Audio Aero Prestige SACD / CD player

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Audio Aero Prestige SACD / CD player

Want better sounding CD's, this is a secret for UHA customers only!

Greg has been using this source to buy high quality Japanese CD's for many years.

They come direct to you safe and secure direct from Japan,

and are the cheapest Japanese CD prices anywhere!

Thousands of superior sounding high quality Japanese pressings, check them out!

(May take a minute to open)

Greg's secret Japanese CD source.

( Pictures from the Prestige East Coast premiere in Washington DC at UHA comming soon! )

This unit offers a real bargain!

Best bang for the buck at only

$13,990

Dr. Greg says :

We just had Jody and Ralph in the store yesterday and I have to say this unit is even better than the Capotole MK2 player!

I can't believe it, I thought the Capitole MK2 offered the finest digital playback available but the Prestige is clearly a better sounding player! I have to admit I was a skeptic when I was told at the last CES that the Prestige would be a better player on regular Red Book CD's and would make SACD sound good. But I am a believer call me for all the details we listened with a group of audiophiles for four hours so I have a complete understanding of the sound and the feedback from the group.

I have detail results from the following equipment.

1.) Solid State amplification.

2.) Tube amplification.

3.) Conventional driver box speakers.

4.) Ribbon type speakers.

This unit is a homerun "BAM" right out of the park!

Prestige SACD Player reference - Step up to the reference player

2 channel SACD/CD player with 24/192 STARS2 RE-sampling, analog tube output stage, volume control and analog inputs.

This player is dedicated to customers who want to focus on the audio aspect and are looking for a machine offering the best performance in digital and analogue treatment for SACD and CDs. The Prestige SACD player offers the highest quality level and is intended to be the source in a top-of-the -range audio system.

Based on the latest Philips SACD laser mechanism, digital signal is treated using our exclusive re-sampler featuring the DSD compatible STARS2 ® module. The incoming signal is re-sampled to 24/192, and in the case of SACD, DSD is first converted to PCM 88.2 kHz (high frequency noise suppression, 9dB S/N improvement) and then re-sampled to 24/192.

The output stage consists in sub-miniature tubes and a built-in IC ladder attenuator that provides constant quality whatever the setting and offers ultimate performance.

Moreover, the danger of emission and interference from a video section is eliminated, and the audio quality of the player is preserved for maximum pleasure and emotion

Specifications :

Frequency range (with SACD or 24/96 input): 3 Hz - 48 kHz (- 1dB)

Frequency range (with CD or 16/44.1kHz input): 5 Hz - 21 kHz (- 1dB)

Output voltage: up to 6 V RMS

Output impedance: 100 ohms

Signal to noise ratio: 127dB

Total harmonic distortion: 0,2 %

Read software: 16 bit / 44.1 kHz audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW

Power supply

85-264 VAC, 50 / 60 Hz

Power consumption

30W

Technology

SACD mechanism on an aluminum sub chassis

Custom S.T.A.R.S. 2 process performing DSD to PCM conversion and 24 bit / 192 kHz RE-sampling

Jitter control software

Burr-Brown PCM1792 24 bit / 192 kHz Digital to Analog converter

6021W subminiature tube

General

Analog outputs: single-ended RCA and balanced XLR

Analog inputs: single-ended RCA and balanced XLR

Digital output: BNC

Digital inputs: BNC, RCA, AES/EBU, AT&T, TOSLINK

Chassis: 25/10 aluminum

Lid: 40/10 aluminum

Weight: 33 lbs.

Dimensions (W x L x H): 17.32 x 17.72 x 5.51 inches

AUDIO AERO

Exclusive STARS® system

Licensed by Anagram Technologies SA

I. Technology

The reference platform for the STARS® design is the SHARC ADSP21065L from Analog Devices. All the technologies are available as DSP source code (mainly Assembler) for this chip.

The hardware reference designs for the applications of STARS® process is based on Analog Devices AD1853 D/A converter, Burr-Brown OPA 2134 op-amps and Philips Jan 6021W tubes.

Here is a short overview of the different technologies created :

RE24 (Resolution Enhancer 24 bits): The RE24 process allows to get 24 bits resolution from a 20 bits data channel (or 20 bits from a 16 bits channel, in other words it saves about 4 bits in a data channel). RE24 does so by shifting the truncation noise out of the audible band. Unlike traditional noise-shaping techniques, RE24 does not shape the noise to the higher part of the spectrum, but adds an algorithmically generated noise in the top part of the spectrum. This generated pseudo-random number sequence satisfies a number of statistical properties we could define as being capital to audio quality. As this noise is generated without reference to the actual incoming signal it is not correlated with it and the resulting signal is free of inter-modulation distortion unlike in traditional noise-shaping techniques. One of the key applications of this technology is to provide higher resolution in AD and DA conversion.

VFT (Virtual Floating Time): VFT is the key stone of this new way of performing Digital Signal Processing. Basically the discrete "digital" time model is replaced by the continuous "analogue" virtual time model. This allows us to overcome the needs for very high speed over-sampling in time conversion system. It also allows for a digital signal to overcome some of the restriction given by Nyquist rate sampling. VFT could be used very efficiently in Audio Compression systems. By the time, it’s used as the core of our asynchronous 192kHz sample rate converter (see STARS® below).

