Elysian Pre-amplifier (EPre) Overview
The Elysian Pre-amplifier (EPre) is a reference standard balanced pre-amplifier designed to produce the
highest audio playback quality possible.
The EPre is machined from a single piece of extremely high grade aluminium, incorporating a dual monaural
pre-amplifier with dedicated transformers and power supplies for the left channel, right channel and digital
sections.
The EPre is a true reference design which has met our aim to produce an outstanding sounding,
unsurpassed pre-amplifier with a remote controllable relay switched volume control and both single ended
and balanced inputs and outputs.
The EPre houses six (three per channel) separate zero feedback, class A operating (with zero switching
distortion), DC coupled amplifier modules. This unique topology allows selection of the correct amplifier
module and allows the EPre to configure the most direct and purest signal path possible for any input /
output configuration.
The purest most direct connection will be achieved when operating in either single ended (RCA) to single
ended (RCA) or balanced (XLR) to balanced (XLR) mode. When the EPre is configured to operate in either
of these modes, the signal path will consist of just the relay switched volume control and a single (or parallel
for balanced) zero feedback JFET buffer amplifier.
Volume control is achieved through a state of the art 128 step, silver contact relay switched, fixed precision
resistor volume control. This is a state of the art complex system of switching relays, however sonically it out
performs all standard potentiometer based volume controls.
The EPre has an extremely low noise floor with greater spacial refinement, dynamic accuracy and fine detail
retrieval than any other pre-amplifier on the market.
All the analogue signal sections of the EPre are DC coupled from the input to the output and have a very
short signal path. Ultra low frequency DC servo circuitry (NIDS) is used to maintain extremely low DC
operating levels.
The EPre is fitted with twelve dedicated discrete regulated power supplies for both Left and Right analogue
channels and seven separate regulated supplies for the digital sections.
The power supply is a key component in achieving the maximum performance from the audio sections and
for this reason the EPre is fitted with a high specification mains filter and three separate transformers, one for
the analogue sections and two for the digital sections.
The CAAS EPre has been designed to produce the highest audio quality possible. This has been achieved
through the following CAAS Audio proprietary technologies.
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