Audient Horizon 8P – Eight console pres, Thunderbolt speed

Horizon 8P puts a full tracking front end in one rack space: eight Audient console mic preamps with ORBIT variable impedance, two JFET instrument inputs, and 32-bit conversion over Thunderbolt 3.

Key Features

• 8 Audient console preamps: The ASP8024-HE circuit with 75 dB of gain and per-channel 48V.
• ORBIT variable impedance: Switch between 2.8 kΩ, 1.2 kΩ and 220 Ω to reshape a mic in hardware.
• 2 JFET instrument inputs: Front-panel DI modelled on a valve amp input stage, for guitar and bass.
• 133 dB dynamic range: ESS ES9823PRO and ES9039 converters at 32-bit / 192 kHz.
• 0.99 ms round-trip latency: Thunderbolt 3 at a 64-sample buffer, so performers monitor through plugins.
• Full monitor control: A/B speaker switching, two headphone outputs, talkback, mono, dim and polarity.

Customer Benefits

Tracking sessions usually need three boxes: preamps, an interface and a monitor controller. Horizon 8P collapses them into one 1U chassis without giving up the analogue part. ORBIT changes the load a microphone sees before the signal is converted, so a ribbon or a dynamic can be voiced at the source rather than corrected later. Gain settings recall digitally between sessions, eight DB25 line channels stay wired to outboard, and preamp bypass sends external boutique pres straight to the converters.

Quick Specs

• Total I/O: 24 in / 32 out
• Mic preamps: 8 Audient console pres, 75 dB gain, sweepable HPF 25 Hz – 250 Hz, -10 dB pad
• Instrument inputs: 2 × JFET DI on the front panel
• Line I/O: 8 channels via DB25 (Tascam pinout)
• Conversion: 32-bit / 192 kHz, 133 dB dynamic range
• Digital I/O: Dual ADAT in/out, BNC word clock in/out
• Host connection: Thunderbolt 3, forward compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and 5
• Dimensions and weight: 48.3 × 33 × 4.45 cm, 4.15 kg, 1U all-metal chassis

Ideal For

• Tracking rooms recording drums, vocals and full bands
• Producers replacing separate preamps, interface and monitor controller
• Engineers who want mic character set in analogue, not in a plugin

Compatibility

macOS only, over Thunderbolt 3 and forward compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and 5; registering in Audient ARC unlocks the bundled plugin and software offers.

Pros & Cons

• ✅ Genuine ASP8024-HE console preamps, not a scaled-down circuit
• ✅ ORBIT impedance switching is analogue and cannot be replicated by a plugin
• ✅ Monitor control, talkback and two headphone outs are built in
• ✅ Digital gain recall saves the setup between sessions

• ⚠️ macOS only — there is no Windows driver for the Horizon range
• ⚠️ Eight analogue inputs is the ceiling before you add ADAT or a second unit
• ⚠️ Using the DB25 line I/O means buying a D-Sub loom separately

If the goal is one box between the microphones and the Mac, with the analogue stage still doing real work, Horizon 8P is the Horizon model to start with.