House of Worship

Sony SRP-X700P Product Review

From "Sound & Video Contractor" October 2005 Issue
Sony SRP-X700P: Computer-controlled digital powered mixer consolidates seven pieces of gear in a single box.

Simplicity. It's nice to have everything you need wrapped up in a tidy package. Sony's SRP-X700P digital powered mixer ($2,795) provides simplicity and completeness. It combines the functionality of seven distinct devices in a single package: an RGB switcher, a video switcher, a wireless tuner base unit, an audio mixer, a power amplifier, a feedback reducer, and an EQ.

Having all these devices in a single unit delivers on the promise of simplicity of operation. Above all else, this mixer's real power lies in its extensive computer-control functionality. It ships with SRP-X700P Manager software that enables control over the unit's powerful signal processing and routing. Let me tell you what I discovered when I recently spent some time with one of these units.

One of the first things that struck me with this unit was I/O - lots and lots of I/O. And that's the point; this box ties together all the audio and video sources you have in your boardroom, lecture room, or place of worship. There are four XLR connectors dedicated to microphone inputs (Mic Inputs 1 to 4) and two more that can be used for line-level input as well (Mic 5 and 6/Line 1 and 2.) All these have 48V phantom power switchable per channel. There is also a stereo pair of RCA inputs (Line 3). The unit's Line 4 input is quite clever in that it allows front-panel switching between as many as six discrete video/audio inputs. The first three inputs (4A, 4B, 4C) accept composite video or S-Video. Inputs 4D and 4E accept RGB video and decoded 5.1 audio. The final input, 4F, takes RGB and stereo audio. I easily connected several devices of different types and got both audio and video signals into the mixer.

There are a total of 10 line-level outputs available, the first two of which are represented by balanced XLR connectors. There are also six RCA line-level, user-configurable line outputs and two more RCA outputs that are dedicated to "record out" functionality. I like this feature because, for instance, it makes playback of any part of a board meeting easy.

One other thing. I don't mean to gloss over the front-panel controls, but they are unbelievably simple. Third-grader-could-handle-it simple. There are only eight faders, two master level knobs, six switches for switching between the Line 4 inputs, four switches to change scenes, and two slots for wireless receivers. That's it - simple, elegant, and easily handled by even an untrained professional.

The SRP-X700P Manager software has a primary window. At its bottom are seven tabs: Block, Input, Routing, Output, Remote, Group Fader, and Scene. They are self-explanatory and when I used the software, I easily navigated where I wanted to go.

I am truly impressed with this package. It is simple to set up and use. The I/O and operation are self-explanatory. Many of the unit's most powerful functions are available only when controlling it from a computer, which some could consider a negative. I submit that using a computer is very much worthwhile. This scheme clearly decreased this unit's cost by eliminating an expensive hardware GUI. You already have that GUI in the form of a computer, so you save money by avoiding duplication. One minor complaint - an Ethernet interface would be much appreciated. USB is fine for now, but future revisions should add Ethernet capability to expand and extend computer control. Otherwise, the cost of this unit is well justified by the extensive mixing, routing, signal processing, and simple operation. I would even say that it's quite inexpensive considering the feature set. I strongly recommend the SRP-X700P for any serious contractor or integrator.

A version of this article appeared in the October 2005 issue of Sound & Video Contractor.