PS Engineering Introduces New Digital Audio Controller

PS Engineering’s new digital audio controller, the PMA450C, is a lower-cost version of the company’s flagship general aviation product, the PMA450B. Since introduction in 2014, the PMA450 series has proven popular in the market, with advanced features like dual Bluetooth and the IntelliAudio processing system licensed from the USAF. Pilots love them — but sometimes they just don’t need all the functions.

One way to reduce the price was to change the type of hardware used on the PMA450C, providing a significant reduction in hardware costs. While the PMA450B provides nine unique positions to place the com 1 and com 2 audio, the PMA450C only provides the most popular locations of 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock.

Another cost savings in the design was the removal of Flightmate, audio streaming output, and the count-up/count-down timer. While the PMA450B retains those capabilities, not all pilots have the need for customizable audio alert functions and the PMA450C does not support this function, helping to reduce the cost of the overall system.

One thing that hasn’t been changed is the intuitive graphical user interface. The OLED display can be viewed by just about anyone in the cockpit, and with the three-softkey selection, setting up the audio panel configuration is easy.

Another one of PS Engineering’s innovations (now common, but not so in 2006) is the practical application of Bluetooth connectivity in the aircraft. The dual Bluetooth design allows two completely independent devices to be paired and selected to listen to, just like the PMA450B.

The PMA450C has a list price of only $2,595 while the PMA450B continues to sell at $2,895.