The What: Extron Electronics is now shipping two products in its AXI family of Dante audio interfaces. The AXI 22 AT and the AXI 44 AT analog audio to Dante interfaces feature two I/O and four I/O, respectively.
Extron AXI 22 AT and AXI 44 AT
The What Else: The compact quarter rack width units integrate two or four mic or line sources onto a Dante-enabled audio system and feature switchable 48-volt phantom power. The AXI 22 AT offers two line level outputs, while the AXI 44 AT features four line level outputs for routing Dante channels from the network to an audio system. Input select, gain, and phantom power settings are controllable from the front panel, via DSP Configurator Software, or by SIS command via USB. Both models interface with any Dante-equipped audio processor, such as an Extron DMP 128 Plus AT, over a standard local area network, and can be powered through PoE. This allows a single network cable connection for bidirectional audio and power from a central equipment rack.
"What's impressive is we were able to take PoE, Dante networking, mic or line level inputs with switchable phantom power and come up with a compact small quarter rack form factor interface that can be easily mounted under a desk, in a lectern, or in millwork," said Casey Hall, VP of sales and marketing for Extron. "Answering the need for flexibility and scalability by leveraging Dante audio networking, the AXI Series interfaces are powerful tools that system designers can deploy in a variety of AV system environments."
The AXI 22 AT and AXI 44 AT accept analog mic and line sources, which are converted at 24-bit with selectable sampling rates from 44.1 to 96 kHz, for output via Dante. The interfaces are connected into a Dante network over Ethernet using standard IP networking protocols. This avoids the effort and expense of pulling multiple cables back to the AV rack. With their small, quarter rack-unit form factor, the AXI 22 AT and AXI 44 AT can be easily mounted under a desk, in a lectern, or in millwork, as well as in a rack.
The Bottom Line: The family of Dante-enabled products from Extron work together as part of a complete networked audio system solution and integrate with other Dante-enabled products. The solution accommodates a wide range of audio routing needs in a variety of applications.
