Designed specifically for use with Yamaha’s popular M7CL and LS9 live digital mixers, the SB168-ES is a 3U-size rackmountable stage box that utilises EtherSound technology to transmit and receive low-latency, high-quality bidirectional audio and control signals over distances of up to 100 metres using a single Cat5e cable.

The SB168-ES is a cost-effective and scalable digital stage box solution which provides 16 XLR inputs, each with its own high-quality, remotely controllable mic preamp, in addition to 8 XLR outputs. The modular nature of the SB168-ES allows multiple units to be daisy chained in sequence for simultaneous use.

With over 21,000 units sold since being launched in 2005 and 2006, respectively, Yamaha’s M7CL and LS9 digital consoles have fulfilled a vast range of live sound applications worldwide. Building on Yamaha’s experience of over 20 years in digital console design and production, the SB168-ES provides a tightly integrated, recallable, reliable and easy-to-use stage box option for Yamaha’s extensive base of M7CL and LS9 users.

Compared to using a conventional analogue multicore in conjunction with an analogue mixer, the SB168-ES is far more noise-resistant and allows sound technicians to minimise the length of microphone cabling. Further, the SB168-ES is simpler to set up, significantly reducing the time, effort and expenditure involved in installation or pre-event preparation.

In addition, the SB168-ES functions as a conventional EtherSound device, allowing operators to employ the unit as an analogue input-output box which can be connected to a range of EtherSound-compliant equipment and controlled via AuviTran’s AVS-ESMonitor software.

EtherSound is the digital audio and control transfer protocol of choice for modern live sound applications. Of the digital audio signal transmission protocols currently available, EtherSound is renowned for its low latency, high-quality bidirectional multi-channel transmission capabilities, as well as its use of easily obtainable CAT5e cable of lengths of up to 100 metres. EtherSound is the protocol that allows LS9 and M7CL users to combine audio signals with control signals for the SB168-ES head amp remotes and +48V phantom power functions.

In addition to its compatibility with the M7CL and LS9, the SB168-ES can be remotely controlled using Yamaha’s PM5D, DM1000, DM2000 and 02R96 digital consoles as well as its DME64N and DME24N Digital Mixing Engines.

The SB168-ES connects to Yamaha’s extensive range of digital mixers via their MY expansion card slots. By connecting to a Yamaha digital mixer with one of Yamaha’s MY16-ES64 EtherSound cards as well as up to three MY16-EX expansion cards, sound technicians can daisy-chain up to four SB168-ES units on-stage to provide simultaneous access to 64 inputs and 32 outputs from FOH (depending on the choice of console). The inputs and outputs can be assigned to any of the 64 channels in an ES100 EtherSound system.

Pricing as at start of 2009 was:
SB168-ES = $9,000 RRP each
MY16-ES64 EtherSound card = $3,200 RRP each
MY16-EX expansion option = $1,000 RRP each