Rane BB 44X BB 44X Balance Buddy Pro Audio Review, June 1998

BY ROGER WILLIAMS III

A

hybrid of the audio contractor, the systems inte-

grator often uses a combination of consumer-

grade equipment (tape decks, CD players, TVs)

and professional (amplifiers, preamps, mixers). Hence,

these “whole house” and boardroom installers need to inter-

connect components of different levels (consumer at -10

dBV and pro at +4 dBu) and convert from unbalanced to

balanced lines. In a similar predicament, the small studio or

home recording studio owner also faces these tasks. There

is some viable gear out there to be used by pros that does

not come with a balanced +4 dBu interface. Enter the Rane

BB 44X “Balance Buddy”.

Once past the friendly moniker, you realize that this is a use-

based device that will simultaneously convert two unbalanced

RCA input signals from -10 dBV to +4 dBu balanced XLR out-

puts and vice versa (in other words, two RCA in, two XLR out;

two XLR in, two RCA out) for a total of four channels of signal

conversion. High-grade nickel-iron core transformers provide

If you have ever been plagued by problems derived from

coupling unmatched devices, transformers are the way to go.

This unit worked well with various applications in my studio

and home. I converted the unbalanced outputs of a consumer

CD through the BB 44X into console XLR balanced inputs. I

ran a balanced line out from said console to my house and

converted to the unbalanced inputs of the home stereo, thus

irritating my kids with some “live” commentary. The trans-

formers handled high signal levels without ill effects such as

saturation, distortion and ringing. There is also an option that

lets you expand the unit to eight channels.

I found the “Balance Buddy” useful and effective and, as

the name implies, a way to bring numerous consumer and pro-

fessional products together in a “friendly” manner.

Roger Williams III is a systems designer for MAS Audio and

ONCE PAST THE FRIENDLY MONIKER,

YOU REALIZE THIS IS A USEFUL TOOL

Copyright 1998 by IMAS Publishing (USA), Inc. Reprinted with permission.