GearCast - Gear Review: Neutrik NA2-IO-DLINE and NA2-IO-DPRO Dante® Interfaces

Neutrik is a name that instantly inspires confidence in any audio professional who hears it. The company’s reputation for groundbreaking design and bulletproof reliability extends to every connector and component in its catalog – and it’s comforting to know that the same degree of care went into Neutrik’s NA2-IO-DLINE and NA2-IO-DPRO DanteDefinition:
Dante™ (Digital Audio Network Through Ethernet): The audio-over-IP standard created by Audinate (layer 3). interfaces.

While there are a lot of ways to connect Dante™ networks to the analogDefinition:
A signal that is continuous in nature, as opposed to being defined as a series of discrete numbers (or elements) as found in digital signals; electrically "analogous" to an acoustical signal in the air. world of mics, monitors, headphone amps, etc., there has never been anything quite like these two little boxes. They’re poised to bring Neutrik an instant fan base from all over the pro audio world.

So what’s the big deal about Dante? (For that matter, what IS Dante?)

Dante is the name of an Audio-over-IPDefinition:
1. IP (Internet Protocol): A digital data standard over Ethernet.  2. IP (Ingress Protection): A rating of an electrical device, such as a lighting fixture, regarding protection from foreign objects or water.  3. IP (Intellectual Property): Refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. Intellectual Property is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, etc.. (AoIPDefinition:
AoIP (Audio over Internet Protocol): How audio is sent over a network, such as the internet or Ethernet.) networking protocol created by the Australian firm Audinate. It’s been around since 2006, and over the last several years, it’s gained a lot of momentum in everything from liveDefinition:
Live broadcast of an event or program without substantial delay or editing. sound to installed systems to multi-room recording studios. There are other AoIP systems out there, but at the moment, Dante appears to be the one with the widest reach and the largest number of products associated with it. For more about Dante, check out our related articles What Is Dante Audio Networking? A Basic Overview. or Getting Started with Dante.

AoIP networking is one of the biggest advances in pro audio’s long history. It’s exactly what it says it is: audio signals transmitted over an IP (Internet Protocol) network, just like the one you may have in your home or office that connects your computers, printer, scanner, and maybe even your phone system, via EthernetDefinition:
A local area network (LAN) using cables classified according to certain categories (CAT5, CAT6, CAT5e, etc.). These relate to the speed a cable can handle. cables.

IP networks have been around for decades, and they can move a lot of information really quickly, but they haven’t been practical for moving digitalDefinition:
A signal or data expressed as series of the digits 0 and 1, typically represented by values of a physical quantity such as voltage or magnetic polarization. audio around. That’s because they’re not designed with the tight timing and syncDefinition:
To make two or more pieces of equipment or signals synchronize with each other. demands of pro audio in mind.

But what if a network was designed from the groundDefinition:
A common zero-volt potential connection, commonly used for both electrical noise control and safety, and usually connected to the ground of the earth through a spike, plumbing, or electrical wiring that leads eventually to an earth connection. AKA: Earth. up to be audio-friendly? What if it could keep track of dozens of channels of high-resolutionDefinition:
1. (video) The measure of pixels horizontally and vertically. For example, 1920x1080 is considered HD, or high-definition. 2. (audio) The combined bit depth and sample rate of a digital audio signal. audio at once, routing them transparently and simply – using cables and routing devices that can be found at any electronics store? That’s the beauty of AoIP. All that’s needed to make this dream a reality is to provide a protocol – a language, if you will – for the dataDefinition:
Information used by a computer in order to arrive at a decision. Although this is a plural term, it's often treated in the singular. to follow.

Every protocol has its pros and cons, but Dante is popular for a lot of reasons. It’s a strictly controlled standard, so you won’t run across gearDefinition:
Musical or performance equipment. that just plain decides it wants to “do Dante its own way” and cause compatibility problems. It’s easy to license, so it’s popular with many manufacturers. Most important of all for end users, it’s simple and transparent, easy to get up and running, and solidly reliable.

