19 Facts About CobraNet

CobraNet is a combination of software, hardware, and network protocols designed to deliver uncompressed, multi-channel, low-latency digital audio over a standard Ethernet network.

CobraNet was designed for and is primarily used in large commercial audio installations such as convention centers, stadiums, airports, theme parks, and concert halls.

CobraNet is an alternative to analog audio, which suffers from signal degradation over long cable runs due to electromagnetic interference, high-frequency attenuation, and voltage drop.

CobraNet was developed in 1996 by Boulder, Colorado-based Peak Audio.

CobraNet was first introduced as an interoperable standard in collaboration with manufacturer QSC Audio Products.

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At this point CobraNet had graduated to fast Ethernet and used a unique collision avoidance technique to carry up to 64 channels per Ethernet collision domain.

CobraNet was enhanced to support and eventually require a switched Ethernet network.

Use of Ethernet by CobraNet offers many high availability features such as Spanning Tree Protocol, link aggregation, and network management.

All CobraNet packets are identified with a unique Ethernet protocol identifier assigned to Cirrus Logic.

CobraNet is somewhat scalable, in that channel capacity increases when 16-bit audio is used, and channel capacity decreases when 24-bit audio is used.

CobraNet network is synchronized to a single CobraNet device known as the conductor.

The bundle capacity of CobraNet devices are unique to the particular device and are not always the same.

CobraNet interfaces come in several varieties, some of which can support more channels than others.

Additionally, CobraNet interfaces have two Ethernet ports labelled "primary" and "secondary".

Typical CobraNet interfaces provided by Cirrus Logic are the CM-1 and the CM-2:.

Amplifiers with integrated CobraNet help keep the signal chain digital for a longer span.

Loudspeakers with integrated CobraNet help keep the signal chain digital for an even longer span.

However, a powered speaker, powered by an electrical cable and fitted with integrated CobraNet inputs, eliminates the speaker cable and replaces it with a network cable.

Since a speaker will only use one audio channel out of the bundle, many speakers with CobraNet will have a number of analog outputs for the rest of the channels in the bundle, which is useful in speaker cluster applications.