2-BUS-XT is a compact successor to the 2-BUS-LT, running on the same six-layer summing board found in the flagship 2-BUS+. Sixteen input channels (eight stereo pairs) arrive through two D-sub connectors, and Main and Monitor outputs run on XLR. An Expansion input lets you cascade another 2-BUS-XT, 2-BUS+, or D-BOX+ when sixteen channels stop being enough.
Active summing without compromise in a compact chassis
Unlike passive summing boxes, which need heavy make-up gain to restore lost signal and don't isolate a D/A converter's ground from the audio ground, 2-BUS-XT's active circuit uses balanced receiver amplifiers with proper common-mode rejection, which translates directly into lower noise and a cleaner stereo image. Crosstalk at -109dB @ 1kHz and a maximum level above +27dBu mean the unit accepts signal from practically any D/A converter without risking overload, and mono selectors on pairs 1-2 and 9-10 let kick and vocal sit solidly anchored to the center of the stereo field.
Signal color on demand, not baked in
Two coloring circuits — X-Former (transformer-driven second-harmonic saturation adding warmth in the lower midrange) and Coherence (a parallel processor that lifts harmonic content and gently widens the stereo image, controlled by its own blend knob) — can be assigned to the whole mix, to channel pair 15-16, or switched off entirely with true hardwire bypass. Color gets added deliberately when a track calls for it, rather than being a fixed, unswitchable part of the sound baked into the unit's design — the engineer decides session by session whether to reach for it at all.
KEY FEATURES
- Sixteen-channel active analog summing (8 stereo pairs) in a 1U chassis
- Inputs on two D-sub connectors, Main and Monitor outputs on XLR
- Expansion input for cascading with another 2-BUS-XT, 2-BUS+, or D-BOX+
- Mono switches for channel pairs 1-2 and 9-10
- X-Former circuit: transformer-driven second-harmonic saturation
- Coherence circuit: parallel processor widening the stereo image, with blend control
- Both coloring circuits true hardwire bypassable, assignable to the mix or channels 15-16
- Stepped output level control for the summed mix
- Designed by Chris Muth, hand-built in the USA
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Frequency response: ±0.1dB from 20Hz to 50kHz
- THD: 0.004% in the audio band
- IMD: 0.004% (IMD60 4:1)
- Crosstalk at 1kHz: -109dB
- Noise floor: -82dBu (total energy in the audio band)
- Maximum level: greater than +27dBu
- Nominal operating level: +4dBu
- Input impedance: 12k Ohms, balanced
- Output impedance: 50 Ohms, balanced (600 Ohm drive capable)
- Power consumption: 25W
