Eight Reasons Why
You Should be Using CobraNet

Reason #1 - Fewer cables to run

No matter how you do the math, running analog cable just plain sucks. Carefully plan around existing utility structures and architectural hurdles, but don't run too far out of the way or you'll start bumping up against voltage drop issues. Factor in conduit (you'll probably need it on every line), and solder on a couple of connectors on the end of the line. Oh, and don't forget, you'll want that powered speaker to actually turn on, so go ahead and throw down a 220 somewhere nearby. If you're lucky, you won't need a signal repeater, ground-loop killer, or patch bay. Got it? Great, now do it all over again for every single channel in your system.

Wait, why did you just start crying?

Let's drop all of that foolishness and just replace the analog cable with much less expensive CAT-5 UTP. CobraNet's digitized structure lets you send up to 64 channels over just one networking cable. And all of that power conditioning equipment? You don't need it, since digital audio bundles aren't susceptible to ground loops or interference, and you can spool a line longer than a football field before it runs out of signal strength. Say goodbye to the soldering iron and metal connectors, you'll be trading them for easier-to-install plastic RJ-45 clips and a crimping tool. Heck, some CobraNet equipment even comes PoE-equipped, meaning that you can feed them power over the Ethernet cable and leave out the wiring of a new power outlet.

Reason #2 - Less analog = better sound quality

Analog sound suffers on every step of its journey: every termination is a chance for a faulty electrical connection or ground loop issue, every power source is a threat towards EMI, every foot of cable contributes to attenuation, and every step of the way is a chance for someone to come along and physically damage the set-up.

On the other hand, your sound is pretty much bulletproof once you convert it over to digital. Ones and zeros just don't have the susceptibility to the kinds of signal interruptions that plague analog. You don't even have to use shielded cable, and you can go through many connections without introducing noise. Now that you can install CobraNet right at the wall, you can turn what used to be a 100-foot analog run with ten or so chances to degrade your signal into a four foot run with just one connection on each end.

Come to think of it, your CobraNet transmission can actually sound better than the original. After all, we've already got a digital signal in the box, so why not apply some digital signal processing? In a fraction of a second, our InBoxes run a quartet of audio improvements – configurable compressor, EQ, gain and delay – then send it on to the CobraNet cloud.

Reason #3 - Reconfigure the layout with the click of a mouse

CobraNet lets you disconnect, reconnect, route, reroute, P.A., intercom, private line or party line, connecting every single device in your design, all without touching a single cable. Try doing that with analog.

Every CobraNet device is connected to send/receive a signal from every other networked device, and it's all configurable by running software on the LAN. Imagine a hotel ballroom that converts from a split meeting room/dining room, into a large conference hall, all with the push of a touchscreen or a command from a remote control room.

Reason #4 - Less (and easier) troubleshooting

Has something like this ever happened to you? You're wiring up a P.A. system in an elementary school, and the speaker in room 207 refuses to squawk when you send a signal from the receptionist desk. Room 193 is intermittent, and there's a slight hum in the auditorium. Faulty connector? Voltage drop? Wiring mistake? Busted circuit in the switch? Missed connection on the patch bay? Defective cable? Looks like you've got some detective work to do, and your problem rooms are on opposite sides of the building. Oh goodie.

This just doesn't happen in networked audio. Run the CAT-5, plug it in, and if it turns on then move on to setting up the software—you're done with the install.

Reason #5 - Add a new line, there's nothin' to it!

Client: "We need to add a single mic line to our fifteen-room sound setup."
You: "Yeah? Well, I'd like a solid-gold Harley with machine guns on the front, but I don't think that's gonna happen either, buddy."

Such a simple request, but it's a one way ticket to cable-pulling, patch-bay-rat-nest-making, interference-inducing hell.

That is, unless you're using CobraNet. With CobraNet, you'd just run some CAT-5 from the switch (or cannibalize an existing data line), plug in a PoE, network-at-the-wall box, configure the software, and you're done. That was easy.

Reason #6 - Equipment made obsolete

Distribution is a huge side of the digital equation, but it's not the only one. A CobraNet-ready signal is just begging for some DSP lovin', and who are we to argue with fate? Send the signal on to a networked rack for some big-iron processing, or run it through some simple conditioning in the original box; either way, you have every opportunity to send some expensive analog equipment to the scrap pile.

At the very least, you'll eliminate a ton of cable, soldered connectors, and there won't be any need for isolation transformers or distribution amps. With the advanced DSP in our InBox series, you now have access to a built-in compressor, equalizer, gain and delay. The heavy-hitting VoiceBox I/OP features a superior DSP that lets it serve as a cost-effective mic/line preamp, mixing console, matrix mixer, or a supplemental processor to aid the big iron on your network. And, every Attero Tech device can process up to 8 signals at a time, whether they're from physically plugged-in cables or are a networked audio bundle.

Besides saving a ton of cash by eliminating the cable, labor and external processing equipment, there's a direct client benefit to using CobraNet devices, too. Whether it's a wall-mounted junction box or a mini-rack format processor, you're also eliminating big, bulky boxes that are in constant danger of getting damaged, stolen, or reconfigured by a sticky-handed 8-year-old named Timmy. For small venues, those DSPs give them access to features that they'd otherwise just learn to live without.

Reason #7 - Shift installation to the grunts

Did a three-year-old just try and find out if she could cram a whole peanut-butter & jelly sandwich into one of your XLR jacks? No need for a service call. Just send the client a new box, reloaded with your saved configuration, and it's Miller Time.

On the install front, why not have the IT guys or an electrician do your cable runs, too? Now that you're using CAT-5, you can rest easy having someone else do your bidding, without fear of them introducing analog headaches for you to troubleshoot. Nice!!

Reason #8 - Welcome to the 21^st Century

Right now, the only thing that has really kept digitally networked audio from completely immolating the analog world is the cost and availability of equipment. Those final barriers are finally starting to erode, and we're doing everything we can to fuel the audio over Ethernet revolution.

More and more clients are requesting networked audio like CobraNet, not because they know exactly what's out there, but just because they figure that everything else can live on a network, so something like this just has to exist. Make sure that you are the one to play matchmaker. CobraNet audio installers can save a ton on installations, offer flexibility and expandability to their clients, and are finding that demand for their networking know-how is continually growing..