Apogee AD-16X
The Apogee AD-16X is an 8-channel analog-to-digital converter. It is the ADC half of Apogee's X-Series conversion pair, and it usually gets discussed alongside its sibling, the DA-16X. Measured specifications (THD, frequency response, dimensions, weight) are not documented in the surviving record. What we have is the feature set and a couple of period write-ups.
Mix (November 2004, p.148) reviewed the AD-16X and DA-16X as new arrivals. It called them world-class high-resolution performance at a breakthrough price, and it detailed the digital I/O: 16 channels of ADAT at 44.1/48kHz, S/MUX 2 for 16 channels at 88.2/96kHz, and S/MUX 4 for eight channels at the higher sample rates. Optional X-FireWire or X-HD cards were bi-directional, so one card could go in either an AD-16X or a DA-16X. The X-HD card tied the unit directly into Pro Tools HD.
Inside, the AD-16X uses Apogee's C777 clocking, the same technology found in the Big Ben master clock. It also has SoftLimit to tame overs when tracking hot, plus UV22HR dithering for clean 24-bit downconversion. The AD-16X and DA-16X pair supported up to 192kHz sampling and introduced a redesigned synchronous switching power supply. Apogee claimed it improved noise, heat, and transient response over the previous linear supply. An anniversary advertisement in Mix (October 2005, p.15) grouped the AD-8000 and the AD&DA-16X in Apogee's 20th-anniversary celebration, "Defining the Art of Digital Audio Since 1985."
On the used market, AD-16X units turn up periodically. One used unit has been listed at Vintage King, and a user guide survives on the Internet Archive. Exact production years, original price, and full measured specs are not recorded in the available sources.
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