Burl Audio B16-B22-ALPS – a portable B16 Mothership interface configuration with the four-channel B22 ORCA DAC and control room monitoring card, in the ALPS potentiometer version.
The B16 Mothership chassis, in a 2U format with two conversion card slots, runs the exact same B22 ORCA card as the flagship B80 model - a fully discrete Class-A analog path built around BOPA14 chips, with two mix/mastering DAC channels featuring a switchable BX5 transformer and two channels feeding the monitoring section with speaker and headphone outputs. The chassis' second slot stays open for an additional conversion card, such as an ADC for capturing signal, creating a complete, yet compact, tracking-and-monitoring path in a single small unit.
A complete monitoring section in a portable 2U chassis
The B16 format, half the size of the B80 chassis, fits a full-fledged control room monitoring section - with a switchable output transformer and separate speaker and headphone outputs - into a unit that can travel freely between a studio and a location session. That solves the problem for engineers working in smaller control rooms or mobile recording setups, where a full-size B80 chassis would be unnecessary bulk.Analog volume control with no compromises in a smaller format
The ALPS potentiometer adjusts monitor level in the analog domain, exactly as it does in the version installed in the B80 chassis, without losing control precision just because the unit is smaller and more portable. That matters in DAW-based project studios where, despite limited rack space, the same reference-monitoring quality offered by larger studio installations still counts.KEY FEATURES
- B16 Mothership 2U chassis with two conversion card slots
- B22 ORCA card: 4-channel DAC with a control room monitoring section
- Two mix/mastering channels with a switchable BX5 output transformer
- Two channels feeding stereo speaker and headphone outputs
- Audiophile-grade ALPS potentiometer for monitor level control
- Second slot available for an additional conversion card
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- System type: modular AD/DA interface, 2U chassis
- Number of card slots: 2
- Conversion card: B22 ORCA, 4-channel DAC with monitor controller
- Analog path: discrete, Class-A (BOPA14), BX5 transformer
- Dynamic range: 115 dB
- THD+N: -96 dB, full scale output +22 dBu
- Card connectivity: 8-channel DB25 (Tascam style)
- Level control: ALPS potentiometer
