12th October 2012
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#1 | | News Desk Editor
Joined: Apr 2002 Location: In cyber space
Posts: 1,357
Thread Starter  | Prism Sound Lyra
Prism Sound Launches Lyra – A New Audio Interface For The Studio Producer, Musician and DJ Market
Cambridge, UK: Internationally renowned manufacturer Prism Sound is bringing its high performance audio technology to an even wider audience with the launch of Lyra, a brand new family of interfaces aimed at musicians, composers, project studio owners, DJs, re-mixers and other audio content producers such as radio and podcasting. It is also anticipated that high-end home audio enthusiasts will find the USB interface and stereo configuration with digital volume control an attractive package.
Lyra, which will make its debut at the 2012 AES Convention in San Francisco, is based on the award-winning and critically acclaimed Orpheus interface. With Lyra, music recording professionals can access the power and sophistication of the Orpheus audio path and clock circuitry, but in a smaller package and at a much improved price point.
“Lyra connects seamlessly with both Macs and PCs via a simple USB interface,” says Graham Boswell, Sales and Marketing Director for Prism Sound. “For recording professionals who don’t need eight channels of analogue I/O, Lyra is the perfect interface because it allows them to access Prism Sound quality in a convenient package and at an affordable price.”
Prism Sound, which plans to launch a number of different variants of Lyra, has started the ball rolling with Lyra 1 and Lyra 2. Both incorporate new ARM Cortex-based ‘Xcore’ processor design offering class-compliant USB interfacing, plus DSP and a low latency ‘console-quality’ digital mixer for foldback monitoring. Both products also have optical SPDIF capability and Lyra 2 also supports ADAT.
Lyra 1, which retails at £1,349 plus VAT, will be of particular interest to the musician and project studio market. This unit offers two analogue input channels – one for instrument/line and one for mic/line – plus two DA output channels and optical-only digital I/O. With Lyra 1, musicians can connect a guitar and a microphone through the input channels, plug into their software mixer via a simple USB connection and start laying down basic tracks in a matter of minutes.
Lyra 2, which retails at £1,849 plus VAT, takes the concept a little further by offering two AD input channels with switchable microphone, instrument or line input modes and four DA output channels. Both optical-only digital I/O and copper S/PDIF are available on this version of Lyra, which also offers wordclock In/Out enabling synchronization with other digital devices.
Both products are ergonomically designed to look as good as they sound. The front panel has a master volume control assignable to selected output channels, while the unit’s small size – just 11 inches wide – makes it very easy to transport for musicians, producers and DJs on the road. For studio use, Prism Sound can supply dedicated rack mounts as an extra.
“We know there is a market for Lyra because our customers have been demanding this product ever since we launched Orpheus,” Graham Boswell adds. “However, we are very protective of our reputation for delivering the highest possible audio quality so we were not going to bring any product to market until we were 100% convinced that it could live up to our exacting specifications. Lyra does just that, and we are very proud to introduce it.”
Lyra will start shipping in November 2012 and will be fully supported by Prism Sound’s acclaimed technical and after-sales service staff.
For more information: Prism Sound - Professional audio equipment, AD converters, DA converters, audio analyzers
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12th October 2012
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#2 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Feb 2008 Location: Manchester, England
Posts: 1,374
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That thing is gorgeous!
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12th October 2012
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#3 | | Indonesian Gearhead
Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Posts: 464
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Awesome!
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12th October 2012
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#4 | | Guest |
Aiming at a small producer/DJ market with an 1800+ pounds interface? I don't think so, there's RME for that, considerably cheaper. Yes, the converters may be not up to pair, but for playing in the club they're more than adequate.
I always lusted for an Orpheus though and this might be a way in, but IFAIK Prism's drivers aren't really there yet, any thoughts on that? The thought of running a USB interface scares me, scars from the past I guess. I hope things have changed by now?
Cheers.
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12th October 2012
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#5 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2007 Location: N.Y.
Posts: 1,132
| Quote:
Originally Posted by monad  Aiming at a small producer/DJ market with an 1800+ pounds interface? I don't think so. | Agreed. The cheaper one Lyra 1 comes out to be a little over 2 grand U.S. which is around the same as the UA Apollo Duo. It would have to sound a LOT better than that considering the Apollo's features and i/o. Then there's the new Focusrite Forte which has great specs on paper and is way cheaper than all of them including the RME BabyFace.
