The world has come to an end... or has just begun. At least in the case of products from the audio interface category. Well, the well-known German brand Neumann GmbH (manufacturer of such iconic audio tools as KM184, U87, TLM103 and Neumann Head (KU100)) has started its adventure with USB audio interfaces, and at first glance - with a bump.
MT48 - as this is the name of the youngest child of the German brand will be presented at this year's NAMM 2023. The device is full of solutions from the Swiss brand Merging Technologies which the Sennheiser Group acquired 5 in mid-2022.
I must say that already at first glance you can feel from this device a breath of freshness and modernity combined with elegance worthy of rather French brands.
On board a lot of up-to-date and not only technologies: color touch screen, touch&turn control system, built-in DSP (reverb compression etc.) and digital connectivity via USB-C, ADAT and what even surprised me a little - AES67/Ravenna.
On top of that, 136dB-A of dynamic range and 78dB of gain make it clear that you're getting quality work tools. So far the manufacturer surprisingly hasn't stated in its press materials what sample rate the interface has, but I wouldn't expect anything below 96khz.
A nice addition are also two independent low-impedance headphone amplifiers that will drive even very current-consuming headphones.
And for fans of remote control from a computer or tablet, Neumann has prepared a Remote Control App or browser-based Web Control software.
Let me return for a moment to the built-in AES67 protocol. In this era of widespread digitization, audio interfaces with implemented technologies such as Ravenna, Dante or AVB are no longer surprising. Neumann, on the other hand, has started releasing more models of studio monitors that can be purchased with an AES67 interface option. This gives you some pretty interesting signal routing capabilities, not to mention eliminating losses in subsequent AD/DA conversions. And when you buy the MT48 you get a USB-C / Ravenna converter free of charge.
I'm sitting there admiring this German champagne glass and suddenly it occurs to me: After all, I've seen this somewhere before... And I have - actually only under the Merging Technologies logo. Well, MT48 is almost, the twin of the Anubis interface. The difference is that the "Egyptian" precursor does not have USB-C connectors, and all transmission is done using the Ravenna protocol.
So aside from the rear panel and color changes, we get virtually the same device under a new banner. And although I'm not a fan of such an action nevertheless I believe that further collaborations in the sennheiser group can bring really great tools for work both in the studio and maybe even live. The design and user interface itself hits me flawlessly.
It remains to be seen whether the list price of PLN 9699 gross will attract more than just fans of the brand, as this is no longer a cheap interface and there is plenty to choose from in this segment. You can find more on the manufacturer's website.
Manufacturer: NeumannDistributor: Applause Audio
