AES67 AES Convertor

How the SUPERCAN AES67 ↔ AES3 Converter Works

The SUPERCAN AES67 to AES3 converter is a bidirectional bridge that lets you patch IP-audio networks — AES67, Dante, RAVENNA and Livewire — into legacy XLR / AES3 broadcast infrastructure without latency penalty or sample-rate mismatch. Inside the chassis, an AES67-compliant network port (SMPTE ST 2110-30 profile compatible) receives RTP audio streams clocked to PTPv2 (IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol v2) grandmaster sync. The streams are decoded, word-clock-aligned, then re-emitted on the AES3 side as balanced 110 Ω differential audio over XLR.

Audio specifications — sample rate, bit depth, latency

The converter supports sample rates of 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz and 96 kHz, and bit depths of 16-bit, 20-bit and 24-bit — covering broadcast-standard 48 kHz / 24-bit production as well as high-resolution 96 kHz / 24-bit mastering. End-to-end latency through both stages of conversion is under 1 ms, low enough for in-ear monitor (IEM) chains, live theater foldback, and broadcast intercom routing where round-trip delay budget is tight.

Why PTPv2 synchronization matters for AES3 conversion

AES67, Dante and RAVENNA all derive their network clock from PTPv2. When you bring an IP-audio stream into the AES3 world, the synchronization reference has to carry through — otherwise downstream digital consoles and routers will reject the AES3 frames as clock-slipped or word-clock-misaligned. The SUPERCAN converter exposes the recovered PTPv2 clock on a BNC word-clock output, so the rest of your AES3 / S/PDIF chain can lock to the same PTPv2 grandmaster as the IP-audio side. AES3 vs AES67 sample-rate conversion (e.g. 48 kHz IP audio → 96 kHz AES3 archive) is handled on the same hardware path.

Typical AES67 / Dante / RAVENNA → AES3 use cases

• Broadcast TV — pull Dante streams out of a router system into legacy AES3 broadcast infrastructure without rewiring the trunk.
• Theater & touring — bridge an AES67 touring rack into the venue's permanent AES3 stage box; PTPv2 sync keeps the two clocks aligned across the network handoff.
• Houses of worship — connect a Livewire studio feed to AES3-only digital recording archives or program-out feeds.
• Recording studio — monitor RAVENNA tracks on AES3-only studio monitors and external A/D converters at 24-bit / 96 kHz mastering resolution.
• Post-production — bring AES67 sources into legacy AES3 I/O cards that still expect balanced XLR input.