New MOTU AVB Interface!! - The 16A

[James Steele]

If it says the new 16A has an AVB switch, I can't imagine it doesn't support all AVB interfaces.

MB

That would be good news. It means if I wanted to expand my analog I/O, I would just daisy chain one in between my 828es and my 24i and not need to shell out $500 or whatever for a MOTU AVB Switch.

[monkey man]

I wonder if they run cooler than the last generation.

I've heard many reports over the years of them frying, due apparently to the convertors.

White Sea Studio (the "snake oil guy")for example had 3 units running and at least 2 of them fried themselves. I've seen footage that clearly shows 1 empty rack space above and below each unit.

I remember when they first appeared around 2015 IIRC that folks were concerned about how hot they ran. I therefore expected this sort of thing to happen as the years rolled on.

MOTU would no doubt have been aware of the situation so yeah, I wonder if it's been addressed.

[PhireAlly]

I wonder if they run cooler than the last generation.

The previous generation was vented on the lower portion of the sides.
The new generation however, seem to have strategically placed top vents. That possibly could be part of addressing the heat situation.

I do have half of a rack space above all of my MOTU interfaces and a slow running fan to move some hot air when all of my hardware are in use.
10 years problem free !!
"So lets knock knock knock, on wood"

PhireAlly

[monkey man]

A-ha! Thanks PA.

Yeah, it looks like they've gone with taller side-slots and if those are holes on the top (they look like holes, only they're tiny), are no doubt expecting accelerated convection as the unit warms up.

[nk_e]

I wonder if they run cooler than the last generation.

The previous generation was vented on the lower portion of the sides.
The new generation however, seem to have strategically placed top vents. That possibly could be part of addressing the heat situation.

I do have half of a rack space above all of my MOTU interfaces and a slow running fan to move some hot air when all of my hardware are in use.
10 years problem free !!
"So lets knock knock knock, on wood"

PhireAlly

I had two older 16As that developed serious problems (one repairable, one not) because of heat, as well as a 1248 that completely fried and couldn’t be repaired by my local tech shop. I left them on a lot in the rack with no spacing between them. They used to get really hot…I should have known better.

Anyway, after repairing one 16A and buying a replacement used, I installed them in the rack with a 1/2 space between them. No problems since.

[EMRR]

Deeper unit with some vent holes on top, should be better heat management. I bet it still needs open space above and below.

USB 4 will solve the old TB to USB-C adapter problems.

The line in and out look like they are unity throughput again, thank God. The previous were offset by something like 3.74dB, couldn't set it to unity.

The patching looks like it will be easier for most people to understand. It may feel more difficult to people who grasp Dante routing or the old way clearly.

Not sure this Cuemix Pro is any different from the previous AVB mixer. Would be great if direct hardware playthrough is back.

I paid $1380 for the previous version 11 years ago, so nothing shocking about $1495.

No manual PDF available yet.

[PhireAlly]

I see a second Ethernet port on the new.

Makes me wonder if it might be possible to daisy chain it with other MOTU AVB interfaces and thus not need to buy an AVB switch if I wanted to integrate it into my 828es + 24Ai setup?

The 1st generation MOTU AVB devices use the “legacy” AM824 AVB stream format (which is 24bit)
The new generation can use either the “legacy” stream format or the AAF stream format (which is capable of 32bit or 24bit)

My guess is, to ensure compatibility between the older and newer AVB devices, MOTU would have to employ some automatic switching in the new generation devices or maybe manual switching in the CueMix Pro app to have all devices use the same stream.

My understanding is that all devices on the Network must use the same stream format.

Just thinking out loud,
PhireAlly

[James Steele]

That's the great thing about "standards"—there are so many of them!

[PhireAlly]

Found definitive answers to the device compatibility questions.
From the MOTU 16A (2025) product page ....

Additional features (Excerpt)

The new 16A is AVB-compatible with all other MOTU AVB interfaces.
Each audio stream can be individually configured between 1-8 audio channels.
Supports AAF stream formats and the legacy AM8-24 format, configurable per stream.


So manual configuration it is.
That's pretty cool.
You can determine which streams go to older generation AVB devices and which streams go to the newer generation AVB devices on the same Network ,,,, Awesome!

Great Job MOTU !!
PhireAlly

[PhireAlly]

But wait ... There's more

The built-In AVB switch in the (2025) 16A allows for up to 8 devices to be daisy chained !!
That's 7 "hops"
No external AVB switch required.

Sweet !!!
PhireAlly

[EMRR]

The old AVB devices report in AudioMIDI as 32 bit streams via USB and TB.

I’ll have to hook up via ethernet again and see what it says.

[Dogsmell]

New Cuemix doesn't see my old 16A. Big bummer, that web app really sucks.

[PhireAlly]

The old AVB devices report in AudioMIDI as 32 bit streams via USB and TB.

I’ll have to hook up via ethernet again and see what it says.

Hey Doug
I’m not 100% certain but AudioMidi setup could possibly be reporting the DAC streams and not the AVB streams.
I’d have to check the Apple AVDECC configuration to see if it reports differently from AudioMidi setup.

But all of my research points to the following…

AM824 formats only support 24 bits per sample.
AAF formats allow packed 16 bits, 24 bits, and 32 bits per sample.
For Floating point stream formats, choose 32 bits per sample.

Hope this helps
PhireAlly

[nk_e]

New Cuemix doesn't see my old 16A. Big bummer, that web app really sucks.

It would be great if the new Cue Mix could be made to work with the older interfaces. It looks friendlier...

[James Steele]

New Cuemix doesn't see my old 16A. Big bummer, that web app really sucks.

I'm not a fan, either. Really wish the older interfaces worked with an actual purpose built application.