The N-audio reputation for building world-class amp cabinet switchers did not happen overnight. It has been a journey of constant refinement. Since 2020, the 8X7 and 4X4 Amp Switchers have gone through several important updates. Some driven by the release of new gear from other brands, and others born from countless conversations with musicians looking for the perfect rig setup. In this post, I’ll cover the evolution of the N-audio 8X7 and 4X4 Amp Switchers, so you can identify which version you own and see what features are available to you.
The First N-audio Amp Switcher
The N-audio switcher story began as a custom project I built for the well-known Bulgarian guitarist Pepi Glavanov from the band Akaga. That original design supported 8 amps and 6 cabinets and was based entirely on logic chips like flip-flops. It featured round buttons with built-in LEDs. About 10 of these units were sold. You can see Pepi’s YouTube presentation of that first unit here. Recognizing the project's potential, I decided to change the entire concept and apply what I had learned to something new. I redesigned the switcher using a microprocessor, which gave me more freedom to include MIDI support, proper relay switching sequences to prevent pops, better protection logic, and better buttons with LEDs above them. This led to the first commercial N-audio amp cabinet switchers on the market: the 8X7 and the 4X4.
Amp switcher revisions
Rev.1: Supported MIDI custom presets but didn't support direct MIDI CC control of each individual amp, cabinet, or the power attenuator.
Rev.2: Shortly after, a new firmware update was released, allowing the switchers to respond to individual MIDI CC messages.
Rev.3: This update included a new firmware upgrade that sends custom SysEx messages and provides a 5V power supply via the MIDI Out. This was necessary to expand the switchers with the FX-Loop extensions.
Note: If you have an older switcher without the "FX-Loop Ready" mark, I offer a free hardware and software upgrade. All you have to do is cover the shipping.
Rev.4: The models 4X4+ and the 8X7+ contain hardware improvements to handle the newest power attenuators on the market:
- Bridged Mono power attenuator support: In early 2025, Two Notes released the Reload 2, and Boss released the TAE CORE. Both are active attenuators with built-in bridged mono amplifiers. Improved the power attenuator switching circuit specifically to support any bridged mono power attenuator. Check out this blog post for more information.
- Tuner Out Ground Lift Switch: Added a ground lift switch for the tuner output to fix high-pitch noise issues. Detailed technical info here.
- Flexible Rack Ears: Upgraded the 4X4 and 8X7 with rack ears that can be rotated 90 degrees, making placement much easier in various rack setups. The single 8X7 1U front panel was reduced to the size of the unit, and two rackmount ears were added.
Note: Unfortunately, it is impossible to upgrade to the Rev.4 bridged mono functionality on the older units due to the extent of the circuit redesign.
Which amp switcher do you have?
To identify your model, simply look at the back side of your unit:
If there is no "FX-Loop Ready" mark, your unit does not currently support the FX-Loop extension. As I mentioned above, the upgrade from Rev1 or Rev2 to Rev3 is free of charge. If your amp switcher has a ground lift switch located next to the tuner output and the model written next to the FX-Loop Ready is 4X4+ or 8X7+, you have the latest model (Rev.4) with all current hardware improvements.
Niki Hristov