Dante vs. analog in a house of worship

How does this benefit us? Let’s consider a pretty straightforward case: a medium-sized church that has a main sanctuary, a smaller sanctuary, an event hall, a library, an A/V room for preparing podcasts and web content, and a Sunday school with several rooms.

The main sanctuary is the heart of the church’s audio needs: it has a stage that must support a choir and a praise bandDefinition:
A grouped range of frequencies, usually with a commonly used designation. as well as voice from the pulpit and lectern. The Front of House mixer is connected to the stage with cables carrying multiple channels of audio back to FOHDefinition:
FOH (Front of House): Typically a sound mixing or lighting control position. and out to stage monitors.

In an all-analog world, one cable per signal runs from the mixerDefinition:
Combiner, controller, and router for multiple audio or video signals. to the stage, either individually or as part of a cable snakeDefinition:
A cable with multiple internal cables in a common jacket. to a stage boxDefinition:
A portable box with connectors for sound, lighting, or power attached to a multiconductor cable (snake) or Cat-5/6 multichannel signal.. A failed connection means replacing a cable (or, in the short term, putting gaff tape over one jackDefinition:
A connector, normally female, that works in conjunction wit a plug. Usually located in a piece of equipment, or as part of a cable. on the stage box). Adding more channels or monitors means more cables or a larger snake. Adding a recorder requires input routing from direct outs, inserts, or group outs on the mixer.

If those applications were all the church needed, this system would work well (as it has for decades). However, what if the church wishes to:

• Share the main sanctuary audio with other rooms in the building
• Bring audio from a library lecture or social event into the sanctuary
• Send audio to the classrooms from another location
• Record audio being played anywhere in the building?

Suddenly the setup becomes a nightmare. The designer and contractor are faced with multiple configurations of switching, routing, splitting and merging, setting up inputs and outputs in each room, planning for a system that the building won’t quickly outgrow. Then there’s the cost and difficulty of running dozens of cables through walls and hoping none of them ever wears out or breaks… and teaching the church’s sound engineer, who may be a volunteer with little or no technical background, how to use it all.

Now let’s look at the same church as it implements Dante. The main sanctuary gets a Dante-ready FOH mixer, such as a Yamaha CL or QL series consoleDefinition:
A control surface for audio, video, or lighting control positioned like a desk. Also called, Mixer, Controller, Board, or (British) Desk. (a popular choice). On stage, one or more Dante stage boxes are placed to cover all channelDefinition:
1. In radio, television, citizen's band radio, and other wireless communications modes, a specific frequency for communication.  2. In mixers and video, an input or output signal path with controls.  3. In MIDI, one of 16 data paths. output and monitorDefinition:
1. (audio) A loudspeaker or headphone/earphone used for accurate reference monitoring for recording or broadcast.  2. (live performance) A device that reproduces sound, like an in-ear monitor or speaker wedge, so performers can hear themselves. See: IEM.  3. (computers) A device that provides a graphic representation of operations occurring inside the computer.  4. (video) A device that enables seeing what is occurring with a video shoot, or program material from a broadcast or other video media source. input needs. The A/V room has another Dante-capable mixer and a computer running DAWDefinition:
(Digital Audio Workstation): A computer program or stand-alone device that provides digital audio recording, editing, and mixing. software. Finally, in the other rooms, there are Dante I/ODefinition:
(Input/Output): 1. A pair of connections that provide input(s) and output(s).  2. The connections that link a computer to devices outside the computer. boxes to provide basic connectivity.

All these boxes are wired together via Ethernet cables, using a dedicatedDefinition:
Designed or used to do a specific task or set of tasks. network switch. Instead of dozens of fragile, expensive audio cables, now there is only one readily-available Ethernet cable per destination room, which can easily be run within interior walls and connected to a standard wall plateDefinition:
1. A part of a camera pan-tilt head that attaches to the camera, and allows the camera to be detached without unscrewing. Also called Quick Release Plate.  2. A vacuum tube component to which the electron current flows. It requires a high voltage, and provides the output signal..