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12th October 2012
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#6 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Sep 2004 Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 8,116
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Originally Posted by Alndln Agreed. The cheaper one Lyra 1 comes out to be a little over 2 grand U.S. which is around the same as the UA Apollo Duo. It would have to sound a LOT better than that considering the Apollo's features and i/o. Then there's the new Focusrite Forte which has great specs on paper and is way cheaper than all of them including the RME BabyFace. | I think if you're doing price comparisons like this, you're not exactly the consumer Prism had in mind.
- c
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12th October 2012
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#7 | | Guest | Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver Sonya I think if you're doing price comparisons like this, you're not exactly the consumer Prism had in mind.
- c | Then who did they have in mind? The marketing blurb states: "interfaces aimed at musicians, composers, project studio owners, DJs, re-mixers and other audio content producers such as radio and podcasting..."
Not many of those can afford to pay 2000$+ for a limited specs audio interface, especially since there are far more viable options for that money.
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12th October 2012
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#8 | | 70% Coffee, 30% Beer
Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Quincy, MA
Posts: 9,206
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top notch!!! bravo!
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12th October 2012
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#9 | | Gear nut
Joined: Nov 2011 Location: Brooklyn | Quote:
Originally Posted by monad Aiming at a small producer/DJ market with an 1800+ pounds interface? I don't think so, there's RME for that, considerably cheaper. Yes, the converters may be not up to pair, but for playing in the club they're more than adequate.
I always lusted for an Orpheus though and this might be a way in, but IFAIK Prism's drivers aren't really there yet, any thoughts on that? The thought of running a USB interface scares me, scars from the past I guess. I hope things have changed by now?
Cheers. | Running an Orpheus in our studio with the latest drivers on a custom PC. ZERO problems.
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12th October 2012
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#10 | | Guest | Quote:
Originally Posted by Electric Blue Running an Orpheus in our studio with the latest drivers on a custom PC. ZERO problems. | Yes, but Orpheus is firewire, if I'm correct?
These are USB.
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12th October 2012
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#11 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Sep 2004 Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 8,116
| Quote:
Originally Posted by monad Then who did they have in mind? The marketing blurb states: "interfaces aimed at musicians, composers, project studio owners, DJs, re-mixers and other audio content producers such as radio and podcasting..."
Not many of those can afford to pay 2000$+ for a limited specs audio interface, especially since there are far more viable options for that money. | This product is for the musicians who want the best, but did not need all the i/o of an Orpheus. It addresses a request people made all the time when Orpheus came out.
Prism is not going to be able to compete in price with other interfaces with similar features. Kinda like how you can always beat any great, fine dining restaurant if you're looking to save money.
It's a mindset difference. If you're willing to spend a little more for exquisite sound and beautiful interface, this might be your thing. Bang-for-the-buck consumers should obviously look elsewhere.
- c
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12th October 2012
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#12 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Sep 2004 Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 8,116
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Re-read that press release and you can see he's emphasizing Prism's sonic standards more than price.
- c
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12th October 2012
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#13 | | 70% Coffee, 30% Beer
Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Quincy, MA
Posts: 9,206
| Quote:
Originally Posted by monad Aiming at a small producer/DJ market with an 1800+ pounds interface? I don't think so, there's RME for that, considerably cheaper. Yes, the converters may be not up to pair, but for playing in the club they're more than adequate.
I always lusted for an Orpheus though and this might be a way in, but IFAIK Prism's drivers aren't really there yet, any thoughts on that? The thought of running a USB interface scares me, scars from the past I guess. I hope things have changed by now?
Cheers. | I will adress some of your concern.
Playing in a club is one application, but what about recording a quiet musician playing quiet music, in a special place distant to any studio location. Maybe then the low noise, linear response of the Prism will easily be sonically rivaling its competitors, in that application. In the Application where you need more Converters, and I/O, then picking the format would be in accordance with what your system and workload can handle. I certainly think there is an economy to scale, among all these different applications. Consumer Multi-channel Converters are cheaper for a reason. They are not refined for performance in anyway. This makes the Prism stand out sonically.
For whatever it may be worth, the drivers for Orpheus have been "there" since they came out with it. I am not sure I would agree with them not working right. I would be getting late night calls from MANY people if that were the case. My clients are running these interfaces without issue. Once and while you might have to troubleshoot an issue here and there, but no system is immune to that. Prism is ON THE BALL to continually update and improve their products in the field. Did you see that Orpheus can be ran over the Thunderbolt Port without issue? All you need is an adopter.
