- in Production by Bobby Owsinski
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New Music Gear Monday: Heritage Audio R.A.M. 1000 Monitor Controller
Every studio needs a monitor controller, and while most computer audio interfaces have a very simple one included, many times it’s either clunky to use or doesn’t have the necessary features that a pro studio needs. An easy upgrade to almost any playback system is a dedicated monitor controller, and the new Heritage Audio R.A.M. 1000 makes a good case for becoming the center of your studio playback system.
The R.A.M. 1000 is a passive system so that it won’t add any additional noise nor will it affect the headroom that your system currently offers. In other words, it can be plugged in between your current computer interface and your monitor speakers to provide additional precision control over your playback.
The overall system volume control comes from it’s Marconi-style 24-step rotary switch so that you can precisely dial in the exact level at any time. Add to that system Mute, Dim (by 20dB), and Mono switches and you have the main features that you’ll use ever day.
And It Has Bluetooth
There’s more though. The R.A.M. 1000 also has 3 inputs – two via analog jacks on the rear panel (XLR and ¼ inch), and a third via Bluetooth for playback from phones, tablets and laptops. The Bluetooth input switches between multiple codes (APTX, AAC, SBC, with an indicator to show which one is in use) to find the one that sounds the best, and even has a Reset button to forget the previous connection when you want to connect a new device. Each input has it’s own front panel switch, and they all can be used simultaneously if required.
There are also two outputs, again switchable from the front panel with both capable of operation at the same time. Output one is on XLRs while output 2 is on ¼ inch jacks. A high-quality headphone amp is also included with a volume control located on the top right of the front panel.
While the main signal path is passive, power is required for the stereo LED meters, Bluetooth circuitry and headphone amp. That’s supplied via a USB-C connection on the rear panel.
The Heritage Audio R.A.M. 1000 retails for $499. If you need more functions, there are several other monitor controllers in the R.A.M. series to check out.
You can find out more here, or watch the informative video below.
