Cranborne Audio Carnaby HE2 – Dual-Rackmount 2-Channel Stereo & Mid/Side 3-Band Harmonic Parametric EQ
$3,399.00
Enhance Your Mix with HarmonicEQ™
The Carnaby HE2 is a 2U 19-inch rack stereo 3-band parametric EQ – an evolution of the Carnaby 500, utilising the same unique and revolutionary HarmonicEQ™ concept. Bringing unparalleled analogue colour to your sources, stems and mixes – with versatile and intuitive digital control – the HE2 is the euphonic colour creator your hybrid mixing workflow needs… whether you know it yet or not.
Cranborne Audio Carnaby HE2 – Dual-Rackmount 2-Channel Stereo & Mid/Side 3-Band Harmonic Parametric EQ
OVERVIEW
An Evolution of HarmonicEQ™
The Cranborne Audio Carnaby HE2 is a 2U 19-inch rack stereo 3-band parametric EQ that utilises the same unique and revolutionary HarmonicEQ™ concept found in the Carnaby 500, using harmonic saturation to boost and cut frequency content. Enhance your sources, stems and mixes with genuine analogue harmonic saturation with the feel, familiarity, and control of an equaliser.
Explore how the HE2 takes this concept even further.
2-Channel HarmonicEQ™ + Much More
Whether being used for Stereo, Dual Mono or Mid-Side processing, the Carnaby HE2 features 3 bypassable, interactive bands of HarmonicEQ™ per channel. Each band has 10dB of boost/cut and its own sweepable and overlapping frequency controls. As with the Carnaby 500, each of the HE2’s bands has a unique blend of harmonic content suited to its frequency band to achieve maximum musicality.
HI Band — The HI band has a frequency range from 5kHz all the way to 25kHz. It uses smooth saturation to naturally extend high frequencies beyond the audio band for ultimate air and breath on vocals and acoustic instruments.
MID Band — The MID band is a peaking filter with a fixed Q and a wide sweepable frequency range from 200Hz up to 6.2kHz. It uses saturation to add harmonic emphasis to the source anywhere in the frequency range.
LO Band — The LO band has a frequency range of 420Hz down to 20Hz. It uses hard-clipping saturation to extend sub-harmonic frequencies into the audible low-end – perfect for subtle low-end warming or extreme sub-harmonic saturation.
Dynamic Response — Unlike other EQs, the Carnaby HE2 has a dynamic response and increases in total boost/cut and harmonics as the circuits are driven harder. An Input and Output level control on each band allows for ±20dB of level adjustment, enabling you to drive the HE2 harder with the input control for more saturation and distortion effects, or back it off for a cleaner EQ when needed.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Fully Digitally-Controlled with USB and Network options
The Carnaby HE2 takes control to a whole new level, allowing all buttons and controls of the unit to be controlled remotely via USB or an Ethernet network. The HE2 Control seamlessly integrates with the Carnaby HE2 hardware via the USB or NET ports, allowing for convenient real-time control and recall from within your DAW. It also facilitates the independent saving and loading of presets.
Mid/Side Processing
Especially valuable for mastering, mixing, and sound design applications, the Carnaby HE2 allows for Mid/Side processing, allowing you to apply HarmonicEQ™ to the separate mid (centre) and side (stereo width) components of your stereo signal. No additional hardware is needed; the Carnaby HE2 takes care of all the necessary encoding and decoding.
Inserts for outboard hardware
The Carnaby HE2 features a bypassable TRS Insert on each of its two channels, allowing you to use each of these Inserts to connect outboard hardware after the HarmonicEQ™ processing stage. The inserts are post M/S encoding and pre M/S decoding.
FEATURES
- Stereo 2U 19-Inch rack 3-band parametric analogue EQ with unique HarmonicEQ™ circuit per side for harmonically-enriched EQ effects.
- Bypassable 3-band, HarmonicEQ™ meticulously developed by the Cranborne Audio team in the UK.
- Parametric LO and HI shelving bands with ±10dB of cut/boost and harmonic saturation.
- Parametric peaking MID band with ±10dB of cut/boost, fixed Q and harmonic saturation.
- LO, MID, and HI LED indicators to display saturation level.
