The S-1608 16x8 Stage Unit Digital Snake System from Roland is a small format audio snake solution that offers 24-bit/96 kHz audio quality. It can be used in applications for bands, corporate A/V events, seminars, rental and staging houses, and broadcasters who need the best possible sound quality from their audio without the high frequency losses and bulk of an analog snake.
The S-1608 features 16-XLR microphone preamps with 48V phantom power and 8 XLR outputs. There is one digital output connector, an REAC (Roland Ethernet Audio Communication) output connector, an RS-232C, and DB-9 output connectors built into the unit.
Connections to the microphone preamps are made on stage where it is controlled using the S-4000R (sold separately), or the free PC/Mac RCS software. The audio is then amplified and converted at the closest point to the sound source and sent using Cat5e cables to the front of house mixer instead of using large multi-core copper cables. As a result, the S-1608 Digital Snake system is immune to the hums and buzzes caused by electrical noises inherent in analog snakes.