Lynx Studio Technology has announced the first Lynx interface to have mic preamps. The Aurora PRE 1608 features an 8 channel line I/O plus an additional 8 channels of Microphone/Line/Hi-Z inputs for a total of 16 inputs and 8 outputs. 

For the first time ever, the new Aurora PRE 1608 includes Lynx’s newly designed high-performance LM-PRE4 preamps. Lynx tells us that these preamps represent a culmination of over 20 years of both analog and digital audio product development and have been designed with Lynx’s hallmark transparency, imaging and detail.

The preamp section includes Independent selection of microphone/line/HI-Z inputs for Aurora. It also features onboard Aurora A/D conversion that is directly coupled to the preamp. Additionally, a fully-differential, current-feedback preamplifier architecture is used to shield internal circuitry from noise and has been designed to ensure linearity along with a transformerless, transparent design for all components. Bob Bauman, Co-Owner and Chief Hardware Engineer explains...

We set out to create a preamp that is sonically revealing, high performing and yet cost-effective. The performance of the microphone preamplifier alone meets or exceeds most popular stand-alone devices on the market and at a much lower price not to mention having Hi-Z and the same line level conversion quality we already use in the Aurora’s.

Lynx Co-Founder and Chief Software Engineer David A. Hoatson added...

We wanted to make this easy to control yet elegant in performance. All the controls for the preamp are easily accessible from the front panel and every state of every preamp channel is displayed simultaneously on the LCD display.

Pricing And Availability

The LM-Pre4 is priced at $699, the USB version of the Aurora (n) PRE 1608 at $3,899 and the Thunderbolt edition at $4,199. They are expected to be available in March 2018.