Installer-Friendly, Internet-Ready, Feature-Packed New Amp Delivers Big Home Theater Sound and Versatile Whole-House Audio
CEDIA EXPO, INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 9, 2005 — Sunfire Corp., a specialist in the design, manufacture and marketing of high-end audio/video components and subwoofers for the custom installation and retail markets, introduces the Laboratory Standard Industrial Reference Multi-Zone Amplifier 200~sixteen at the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo 2005, beginning today in Indianapolis.
The Laboratory Standard 200~sixteen is a powerful, high-performance, 16-channel amplifier boasting 200Watts RMS for each channel and a multitude of features. Elegant in design, it is the most powerful amplifier in the industry, yet runs cooler and weighs less — only 40 pounds! — than any equivalent component. Its superb quality and numerous features make it ideal for whole-house distributed audio systems, and installations that may include one or more Home Theater systems.
The Laboratory Standard’s advanced features include full Internet addressability and Sunfire’s exclusive Tracking Downconverter technology. An Ethernet port with configurable address and security settings provides access from any Internet Protocol (IP) enabled device to each and all of the amplifier’s 16 channels for unparalleled versatility. Users can turn channels on-and-off remotely, detect fault conditions, refer to an embedded Web page for PC control and monitoring functions, and even call the Laboratory Standard 200~sixteen on their cell phones to change settings or check status.
The Tracking Downconverter provides high-current power to speakers through a unique “just-in-time” approach that generates virtually no heat. This eliminates the need for either a fan or any massive heat sinks, and makes it possible to design the Laboratory Standard 200~sixteen as a relatively small yet extremely powerful component, suitable even for speakers using massive drivers.
The amplifier’s many specialized circuits provide tremendous operational flexibility. Power Compressor circuitry allows installers to set the power of each channel pair from 30 to 200 Watts and limit power to zones with smaller speakers, while a Squelch circuit permits a zone to achieve complete silence at a predetermined threshold when the volume is turned down. Channel-pair inputs can be combined internally into a single zone without using additional incoming signal cables; and an Input Level Control, from infinity to full gain, can be used to balance gains in zones using multiple speakers, increase the Auto On sensitivity, and reduce gain or line noise.
Custom installers, in particular will appreciate several features. These include a 12-volt global trigger input that can be used to turn all channel pairs ON or OFF, a 12-volt output for daisy-chaining to other 12-volt devices, and an RS232 port for integration with other whole-house command and control systems, such as those from Crestron and AMX. In addition, each channel pair is equipped with an installer-selectable Signal Sensing/Auto ON circuitry, which initiates power ON when an incoming signal is present. Similarly, the Auto OFF circuitry initiates power OFF for each channel pair when no signal is present for 20 minutes.
Features that further reflect the amplifier’s extreme attention to detail and practical design include front-panel LEDs for each pair of channels that indicate whether the channels are on, by which method, and any momentary faults due to shorted cables, thermal rise, or activation of the other protection circuits. A front-panel power switch and detachable power line cord add additional convenience.
The amplifier’s extensive connections include pro-style XLR balanced inputs by Neutrik with ejector mechanisms for high-performance cables and noise immunity, gold-plated RCA inputs for use with conventional signal processors, and five-way gold-plated speaker binding posts with holes large enough to accommodate all types of speaker wire.
The Laboratory Standard Industrial Reference Multi-Zone Amplifier 200~sixteen is available in a brushed Light Titanium or Dark Anthracite faceplate that matches other Sunfire components, and will be available within 90 days from authorized Sunfire dealers at a suggested retail price of $3,995. It can be seen with Sunfire’s other outstanding products in Booth 1840, Indiana Convention Center, during CEDIA EXPO.
About Sunfire
Based in Snohomish, Washington, and founded by renowned audio innovator Bob Carver, Sunfire designs, develops and manufacturers audio products that deliver exceptional performance, features and value, creating powerful, exciting Home Theater experiences. Key Sunfire components include the True Subwoofer Series, the Theater Grand IV Preamplifier Processor, the Ultimate Receiver II, and the Cinema Grand Signature Series of amplifiers. Dedicated to improving the state of the art in audio, Sunfire’s several patented technologies include the Tracking Downconverter power supply used in its acclaimed, award-winning subwoofers and amplifiers, and the High Pressure, High-Back-EMF technology also used in its subwoofers.
