August 17, 2009
Audio Design Associates Begins Shipping New Suite 7.1 HD Surround Sound Controller



By Gary Reber


Audio Design Associates (ADA), the recognized brand of excellence in high-end custom installed electronics, began shipping the highly anticipated Suite 7.1 HD.  The Suite 7.1 HD is ADA’s first home theater controller featuring HDMI connectivity. Each of the eight HDMI inputs can be individually equalized.  The Suite 7.1 HD has two HDMI mirror outputs that also incorporate HDMI equalization.  HDMI equalization helps compensate for both cable type and length. 

Notes Richard Stoerger, ADA’s Vice President and C.O.O.  “The last giant leap for surround sound took place in 1996 when were the first to ship Dolby AC3 and DTS decoding in the in the SSD-66 5.1.  Ever since then, the story has been all about video.  Well that is about to change.  With the success of Blue-ray and the fact that most every title features lossless high-resolution audio, I believe that the Suite 7.1 HD will leave as big a footprint on the home theater landscape as the SSD-66 5.1 did when it ushered in discrete 5.1 over a decade ago.”

The Suite 7.1 HD is ADA’s first high definition home theater controller featuring eight HDMI inputs with mirror HDMI
outputs.  There are also four additional analog audio inputs, two TOS-Link 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 which will permit remote monitoring and off-site adjustment.

The Suite 7.1 HD is ADA’s is able to decode Dolby True HD and Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master and High Resolution audio, as well as multi-channel PCM (96/24) audio formats.  It also features 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).


/> At just $5,499, Albert Langella, ADA’s President and Chief Design Engineer is pleased to point to the incredibly attractive price point of the Suite 7.1 HD.  “We have already pre-sold half of our first production run with many units going in demonstration theaters.  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 theater will now be able to actually hear the difference.”

The Suite 7.1 HD 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 CEDIA Expo.





Tags: - equipment - - Audio Design Associates (ADA) - - Suite 7.1 HD - - home theater controller - - HDMI - - DTS-HD Master Audio - - Dolby TrueHD - - Cinema Rhapsody Mach IV - - Cinema Reference Mach IV -