Behringer Ultramatch Pro SRC-2496
A 1U rack box that solved the sample-rate headache for a lot of project studios, and still shows up in the odd broadcast rack today.
Overview
The Ultramatch Pro SRC2496 is Behringer's high-resolution A/D/D/A and sample rate converter. It's a two-channel box built to move digital audio between devices that don't agree on sample rate, format, or connector type. Behringer's own documentation puts it plainly: it "enables you to transfer digital audio signals between professional audio devices with different sampling rates, formats or interfaces, and to remove dropouts or jitter from digital media." That's the whole pitch, and it's an honest one. This is a utility converter, not a color box.
At roughly 3.2 kg in a 1U rack chassis, it's heavier than the price class suggests. The metalwork comes from the era when Behringer was building its Ultramatch line to be taken seriously in pro racks. The unit carries two channels and handles both analog and digital conversion, with a digital optical input on the spec sheet. The ADC section is listed as a 24-bit/96 kHz, 128/64x oversampling delta-sigma AKM chip. That's a real converter part, and it shows someone at Behringer was paying attention to the digital side of the signal chain.
The headline capability is the conversion range. The SRC2496 can take any sample rate between 31 and 100 kHz and convert it to 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96 kHz. In practice that means the box sits between a 48 kHz DAT machine and a 44.1 kHz DAW, or between a 96 kHz interface and a 44.1 kHz CD burner, without fuss. It also converts between AES/EBU and S/PDIF in both coaxial and optical form, with output selectable at 16, 20, or 24-bit resolution. For a project studio running mixed-format gear, that beats a rack of adapters and hope.
Behringer positioned the SRC2496 as the successor to the SRC2000, and the family name, Ultramatch Pro, shows where it sat in the line. The original price was reportedly $299 US according to Canada HiFi Magazine, though no year is attached to that figure in surviving documentation. That price tells you this was never a mastering-grade reference converter, and Behringer didn't pretend otherwise. It was a working tool for people who needed format flexibility without spending four figures on a premium box.
EQ (Winter NAMM 2003 coverage) listed the UltraMatch Pro SRC2496 at $249.99 alongside Behringer's DI20 direct box and Ultra-Voice VX2496 — placing it squarely in the company's value-priced pro-audio push of that era. The same coverage describes it as providing format conversion between AES/EBU and S/PDIF with both coaxial and optical connectors, plus conversion of 30–100 kHz sample rates into 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96 kHz with selectable 16-, 20-, or 24-bit output resolution — and notes it handles jitter removal, correction of unstable sample rates, and direct manipulation of emphasis and copy-protection bits. That copy-protection bit is worth pausing on: the SRC2496 can disable SCMS for 1:1 digital copies, a feature that made it quietly useful for anyone archiving or duplicating digital media.
Key Features
31–100 kHz Input Range with Fixed Output Rates
The converter accepts any incoming sample rate between 31 and 100 kHz and locks it to one of five standard output rates: 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96 kHz. That's the core function, and it's more flexible than the fixed-rate converters that dominated the budget market. The SAMPLE RATE switch on the front panel sets the target rate, or the unit can be synced to an external clock source. Universal sample rate synchronization is handled via word-clock or digital input. The box also supports parallel A/D-D/A conversion, meaning it can convert in both directions at once rather than forcing you to choose.
AES/EBU and S/PDIF Format Conversion, Coaxial or Optical
Format conversion between AES/EBU and S/PDIF runs in both directions, over coaxial or optical connections, with output resolution selectable at 16, 20, or 24 bits. The spec fragments confirm a digital optical input. The dual-format support is the reason these boxes turn up in video and broadcast racks as much as music studios. One user documented using the SRC2496 as an AES/EBU converter to interface a Blackmagic ATEM TV Studio switcher, which is exactly the kind of unglamorous format-bridging job this box was built for.
Jitter Removal and Copy-Protection Bit Handling
Beyond straight rate conversion, the SRC2496 removes dropouts and jitter from digital media, corrects unstable sample rates, and allows direct manipulation of emphasis and copy-protection bits, including disabling SCMS for 1:1 digital copies. That last one is a quiet workhorse feature for anyone doing digital archiving, and it doesn't show up in the brochure headline.
Splitter Functionality and 1U Rack Format
Simultaneously operable outputs offer splitter functionality, so a single digital source can feed multiple destinations at once. The chassis is a 1U rack unit, two channels, analog and digital, a standard footprint that slots into a project studio or broadcast rack. The box weighs 3.2 kg, which is substantial for a 1U converter and suggests a proper steel chassis rather than a hollow shell.
Collectibility & Value
The SRC2496 isn't a collector's piece the way a vintage synth or a classic compressor is. It's a utility converter, and it trades on usefulness rather than mystique. Used listings turn up on eBay with some regularity, often described as "rackmount sample rate converter" units at reduced prices, and Russian classifieds have shown sellers offering multiple units in "excellent condition" at a per-unit price. No verified current market price is documented in the available research, so treat any figure as a starting point rather than a benchmark.
The manual-listing ratings come with a caveat: one manual site shows an average score of 7.5 from a single user, another shows 9.1 from a single user. These are ratings of the manual listings, not product reviews, and a sample size of one tells you almost nothing.
No common failure modes, repair procedures, or parts-availability information surfaced in the research. That's a gap, not a clean bill of health. The one maintenance note that does appear is that the mains fuse is voltage-dependent. The user manual directs owners to chapter 6, "Specifications," for the matching fuse type for their local mains voltage. Anyone buying a unit from another region should check that before plugging it in.
The SRC2496 is a sensible pickup for anyone running mixed-format digital gear on a budget. It's not a reference converter. Working examples still circulate, and they still get used in broadcast and video racks.
eBay Listings
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.