217

Tel: +1 615 360 0488Fax: +1 615 360 0273

Tokyo

3-5-14, KonanMinato-kuTokyo108-0075

Tel: +81 (0) 3 5707 0575Fax: +81 (0) 3 5707 0599

The company has an established policy of seeking improvements to the design, specifications and manufacture of its products. Alterations take place continually, often without prior notice outside the company.The contents of the company’s literature must not be regarded as an infallible guide to the specifications available despite considerable effort to produce up-to-date information. No literature constitutes an

offer for sale of any particular console or product. The company’s officially appointed distributors and representatives will advise on any changes when the circumstances of the enquiry permit.'2000 Harman International Industries Ltd. by AmekCrafted

Designed by aLegendChannel in a Box

The fine subtleties of circuit design relating tosonic performance are gradually becomingmore clearly understood. For example,research has shown conclusively thatfrequencies above 20kHz affect the way inwhich humans perceive sound quality. But,long before such scientific evidence emerged asubstantial body of musicians and engineersknew that equipment with apparently thesame technical measurements neverthelesssounded different.

The Development of Pure PathYour Advantage...

"Obviously, there must have been parameterswhich were not being measured - or wereconsidered to be unimportant. For example afigure of 0.1% harmonic distortion was thoughtto imply excellence or at least "as good as youcan get" but without qualifying the order of theharmonics such a figure cannot define thesonic quality. Incredibly small amounts ofmusically dissonant odd harmonics have adisastrous effect on the sound quality whereasif the "0.1%" is all composed of secondharmonic it will be totally inaudible.

"The benefits of high quality signal processingcan only be realised if inter-connections withthe studio are of an equally high order. I.C.amplifiers commonly used for "electronicallybalanced" circuits in modern equipment, cangive very good measurements on the designbench but they do not provide adequaterejection of the stray fields which are found inevery working environment. Input and outputcircuits must be freed from grounddependence so that only the "wanted" signalenters and leaves the processing path.Transformers are the ideal solution.

"Input transformers ensure complete isolationfrom ground currents and other potentialhazards. Once safely "inside the box" carefulattention to the way in which integrated circuitsare configured, can virtually eliminate highorder distortion.

"Output circuits need similar independencefrom ground-induced and environmentalinterference and, of course, there must beenough power to drive a wide variety of loadsincluding long lines; in many cases cable itselfconstitutes a substantial load. The commonlyused integrated circuits are often incapable ofproviding the necessary driving power withoutdistortion.

"The sweet and silky sound of my classicconsoles was achieved with big transistors andlarge high quality transformers. Today, workingexclusively in partnership with Amek, we havebeen able to achieve the same exquisite sonicquality without the bulk or the cost.

This is the advantage ofPURE PATH technology .

One man has made it his life’s work to pursue this dream and more than most, he hascome close to making it a reality. Time after time he has challenged the conventionsand rewritten the rules. His hallmarks are an unwavering commitment to the detail ofcircuitry design and a lifelong dedication to improvement.His signature is a guarantee of audio excellence.

Many people point to his history.Only Amek can bring you his future.

Introducing Pure Path technology ,Designed by Mr. Rupert Neve.

The Channel in a Box (CIB) is essentially the input channelof a very high caliber "In-Line" Console contained in a 1Urack mounted assembly and complete with its own powersupply. It incorporates a precision switched gainmicrophone preamplifier; a transformer coupled Line Inputamplifier, High and Low Pass filters, Four bandEqualization, and a full-featured Compressor.

"It has become common practice to surround the controlroom console with a collection of microphone preamps,equalizers and compressors - often using the originalConsole purely as a monitor.

"The CIB was designed for engineers and producerswho need a powerful yet compact outboard unitcombining the sonic quality and featuresthat they might wish for in their console of choice.

For many people the achievement of sonicperfection remains a dream...

