Henry Engineering

Henry Engineering's The Matchbox is a two impedance converter. It's designed for use in the studio where you might need to convert a lower impedance or vice versa. It's the older version of the Matchbox, as there is also a Matchbox HD which is the newest version of this. I've used both and they are pretty much the same more or less. It's got stereo balanced XLR inputs and outputs as well as unbalanced stereo RCA connections for input and output as well. The studio that I work at now has this original Matchbox as an impedance converter for using with iPods and computers. We have an 1/8" connection going to the XLR inputs on this and it makes for easy connecting of your iPod, computer, phone, etc for listening through the monitors. It's a nice and easy way to have this available for clients who might want to check something out from an outside source. We have this permanently hooked up in this fashion, but of course the Matchbox is useful for beyond just this and can be used for converting the impedance of any signal. Once you make your connections with the Matchbox, you're good to go as there aren't any parameters or anything to mess with - it does the job more or less for you once you decide what you'd like to do with it. It's not too expensive, although I don't know exactly how it compares to the newer Matchbox HD in terms of price. I'd say you can go with either of them as they seem pretty interchangeable to me with the Matchbox HD just being a slightly updated and newer version. Either way, The Matchbox is the perfect tool for impedance conversion in any situation and is definitely something that studio owners should be aware of.

This is a really cool device that I would never have known about had I not worked in a studio where it was needed. I've discovered that simply converting from an unbalanced -10db audio source to a +4db balanced source in Pro Tools will increase lots of noise and excess level, which is something that is not acceptable at a professional studio. This box will take signals of both types and convert them to the other noiselessly and superbly. There aren't any other special features, this is a simple device with one primary function. It has an extra component that you attack to it in order to let it fit onto a rack, and can also be wall-mounted. UTILIZATION This is a really simple box to use. Just run the unbalanced audio signal through the unbalanced input and then use the XLR outputs for the output. You'll turn a previously unbalanced signal into a balanced one. It's great to use with other recording devices or audio sources such as computer sound cards, DAT converters, and other such things. It's also good for taking balanced audio sources and making them -10db unbalanced, though I haven't needed to do that really and am not sure why it would be totally necessary other than for pure loudness' sake. SOUND QUALITY This is probably one of the more transparent pieces of gear you'll find out there. The whole point of it is to take unbalanced audio and make it balanced, which is a problematic venture if you aren't sure what you're doing. This box makes it simple and easy, and doesn't sacrifice audio quality in the least. This is why it's such a good purchase for the studio owner, it will allow audio that is basically unusable to sound great with no manipulation or processing required. OVERALL OPINION While this is certainly not the most necessary piece of gear for the home studio owner to have, it is great if you are doing unconventional methods of recording, or which to use audio from an unconventional source and have it be of a useable level and quality. Basically, if you find yourself needing to balance unbalanced audio, this is your guy right here. It's certainly no joke to just drop 200 dollars on a piece of gear, so make sure you'll use it a couple times at least. If you make some money off of a recording that needs this gear it more or less pays for itself. So I'd have to recommend this pretty highly overall.