Thor Broadcast F-8XLR-HiFi-TxRx 8-Channel XLR Audio over Fiber | 1U 19-Inch Rack Units | High-Fidelity Balanced Audio

Eight XLR Channels on Fiber

A multicore copper snake between a stage and a control room is heavy, lossy and prone to hum. The Thor F-8XLR-HiFi-TxRx replaces it with a fiber link carrying up to eight balanced XLR audio channels on a single strand, using matched transmitter and receiver units. Audio quality holds up across the whole run, which makes the system practical for broadcast facilities, venues and campuses where cable length and electrical noise both cause trouble.

Wide Bandwidth and Channel Separation

The system is built for high fidelity rather than only intelligibility. Frequency bandwidth runs from 20 Hz to 50 kHz at -3 dB, SNR is better than 98 dB at 1 kHz, and adjacent channel isolation exceeds 94 dB, so one hot channel does not bleed into its neighbors. Maximum differential input level is 5.6 Vp-p with 6.2 Vp-p at the output, leaving headroom for professional line levels without clipping.

Audio and Optical Interfaces

The transmitter presents up to eight XLR inputs with 200 kOhm input impedance, and the receiver up to eight XLR outputs at 600 ohm. The optical port is uni-directional on an ST/PC connector at 1310 nm, with output power between -5.5 and 5.6 dBm, receiving sensitivity of -23 dBm and overload at -3 dBm. Reach is up to 20 km on single-mode fiber or about 2000 feet over multimode.

Rack Format, Power and Indicators

Each unit is a 1U, 19-inch chassis that drops straight into a studio or venue rack. Power comes from an AC input accepting 100 to 230 V, with a front panel switch and PWR1 and PWR2 indicators that show green when supplies are healthy. Combined power consumption is 6 W for transmitting and receiving. On the receiver, the LINK indicator turns red when optical signal loss is detected, which speeds up fault location.

Applications and Project Planning

Stage to front-of-house links, studio to control room connections, outside broadcast feeds and multi-building campus audio distribution are the common uses, and the optical path keeps all of them clear of lighting and power interference. Thor lists a single configuration, F-8XLR-HiFi-TxRx, supplied as a matched pair. StreamPort Media can confirm fiber type, connector choice and the required channel count against your site survey before the order is placed.