Peer Review: Sabine Navigator NAV240
Sales Manager Byard Hey reviews the Sabine Navigator NAV240 audio processor.
My Pick: Sabine Navigator NAV240
List Price: $860
What I Like About It: This particular job required a specific feature set, and the Navigator had it all. We needed a 2 x 4 audio processor with a front panel that could be locked out, crossovers and delays, and a set of feedback control filters. The NAV240 fit the bill, and the setup was very fast and efficient. I like a product that is intuitive and doesn’t require days of training in order to use it. We’ve used Sabine Navigators in the past, and we knew it would sound good.
I Would Change: Phoenix connectors instead of XLR would be an improvement, which are currently only available on the NAV8802.
Where I Used It: We used this product at the Nathaniel “Traz” Powell Stadium at Miami-Dade Community College in Miami.
MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS
Input impedance: >10k ohms, balanced
Output impedance: 50 ohms, balanced
Maximum level: +20dBu
Frequency response: +/- 0.1dB (20 to 20kHz)
Dynamic range: 115dB typ (unweighted)
CMMR: > 60dB (50 to 10kHz)
Sabine Navigator NAV240
Crosstalk: < -100dB
Distortion: 0.002% (1kHz @+4dBu)
Processor: 40-bit
Sampling rate: 48kHz
Analog converters: High Performance 24-bit
Propagation delay: 1.5ms
Audio connectors: 3-pin XLR
RS-232: Female DB-9
USB: Type B
Ethernet: RJ45 (4802, 8802)
Dimensions: 19 inches x 1.75 inches x 9 inches
Weight: 7 pounds
This facility recently went through an extensive renovation to the existing football field that included new artificial turf, new running track encircling the field, and the addition of a high jump pit and pole vault pit. Nathaniel “Traz” Powell Stadium also doubles as a split-use facility for the Miami-Dade Public Schools high school track and field events as well as high school football games. The facility’s existing sound system was not only out of date but also had been damaged by the hurricanes that had come through the area in the past years. All-new sound system components were installed inside and on the roof of the existing pressbox in long, medium, and short throw configurations in order to provide proper coverage for the different setups required by the specific event.
My Results: Initially the spec for this football stadium job called for a different audio processor. But once we fired up the loudspeakers, we could not get enough gain before feedback on the field, so we switched to the Navigator. We were able to get plenty of gain on the field, without even a hint of feedback.
Mics are used in a variety of places within the stadium, and we were able to get each mic to work just fine without feedback. A big plus with Sabine’s feedback system is that the program material is unchanged — you don’t hear the FBX working.
We also used the crossover features to send signals to the subwoofers and the delay to time-align the main array with the fill-in speakers under the over-hangs. And we used the parametric filters for fine adjustments to each set of speakers in the stadium. This software required less moving around between screens. When you are working on one channel’s delay settings, you also see the settings for all the other channels. This speeds up our work, and helps prevent errors.