10

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Filters Response

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Mic Path Freq Response

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Line Path Freq Response

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EQ - LF Response

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CHANNELIN A BOX

+22dBuTLA at unity gainMaximum Input Level

Better than 0.002%THD measured at 1kHz

Output Level +20dBu

Gain setting 42dBu

Better than 0.0015%THD measured at 1kHz

Input/Output level +20dBu

Unity gain settingHarmonic Distortion

Better than -98dBrI/P terminated with zero ohmsBetter than -98dBrI/P terminated with 150 ohms

(Measured at unity gain)

Better than -129dBrI/P terminated with zero ohmsBetter than -127dBrI/P terminated with 150 ohms

(Measured with gain at 36dB)

Better than -133dBrI/P terminated with zero ohmsBetter than -128dBrI/P terminated with 150 ohms

(Measured with gain settings above 54dB)

(Bandwidth 22Hz-22kHz)Equivalent Input Noise

Better than 60dBr@ 1kHz

Input Balance> 5,000 ohmsT.L.A. Input Impedance

Input Impedance+72dBGain

Mic Input

input at unity gain +22dBuBalanced and floating transformer,Maximum Input LevelTHD measured at 1kHz Better than 0.002%

Unity gain setting, input/output level +20dBuHarmonic Distortionbandwidth 22Hz-22kHzMeasured at output,

Better than 98dBu

Overall Noise

-6dB to +12dBGain

@ 1kHz Better than 60dBr

Input BalanceBridging input impedance > 10,000 ohms

Input Impedance

Line Input

@+20dBu, 1kHz Better than 0.0025%Unity gain with filters inDistortion

@+20dBu, 1kHz -95dBu

At the output, unity gain with filters inNoise

Filters

@+20dBu. 1kHz Better than 0.0025%

Unity gain, with all EQ in,Distortion22Hz-22kHz Better than 92dBu

At the output, unity gain with all EQ in,Noise

Equaliser Input signal +10dBu, 1kHz Better than 0.02%(mostly 2 Harmonic)nd

Settings as for Noise above,Distortionattack and release at mid setting Better than -94dBu

Threshold at 0dBu,

Measured at output, gain at unity, ratio at max,NoiseCompressor

Output

+22dBu+22dBu

Measured at the Mic Path outputMeasured at the Line Path output

Balanced and floating transformer,

Maximum Output Level

Input to the Line Path

The Line input is a 10k0 ohm (bridging) balanced and floating transformer designwhich provides uncompromising isolation and protection against ground currentsand any unwanted signals. Unlike traditional transformers the frequency responseand distortion are independent of the source impedance of the precedingequipment. An internal jumper allows the Line Input to be re-configured for use asa low noise balanced mixing buss. Full low frequency performance is maintainedeven with input levels higher than +20dBu. Gain is provided on a variable controlcovering an 18dB range.

"The Line Input features a new high performance transformer with exceptionallow frequency performance… As with any genuine transformer input, this LineInput may be used with either balanced or unbalanced sources without havingto allow for change of gain due to grounding one leg of a so-called‘electronically balanced' circuit." Rupert NeveMr.

Filters

The High Pass Filter is swept from 22Hz to 300Hz with a cut of 18dB/Octave.The Low Pass Filter is also continuously swept from 2.5kHz to 25kHz with a cut of18dB/Octave. The filters can be routed to either the Mic or Line paths or to thecompressor side-chain.

Equaliser

"The Filters and EQ stages are virtually identical with those of the AMEK 9098i"In-Line" Console including familiar features such as 'GLOW' and 'SHEEN'.The result is an EQ that is highly effective without being in any way aggressivein character" Rupert NeveMr.

Input to the Microphone Path

The microphone input circuit is a T.L.A. (Transformer-Like- Amplifier). It behaves like atransformer in that if a signal is applied to one input leg only, no (or very little) outputresults. A common mode input coil rejects common mode signals and acts as aLow Pass Filter for differential inputs.

The mic input impedance is 5k0 ohms thus producing extremely low loss from a 150or 200 ohm microphone.

A high quality rotary switch provides a gain range from 0dB (unity) to 72dB in 6dBsteps. Mic gain trim is continuously variable +/-6dB.

"With the gain set to unity, this "Microphone" amplifier can handle a balancedinput signal of more than + 20dBu without an attenuator pad. (This is a uniquefeature amongst "microphone" amplifiers). It could therefore double as anadditional high performance Line Input."The Microphone input has been designed to work optimally from lowimpedance sources such as 150 or 200 ohm microphones. However, lowerimpedance sources cause the input noise to be further reduced; the short-circuited input noise being below -133dBu." Mr. Rupert Neve

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50 ohm Source

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Sheen

Glow and Peak

Sheen and Peak

Peak

Peak

X5

Wide Q

Wide Q

Harmonic Distortion must never be viewed asmore than a general indication of performance.The effect of very small values of high orderharmonics dramatically affects sound quality. Itis particularly important in a microphoneamplifier.

