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- ツイート
- 2014年6月13日
Constellation Audio、「 Inspiration Series 」国内登場！！
Preamp1.0 プリアンプ 予価 \ 1,450,000(税別)
Amp1.0 ステレオパワーアンプ 予価 \ 1,600,000(税別)
Mono1.0 モノパワーアンプ 予価 \ 3,200,000/pair(税別）
Preamp 1.0 / Line Stage
When we created our original Reference series Altair line stage, our “dream team” of top engineers and designers asked themselves, “How close can we get to perfection?” Pretty close, according to many leading audio critics. So when it came time to create a line stage for our new Inspiration series, we asked ourselves, “How close can we get to Altair?” Once again, pretty close.
It’s remarkable how much of the technology from the Altair II and Performance series Virgo II preamplifiers is preserved in the Inspiration PREAMP 1.0. The core audio circuits are the same. The power supply retains its triple-transformer design. The dual mono design is there, too. The chassis is built from CNC-machined aluminum slabs, crafted in the same metal shop that builds the enclosures for the Reference and Performance series components.
We like to say the Inspiration PREAMP 1.0 is distilled, not diluted. It embodies the essence of our earlier work while retaining the subjective musicality and objective performance that won so much acclaim for our previous preamps.
The most vital technology in our preamps is the Line Stage Gain Module, a fully balanced amplification circuit that uses servos to maintain a pristine balance between the positive and negative halves of the audio signal. The Line Stage Gain module in the Inspiration uses the same schematic as our other preamps, and almost all of the same parts, too. The Inspiration includes the Constellation Direct interface, which bypasses the input stage of Constellation Audio amplifiers to create a more direct signal path.
As with other Constellation Audio line stages, we take great care in the Inspiration to ensure that the audio circuitry is protected from external vibration. The audio circuit board is suspended on isolators made from a soft, pliable material. The power supply is isolated from the audio circuits by a thick aluminum plate, then connected only with wires, rather than being built onto the same board as the audio circuits. Minor shocks and ground-borne vibrations do not affect the performance of the Inspiration PREAMP 1.0 in the slightest, nor do any vibrations coming from the power supply.
Speaking of the power supply, it may come as a surprise to see how closely the Inspiration PREAMP 1.0’s layout follows the example of its more costly brethren. Like the supply used for Altair II and Virgo II, the one in the Inspiration employs separate R-core transformers for left and right channels, and a third transformer to power the control circuits. Not only are left and right channels kept completely separate, the audio supplies are isolated from the control circuits to prevent interference. The biggest difference between the Inspiration and our other preamps is that the Inspiration’s power supply is built into the front of the unit, where it is shielded to protect the audio circuits.
At first glance, the Inspiration PREAMP 1.0 looks very much like the Altair II. And at second and third glance, too. This is because the key components that form the Inspiration’s chassis are CNC-machined from aluminum, just as with our more expensive preamps. A unique joinery system, combining stiff steel buttresses with a system of notches that work much like the tongue-in-groove joints used in fine woodwork, assures a chassis that is almost as robust and vibration-resistant as if it were machined entirely from solid aluminum. The thick aluminum chassis walls also help shield the Inspiration PREAMP 1.0’s audio circuits from electromagnetic and radio-frequency interference.
As has become our tradition, the Inspiration is controlled through a convenient front touchscreen or through a machined aluminum remote. A polysilicon resistor array provides precise volume control, with none of the channel imbalance and taper inconsistency found in almost all potentiometer-type controls.
Of course, the Inspiration PREAMP 1.0’s most important characteristic is its sound, which in every way lives up to the reputation established by the Altair II and Virgo II. The slightest subtleties in every musical performance come through unaltered. No conventional balanced-topology preamplifier can equal the detail retrieval, delicacy and musicality the Inspiration PREAMP 1.0 effortlessly achieves. The gear disappears, and all that’s left is you and your music.
Features
Triple-transformer power supply
The design of the power supply in the Inspiration borrows heavily from the Altair II and Virgo II. We chose R-core transformers to power the audio circuits because of their inherently low noise and low radiated magnetic energy — and because they worked so well in our previous designs. There are separate R-core transformers for left and right channels. A conventional EI transformer powers the control circuits, so the sensitive audio circuits are well-isolated from the noise of the control circuits.
