Crest Audio Announces XR-M Rack-Mount Mixer

XR-M Front Panel (Click for a close-up)

XR-M Rear Panel (Click for a close-up)

Crest Audio introduced the new XR-M, a truly compact and versatile rack-mount, monitor mixer designed to provide fully professional, desktop quality mixing performance in control applications, fixed installation systems and more.

Housed in a compact ten rack-space package, the Crest XR-M can provide up to 12 independent mono mixes, or up to six stereo mixes for stereo "in-ear" monitoring systems. The XR-M takes up minimal space in a sound control booth, and is small enough to travel as carry-on luggage with musicians who take their own self contained in-ear system with them on the road. Highly versatile, it can be used as a mono/stereo matrix mixer with 12 mono and four stereo mic/line input channels, all with mic preamps and individual 48V phantom power switches.

Featuring the superior audio performance and road-rugged construction of Crest's popular X-Rack Series mixers, the XR-M includes a 20 input microphone splitter system with ground-lift switches on each input channel. In addition to 12 mix bus outputs with high pass filters, insert system and balanced XLR outputs, the XR-M features four band equalization with high-mid and low-mid sweep EQ along with -18db per octave high pass filters on all input channels. Additionally, the XR-M features Global Stereo Switching per output pair that changes the input configuration from two level control pots to a level and pan pot.

For added flexibility, the XR-M provides Common Stereo line input access to all output pairs for use with click or reference tracks; switchable Stereo/Mono inputs, insert points on 12 mono input channels and 12 mix outputs, and an internal power supply that operates on most international voltages and frequencies.

Beside a wealth of operational features, Crest's design team has added a level of quality never before seen on a compact rack-mount mixer. Individual circuit boards are used for each input channel and high quality components are employed throughout. Special consideration has been given to the rejection of unwanted external signals, including the use of AES-recommended grounding procedures. Like all X-Rack mixers, the XR-M has exceptional phase shift performance, exhibiting less than ±30 degrees-of-shift from input to output -- significantly better results than most consoles, regardless of price.

One of the most versatile and space-efficient monitor mixers ever made available, the XR-M is built to Crest Audio's highest standards and is backed by the Crest Console standard factory warranty.