"Distortion once introduced into the audio chaincan never be removed. Harmonics above thethird are best measured by FFT (Fast FourierTransform) which enables the magnitude of eachharmonic to be separately assessed.

"Pure Path™ designs combine discretetransistors with specially biased IntegratedCircuits in order to avoid "crossover distortion"mechanisms which commonly generate thesesmall but unpleasant artefacts.

"FFT analysis of the microphone performanceshows that high order harmonics are below0.0002%Mr. Rupert Neve

Low Frequency Section

Rotary control provides a continuous sweep from 30Hz to 300Hz. The Cut/Boostcontrol ranges from -18dB to +18dB with centre detent. The PEAK button togglesbetween Peak and Shelf modes. The GLOW feature will be familiar to 9098i users, ittoggles between a gentle and steeper slope.

High Frequency Section

Rotary control provides a continuous sweep from 2kHz to 20kHz. The Cut/Boostcontrol ranges from -18dB to +18dB with centre detent. The PEAK button togglesbetween Peak and Shelf modes. The SHEEN toggles between a gentleand steeper slope.

Low Mid Frequency Section

High Mid Frequency Section

Rotary control provides a continuous sweep from 20Hz to 200Hz. The Cut/Boost controlranges from -18dB to +18dB with centre detent. The X5 button shifts the range to100Hz-1kHz. The Q value can be swept from Q=0.7 to Q=2.

Rotary control provides a continuous sweep from 500Hz to 5000Hz. The Cut/Boostcontrol ranges from -18dB to +18dB with centre detent. The X5 button shifts the rangeto 2.5kHz-25kHz. The Q value can be swept from Q=0.7 to Q=2.

Compressor

The Compressor Section is an all analogue design which musically emulates the bestof Mr. Rupert Neve’s past designs.

Compression ratio up to 40:1 is provided, virtually a limiter but without the aggressivesound of a limiter.

The compressor has a threshold range of 40dBu to +20dBu and a compression ratiorange of 1:1 (linear) to 40:1. Gain make-up is over the range 10dB to +20dB. Attacktimes can be adjusted between 0.3ms and 300ms, release time is 0.1s to 10s.

When the ’Link’ button is enabled, identical gain reduction can take place when twoor more CIBs are linked together. The gain reduction applied is from whichever pathhas the greatest signal.

"The Compressor includes control of the 'knee' shape, ranging from 'Hard' to avery gentle transition which I have called '&MM', (and Much More), which wasthe description a friend gave it."The Compressor section may be switched into the Mic path, the Line path or to'Key' which derives the side chain from the alternate path, enabling 'voice-over'or 'ducker' operation" Rupert NeveMr.

The CIB...Performance,Precision,Warmth andMusicality.

Output Section

A Rotary Fader prior to the output stage allows full control of the each of the path’ssignal levels. This control is calibrated to provide "10dB in hand", i.e. unity gain isobtained when the control is at "0" which point is 10dB below full scale.

Connections for 5k ohms or 10k ohms external faders are provided via rear panel XLRconnectors and swtches.

"There has been growing realisation that, in spite of the sonic limitations of digitalsound processing, a very high quality analogue signal path at the input willreflect throughout the whole audio chain and go a long way to satisfy theprofessional sound engineer. With careful attention to the interfaces, forexample by using high grade transformers, the character of the input signal canbe preserved throughout the entire system. The trend to higher digital resolutionmakes it even more important that we focus carefully on the integrity of signalsfed to the input.

"High quality audio components are not cheap, especially if we includetransformers. Recent developments in transformer design have enabled us toachieve isolated and floating circuits having exceptional audio performance butwithout the traditional cost penalties.

PURE PATH™ is the name we have given to these techniques."Mr. Rupert Neve

COMPRESSORHPF & LPFFILTERS

HMF & LMFHF & LFEQUALISEREQUALISER

EXT FADER

EXT FADER

LINE OUTPUT

FADERLINE

EXT FADER

FADERMIC

EXT FADER

KEY INPUT

LINK

EXT LINK

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-6dB to +12dBGAIN TRIM

-/+6dBGAIN TRIM

+48V

MIC INPUT

LINE INPUT

TLA Mic Input

Mic Gain0dB to +72dB

Line Input

LINE IN

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