Manual

Model 204 User Guide Issue 2, October 2018
Studio Technologies, Inc. Page 7
MODEL 204
ANNOUNCER’S CONSOLE
of Model 204 operating parameters. This
allows the unit’s performance to be opti-
mized to meet the needs of specific
applications.
The user is presented with two pushbutton
switches and three push-in/push-out rotary
level potentiometers. This makes it easy to
control the status of the main and talkback
outputs as well as adjusting the signals
that are sent to the headphone channels.
Ethernet Data and PoE
The Model 204 connects to a local area
network (LAN) by way of a standard 100
Mb/s twisted-pair Ethernet interface. The
physical 100BASE-TX interconnection
is made by way of a Neutrik® etherCON
RJ45 connector. While compatible with
standard RJ45 plugs, etherCON allows a
ruggedized and locking interconnection for
harsh or high-reliability environments.
The Model 204’s operating power is pro-
vided by way of the Ethernet interface
using the 802.3af Power-over-Ethernet
(PoE) standard. This allows fast and ef-
ficient interconnection with the associated
data network. To support PoE power man-
agement, the Model 204’s PoE interface
enumerates (reports) to the power sourc-
ing equipment (PSE) that it’s a class 2 (low
power) device. If a PoE-enabled Ethernet
port can’t be provided by the associated
Ethernet switch a low-cost PoE midspan
power injector can be utilized.
Dante Audio-over-Ethernet
Audio data is sent to and received from
the Model 204 using the Dante audio-over-
Ethernet media networking technology.
As a Dante-compliant device, the Model
204’s two Dante transmitter (audio output)
channels and four Dante receiver (audio
input) channels can be assigned (routed
or “subscribed”) to other devices using the
Dante Controller software application. The
Dante transmitter and receiver channels
are limited to supporting four Dante flows,
two in each direction. The digital audio’s
bit depth is up to 24 with a sampling rate of
44.1 or 48 kHz. Two bi-color LEDs provide
an indication of the Dante connection sta-
tus. An additional LED displays the status
of the associated Ethernet connection.
The Model 204 is compatible with the
AES67 interoperability standard. In this
mode the two transmitter (output) channels
will function in multicast; unicast is not sup-
ported. In addition, the unit is compatible
with the Dante Domain Manager™ (DDM)
software application.
Audio Quality
The Model 204’s audio performance
is completely “pro.” A low-noise, wide
dynamic-range microphone preamplifier
and associated voltage-controlled-
amplifier (VCA) dynamics controller (com-
pressor) ensures that mic input audio qual-
ity is preserved while minimizing the chance
of signal overload. The output of the micro-
phone preamp and compressor is routed
to an analog-to-digital conversion (ADC)
section that supports sampling rates of 44.1
and 48 kHz with a bit depth of up to 24.
The audio signal, now in the digital domain,
routes through a 32-bit microprocessor and
on to the Dante interface section where it is
packetized and prepared for transport over
Ethernet.
Audio input signals arrive via the four Dante
receiver channels and pass into the Model
204’s microprocessor. The supported sam-
pling rates are 44.1 and 48 kHz with a bit
depth of up to 24. Channel routing, head-
phone level control, and sidetone creation
are performed within the digital domain.