Denver, CO, October 3, 2013 — Leading digital audio manufacturer Antelope Audio (exhibit room 477) will set the tone at this year’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest by demonstrating its new Zodiac Platinum DSD DAC and its CES 2013 Innovations Award Winning, Rubicon Atomic AD/DA, the first audiophile preamp with an integrated atomic clock.
The presentation will demonstrate the unprecedented clarity, detailed imaging and wide frequency response that is possible with digital audio recordings while using Antelope Audio’s premium audiophile componentry. Attendees will experience A/B listening comparisons between analog source material and digital recordings, using Antelope Audio playback systems.
In addition to the room exhibition, Antelope Audio Director of Sales and Marketing Marcel James will be on hand to present a seminar on Sunday afternoon entitled The Advantages of Superior Clocking for Digital Audio.
In Perfect Company
To effectively demonstrate the new Zodiac and Rubicon, Antelope Audio has chosen to use ATC Loudspeakers as part of its playback system — a company known for its purist approach in audio reproduction.
Introducing the Zodiac Platinum DSD DAC
The new Antelope Zodiac Platinum DAC brings audio appreciation to a higher level, offering the audiophile community the widest DSD support, including the unique 256 DSD mode and a PCM sample rate of 384 kHz via a custom-built USB chip.
The extreme DSD256 greatly extends the accuracy and transparency of the audio reproduction as well as the overall system performance. The custom-designed Antelope USB chip compliments high fidelity by reducing clock jitter and pushing the envelope of the USB streaming with sample rates four times higher than those offered by similar devices.
Whereas many top of the line DACs offer PCM upsamplers, the Platinum is the first device to offer a DSD upsampler. This distinctive feature allows the upsampling of DSD64 to DSD256, pushing DSD noise into higher frequencies, vastly improving the quality of the D/A conversion. The Platinum bypasses internal digital filters built into the DAC chip by implementing a custom upsampler with carefully designed high-precision linear phase filters in the FPGA.
In the heart of the new Platinum lie the renowned 64-bit Acoustically Focused Clocking and the ultra-low jitter oven-controlled crystal oscillator, which are Antelope’s signature for unprecedented sound quality appreciated by the best recording, mastering and post production studios around the world. In addition, the Platinum is equipped with a 10 MHz input for the legendary Antelope 10M Rubidium atomic clock, providing the most accurate and stable clocking reference and therefore an uncompromised digital to analog conversion.
Zodiac Platinum has an enhanced stepped relay volume control compared to its very successful and highly appreciated predecessor Zodiac Gold. It also carries the Antelope dual stage headphone drivers with impedance control. Platinum comes only in bundle with the second generation of the audiophile power supply Voltikus. The upgraded version of the PSU has a separating power line filter on its own board, an improved transformer shielding and better connector with stronger locking. A new, high-performance power cable, connecting both devices is also included in the bundle.
Rubicon – World’s First Atomic AD/DA Preamp
Antelope Audio will also feature Rubicon, its groundbreaking digital audio preamplifier which integrates the world renowned 10M Rubidium atomic clock. Catering for the ever-increasing interest in high-resolution DSD audio, Rubicon will be offering the unique 256 real DSD upsampler, providing high-end consumer electronics enthusiasts with the most accurate audio representation and detailed soundstage of both analog and digital recordings.
The integrated Rubidium atomic clock makes the clocking reference in Rubicon 100,000 times more accurate than the one of a traditional crystal oscillator. Coupled with Antelope’s 64-bit Acoustically Focused Clocking technology, the Rubidium achieves a breakthrough in jitter management, achieving analog-like sounding of the digital recordings.
The Advantages of Superior Clocking for Digital Audio
Antelope Audio’s Marcel James, U.S. Director of Sales & Marketing, will present a seminar titled, The Advantages of Superior Clocking for Digital Audio in the Marriott Aspen Amphitheater on Sunday, October 13th at 12 noon. In this seminar, he will explain how audio can be affected at the conversion stage by a master clock device. Examples will be given on how master clocks are used in the creation of nearly all of the audio we consume, including movies, television, mastering, live sound and production work. The importance of playing back audio at home, using the same clocking technology used in the creation process that more accurately represents the clarity and depth of the audio will be discussed.
