API A2D (2006)

The A2D was API's first step into digital. It was a two-channel microphone preamp with built-in analog-to-digital conversion, introduced in 2006. It packaged a pair of the company's 312 discrete preamp circuits (the same ones found in API consoles and the 3124 quad preamp) alongside a newly developed converter section. EQ Magazine (September 2006, p.54) called it "ear candy" and noted how clean and warm the preamps sounded. Mix Magazine (January 2007, p.132) described it as "vintage-inspired design with conversion" and reported an EIN of -129 dBu and a level of 91 dBm at +4 dBu.

The front end has a -20 dB pad and a "2:1" mode that lets the unit run at higher gain levels. Each channel gets 20-segment LED metering. On the digital side, the A2D has both S/PDIF and AES-EBU outputs with individual level control and metering, and it supports sampling rates of 44.1, 48, and 96 kHz. A correction in Pro Audio Review (November 2006, p.75) noted that the original bench-test graphs had been mislabeled. It still confirmed the converter's performance across those three sample rates.

API's own advertising ran a simple tagline: "Two 312 discrete mic preamps plus our new analog to digital converter. The A2D from API. It's a sight for sore ears."

Known specs and features: