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Dangerous Music SOURCE Monitor Controller

Monitor Controller with Digital and Analog Input Sources, 1/8" Stereo Input, and Dual Headphone Outputs
24 Write review Item ID: Source
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Dangerous SOURCE

Dangerous Music's SOURCE is the all-in-one portable monitoring system project studio engineers have been waiting for! The Dangerous SOURCE gives you access to a complete set of audio sources, including USB and AES digital audio, as well as a balanced XLR and an 1/8" stereo input. Separate source selections for your headphones and monitors will certainly also come in handy when collaborating with artists. If the complexity of your monitoring setup has you tied in knots, check out the Dangerous SOURCE.

Related Videos: SOURCE Monitor Controller

Portable, studio-grade monitor controller

The Dangerous SOURCE slips into your backpack and fits right under your laptop. If you're a producer, engineer, DJ, or video editor who's always on-the-go, it's great to have access to studio-quality monitoring on the road. Dangerous Music's studio monitoring products are well regarded amongst audio pros, and you know when they set out to design a portable monitor controller, it's going to have the right stuff.

Flexibility — it's a beautiful thing

The Dangerous SOURCE lets you listen to any combination of four input sources; you get two speaker outputs and two headphone outputs. You can let the singer hear their own personal headphone mix, for instance, from the Analog 2 input — while you monitor the real mix, coming in from your computer via the USB input (which can run up to 24-bit/192kHz). The Dangerous SOURCE gives you the monitoring flexibility to handle virtually any monitoring situation that might occur.

Dangerous quality

Dangerous Music is renowned for their no-compromise designs and build-quality, and the Dangerous SOURCE lives up to this reputation. The company's products have earned the fierce loyalty of legions of audio pros the world over. When you add the Dangerous SOURCE to your audio rig, you know that you're making an investment in great sound that will give you many years of use.

What the pros are saying about the SOURCE:

  • "[The SOURCE] delivered flawless audio quality to some half-dozen sets of monitors and countless sets of headphones. This little router is reference and headphone monitoring with a vengeance. Dangerous has a reputation for gear that's solidly built and sounds amazing; that sums up the SOURCE in a nutshell." — Mike Metlay (Recording Magazine)
  • "I've been absolutely spoiled by the DAC and especially the headphone amplifier..." — Steve Torres (Mix Engineer/Producer)
  • "What's really noticeable with the analog stage is tightness in the different frequency bands — more clarity in the sub and better detail in the highs and high-mids. The source D/A, I have to say, is a really pleasant listen. So musical." — Joseph Fraioli (Sound Designer)
  • "I am hearing more detail than I've heard before. Seriously, my monitors sound different!" — Ron Kopald (Musician/Engineer)
  • "The sound quality is somewhere beyond excellent. Mixing with the SOURCE becomes a superior audio experience." — Craig Anderton (Mastering Engineer)
  • "I instantly heard lots of detail, the SOURCE made the music instantly a lot less fatiguing. I am also able to work at a lower volume and still be 'into the vibe' of the track." — Dan Black (Producer)
  • "Effortlessly transparent and accurate, yet still musical and enthralling: all the characteristics that define top-flight analogue circuitry." — Hugh Robjohns (Sound on Sound)
  • "If you're running around tracking on the fly, or you're a touring DJ or electronic artist, this unit would be indispensable." — Thom Monahan (TapeOp Magazine)

Dangerous Music SOURCE Features:

  • Hear everything, anywhere, so you can mix it right the first time
  • Portable monitor control for both speakers and headphones
  • Monitor Digital, (2) Analog and USB sources separately or simultaneously
  • Fits beneath a 13" laptop or rack installable (kit optional)
  • Two speaker outputs can be engaged simultaneously, or use one as a dedicated subwoofer out
  • Headphones and speakers can monitor single or multiple sources — different choices for the producer and artist
  • Two analog inputs: 1/8" mini stereo and XLR/TRS combo jack
  • Two digital inputs: AES/SPDIF and USB
  • USB IN, up to 24-bit/192kHz for Windows and Mac
  • Third stereo output to send to Front of House or final mixdown
  • Rackmountable with optional rack ear kit

Additional Media

Source Chop Shop
Source User Manual
Source Wiring Diagram
Studio Monitor Buying Guide

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Monitor Controller
  • Input Channels: 4
  • Output Channels: 8
  • Analog Inputs: 2 x XLR-1/4" combo, 1 x 1/8" (stereo)
  • Analog Outputs: 2 x XLR (speaker 1), 2 x 1/4" (speaker 2), 2 x 1/4" (line out)
  • Digital Inputs: 1 x XLR-1/4" combo (AES, S/PDIF)
  • Digital Outputs: 1 x XLR (AES)
  • Headphones: 2 x 1/4"
  • USB: 1 x Type B
  • Computer Connectivity: USB 2.0
  • Form Factor: Desktop (Optional Rackmount Kit Available)
  • Power Supply: 12V DC power supply (included)
  • Height: 1.75"
  • Width: 8"
  • Depth: 12.75"
  • Manufacturer Part Number: SOURCE

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Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5

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Linux DAC

Works on NixOS 23.11 and Ubuntu 23.04 with no configuration.

> pacmd list-sinks
1 sink(s) available.
* index: 0
name:
driver:
flags: HARDWARE DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
state: RUNNING
suspend cause: (none)
priority: 9049
volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB, front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
balance 0.00
base volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
volume steps: 65537
muted: no
current latency: 32.10 ms
max request: 8 KiB
max rewind: 8 KiB
monitor source: 0
sample spec: s32le 2ch 44100Hz
channel map: front-left,front-right
Stereo
used by: 1
linked by: 2
configured latency: 23.22 ms; range is 0.50 .. 2000.00 ms
card: 0
module: 6
by Sweetwater Customer on

The Final Piece

As a life-long musician now in my 70s, I'm finding great joy in the post-production end of things. My home, hobby "studio" is a well treated room set up for getting things ready to print. Seeking to upgrade the weakest link in my setup I focused on a Monitor Controller. Most important was the quality of the converters, a USB connection and the physical footprint. Hoping to get in under $1,500, I narrowed my choices to a similarly priced unit from a great German company and the Dangerous Music Source. I'm driving Adam Audio 7", near-field reference monitors and Senn 650 phones.

After a phone call with my Sales friend, Bob Mondok, I settled on the DM Source. I declare it to be "the final piece," even though my dear wife remains skeptical. I'll likely never know how the other unit would have sounded but it doesn't matter. The sense of presence, clarity and detail are what I needed and received. Sounds at the bottom end are much more clearly defined, mids are easier to separate and the highs are clear without being anywhere near crisp or harsh. It sounds like I'm in a big-boy's room. Sounds expensive. Rich and full.

The unit did need to be sent back but Bob Mondok and JD Hundt, Service Tech extraordinaire, made is so easy for me that I didn't experience any downtime. Sincere thanks to Bob, for guiding me in the right direction, and JD for the amazing response to the moment.


"A" for the unit, A+ for the service.
by Joe Markko from Mayfield Heights, OH on
Music background: Songwriter/vocalist/musician, formal music education, recorded at Chess Records Chicago, RCA Nashville, Cleveland Recording. Started Home Recording in 1982.