Once the devices are connected to and recognized by the Dante network, each one can talk to any or all of the others. With a few clicks of a mouse in the free Dante ControllerDefinition:
1. A MIDI device (keyboard, guitar with appropriate interface, etc.) that alters parameters in a synthesizer or other MIDI sound generator.  2. A device (e.g., modulation wheel, pitch bender, ribbon controller, etc.) that varies some specific parameter in a synthesizer or other MIDI sound generator. software – which could be run from the A/V room or from a computer near the FOH mixer, for example – custom routings can be set up, stored, and recalled with ease.

The entire building is now completely interconnected, opening up all kinds of options that would have been expensive or impossible before. PodcastDefinition:
An audio digital streaming program. Originally from iPod+Broadcast. recording from any room, audio from the main sanctuary to other rooms in case of audience overflow, music for school classes piped directly to each room with different programs all available at the same time… it’s all a matter of easy routing from a computer.

The same flexibility and efficiency can be seen in smaller setups and in much larger ones. A restaurant with a small stage can route live audio to different rooms or select background music playback that differs between the bar, the family dining room, and the private event space. A live touring rigDefinition:
A combination of equipment put together for a purpose. becomes immensely easier to set up, ring out, use, and breakDefinition:
An interruption in programming for commercials or station identification. down. Wiring in large recording studios is greatly simplified, connecting trackingDefinition:
1. Recording or overdubbing audio tracks. 2. Sensing the position of a person, a person's head, or camera position for Augmented and Virtual Reality purposes as well as motion tracking. rooms and mixing suites with single cables rather than panels of tie lines. Even an entire college campus can be wired for Dante, allowing professional-quality audio to be sent or received anywhere that has the right hardware.

End of the line

In all of these applications, it’s easy to look at the big items: large-scale routers, multichannel A/D and D/A converters, digital consoles, DAWs, and the like. Often, though, the most common yet vital piece of Dante hardware is a simple I/O endpoint box.

Remember our church example? The library, classrooms, and event hall probably won’t need a fancy mixer or recorder (although they could be quickly added if needed). All they need is a reliable way to get stereoDefinition:
A two channel signal simulating a sound space, typically played through two speakers. audio in and out of the room: a 2-channel Dante interfaceDefinition:
A device that adds I/O capability to another device. Common would be a MIDI, audio or video interface for a computer..

The problem with a setup like this is that the majority of Dante hardware manufacturers design their small endpoint interfaces as tabletop units. Often, these beautiful-looking devices prove impractical for day-to-day hard use. A good hard pull on a cable, tripping over a poorly-dressed line, or just knocking the interface to the floor – any or all of these can instantly render an expensive interface useless.

In designing the NA2-IO-DLINE and NA2-IO-DPRO, Neutrik took a step back and looked at the practical needs of the touring sound engineer, contractor, and system designer. It’s obvious that for many of these applications, the ideal Dante interface wouldn’t look anything at all like the current offerings. It should look and act more like a DI boxDefinition:
Direct Injection Box. A device that accepts the output from electronic instruments or other sound sources, and produces an output at microphone or line level to interface optimally with mixers. or mic splitterDefinition:
A passive or active device that splits one input to two or more outputs. Used for microphone, line level, video, and radio-frequency signals.: simple, rugged, designed to be tossed in a bag without fear of damage or accidentally dropped without harm. It should be foolproof, with connections that won’t be easily damaged, and status indicators that are clear and easy to read.

By combining this basic idea with high-end converters and plug-and-play Dante complianceDefinition:
1. The behavior of a loudspeaker driver's suspension.  2. A phonograph cartridge's ability to follow rapid changes in a groove.  3. Adherence to a system's requirements for operation. For example, a device that is compliant with the USB (Universal Serial Bus) specification does not need a custom driver., Neutrik has redesigned the Dante interface for the real world.

