Audio Design Associates Takes Another Giant Leap In Home Theatre Sound With The Debut Of Its Next Generation Decoder/Preamp

March 3, 2009

Audio Design Associates (ADA), the recognized brand of excellence in high-end custom installed electronics, has announced that it will be debuting the Suite 7.1 HD at EH Expo. ADA - along with lead exhibit partner RBH Speakers, as well as Auralex, D-Box, Panamorph, Projection Design, and SI Screens - will be demonstrating its first high-definition audio home theatre controller. “This is wonderfully exciting,” notes Richard Stoerger, ADA’s Vice President and C.O.O. “The last giant leap for surround sound took place when we first introduced Dolby AC-3 decoding. Ever since the 1995 International Consumer Elecronics Show (CES), the story has been all about video. Well that is about to change. With the success of Blu-ray Disc and the fact that most every title features high-resolution audio, I believe that the Suite 7.1 HD will leave as big a footprint on the home theatre landscaped as the SSD-66 5.1 did when it ushered in discrete 5.1 over a decade ago. It all starts at EHX.” The Suite 7.1 HD is ADA’s first high-definition home theatre controller featuring eight HDMI inputs with mirror HDMI outputs. There are also four additional analog audio inputs, two TOSLink digital audio inputs, and six digital coax inputs. The Suite 7.1 HD features 7.1 channel audio outputs and also has a low voltage trigger (for amplifiers), ADA Bus data port (connection to ADA multi-room systems) and Ethernet port (for setup and integration). Amazingly, the Suite 7.1 HD packs all this into a chassis that measures only one rack-unit in height (1.75 inches) saving valuable rack space. Front panel controls and multi-line display permit operation and also setup of most parameters. ADA’s PC Setup Program makes installation and calibration quick and simple while permitting dealers to maintain a file that contains all setup parameters. The Suite 7.1 HD can also be connected to a home network permit remote monitoring and off-site adjustment. The Suite 7.1 HD is ADA’s first HDMI (ver. 1.3) repeater and is able to decode Dolby TrueHD and Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio and High Resolution Audio, as well as multichannel PCM (96/24) audio formats. It also features Dolby Volume and THX Ultra2 Plus as well as all other surround sound decoding formats found on the original Suite 7.1 (Dolby EX, DTS ES, Dolby Pro Logic IIx). “We took the Suite 7.1 HD on its first test-flight at this year’s CES.” stated Albert Langella, ADA’s President and C.E.O. “Due to noise-level restrictions in the Venetian Hotel, we decided to focus on education versus trying to ‘wow’ the crowd with volume. Apparently very few system integrators [or consumers] have actually experienced the astounding difference high-resolution multichannel sound brings to home theatre. Even though they had read and heard about Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, people emerged from our demonstration totally amazed.” The Suite 7.1 HD just made its European debut at the ISE exposition that took place in Amsterdam the first week of February. As founding members of a group of manufacturers that put on the Home Cinema Europe booth, ADA and the Suite 7.1 HD got a real test drive running a formal eight seat home theatre. “At the ISE Show, we were able to turn up the volume to appropriate demo levels”, stated Stoerger. “I really enjoyed watching the expressions of some of Europe’s most prominent integrators as they experienced for the first time an audiophile grade preamplifier switching between standard 5.1 formats and high-resolution multichannel formats. By the end of the demonstration they too realized that once you have heard the Suite 7.1 HD playing uncompressed multichannel sound, you simply don’t want to go back to regular 5.1 sound.” At just $5,499, Langella is pleased to point to the incredibly attractive price point of the Suite 7.1 HD. “We have already pre-sold one-half of our first production run with many units going in demonstration theatres. At a time in which our dealers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competition, the Suite 7.1 HD is going to be an incredibly powerful tool as anyone interested in a 1080p home theatre will now be able to actually hear the difference.” The Suite 7.1 HD is scheduled to ship in Q2 and will be followed shortly by the Cinema Rhapsody Mach IV that begins shipping this summer. ADA intends to introduce its flagship Cinema Reference Mach IV at the CEDIA Expo. About Audio Design Associates Headquartered in White Plains, New York, Audio Design Associates (ADA) is recognized as the brand of excellence and has been the undisputed leader in the fields of high-end home theatre and multi-room audio technology since 1977. Its mission is to provide timeless electronics that enhance lifestyle through entertainment. Albert Langella, ADA’s Chief Design Engineer, CEO and President, received CEDIA’s most hallowed award,The Lifetime Achievement Award, in 1994, in honor of his achievements with the company and technological contributions to the marketplace.In 2006, COO and Vice President Richard Stoerger received recognition as CEDIA Manufacturer Volunteer of the Year. ADA Celebrates 30-years in Business June 2007 marked 30-years in business for ADA. In celebration of the company’s achievements and its heritage of proudly manufacturing in the United States of America, on July 4th ADA implemented ADA-30, a 30-year reasonable warranty on the company’s entire product line (comprised of home theater and distributed audio components). ADA-30 applies to all new ADA products sold by authorized dealers beginning July 4th, 2007 and running through July 4th, 2009. ADA Contact Information: Audio Design Associates, 602-610 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605. Phone: 1.800.HD.AUDIO or visit www.ada-usa.com

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