This 16-channel A/D converter conquers the digital demons that plague so many converters on the market.The ADC16 delivers the industry’s ‘Benchmark’ for performance in a package that is simultaneously full-featured, functionally flexible, intuitive, aesthetically alluring, and surprisingly affordable. The ADC16 has a slot for an optional Firewire card. With a Firewire connection to the computer, the ADC16 can operate as the sole interface to native DAW’s, including Pro Tools 9, without the need for any other hardware. Moreover, The ADC16 is completely compatible with the digital I/O interfaces of the Avid/Digidesign interfaces and other interfaces with AES, coaxial, and/or optical inputs. The ADC16 features 16-channels of transformerless balanced analog inputs. The analog front-end continues Benchmark’s tradition of exceptionally pristine, award-winning analog circuitry – a 27 year legacy. The ADC16 features very flexible I/O routing solutions. The control panel allows the user to dictate the source (A/D or DAW) for each of the AES, coaxial, and optical digital outputs. This is very useful when the ADC16 is used in a studio with an analog console. The digital audio from the A/D chips can be sent directly to the digital outputs to a multi channel D/A to feed the console – completely bypassing the DAW. This reduces latency and DAW artifacts in real-time monitoring.