The NA2-IO-DLINE and NA2-IO-DPRO

Both Neutrik interfaces are built into tough metal enclosures, each with a removable rubber sleeve that protects the box’s connectors and corners while providing a non-slip base for tabletop use. Neither box has a power supplyDefinition:
A device (internal or external to another device) that provides power for active circuitry. Can be AC, DC or battery-powered.; they are intended to be powered from the Ethernet connection itself, using the PoEDefinition:
(Power over Ethernet): Voltage over Ethernet cables to power remote equipment without needing a separate power supply, up to a maximum output of 15.4 Watts. (Power over Ethernet) standard. Neutrik also sells the NPS-30W, a 30 WattDefinition:
Abbreviated W. Amount of electrical energy, derived by multiplying Volts (voltage) times Amps (current). PoE injector box in a similar form factorDefinition:
A device's general physical configuration or size, often taking into account the ratios of various measurements. that can add PoE to any network.

Both interfaces can be used in four different mounting configurations:

• Standalone on a desk or tabletop
• In a 1U equipment rackDefinition:
  A frame for holding gear that meets an industry standard for enclosures. This specifies a 19 inch width, and a height that is some multiple of 1.75 inches. A rack frame can be open or enclosed, and has rails drilled with standardized screw holes for attaching rack equipment.
• Mounted under a table / to a wall / inside a floor box
• Attached to a trussDefinition:
  A frame of alloy bars with cross bracing for hanging lights and sound equipment. for use near a flown PADefinition:
  (Public Address) A sound system intended to provide audio coverage to large groups of people. system

Neutrik sells single-device mounting brackets, 2-space yoke truss mounts, and 2-unit 1U rack panel faceplates to cover all of these options.

While the two interfaces look similar at first glance, they’re quite different under the hood. The NA2-IO-DLINE (Fig. 1) is a very simple 2-in/2-out line-level interface with locking XLR inputs and outputs and an etherCON^® locking RJ45Definition:
Also called 8P8C connector. An 8-conductor connector for Cat5/6 cabling for Ethernet, Dante, and HDBaseT and other video-over-twisted pair extenders. Ethernet connector. It’s intended to be completely plug-and-play: just connect it to the network and stereo audio can be routed to and from its location, for use with a small mixer, powered monitors, a learning-lab headphone ampDefinition:
Abbreviation for either Ampere or Amplifier., etc. It provides basic LEDDefinition:
LED (Light-Emitting Diode): A semiconductor light generator used in displays, television, pointers and for general illumination. It is a low-power replacement for incandescent lamps. indicators for Dante and network status.

The NA2-IO-DPRO (Fig. 2) is considerably more complex and provides much more flexibility. Its locking XLR inputs and outputs can handle either analog signals or AES67Definition:
An interoperability standard for digital audio-over-IP (Internet Protocol) and AoE (Audio over Ethernet). digital audio (Channel 2 can send or receive a stereo AES67 stream over a single XLR). It contains two high-quality mic preamps with individually-switchable 48V phantom powerDefinition:
A source of power for a microphone (usually condenser) that travels to the microphone over the microphone's cable. There are different voltage standards and requirements for different microphones, but the most common standard is 48 Volts. It derives its name because there is no visible power cable., high-pass filterDefinition:
A circuit or sometimes, mechanical device that passes audio above a specific frequency, and attenuates audio below that frequency. A typical audio application is reducing frequency response below 50-200 Hz to minimize hum, room noise, plosives, and bass reflection build-ups due to acoustical issues. (80 HzDefinition:
Abbreviation for Hertz. Unit of measurement for frequency, formerly called CPS (Cycles Per Second), that measures periodic waves, audio and radio frequencies, and mechanical repetitive motion. Example: 1000 Hz means a periodic waveform has 1000 cycles/vibrations per second. corner frequencyDefinition:
In a filter circuit, the frequency where the level deviates by 3 dB.), –16 dBDefinition:
1. A deciBel is a logarithmic ratio between two quantities, and is a nonlinear measurement that mimics human perception.  2. A unit expressing sound levels relative to a nominal level just audible by the average human ear, and equal to 1/10th of a Bel.  3. (slang) Database. padDefinition:
1. (Passive Attenuation Device) A device that reduces (attenuates) the output of one device so it does not overload the next device in line. Typically either built-in to a condenser microphone after the capsule, a preamp, a mixer channel, or as a stand-alone, in-line accessory.  2. In music, a sustained, usually lush chord that provides a background sound to lead and harmony parts., and up to 67 dB of gainDefinition:
The amount of amplification provided by an amplifier circuit, expressed in dB or numerically as in "3X" = "3 times". in 3 dB increments.