PTHDX Problem Solver

I've been perfectly happy with my Coleman monitor controller for over 10 years now but in the studio working with Pro Tools HD open it became an ever increasing pain to listen to system audio to reference iTunes, YouTube, etc as well as having the aux cable always at the ready. My choice was having a bump box into a separate input or deal with level surprises due to the impedance mismatch, no fault of the Coleman's, just the nature of the passive controllers. Sounds silly but it's an annoying thing to explain to visiting artists how to switch for the aux or system audio, I just needed something that was always at the ready. The Source fixed all this for me. At all times I have an aux cable, system audio via the Source's DA, as well as a solid monitor section and a send to the headphone amp. I was worried about going to an active controller after being on a passive for so long. I did notice a different sound but that's all it is, different, no difference in quality and the mixes are as solid or better, the very, very slightly forward midrange seems to help my mixing style. Out of curiosity I tested the DA against my Prism ADA-8XR (my absolute favorite converters). Again, they're different, the Source is more mid and bass forward but every bit as usable, way better than the Aurora 8 I keep around for extra inserts and I prefer it to my Burl B2 (heresy some would say but it's just my opinion). That was a nice bonus I wasn't expecting and can trust it to manipulate sounds in Ableton while keeping PTHD open. My only change I'd make to the unit would be to make the volume knob a different color, maybe match the logo's orange to easier differentiate it from the headphone volume for studio visitors. I should also add that I got it with the rack kit, a perfect fit. Very happy with this handy little box.
by dB from Los Angeles, CA on
Music background: Professional

Top Notch

Bought this after years of using an SM passive controller. The switching was fine on the SM, but I never realized what it was doing sonically until I installed the Source. The Source's analog path is pristine, but in my opinion, the digital inputs are where it really shines. The difference between my Apollo's (silverface) DA and the Source's is very obvious. The Source is much clearer, and the balance in the audio spectrum is much cleaner as well. Having the option for a USB input is also fantastic, as I can do quick comparisons between reference tracks on my computer and my mixes with the push of a button. The dual headphone jacks are a nice addition, and Dangerous gear just looks and feels pro in my setup. I also get to use the analog through jacks for a set of Coleman VU meters! Very happy with my purchase.
by Nick from NJ on

Love this thing

I am another who moved up from a Central Station, this was a night and day difference, just ridiculous. Hear so much more from my mixes, used to have to plan on what was missing and guess, now I just mix and that's what bounces down and is what I hear when I take it to outside players. A godsend!
by Sweetwater Customer on

Hear from a Sales Engineer

What Do Our In-house Gear Experts Think?

Andrew Malloy

I just picked up Dangerous Music Source for my portable setup. The sound quality of the monitoring path allows me to really hear the mix, it fits in my laptop bag perfectly, and the DA converters are worth the price of admission alone. The Source is truly mastering-grade monitoring and conversion without the mastering-grade pricetag. I will never give up my Source!

Mitch Gallagher

When you're working on a recording -- whether you're tracking, editing, mixing, or mastering -- monitoring is everything. If you can't accurately hear what you're doing, you can't make decisions about mic placement, edits, EQ, effects, or balances. Everything is affected by what you hear from your monitor system. That's why great monitors are essential. But don't forget about your monitor controller; everything passes through it, so it must be the best-quality item in your signal path. The Dangerous Music Source is a new monitor control center that delivers both stellar audio quality and a great deal of routing flexibility. The Source has four stereo inputs: Analog 1, Analog 2, AES/EBU or S/PDIF digital, and USB. There are two independent output paths: one for headphones and one for studio monitors. You can connect and switch between two sets of studio monitors, and assign any input source to either output path. This lets you route different mixes to headphones than you have feeding your monitors -- perfect for tracking sessions. You can also simultaneously route multiple inputs to the headphone and/or monitor outputs, so you can jam along with playback from an iPod, for example. You can even listen to both sets of monitor outputs at once, which is useful if you're connecting a subwoofer with main monitors. The USB input can connect directly to your computer and feed audio from the computer through an onboard D/A converter to the outputs. In many situations, you won't even need an audio interface to listen to audio (unless you're tracking or need inputs to the computer, of course). There is also a stereo through that you can pass through to an external stereo recorder or back to two inputs on your computer, plus a digital through allows you to pass through to other digital devices. The Source is deceptively powerful, offering everything many of us will need for tracking, mixing, and mastering in our studios. It's also great for mobile rigs, whether recording or DJ, because it slips right into a laptop pack. With all of its features, the Source is an incredible value -- before you ever factor in the pristine Dangerous Music audio quality. It has become an essential part of my rig.
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See also: monitor management, Dangerous Music, Dangerous Music Studio Monitor Management
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