Metric Halo ULN-2 2d Expanded W/2 Jensen Transformers

Hardware:

• Fully portable FireWire audio interface and format converter
• Bus powered or use with external adapter that provides sufficient power for other peripherals
• 12 simultaneous input channels and 14 simultaneous output channels, all with full 24 bit/96kHz resolution 
• Two independent channels of high gain (up to +72dB), low-noise microphone-preamplification with switchable +48V phantom power
• Selectable stereo AES/EBU or S/PDIF digital inputs and outputs
• Up to eight channels of ADAT Lightpipe input and output
• Wordclock I/O on BNC connectors
• Sample rate conversion (SRC) on AES or S/PDIF digital I/O
• Headphone amplifier with front panel volume knob
• Balanced stereo master control room monitor output with front panel volume control
• 10 front-panel preset system/routing memories for stand-alone operation
• Four-pin XLR power port for compatibility with most location battery systems
• Front panel metering for analog inputs and outputs
• OS X drivers with multi-interface support

MIO Software Console:

• v.5 Configurable mixer for near-zero latency mixing and routing
• Completely customizable mixing engine can be created from scratch or with any of the templates included - with the v.5 Mixer, the ULN-2 can be a mastering console in the morning, a tracking console in the afternoon, and a live sound mixer/recorder in the evening
• Record Panel provides no-frills, but very stable recoding feature for all inputs
• A single input can be multi-ed and given various levels of DSP processing and then recorded as separate tracks
• An arbitrary number of busses can be created (limited only by the capabilities of the hardware), each of which can be used as a master bus (routed to an output) or an auxiliary bus (routed to other busses), with bus able to be dynamically adjustable from mono to 7.1 surround
• Integrated surround monitor controller/switcher
• "Character" slot available on all channels provides analog modeling of various circuit types, including tube based electronics, etc.
• Full console metering of every channel and mix bus
• Total recall of every console parameter

Enter the Jensen Option
With the transformer option installed, the ULN-2 acquires that classic character. A few years ago, we fitted a prototype ULN-2 with a pair Jensen JT16-A's just for fun. We found that there were some very nice benefits to transformer coupling the input stage of the ULN-2. The Transformers impart a more "glossy", "smoothed" sound than the capacitively coupled ULN-2, which simply faithfully passes the source. Sonically, it's kind of like the difference between images shot on film and images shot in HD.

Enjoy complete isolation
A second benefit is that the transformer completely electrically isolates the preamp from the source – raising the common mode rejection above its already excellent performance, and providing a measure of confidence when dealing with the unknowns of location sound.