Discontinued - No Longer Available

Core Sound is pleased to offer the M-Audio CO3 digital audio format converter, S/PDIF and AES-EBU digital audio cables and our exclusive CO3 battery cable!

Do you have a DVD player that only has an S/PDIF coaxial (RCA) output and a digital receiver with optical (Toslink) inputs? Are you trying to dub from a DAT machine with S/PDIF coaxial outputs to another with AES-EBU XLR inputs? Are you trying to interface an external professional A/D converter with AES-EBU XLR outputs to your computer's audio card that only accepts S/PDIF coaxial? Is your D/A converter too far from your computer to use S/PDIF reliably? Does your CD player output S/PDIF with an SCMS code that prohibits copying on consumer DAT or CD-R recorders? Do you need to feed up to three devices from one source?

If so, then the CO3 might be the answer to your prayers!

One of the most persistent irritations in the digital audio world has been that it's difficult to convert between the many data formats (S/PDIF, AES-EBU, AC-3) and physical formats (RCA/coaxial, Toslink/Miniplug Optical, XLR/coaxial) found in professional and consumer equipment. And if that weren't enough, the Serial Copy Management System (SCMS) incorporated in consumer gear made it hard for professionals to use lower cost consumer equipment in the studio.

The CO3 solves these problems at very low cost. The CO3 converts a digital audio data stream between any of the three most common formats (S/PDIF: Toslink/optical and RCA/coaxial, AES/EBU: XLR/AES-EBU coaxial). It also fully controls the SCMS characteristics of an S/PDIF data stream.

The CO3 works fine with S/PDIF, DTS, Dolby Digital and even 24-bit/96 kHz sampling rate data streams.

Using its front panel selector switch, you can select any one of three inputs. All three outputs are active simultaneously. Unlike cheaper converters (e.g., the "Dr. D"), when converting from S/PDIF to AES/EBU data formats, or from AES/EBU to S/PDIF, the CO3 converts data format as well as the physical format.

Features:

Converts between AES/EBU, S/PDIF Coax and TOSlink format digital audio streams
Three inputs: AES/EBU, S/PDIF Coax and TOSlink
Three outputs: AES/EBU, S/PDIF Coax and TOSlink
Source button determines selects active input. LEDs indicate active input
Converts to all three output formats simultaneously
SCMS (Serial Copy Management System) button sets copy protection: pass-thru, no copy protection, force "original", or force "1st generation." LEDs indicate the SCMS mode.
Supports sample rates up to 100kHz
Built-in jitter correction
One-third rack sized chassis
LED indicates the validity of the incoming audio stream.
Powered by 9 Volt DC wall wart (included) or by 9 Volt battery via optional cable (three hours of battery life on one standard 9 Volt alkaline battery)
Power requirements: 210 milliamps at 9 Volts