Black Lion Audio PBR 8-500 8-Slot Rack/PSU with Built-in Patchbay

The Creative Engineer’s 500 RackThe Black Lion Audio PBR 8-500 is an 8-slot 500-series rack/power supply with a unique, patented patchbay that provides unlimited routing options for your 500-series hardware. You can quickly route and re-route signals through your module collection without needing to re-rack your modules to suit a predetermined signal flow. Fitting eight 500-series slots into a 3U rack-mountable enclosure, the PBR 8-500 is right at home both in the studio or on the road.

When inspiration strikes, you’ll never lose time removing and re-racking your modules to enact some clever routing. The PBR 8-500 is equipped with a fully balanced TT/Bantam patchbay for unlimited creative routing potential — a rarity in the 500-series landscape. You get Inputs and Outputs for every slot, as well as two Mults. The Mults offer a single input and two outs, each — allowing you to split the output of a single module to two others. It’s ideal for parallel processing.

You can easily audition a signal chain, reroute it, split it via one of the Mults, send it to modules in another rack, route it back, then output it — all right from the front panel. If you wish to link two adjacent modules for stereo operation, you can do so at the press of a button. Internal jumpers are also available for setting up less common linking setups.

At A Glance • 8-slot 500-series rack/power supply with a unique, patented patchbay
• Front-mounted, patented TT patchbay: 8 ins and outs; 2 mults
• Clean, isolated power with plenty of current for each slot
• High-current audio rails for low noise
• 8 stereo-linkable 500-series slots
• Gold-plated XLR, DB25, and TT I/O
• Maximum phantom power current: 140 mA
• Operating voltage: 100–240 VAC

Outstanding Build QualityThe PBR 8-500’s design was greatly informed by years of experience modding audio hardware for low noise. Black Lion Audio leveraged that know-how to ensure that the PBR 8-500 provides stable and reliable power not found in lesser 500-series chassis.

PBR 8-500 sports per-channel power regulation to ensure that noise and crosstalk from one module does not affect another. Its huge power supply provides 400 mA per rail per slot maximum, with an overall 1.6A (1.8A non-continuous) per rail, whichever is reached first. We’re confident the PBR 8-500’s power supply is one of the quietest and most reliable ever built in a 500-series rack.

The PBR 8-500 is built to the same rugged quality standard of Black Lion Audio’s PBR-series patchbays. Its black-anodized aluminum faceplates make for a sophisticated look, while its audiophile grade XLR, TT, and DB25 connectors are all gold-plated to deliver maximum conductivity and signal clarity; the TT connectors are a custom-tensioned Black Lion exclusive design first implemented on the PBR-TT Patchbay. Its classy chassis is liberally drilled to optimize heat dispersion.