Multicolored LED indicators show system status, as well as AESDefinition:
(Audio Engineering Society): A professional audio engineering and standards association. vs. Analog connection for inputs and outputs. Inputs have signal-present, phantom, and filter/pad status LEDs; outputs have MuteDefinition:
1. To silence or squelch an audio signal.  2. A switch that silences a signal. indicators. All are very brightDefinition:
In audio, a sound quality that emphasizes high frequencies. Also called "crisp," "clear," or "sparkly." and visible from some distance away.

Unlike the DLINE, the DPRO has two locking etherCON^® jacks for primary and secondary Dante connections (Fig. 3). This lets the user daisy-chain interfaces for added channel count or to run the DPRO in Redundant Mode for instantaneous switching to a backupDefinition:
1. (verb) To create a copy of existing software to insure against loss of the original. 2.  (noun) The copy of the original software. in case of network failure.

The DPRO is operated by Neutrik’s DPRO Controller software for macOS and Windows. It provides a control panel with level/gain settings, high-resolution metering, and switches for all functions, including Mic/Line sensitivityDefinition:
In transducers and amplifiers, the how much input energy is needed to produce the desired output. setting and stereo linking. Dante network status and control functions are available in popup windows. The app also allows all parameter settings to be stored and loaded as presets and can support multiple networked DPRO interfaces at once. Note that the DPRO will remember its current settings when disconnected from the app and the computer, allowing it to be used on its own with no further intervention.

In use

The beauty of these interfaces is in their very invisibility: they’re designed to be put in place and used with little or no fuss. In our tests, they were instantly recognized by our Dante Controller software and were routing audio over our network in no time. The DPRO Controller software did its job cleanly and quickly with no unexpected behavior, making device setup easy and repeatable.

Their sound quality is impeccable, with background noise that is only audible on the DPRO inputs when set to maximum gain, and ruler-flatDefinition:
1. A frequency response curve that looks like a flat line because the response is even throughout the audio spectrum.  2. A scenic element like a wall or door.  3. A musical note that is lower in pitch than the note's standard frequency. See also: Sharp. (±0.5 dB) frequency responseDefinition:
The range of frequencies that an audio, video or data device can pass. from 20 Hz to 20 kHzDefinition:
Abbreviation for Kilohertz: 1,000 Hertz, or one thousand cycles per second.. The converters handle bit depths up to 32 bits and sample rates up to 96 kHz, and latencyDefinition:
The amount of delay a signal, data, sound, video, or control signal acquires within a device, system, or long-distance connection. is vanishingly small – about 1 ms for the DLINE and well below that (0.25 ms) for the DPRO. Equivalent input noise, dynamic rangeDefinition:
1. Range in dB between a device's noise floor and its maximum available headroom.  2. The difference between the maximum and minimum volume levels that occur in a musical performance., THD+n, and crosstalkDefinition:
An undesired audio signal that originates from adjacent wires or adjacent channels. figures are equally impressive.

Two thumbs up

It’s about time someone took the needs of the engineer or system designer in the field into account when presenting interfaces for straightforward endpoint I/O. With their combination of exceptional build quality, thoughtful features, easy and transparent Dante connectivity, and immaculate sound, the NA2-IO-DLINE and NA2-IO-DPRO are a remarkable first step into the world of AoIP from a premium manufacturer that has added a new feather in its cap. We can’t wait to see where Neutrik takes Dante next.