The S2800 is part of Akai's S3000 lineage. It's a 2U rackmount sampler that maintains the high quality and reliability Akai is known for while introducing significant improvements over previous models like the S900/ S950 and S1000/ S1100.

The S2800 features a flush S1000-type front panel with redesigned buttons set, including function buttons that light up when pressed. It has a new "diamond" of four direction buttons replacing the previous Cursor Knob design. The sample input jacks are located on the rear panel (which the author criticizes as a design flaw), and the SCSI port is available only as an optional extra.

The S2800 offers advanced sample editing capabilities displayed as complete bargraph waveforms on screen. Beyond standard features like adjusting start/end points, truncating, looping, crossfading, and joining samples, it introduces innovative editing functions similar to those found in expensive digital editing systems:

• Chop, Cut, and Extract functions for editing specific sections of samples
• Normalize and Rescale functions to optimize sample volume levels
• Fade facility to create digital fade-ins and fade-outs

A major new feature is the Assignable Program Modulation (APM), which allows routing of MIDI controllers to various "modules" in the sampler. The S2800 includes 12dB/octave low-pass resonant filters that can alter the tonal character of samples, with options to control them using modwheel, pitchbend, LFOs, envelope generators, or external controllers.

The S2800 offers improved dynamic range compared to previous models, with exceptional bass response and clear, sparkling highs. It's described as transformative in terms of sound quality for digital equipment.

AKAI S2800 Technical Specifications

Hardware specs

• Polyphony: 32 voice
• Internal processing: 28-bit
• D/A conversion: 20-bit with 8x oversampling (L/R); 18-bit with 8x oversampling (individual outs)

Sampling

• Sampling resolution: stereo 16-bit linear with 64x oversampling
• Sampling rates: 44.1kHz, 22.05kHz
• Default sample RAM: 2Mb (2 slots, 1+1Mb).
• Maximum sample RAM: 16Mb (2x8).
• Maximum number of samples: 255
• Maximum number of programs: 254

Sampling time:

• 2 Mb (one EXM 3002 board):
  22.28 seconds (mono/44.1kHz)
  11.14 seconds (stereo/44.1kHz)
  44.56 seconds (mono/22.050kHz)
  22.28 seconds (stereo/22.050kHz)

• 16 Mb (two EXM 3008 boards):
  2.97 mins (mono/44.1kHz)
  1.48 mins (stereo/44.1kHz)
  5.94 mins (mono/22.050kHz)
  2.97 mins (stereo/22.050kHz)

Filters, Modulation and Effects

• Filtering: Low-pass, -12db/oct with resonance
• Envelope generators: 2
• LFOs: 2
• Effects: Stereo flanging, chorus, multi-tap delay, delay, pitch shifter

Connectivity

• Standard audio inputs: ¼" phono (balanced) x 2
• Standard audio outputs: ¼" phono (unbalanced) x 2
• Assignable independent audio outputs: ¼" phono jack (unbalanced) x 2
• Other connections: stereo headphones jack, footswitch jack, MIDI In, Out & Thru
• Interface boards (both optional):
  IB-301S - SCSI
  IB-302D - AES/EBU digital I/O with real-time digital outputs 

Display

• 40 characters x 8 lines (text), 240x60 dots (graphics);
• blue backlit
• adjustable contrast

Memory&Storage

• 2 RAM Slots (support EXM-3002, EXM-3008 proprietary memory modules, compatible with S3000/ S3200)
• 3.5" DSHD/DSDD floppy drive
• Optional HDD when the IB-301S SCSI board is present, included in the S2800i

Physical parameters

• Casing: full-metal 2U 19"
• 483mm (width) x 88mm (height) x 411mm (depth)
• Weight: 7.7kg