The buying habits of consumers in today’s world are always changing; the current state of the economy, space considerations, education, and even real estate prices are but a few variables that shape our collective buying habits. The audio industry is no exception, and the buying habits of its consumers have evolved as well. The price performance index has changed, as has available space and dedicated listening time. Products developed today not only need to perform, but also need to integrate into a growing and equally complex media-rich environment. To that end, the necessity for a competitively priced high performance integrated music playback hub was formed, and the i3 created.
The i3 represents all of our cumulative product knowledge to date. Based around a 175 Watt high bias A/B amplifier output stage, a 128 step R2R ladder volume control, and associated discrete input circuitry, the i3 will be nothing short of a performance monster able to drive the majority of today's loudspeakers with ease.
The i3 will not only have an accompaniment of several balanced and single ended analog inputs, but also a full complement of digital inputs as well. In collaboration with Andreas Koch of Playback Designs, the i3 will boast a hi-resolution, DSD capable DAC with AES/EBU, S/PDIF, TOSLINK, and USB digital input ports.
The i3 incorporates an Android based operating system that will handle web based communications and media streaming. The i3 will support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, making this product a true music center.
The i3 is expected to be released in late Q3 2016.
| Inputs: |
Analog: 1 balanced, 3 single-ended, 1 combo. Digital: 1 AES/EBU, 2 S/PDIF, 1 TOSLINK, 1 USB, 1 USB flashdrive |
| Outputs: | 1 balanced/ single-ended line level preamp output 1 S/PDIF |
| Power Output: | 175 W high bias Class A/B Output into 8 ohms (will double its output power to 2 ohms) |
| Input Impedance: | To be announced |
| Output Impedance: | To be announced |
| Volume: | 128 Steps in 0.5 db increments |