Line Stage Gain Module
We use our Line Stage Gain Module circuit in all Constellation Audio products, from the Inspiration series to the Reference series. This unique topology uses servo circuits to achieve an essentially perfect balance between the positive and negative halves of the audio signal. The result is, simply, a more lifelike sound, one free of the colorations that conventionally designed balanced preamp circuits can impart.
Fully balanced audio circuitry
Like our more costly preamps, the Inspiration line stage employs fully complementary balanced circuitry, in which the signal is amplified by two identical, mirror-imaged preamp circuits, one for the positive half of the signal, one for the negative half. This arrangement cancels interference while doubling the slew rate, yielding an impressive 100-kilohertz frequency response.
Double-supported chassis joints to minimize vibration
The thick, machined aluminum panels that make up the Inspiration Line Stage’s chassis are assembled using a unique combination of steel buttresses and a CNC-machined joinery system somewhat like the tongue-in-groove structure found in fine woodwork. The result is a chassis far stiffer and less prone to vibration than in most preamps in this price range.
Mechanically isolated circuit boards
To prevent microphonics and other vibration-induced distortions in the Inspiration Line Stage’s sensitive audio circuits, we isolate the circuit boards from the main chassis using a pliable material. All connections from the power supply are made through cables that float freely between the power supply and the main preamp board, so they can’t be affected by external disturbances and so they won’t carry vibration from the power supply into the preamp circuits.
Home theater bypass mode
For those who don’t want to sacrifice sound quality, yet want to enjoy two-channel music and home theater surround sound in the same system, the Inspiration Line Stage offers a home theater bypass mode. One of its inputs can be configured to receive the left and right channel signals from a surround-sound processor. In stereo, the signal passes only through the Inspiration line stage and the connected amp, so two-channel performance is completely unaffected by the home theater equipment.
Constellation Direct interface
Like the Altair II and Virgo II preamps, the Inspiration Line Stage features the Constellation Direct interface. This interface routes the high-level, perfectly balanced audio signal from the preamp’s Line Gain Stage Module straight into the voltage gain stage of a Constellation Audio amplifier. It bypasses the amplifier’s own Line Gain Stage Module, removing one amplification stage from the signal chain and achieving even greater musicality in the process.
Machined aluminum remote
Because the Inspiration line stage’s elegant chassis comes from the same machine shop that builds our Reference and Performance series products, we simply couldn’t use a generic remote. Thus, the Inspiration line stage’s remote, like all of our others, is made from machined aluminum and has a suitably gratifying heft and feel.
Full dual mono construction
The Inspiration line stage’s left and right audio channels have their own isolated, separate power supplies, each channel with its own low-noise R-core transformer. The preamp circuits and even the input and output jacks are arranged with the left channel components on the left side and the right-channel components on the right side. This arrangement delivers extraordinary channel separation, resulting in spectacular imaging and soundstaging.
Specifications
Inputs 3 XLR stereo, 3 RCA stereo, USB (for control)
Outputs 2 XLR stereo, 2 RCA stereo, 12-volt trigger
THD+N <0.001%, 20 Hz – 20 kHz @ 2V out
<0.1%, 20 Hz – 20 kHz @ 10V out
Frequency response 10 Hz to 100 kHz, ±0.5 dB
Signal-to-noise ratio >-105 dB, A-weighted
Input impedance (balanced) 20 KΩ
Input impedance (unbalanced) 10 KΩ
Output impedance < 50Ω
Volume control resolution 0.5dB from 0dB to -90 dBFS
Weight 25 lbs, 11.3 kg
Dimensions (W x H x D) 17” x 5.25” x 15” 43.2 cm x 13.3 cm x 38.1 cm
AMP 1.0 / Stereo Power Amplifier
Our original goal when we founded Constellation Audio was to apply the talents of our “dream team” of top engineers and designers to creating the finest components the audio world has ever seen. According to many noted experts, we’ve done just that. With this goal accomplished, we decided to see if we could bring the same concepts, the same care … and even the same audio circuits … to demanding audiophiles who crave the state of the art at a more modest cost.
