Analog Domain
 

Since we have a new member here who appears to represent Analog Domain Audio (which I heard at the Hong Kong AV Show) I thought it would be nice to start a thread to allow him to enlighten us a little more about this relatively unknwn brand. :thumbsup:

Angel, over to you and welcome!

howie

Hello again!

I assume the purpose of the thread is to broaden/enhance/supplement the info that's already on the company website, so my response would be to any questions that may come up.

Shoot! I promise to speak the truth. :)

Nudies
 

Just gotta love those exploding pictures.

http://analogdomain.eu/images/storie...apolo3-big.jpg

Source Analog Domain Audio GmbH

That looks like one serious machine.

Indeed, it is a very serious machine. :thumbsup:

This specific view is of the most powerful amp in our lineup - the Apollo. What you see is exactly what you get - a sleek, power-packed chassis, housing a state-of the-art, audiophile grade power amplifier. The specs are eye-popping for some, probably featuring the highest dynamic range on the market today: 126dB unweighted. What this translates into is 'headroom' and a sufficiently low noise floor to justify the investment in high-resolution sources.

It's interesting to reflect back on some of the comments and questions we got at the Munich High End in May this year. The most frequent first:

Comment: You are crazy!
A: Tell us something we don't already know.

Q: Is it really 8kW r.m.s.??
A: Yes, it is no exception from Ohm's law. "R.M.S. power" is a function of the waveform and load. With a clean sine wave at maximum amplitude and a 4 ohm resistor, the output power would be as specified. Other waveforms/loads would produce other results. Music would definitely not produce an r.m.s. power output of 8kW.

Q: But how is it possible to have this much power? Is it a Class D design?
A: It is a Class AB design, but with a "twist" - the supply voltages to the final stages are not fixed - they follow the output signal, dramatically reducing the amount of wasted energy. This also increases performance and reliability.

Q: What about quality? High power amps usually don't sound good, especially at low levels.
A: Possibly true for some high-power PA gear, where the emphasis is on cost and reliability, not on sound quality. In our case, we get the best of both worlds - true audiophile performance at any power level, due to our specific circuit architecture.

Q: But how do you get that much power from an outlet? Is it legal?
A: Actually, you would never need to draw so much power from the outlet, unless you were doing tests under very specific conditions.
Furthermore, power supply to the Apollo is via two high-current sockets which share the load. If any of them is unplugged, the amp will shut down. Average total current draw with music material would rarely approach 10A at 230V mains voltage, 2x11A at 110V, which is well within safety and legal requirements.
High-performance circuit breakers would disconnect the mains in the event of a sustained high current draw - an event that can occur only in case of a severe malfunction.


... etc.

Some people have asked - why would anyone need an amp with such a high power output? What speaker can take it?

- Good question, eh?

Well, who needs a 1,000 horsepower sports car?! Or where can one drive it at 250mph?

Ok, here's the serious answer: I am personally a great fan of live sound. Sometimes I am in the mood to experience my favorite music at the level, at which it was recorded. Need I continue? I guess I'm not alone. We also make excellent amps with 'more reasonable' power ratings, starting at a modest 550W/8 ohm (1000/4) - the Calysto.

Yes, the speaker question is perfectly justified, and yes, not many of the existing systems can handle such peaks at reasonable distortion levels or without compression. But the future is ahead of us. :)

Any plans to exhibit in NA soon?

Howie, should have started by saying Thank You for the courtesy! What happened to my good manners yesterday... Thank You! :bowdown:
BTW, I do represent Analog Domain.



Not yet. We have started the process of building our international network of partners. As of today, the NA market is an open opportunity.



Let me share another question I got on several occasions:

Q: How do we know that your company will be around to support your products?

A: Well, how do you know if you will be around to worry about it?

Ok, I'm joking - never would say that to anyone's face, but it's true. There's a popular saying: "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans". I believe that the future is bright, and am doing everything to achieve my goals in the best way. There is no guarantee, period. Plenty of examples of seemingly 'rock-solid' businesses that have vanished overnight. You know the names.

If what we do is appreciated by our customers, the wheel will keep on turning. Simple as that. :)

Did I understand correctly from the website that these amps are fully balanced, from input to output ?

THX

True.

A further advantage is that the audio circuits are built exclusively with discrete components.

Finally an AMP with REAL power..

Munich is famous for many things, among which the Oktoberfest stands out. It starts with a colorful parade that is an absolute audio-visual fiesta. Anyone who has been there knows it - standing by to watch the marching bands, to experience richness and sheer volume of sound is an unforgettable experience.

http://s1.postimage.org/peAj0.jpg

So, if you want to have a chance to re-live this on playback, you need some serious punch in your setup and speakers that can do it gracefully, which is probably the toughest challenge. After all, trying to reproduce the sound of eight 26" bass drums takes a bit more than what your average sub is capable of, be it even a double 18".

Special effects on movies can be even more challenging, but I don't want to get carried away.. :)

One of the beautiful features of the technology we use is that at low output levels all our amps can have exactly the same sonic performance, so finesse is not sacrificed for power.