- ±20dB Input and Output Level for dense harmonic saturation or clean EQ effects.
- Stereo, Dual Mono & Mid/Side operation.
- Bypassable Hi & Lo Cut controls per channel.
- Bypassable TRS Insert per channel.
- True-bypass IN/OUT switching per channel.
- Stepped, front-panel controls for quick manual recall and precise feel.
- Carnaby HE2 Control for remote parameter control + preset save/recall via USB or Network.
TECHNICAL SPECS
| All specifications are typical performance unless otherwise noted. All specifications are subject to change at any time. Tested with Audio Precision APx555. | |
Technical Data |
|
| Test Signal Path | APx555 (Line Out) – Input – Line Output – APx555 (Line In) |
| Max Input Level | +26.0dBu (<0.003% THD) |
| Max Output Level | +26.0dBu (<0.003% THD) |
| Noise Floor | <-93dBu all bands bypassed |
| Input Impedance | Line = 10 kOhms |
| Output Impedance | Line = 150 Ohms |
| Current Draw | 140mA per rail – idle, 160mA peak |
EQ Specifications |
|
| Hi Band | |
| Filter Type | High Shelf Filter |
| Frequency Range | 5kHz – 25kHz |
| Boost/Cut | ±12dB, @ -6dBu +13dB, – 18dB, @ +14dBu |
| Harmonics | ~8% THD+N (100Hz, +4dBu) ~12% THD+N (100Hz, +14dBu) |
| Mid Band | |
| Filter Type | Peak Filter |
| Frequency Range | 200Hz – 6.2kHz |
| Boost/Cut | ±5dB @ -6dBu +10dB, – 18dB @ +14dBu |
| Harmonics | ~8% THD+N (100Hz, +4dBu) ~12% THD+N (100Hz, +14dBu) |
| Lo Band | |
| Filter Type | Low Shelf Filter |
| Frequency Range | 20Hz – 420Hz |
| Boost/Cut | ±8.5dB @ -6dBu ±12dB @ +14dBu |
| Harmonics | ~8% THD+N (100Hz, +4dBu) ~12% THD+N (100Hz, +14dBu) |
| Hi Cut Filter | |
| Type | Progressive slope low-pass filter |
| Slope | 1st order – 3db per octave 2nd order – 6db per octave 3rd order – 12dB per octave |
| Frequency Range | -3db, 8kHz -40kHz |
| Lo Cut Filter | |
| Type | Progressive slope high-pass filter |
| Slope | 1st order – 6db per octave 2nd order – 12db per octave 3rd order – 18dB per octave |
| Frequency Range | -3db, 18Hz -180Hz |
| 1/4″ TRS Inserts | |
| Type | Balanced, dedicated send & return, normalled |
| Config | Post M/S encoding & Carnaby, pre M/S decoding |
| Max Input Level (return) | +26.0dBu (<0.003% THD+N) |
| Max Output Level (send) | +26.0dBu (<0.003% THD+N) |
| Mid/Side | |
| Type | Encoder/decoder |
| Matrix | Sum-difference matrix |
Environmental |
|
| Operating Temperature | +1 to 35 degrees Celsius |
| Storage Conditions | -20 to 50 degrees Celsius |
Dimensions & Weight |
|
| Unit | |
| Width | 48.3cm (19”) (Rackmount) |
| Height | 8.9cm (3.5″) (2u) |
| Depth | 23.6cm (9.3″) |
| Unit Weight | 6kg (13lbs) |
| Shipping Carton | |
| Width | 60cm (23.6″) |
| Height | 18cm (7″) |
| Depth | 35cm (13.8″) |
| Carton Weight | 6.5 kg (14 lbs) |
DOWNLOADS
User Manual: Carnaby HE2 User Guide 2.0 [PDF]
Software/Firmware: Below you will find the most recent release notes and installers for Mac and Windows operating systems. These installers include both the standalone and plug-in versions of the Carnaby HE2 Control software. AAX, VST3 and AU formats are available.
Please note: Firmware 1.0.1 must be on your hardware to connect with Carnaby HE2 Control v1.0.3.
- Carnaby HE2 Firmware:
- Carnaby HE2 Control:
Refer to User Guide 2.0 in the documentation section of this page for more information.
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