The Inspiration AMP 1.0 amplifier perfectly embodies this aesthetic. It’s not exactly the same as our Hercules and Centaur stereo amplifiers, but one must look carefully to discover the differences.
As with all Constellation Audio amplifiers, the heart of the Inspiration AMP 1.0 is our unique Balanced Bridged circuit topology, which combines multiple single-ended amplifier modules in a fully balanced design.
Our Balanced Bridged topology uses only N-type output transistors, so the two halves of the audio signal are always perfectly balanced. In most fully balanced amplifiers, the schematics for the positive and negative halves of the amplifier circuit are mirrored, but one half uses N-type transistors and the other half uses P-type transistors. Thus, a perfectly balanced output can never be achieved.
Achieving a perfect balance between the two halves of an audio signal is possible only when the incoming signal is itself perfectly balanced. This is why the Inspiration AMP 1.0 uses the same Line Stage Gain Module circuit found in all Constellation Audio products. The Line Stage Gain Module’s servo circuits assure that both halves of an incoming signal are perfectly balanced, no matter what the source.
But if the source is a Constellation Audio preamp — which of course has its own Line Stage Gain Module — then so much the better. Because you can then use the Constellation Direct balanced input, which bypasses the Inspiration AMP 1.0’s input stage for the best possible fidelity.
Thus, the core amplifier circuits in the Inspiration AMP 1.0 are essentially the same as in the Hercules and Centaur. Most of the parts are, in fact, identical. The main difference is that the input and gain stages are on the same circuit board, instead of being separated as in the larger amplifiers. Thus, while the Inspiration cannot quite equal the dynamics of its much larger brethren, the character of its sound — or, perhaps more accurately, the lack of character of its sound — is the same.
Given its conservatively rated 200 watts per channel, though, you are highly unlikely to exhaust the Inspiration AMP 1.0’s dynamic reserves. A custom-wound toroidal transformer, feeding a total of 24 capacitors yielding a combined 240,000 microfarads of storage, assures that the Inspiration AMP 1.0’s output stages always receive the clean, ample voltage and current needed to achieve maximum musicality and sonic transparency. Massive heat sinks, ventilated through hundreds of ventilation ports in Constellation Audio’s trademark machined-aluminum side panels, assure cool, reliable operation.
The Inspiration AMP 1.0 is the very essence of the Reference-series Hercules and Performance-series Centaur amplifiers, distilled into a more compact and affordable package.
Features
200 watts per channel into 8 ohms
With power output conservatively rated at 0.2% total harmonic distortion plus noise, doubling to 400 watts into 4 ohms, the Inspiration AMP 1.0 has enough power to drive practically any speaker to maximum volume without audible distortion.
Balanced bridged design from Hercules and Centaur
The Inspiration AMP 1.0 uses a modular, fully balanced design with only N-type output transistors, instead of half N-type and half P-type as found in almost all other solid-state amplifiers. Thus, the positive and negative halves of the audio signal are maintained in ideal balance and the subtlest of musical details are preserved.
Line Stage Gain Module
Incoming signals are treated to our Line Stage Gain Module circuitry, which uses servo circuits to achieve essentially perfect balance between the positive and negative haves of the audio signal. If a Constellation Audio preamplifier is used, this input stage may be bypassed through use of the Inspiration AMP 1.0’s Constellation Direct balanced input.
Fully discrete circuitry
As with our other amplifiers, we use only discrete components in the Inspiration AMP 1.0’s audio circuits.
Ultra-smooth, high-current power supply
A large, custom-wound toroidal transformer feeds a bank of 24 capacitors rated at 10,000 microfarads each, assuring that the Inspiration AMP 1.0’s output stages have more than enough current to deliver their rated power with ease — and enough dynamic output to achieve concert-sound levels, if your speakers are up to it.
No output filters required
The inherent stability of our Balanced Bridged design allows us to dispense with the Zobel output filter network many amplifiers require to maintain reliable operation.
