PreSonus NSB 8.8 8x8 AVB-Networked Stage Box

A perfect partner for StudioLive Series III consoles.

Designed to work seamlessly with PreSonus® StudioLive® Series III console/recorders, the PreSonus NSB 8.8 is an 8-in, 8-out stage box that sets up quickly and easily to route signals from stage to mixer over an AVB network. With AVB networking, all signals flow through one lightweight CAT5e or CAT6 Ethernet cable, eliminating the need for a heavy, expensive copper snake—and the signal degradation that goes with long analog cable runs. You can even remote control the NSB 8.8’s inputs, preamps, and phantom power from your networked Series III console or from free PreSonus UC Surface touch-control software.

Making connections—lots of them.

A stage box is all about analog connectivity, and the NSB 8.8 gives you plenty. You get eight locking combo mic/line inputs equipped with our famous remote-controlled, Class A solid-state XMAX preamps, including gain compensation for shared input scenarios. All line inputs can be controlled from a StudioLive Series III console and from free PreSonus UC Surface software. All eight outputs employ locking XLR jacks. If that’s not enough, a built-in 2-port AVB switch lets you daisy-chain multiple units, giving you enough connections for even the largest shows and installations.

What makes the XMAX preamp sound so good?

A microphone preamplifier is arguably the most important stage of any device that accepts a microphone. A good preamp boosts the level to almost 400 times that of the original signal. A cheap, off-the-shelf, op-amp-type mic preamp delivers thin, noisy, harsh results. But with XMAX preamps, the sonic quality is limited only by the microphone you plug into it.

XMAX preamplifiers are built with three key elements:

• Class A. Class A circuits have no crossover distortion and deliver purer, clearer, and more musical results than the Class AB designs that are found in many preamps.
• High Voltage. The XMAX preamplifier runs on power rails of 30V. Most off-the-shelf, op-amp-based designs run on power rails of 10V to 18V. Higher-voltage power rails deliver more headroom, deeper lows, smoother highs, and a richer overall sound.
• Discrete components—not op-amps. We only use genuine transistors, resistors, and capacitors. Op-amps add noise, coloration, and harshness to a signal. Our discrete design delivers ultra-low noise and transparency.

The net result of the XMAX preamp design is high headroom, low noise, wide dynamic range, extended frequency response, and—most important—musicality and transparency.

The XMAX preamps in NSB-series stage boxes (and in StudioLive Series III consoles and rack mixers) offer another advantage: They are recallable. In 1995, PreSonus patented digital control over analog circuits with our first studio product. Building on this legacy, we created a separate digital volume-control circuit ahead of our analog XMAX preamp design, providing the convenience of digital recall without sacrificing fidelity. As a result, NSB-series XMAX preamps can be remote-controlled with UC Surface software or directly from a StudioLive Series III console.

What is an AVB network?

Audio networking is much more than just a way to connect a digital snake. With an AVB network, you can connect digital audio devices over long distances using CAT5e or CAT6 Ethernet cable and route your audio anywhere on the network with extremely low latency. AVB offers several unique benefits that make it a better choice for audio than other networking protocols. For example, AVB provides a high-precision clock that significantly reduces harmonic distortion and phasing, ensuring your audio stays clear and clean. AVB ensures you always have enough bandwidth to carry your low latency audio—even when your intern starts streaming a movie. These important benefits are an inherent part of AVB; you don’t need to do anything special to your devices or AVB switch. And you can only get them with AVB.

Tough enough for the most demanding tours.

Even if you baby your equipment, your stage boxes are likely to take a beating, especially on extended tours. But no matter how demanding the conditions, stage box failure is not an option. So we built the NSB 8.8 into a rugged steel chassis designed to survive the rigors of the road, and we equipped it with sturdy handles. Its classic stage box form factor allows the NSB 8.8 to sit well on the stage, or it can be rack mounted with an optional rack-ear kit. The NSB 8.8 also is compatible with stage pockets from Ace Backstage.

Everything you need...and then some.

“StudioLive” doesn’t just mean “digital mixers.” StudioLive Series III is all about top-to-bottom, wall-to-wall mix solutions with a lineup now featuring digital consoles, rack mixers, personal monitoring units and stage boxes. And because Series III has AVB at its core, you get to expand your audio network over time to fit your needs.

With Series III, you can track in your home studio on Friday and then mix front of house at a dive bar on Saturday night. You’ll still have what you need to run monitors on Sunday morning.