Metric Halo LIO-8 MKIV – 8×8 USB-C Audio Interface with DSP Metric Halo

Whether you are on location, in the studio or the mastering room, the LIO-8 mkIV has what it takes for you to get the job done.

LIO-8 mkIV is built on Metric Halo’s core 3d Technology, so it interoperates seamlessly with all existing MH 3d interfaces.

Since it is amazingly flexible, expandable and future-proof by design, your system always scales to meet your needs. Each unit includes these hardware features:

• Metric Halo’s unique 3d Core Digital Engine with MHLink
• 8 channels A/D with Analog Trim
• 8 channels D/A with Analog Gain
• Stereo Headphone
  • Dedicated HP D/A and Analog Gain
• Ultra-low converter latency
  • Converter latency reduced by 85% compared with previous generation
  • Round-trip through Converters + Mixer + DSP + Monitor:
    ≈ 0.9ms @ 44.1k
    ≈ 0.2ms @ 192k
• 2 channels Guitar/Bass DI inputs
• 8 channels AES Output
• 8 channels AES Input
• SMPTE LTC I/O
• MIDI I/O
• 128 Channel x 64 bus mixer
• Integrated DSP
• Full support for 192k
• Detailed Front panel metering
• FP control with dedicated gain knobs
• IR Remote Control support
• MH EdgeBus Card slot
• MHLink Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
• USB-C connectivity
• Low power, cool-running design with no fans

Integration for the Win
By implementing all the functions of a complete end-to-end signal chain solution in a single package, the LIO-8 mkIV is able to provide unprecedented capability and quality in a lightweight, low-power, single rack space unit. This integration has significant benefits in the form of reduced setup time and greater reliability, reduced cabling, weight, power consumption and cost, even as it provides unprecedented flexibility and performance.

The MHLink routing and transport architecture allows you to build a system with units distributed up to 100 meters apart with no added latency.

MHLink’s auto-configuration and hardware aggregation make it so the entire system appears to the host computer as a single unified interface. Audio, command and clock transport with up to 256 channels of audio (at 192k) is accomplished with light-weight, inexpensive, readily available Cat 5e cabling.

The new mkIV design is eco-friendly and uses very little energy to provide its incredible performance and power. Even when every mic channel is powering a 48v phantom mic, the LIO-8 mkIV only consumes 25 watts, and without phantom uses less than 21 watts.

This low-power design allows the mkIV to run cool and stable. No noisy fans required.

Metric Halo Sound
The sound of an audio product is more than the the sum of its parts. You can’t simply look at the components used and determine how something is going to sound. Excellent audio requires careful attention to detail and the tuning of every element of the entire system; this includes the analog stages, the power system, the clock and the converter itself. As all of these interact with each other in nonlinear ways, it is the system that determines the performance, and not any of the individual parts.
The A/D/A converters in the LIO-8 mkIV are DC-coupled to the analog I/O stages so they introduce extremely low phase distortion. The D/A has no low-frequency filtering. The A/D converters have an extremely low frequency DC blocking filter that calibrates the input path and removes DC offset with minimal phase shift.

Every element of the design combines to give you a warm, open 3-dimensional sound that is highly revealing and yet totally natural. Metric Halo mkIV sets a new standard.

It’s digital with soul.