Shortest possible signal path
By placing the transformer at the front of the Inspiration AMP 1.0 and moving the output stages to the rear, we ensure the shortest possible signal path and very low output impedance.
Shielded enclosure for power supply
To minimize interaction of the transformer’s electromagnetic fields with the audio circuits, we place the transformer in its own enclosure and shield it with thick aluminum plates. A special shielded channel carries the AC voltage from the power input to the power supply enclosure.
Specifications
Inputs 1 Constellation Direct XLR, 1 standard balanced XLR, 1 unbalanced RCA
Outputs metal binding posts
Power output per channel, 8Ω (1 kHz @ 1% THD+N) 200 watts
Power output per channel, 4Ω (1 kHz @ 1% THD+N) 400 watts
Frequency response 10 Hz to 80 kHz, +0/-0.5 dB
Gain 14dB Constellation Direct, 26 dB Balanced & RCA
THD+N (1 kHz @ up to 90% of rated power) <0.05%
Output impedance 0.1Ω
Damping factor (8Ω load) 80
Input impedance 20KΩ Constellation Direct, 10KΩ RCA unbalanced, 20KΩ XLR balanced
Siganl-to-noise ratio >-95 dB, A-weighted
Output noise <70 µV, 500 kHz BW, -116 dB @ 250 watts
Weight 55 lbs/24.9 kg
Dimensions 8.5 x 17.0 x 19.0 in 216 x 432 x 483 mm
Mono 1.0 / Monoblock Power Amplifier
We’re immensely proud of the incomparable sound quality our “dream team” of top engineers and designers achieved with our Reference Hercules II and Performance Centaur monoblock amplifiers. We must admit, though, that building living-room-friendly high-end amplifiers has not been our strong point. Until now.
The Inspiration MONO 1.0 amplifier easily delivers 400 watts per channel into 8 ohms, doubling to 800 into 4 ohms. This is power enough to produce incredible, concert-hall dynamics with any speaker. Yet it is the size of a standard audio amplifier and weighs just 55 pounds. When you consider that the Centaur Monoblock weighs in at 103 pounds, and the Hercules II Monoblock at 220 pounds, the Inspiration’s ability to deliver incredible power from a modestly sized chassis is remarkable indeed.
Also remarkable is that the audio circuits are based on the same original schematics our “dream team” originally created for Hercules. In fact, most of the parts are the same. The output stage uses the same Balanced Bridged topology, combining multiple, small single-ended amplifier modules into a large, fully balanced design. This unique concept allows the Inspiration MONO 1.0 to deliver all the delicacy and musicality of a small single-ended amp, with the dynamics and power of a large monoblock.
Instead of employing an output stage made up of half N-type transistors and half P-type transistors as almost all other solid-state amplifiers do, the Balanced Bridged technology uses only N-type output transistors for both positive and negative halves of the audio signal. The result is that the two halves of the audio signal remain in perfect balance because their circuitry and components are identical.
However, our Balanced Bridged design can achieve ideal performance only when it is fed a perfectly balanced signal in the first place. To this end, the Inspiration MONO 1.0’s input stage uses the same Line Stage Gain Module circuit found in all Constellation Audio products. This module uses servo circuits to ensure that both halves of an incoming signal are perfectly balanced, no matter what the source.
Systems that use a Constellation Audio preamp with the Inspiration MONO 1.0 can take advantage of our Constellation Direct input. Because our preamps also have the Line Stage Gain Module circuit, the signal does not need to go through the input stage of the Inspiration MONO 1.0. So one amplifier stage can be bypassed entirely, for a more direct signal path and even greater retrieval of inner detail and natural ambience.
The power for the Inspiration MONO 1.0 comes from a custom-wound toroidal transformer, shielded within its own front compartment so its powerful electromagnetic energy does not interfere with the audio circuitry. The transformer feeds a bank of 24 capacitors, each of which offers 10,000 microfarads of storage. With so much energy on tap, the Inspiration can not only deliver incredibly high RMS power, it can also produce breathtaking dynamic peaks.
