This year's judging panel included sound designers, board ops, an academic, and an acoustician whose choice of top sound products represents a unique cross section of incremental improvements to existing technology, and include everything from a protocol to a cable. The winners are Aviom's A-Net Pro64 ASIC protocol, d&b audiotechnik's D12 amplifier, DiGiCo's D5T console, Gepco's CT504HD Cat 5e Cable, and Level Control Systems' Wild Tracks 4 playback system.
d&b is renowned for its loudspeaker products so at first glance it might seem surprising that the winning product from d&b audiotechnik is the two-channel D12 amplifier. For many years d&b's range has incorporated control electronics and amplifiers, this award ultimately endorses the company's enduring claim of being a complete systems manufacturer say the company.
The D12 amplifier incorporates digital signal processors that provide loudspeaker specific set ups and comprehensive protection functions for every single loudspeaker system produced by d&b. The D12 has both digital and analog signal inputs, controls and status indicators, remote network interfaces and a sine wave and pink noise signal generator. Each channel has a user definable four-band parametric equalizer, and a signal delay capability of up to 340 ms that can be applied independently. The d&b ROPE C drag and drop remote software functions as a graphic user interface to the amplifier and through it all functions and features can be centrally controlled, monitored and relevant functions grouped. The D12 also includes d&b SenseDrive for accurate control of the driver membranes in d&b subwoofers, resulting in extremely precise low frequency performance.
All the winners will be honoured at this year's EDDY Awards ceremony on 22 June in New York.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