ITE (Integral Time Estimation): ITE is a proprietary technology allowing the conversion between the discrete time digital model and the continuous virtual time model. ITE uses a new approach adding one mathematical dimension to the signal space. This dimensions allows the conversion between the two time domains. Used correctly ITE also acts as a powerful software-based jitter attenuator.

CTF (Continuous Time Filtering): CTF is a filtering technique for the continuous time domain. In this domain, classical discrete time filters do not offer enough precision to take advantage of the continuous time representation. So a new concept of filtering has been developed, mixing analogue and digital domains.

The three last technologies represent the core of the STARS® process.

STARS® (Solution for Time Abstract Re-Sampling): STARS® is a totally asynchronous sampling rate conversion technology, meaning that the input and output clocks are totally independent. The input and output clocks may even vary, the STARS® will automatically track the changes with minimal distortion.

The first application of STARS® is a SHARC based stereo digital audio sampling rate converter used in our CD Player and D/A converter (see below). The STARS® technology can easily be scaled to a 2, 3 or n-dimensional process. This means that STARS® could be used in real time image scaling and/or sampling rate conversion. It includes an on-demand 1024 times over-sampling with comb filter and floating point linear interpolation.

II. Application of STARS® process : Asynchronous 24 bits / 192 kHz digital audio sampling rate converter

This converter accepts stereo digital audio at its input at every defined sampling rate (32, 44.1, 48, 64, 88.2 and 96kHz as well as 176.4 or 192kHz when the transport media will be defined) and up to 24 (even 32) bits resolution.

Once inside the converter, this incoming signal is converted into a high definition 24 bits / 192 kHz stereo digital audio signal (I2S format). This high-definition signal is the fed to an AD1853 D/A converter and finally passed through an innovative analogue tube output stage.

The D/A converter uses a single ADSP21065L without external memory to perform the sample rate conversion on a stereo incoming signal.

The pros of a 24 bits / 192 kHz asynchronous sampling rate converter ?

Improvement of time resolution: One of the problems of the Nyquist sampling rate is the degradation of phase respect on short duration high-frequency signals. As music shows a lot of transients, many high-frequency short duration signals arise. By improving the sampling rate, those short duration signals will be described by more digital samples, resulting in improved performance and better time/phase conservation.

Unified analogue filter: On of the most problematic part in a D/A converter is the analogue smoothing filter. This filter must be designed such as to smooth the signals with the lowest sampling rate entering the D/A converter. Thus the filter's cut off frequency comes closer to the audio band with low sampling rate (like 44.1 kHz) as with high sampling rates (192kHz). By being close to the audio band, the analogue filter will induce phase rotations (incoherent group-delay) in the audio band resulting in a blurring of the sound imaging and killing dynamics.

Unified sampling rate for subsequent digital signal processing: Clearly if all incoming signals are converted to a single sampling frequency, all subsequent digital signal processing can be done at one and only one sampling rate, allowing for considerable savings (one code matches all cases, no redundant filter coefficients needed for different sampling rates, monolithic code).

DVD-Audio like quality for all signals: 24 bits / 192 kHz is the ultimate audio quality available from DVD-Audio. But the capacity of the disc limits the use of such high quality audio to only two channels. The main interest in DVD-Audio is its surround sound capabilities. A 24 bits / 192 kHz re-sampling of the signal allows to virtually have this resolution on all channels.

Optional interfacing with DSD: Due to the VFT technology, DSD signals can be converted easily to 24 bits / 192 kHz format. The same applies to 24 bits / 192kHz signals to be converted to DSD.

At this time, this option is not implemented in the Capitole CD player 24/192 and the Prima D/A Converter 24/192.

Jitter attenuation: By using totally independent (asynchronous) input and output clocks and the ITE, the output is totally isolated from incoming jitter. This allows the use of a very high precision output clock located as close as possible to the D/A converter IC. This will reduces the converter jitter (the one that is harmful to audio quality) to an absolute minimum, while making the system almost insensible to incoming jitter.

It also reduces the risk of internal jitter induced by the frequencies conversion process.

Automatic clock tracking: As we know, the perfect clock does not exist especially when it is carried inside the signal (like in an S/P DIF transmission) and recovered by a PLL.

The STARS® technology allows the system to track clock variations over time with minimal distortion.

III. How does the STARS® process perform ?

This plot represents a 1kHz sine wave at 0dBFs with 24 bits resolution and 44.1kHz sampling rate passed through the ATF. Output is in 24 bit / 192kHz format.

Analysis: 4096 points FFT, Blackmann-Harris window, single pass.

Plateform: Analog Devices SHARC.

These plots are performed on the Capitole CD player 24/192 and measured in the analogue domain with an Audio Precision System Two.

IV. Future developments

We'll use our STARS® system in our future range of Audio / Video products such as :

SACD/DVD player & A/V processor

A/V stand alone DAC (8 channels)