The Henry Engineering Stereo Audio Monitor (SAM) is a stereo level and phase meter boasting new Single Stereo Display technology to provide a visual indication of the levels and phase relationships of a stereo audio signal. The unit indicates the usual Left and Right channel levels, and also displays the Sum and Difference components of the stereo signal. SAM's dual tri-colored Single Stereo Displays show this information in an intuitive and easy-to-comprehend format. Both analog and AES/EBU digital signals can be monitored with SAM. Its compact size allows monitoring three stereo audio sources in only 1 RU of rack space. Click here to get a quote.

SAM consists of two independent LED displays. The main Single Stereo Display arc of 17 tri-color LEDs provides an accurate indication of stereo audio levels over a range of -25 to +3 VU. The LEDs show the Left channel in green and the Right channel in red. When both channels are present, the LEDs will be yellow. By watching the Single Stereo Display, you can easily read the levels of both audio channels, see the balance between the channels, and instantly see if a channel is missing. In addition, a blue Peak LED indicates audio peaks that exceed 0 VU.

Below the Level display is the tri-color Phase display, an array of 10 LEDs. These indicate the levels of the Sum (L+R) and Difference (L-R) components of the stereo signal. The Sum is shown in green, with the Difference shown in red. These colors will accurately indicate the relative levels of the Main (baseband) and Stereo Subcarrier components of an FM or TV broadcast signal. The Phase display can operate in VU mode (showing average levels) or in Peak mode to provide better indication of high frequency L-R information.

SAM accepts an analog stereo input or an AES/EBU input if ordered with the optional plug-in AES decoder (see SAM-D). The Level and Phase displays can be independently calibrated over a wide range of operating levels. The Phase display can be calibrated to the same reference as the Level display, or it can be used to show headroom before clipping to ensure adequate headroom in the audio system. A headphone Monitor jack is provided for aural monitoring.

SAM is powered with a built-in AC power supply. It is 1/3 rack width and can be rack-mounted with the optional rack-mount shelf, or wall or cabinet mounted using optional cabinet/wall mounting brackets.

Please Note: The rear panel image shows the optional AES decoder (included with SAM-D).


* Requires optional AES decoder (standard in SAM-D).