Sonifex AVN-TB10AR 10 Button Advanced Talkback Intercom, AoIP Rackmount Portal

Sonifex AVN-TB10AR 10 Button Advanced Talkback Intercom, AoIP Rackmount Portal

The IP audio-based talkback intercom devices, known as AVN-TB products, provide a sophisticated feature set that makes them suitable for a wide range of applications. The AVN-TB units are compatible with both new AES67 AoIP networked audio infrastructure and legacy 4-wire systems since they provide both 4-wire analog inputs and outputs in addition to AoIP network audio connectivity. Furthermore, the audio is all recorded at a 48kHz sample rate, which implies that broadcast-quality audio is the norm. Audio can be distributed across a network using RAVENNA, of which AES67 is a subset. RAVENNA is the communication protocol used by the AVN series, which allows for compatibility with other AES67 systems.

Since the AVN-TB10AR is a 10-button intercom, ten additional stations—one for each button—can be configured for communication. Communications can be sent to and from each station as a duplex Talk/Listen action, a Talk action, or a Listen action. The buttons include colored LEDs that indicate which action is being utilized, and there is a Callback button to indicate when you are not available to take calls. On the AoIP network, the stations can be located from any location, and Bonjour Device Discovery makes it possible to find other stations quickly and occasionally automatically. Group Talk features can be enabled to page certain groups of stations. The Page button is used to speak to all stations (or a defined list of stations).

Two monitor buttons allow for routing audio directly to the speaker e.g. to take an IFB feed or an off-air transmission signal. Signals can be ducked or mixed when a talkback input is received from the speakers or headphones. Three user-defined buttons can be programmed for different functions, such as for Group Talk. The speaker mutes automatically when headphones are inserted and the volume level of headphones, speaker, and incoming sources can all be controlled with one front panel rotary encoder volume control knob, which shows the level using RGB LEDs around the outside of the knob.

Advanced acoustic echo cancellation & built-in microphone AGC (automatic gain control) ensure that there is no acoustic feedback between the microphone and speaker. Buttons are available for microphone mute (cough) and speaker mute actions and these can be controlled remotely by GPI or network commands. Each unit has a built-in webserver which is where the majority of settings and configurations are made. The front panel OLED display can also be used to configure the unit, although more functionality is available by using the webserver. The webserver is a responsive design meaning that it can be used with small screens on smartphones and tablets.

The unit can act as a PTP master clock or slave clock and supports IEEE1588-2008 PTPv2 media and default profiles. Front panel LEDs show the AoIP network status, synchronization status, whether AGC is being used, and the status of the AC and DC power supply inputs. The brightness of the OLED display and LED indicators can be adjusted for low or high lighting conditions. The unit has a front panel power button and dual power connectors - an IEC mains input and a 12V DC input, which allows the AVN-TB10AR to be used for both studio and mobile installations. Also, a secondary power source reduces the effect of power-down events. In any case, the unit monitors the status of both power sources and displays this on the front panel.

10 GPIOs (general purpose inputs/outputs) and a programmable relay output can be configured to indicate critical states for the unit, via the 15-way D-type connector, for example, to show loss of DC power, or to show a button press action.

Key Features

• 10 illuminated key-cap Talk buttons plus Listen & Page buttons.
• Mic & headset inputs, headphone & speaker outputs with volume control.
• Sources from AoIP, balanced, 2 x unbalanced, or S/PDIF digital inputs.
• Destinations to AoIP or rear panel balanced & unbalanced outputs.
• Advanced echo cancellation & mic AGC to prevent acoustic feedback.
• Dual 1Gb lan ports & 1Gb SFP fiber port.
• 10 user assignable GPIO ports.
• Dual AC & DC power supply inputs.
• Front panel display providing source & destination information.
• Ethernet webserver and front panel control & configuration.
• Speaker & microphone mute buttons.
• Callback button with source display.