Unveiled at Audio Engineering Society (AES) convention 2011 in New York, Antelope Audio started shipping Eclipse 384, a 384 kHz A/D & D/A Converter, Master Clock and Monitoring Controller providing 384 kHz A/D and D/A conversion clocked by Antelope's renowned 64-bit technology and a powerful and flexible monitoring control. "The philosophy behind Eclipse 384 is Aristotle's dictum: ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts‘,” commented Igor Levin, CEO and founder of Antelope Audio. “The device is a technological fusion of our best and most prominent innovations, such as the 64-bit Acoustically Focused Clocking (AFC) and the Oven-controlled oscillator, high resolution USB streaming, and next generation conversion and power supply circuits.” Antelope will also be showcasing Eclipse 384 at Prolight + Sound show 2012, Frankfurt, stand 5.1C55, along with a prototype of a remote control for the unit.
The Eclipse comprises 384 kHz A/D & D/A converters clocked by two independent 64-bit DSP Trinity-level clocks. The fully integrated monitor controller employs 0.05 dB accurate gold-plated relay attenuators and provides speaker switching, bass management and cue mix functions with integrated talkback. The Eclipse also includes two dedicated headphone amplifiers and a custom USB interface, as well as two large peak meters on the front panel. The advanced software control panel compatible with both Mac & PC, allows five nameable presets for easy recall of favorite setups.
The dual-domain clocking system enables analogue-based, more natural sounding sample rate conversion. The integrated patching/routing capabilities make monitoring of either analogue or digital sources very simple, avoiding jitter, distortion and cabling noise. By eliminating multiple input and output stages and various power supplies, that would be present using separate devices, the noise floor can be substantially reduced and the audio quality significantly improved.
“The 2U-box easily substitutes and outperforms an equivalent combination of five separate high-end products. It is targeted towards audio engineers who crave superb sound quality and maximum efficiency,” Levin added. “By simply pushing a preset button, a user is able to completely reconfigure dozens of settings. This beats running around the studio and turning a gazillion knobs on multiple devices.”
The Eclipse is also suitable for to live environments. Master clocks are becoming more and more popular for use with digital consoles and recording equipment at concerts and live events. By using the Eclipse 384, a live sound engineer is able to provide sync reference for up to four different devices, while using the main D/A for backing material, the A/D with multiple digital outs feeding redundant recording systems, and monitor DAC to check the recording post A/D conversion. |
