High-End 32-bit Float Thunderbolt Expansion Card with Stereo 32-bit ADC/DAC

Home Forums Products Rackmount High-End 32-bit Float Thunderbolt Expansion Card with Stereo 32-bit ADC/DAC

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    • #195129
      gabletter
      Participant

        Dear Eventide Team and Community,

        As a professional user of the H9000, I believe it is time to discuss the future of our hardware’s connectivity. While the current expansion cards are solid, the industry is rapidly moving towards 32-bit float workflows (as seen with newer SSL and mastering-grade interfaces).

        I would like to suggest the development of a new Thunderbolt 5 Expansion Card featuring:

        1. Mastering-Grade Stereo 32-bit ADC/DAC: The inclusion of 32-bit converters is essential to bridge the gap between the analog world and the DAW. It would enable true 32-bit float recording, providing a safety net against clipping and preserving the absolute transparency required for high-end mastering. This ensures that the conversion stage is no longer the “weak link” in the signal chain, offering a dynamic range that matches the resolution of modern professional productions.

        2. Native 32-bit Float Bus Support: A transparent digital path to support mixing and mastering workflows. This is crucial when using the H9000 as a hardware insert: a 32-bit float bus would prevent any bit-depth truncation or unnecessary dithering when the signal round-trips between the DAW and the hardware. This preserves the micro-details, complex harmonic structures, and long reverb tails generated by the algorithms, maintaining full signal integrity throughout the entire insert chain.

        • 3. Future-Proofing for M5/M6 Systems: Leveraging the native Thunderbolt 5 controllers in the latest Apple Silicon chips for ultra-low latency and maximum stability.

      • #195216
        wilkinsi
        Participant

          I believe I did ask Eventide to debelop a Thunderbolt 4/5 expansion card for the H9000. I also asked for an AVB card and was told no.

        • #195237
          gabletter
          Participant

            I remember that. Actually implementing thunderbolt might be an expensive process to offer reliable drivers. I think that instead a USB 4 could be more convenient and easier to develop, especially now that artificial intelligence can be used. What strikes me as a bit strange is that they didn’t grasp the commercial importance of making the machine communicate in 32-bit. The qualitative improvement would be tangible.  And it would represent a good upgrade for a machine that’s already eight years old. Their silence on the matter makes me think they’re actually already preparing the H 10000.

          • #195238
            gabletter
            Participant

              To tell the truth, a USB3 would be enough to manage 200 32-bit channels, both Mac OS and Windows would already support them natively.

            • #195239
              wilkinsi
              Participant

                H10,000. LOL. I would need a mortgage to buy that. Not happening..

              • #195241
                gabletter
                Participant

                  The H10000 will have a 16-bit USB anyway…

                • #195385
                  wilkinsi
                  Participant

                    If there is to be an H10,000, I would prefer there be an upgrade kit to transition the H9K to H10K by means of swapping out the DSP cards and adding more expansion cards. A firmware upgrade to add sample rate conversion and the ability to use both AES DB25 and ADAT simultaneously would be nice. To be honest, the only thing I want for my H9K right now is an AVB expansion card, dammit

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