Moving the transformer to the front allowed us to place the output transistors very close to the back panel, near the output terminals. This arrangement shortens the signal path and keeps the output impedance extremely low. Massive heat sinks on the sides of the amplifier breathe freely through hundreds of ventilation ports, keeping the amp cool and assuring long-term reliability. A special shielded channel carries the AC power from the IEC connector on the rear to the transformer in front.
With tremendous power available, feeding the same circuit designs used in our larger monoblocks, all contained in a smaller chassis that weighs only about half as much as the Centaur Monoblock, the Inspiration MONO 1.0 clearly deserves membership in the Constellation Audio family. It’s the essence of its big brothers, the Hercules II and Centaur-not diluted in any way, merely distilled.
Features
400 watts per channel into 8 ohms
The Inspiration Monoblock not only delivers 400 watts into 8 ohms, it doubles that into 4 ohms — and at a low 0.2% total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD+N), not the 0.5% or 1% at which many other amps are rated. No matter what speaker you have or how loudly you want to play it, the Inspiration Monoblock can drive it with ease.
Our exclusive Balanced Bridged design
All of our amplifiers employ our exclusive Balanced Bridged balanced design. Other solid-state amplifiers use half N-type and half P-type output transistors, so they can never achieve a perfect balance between the positive and negative halves of the audio signal. Our amplifiers use only N-type output transistors, so the audio signal is kept in ideal balance and even the subtlest microdynamics and detail are conveyed without alteration.
High-current power supply for maximum dynamics
The Inspiration Monoblock uses a front-mounted, custom-wound toroidal transformer in conjunction with a capacitor bank totalling 240,000 microfarads of storage. This arrangement ensures that the supply can deliver ultra-smooth, completely stable continuous DC voltage as well as exceedingly high peak power for the most demanding musical transients.
Thick power supply shielding for cleaner audio performance
To protect the sensitive audio circuits from electromagnetic interference produced by the Inspiration Monoblock’s massive power supply transformer, we shield the transformer in its own enclosure in the front of the amp using thick aluminum plates.
Line Stage Gain Module
We use this preamplification circuit in every Constellation Audio product because we think it’s the best one ever designed. The Line Stage Gain Module continuously monitors the balance between the positive and negative halves of the audio signal using a servo circuit, so noise, interference and flaws in upstream equipment cannot throw the signal out of balance.
Fully discrete circuitry
To assure maximum performance, lowest noise and unrestrained dynamics, we use only discrete components — such as transistors, resistors and capacitors — in the Inspiration Monoblock’s amplification circuits. There are no ICs in the signal path.
Rear-mounted output stage for low output impedance
To minimize the Inspiration Monoblock’s output impedance — and thus to maximize damping factor and achieve nearly instantaneous “stop on a dime” woofer performance — we moved the amp’s power supply to the front and the output stage to the rear, right next to the speaker cable binding posts.
Filter-free output stage
Many high-end amplifiers use a Zobel filter network on the output stage to assure stability, but this filter limits bandwidth and can produce its own colorations. The inherent stability of our Balanced Bridged design makes an output filter unnecessary.
Specifications
Inputs 1 Constellation Direct XLR, 1 standard balanced XLR, 1 unbalanced RCA
Outputs metal binding posts
Power output per channel, 8Ω (1 kHz @ 0.2% THD+N) 400 watts
Power output per channel, 4Ω (1 kHz @ 0.2% THD+N) 800 watts
Frequency response 10 Hz to 80 kHz, +0/-0.5 dB
Gain 14dB Constellation Direct, 26 dB Balanced & RCA
THD+N (1 kHz @ up to 90% of rated power) <0.05%
Output impedance 0.1Ω
Damping factor (8Ω load) 80
Input impedance 20KΩ Constellation Direct, 10KΩ RCA unbalanced, 20KΩ XLR balanced
Siganl-to-noise ratio >-95 dB, A-weighted
Output noise <70 µV, 500 kHz BW, -116 dB @ 250 watts
Weight 55 lbs/24.9 kg
Dimensions 8.5 x 17.0 x 19.0 in 216 x 432 x 483 mm