These machines are generally extremely solid in the field. There may be issues, like anything else, as computer technology is obviously a tricky ball of wax. All I can say, is the Prism guys are on top of it and their support is HIGH END. With regard to USB, this technology has actually improved measurably, in my experience. Though like anything, there is a limit to the technology and formats that you need to be aware of. With only a few channels of throughput, there is not much need for wide bandwidth protocol, and providing more horsepower to the interfacing hardware drivers, the throughput latency of the machines can be lowered without sacrificing stability.
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__________________ "Any opinions above are worth exactly what you paid for them." Anonymous "If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. Thomas Edison
RTFM
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12th October 2012
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#14 | | Gear nut
Joined: Jan 2007 Location: Athens/Greece
Posts: 77
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Any chance to shed some info about the Enet I/F  in Lyra2: Streaming(aka Ravenna/Dante), Aggregation,Expansion?
TIA
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12th October 2012
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#15 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2004 Location: Boston Area
Posts: 1,361
| Price
$2,170 for the 1 and $2,970 for the 2 (retail) if those conversions are right.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but in the states there is no additional VAT charge?
Also, any idea if Prism software allows you to control the monitoring volume from a computer keyboard? Very used to that and love that feature.
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12th October 2012
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#16 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2009 Location: London
Posts: 1,068
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Good move from Prism  | |
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12th October 2012
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#17 | | Gear nut
Joined: Nov 2010 Location: Phuket
Posts: 122
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This is great, but such a shame there are no insert points before the A/D converter. That would make it the ultimate choice for me if it had that.
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12th October 2012
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#18 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2004 Location: Boston Area
Posts: 1,361
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Originally Posted by ksound This is great, but such a shame there are no insert points before the A/D converter. That would make it the ultimate choice for me if it had that. | Did the Orpheus have that?
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12th October 2012
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#19 | | Gear nut
Joined: Nov 2010 Location: Phuket
Posts: 122
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Originally Posted by Football Did the Orpheus have that? | No I don't believe so, but it's a feature I really want and so far the only one I know of that fits the bill for me is the Metric Halo ULN-2, which sounds good, but I don't know how it compares quality wise to the Prism.
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12th October 2012
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#20 | | 70% Coffee, 30% Beer
Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Quincy, MA
Posts: 9,206
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just use a channel strip / chain of gear before the line inputs of the unit
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12th October 2012
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#21 | | Gear addict
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 430
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Does this also work as monitor controller or I need it as separate unit to control monitors?
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12th October 2012
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#22 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jul 2008 Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,852
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Awwwe...It's a cute wittle baby Orpheus.
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12th October 2012
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#23 | | Gear addict
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 485
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They're gold chains that are actually made of gold.
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12th October 2012
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#24 | | Gear nut
Joined: Nov 2010 Location: Phuket
Posts: 122
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Originally Posted by Doc Mixwell just use a channel strip / chain of gear before the line inputs of the unit | Well of course that is an option, but I think it's a handy feature.
It's not much of a gripe, but I'm surprised that so few interfaces of this calibre lack that feature.
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12th October 2012
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#25 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,670
| Quote:
Originally Posted by ksound This is great, but such a shame there are no insert points before the A/D converter. That would make it the ultimate choice for me if it had that. | why in the world would anyone need an insert before A/D? doesnt make any sense. you simply plug your signal into your outboard and from there into the interface. same thing :-) this is not a desk its an A/D converter....
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12th October 2012
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#26 | | 70% Coffee, 30% Beer
Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Quincy, MA
Posts: 9,206
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I believe ksound is referring to the Mic amp. This allows you to use the Mic amp, but an out board processor before the AD converter. I say, don't use the mic preamp if you want to do that. Use another Mic pre, and then patch your gear before the Line Input.
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12th October 2012
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#27 | | Gear addict
Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Gothenburg Sweden
Posts: 462
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What about a "standalone" mode ?
does it have AES ?
Like the Idea of having an affordable 2 channel Prism ad/da as my master and also take advantage of the extra preamps
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12th October 2012
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#28 | | Gear addict
Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Gothenburg Sweden
Posts: 462
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Just saw the rear :(
No AES only ADAT
Only wordclock on the LYRA 2 not the One
otherwise look very pretty
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12th October 2012
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#29 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2004 Location: Boston Area
Posts: 1,361
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Anyone know if this or Orpheus works with computer keyboard volume controls?
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12th October 2012
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#30 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Feb 2005 Location: Durham, NC USA
Posts: 8,948
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver Sonya Re-read that press release and you can see he's emphasizing Prism's sonic standards more than price.
- c | Wasn't there a shootout awhile back between a Steinberg MX816 and the Orpheus and the results really surprising?
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