TC Electronic is shipping Konnekt 8 (Mac/Win; $375), an audio interface that features two Impact mic preamps that are switchable to high-impedance guitar inputs or balanced line inputs. The interface also features two analog-controlled balanced outputs, two aux line inputs, two coaxial S/PDIF (stereo) I/O, sample accurate MIDI, FireWire connectivity, and TC NEAR (Network Expandable Audio Recording).

TC NEAR makes it possible to stack up to four Konnekts together to obtain a massive amount of I/O. When you network your Konnekts, you can connect multiple devices to one computer and direct monitor other users in real time. Monitoring options include analog volume control and two headphone outputs that include a speaker muting function that works when the headphone jack is used.

The Konnekt 8 audio interface is based on the new DICE II digital interface chip from TC Applied Technologies. DICE II provides a stable clock rate, which uses Jitter Elimination Technology (JET). Konnekt 8 ships with Steinberg Cubase LE.