Amplifier
The main design of the Sirocco PRO amplifier is very similar to the one used
in the Sirocco Crossfire solution, this of course talking about the size and shape
of the unit. On the front, you find four knobs. The first is the volume; it of
course sets the master volume. Second is the Sub knob, this increases and decreases
the subwoofer’s volume to adjust for personal preference or room acoustics. Third
is Tilt, this operates the dual shelving filter for setting the tone. The fourth
and last is the Source Knob, similar to the crossfire amplifier, this lets you
select the audio source, whether analog (sources 1 and 2) or Digital (DAC). Continuing
with the front, you find a 6.5mm headphone jack. Next to the headphone jack, we
notice a little button labeled as monitor. This disables the subwoofer and operates
the satellites at full range, for monitoring stereo separation through the satellites
only.
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Amplifier
Front |
The back
of the amplifier features all the inputs and output ports. Starting from the top
left, we notice the on/off switch. This as you might have already guessed, is
used to turn the amplifier on and off. Continuing to the right, we see three little
colored lights labeled as: POWER-RED, EMPHASIS-YELLOW and LOCK-GREEN. These show
the current operational status of the DAC. Emphasis indicates that the signal
has pre-emphasis at source; LOCK indicates valid input data. Continuing in the
same direction, we see the S/P DIF inputs. First is the Toslink optical DAC input
and the RCA Coaxial DAC input. A switch is present in the middle of them that
lets you choose which you want to use. Continuing to the right, we notice two
coaxial ports. This is the DAC output; it allows standalone DAC operation. This
is a buffered analog output providing 2.2V at 0 dBFS. Starting again from the
left but this time from the lower side, we notice the three XLR speaker outputs.
Continuing going to the right, we see the analog inputs. Inputs 1 and 2 connect
to analog sources.
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Amplifier
back |
The amplifier
it self is capable of 100W rms. and features a 24-bit 96KHz DAC with two digital
inputs and two analog inputs. It uses three-way fully active filtering to deliver
the crispiest and most precise sound output. The amplifier operates on a torodial
transformer with a massive 40, 000 uF of smoothing capacitance to ensure a high
performance output at all times. Like the crossfire amplifier, the Sirocco’s PRO
set also features Self Peak Instantaneous Temperature (°Ke) (SPiKe™) Protection
Circuitry for protection against overvoltage, undervoltage, overloads, including
shorts to the supplies, thermal runaway, and instantaneous temperature peaks.
Summation
The Sirocco is without doubts a solid contender in the high-end audio market.
Music enthusiasts will highly appreciate the features this system has to offer
for its competitive price. Sadly, not all-home users could easily afford a set.
Selling for around $950USD, this system will unfortunately be limited for the
ones looking for top-notch sound without worrying about price tags. To put a final
quote on this Article, I would like to congratulate Videologic for another job
well done.
