11
to the recovered clock when the long-term data rate from the transport is ex-
tremely inaccurate. (Sorry—the digital output of your CD portable will not sound
as good as a fine CD transport such as the Mark Levinson Nº31.)
Superior isolation
between sources
One of the advantages of a separate digital audio processor is that you can take
the money which might have otherwise been spent on several built-in D/A con-
verters and put it into one, superior processor which will enhance the perfor-
mance of all the transports with which it is used. Ironically, many outboard pro-
cessors fail to live up to this potential due to interference between their various
digital inputs.
The Nº36 provides outstanding isolation between its inputs, realizing the full po-
tential of the various digital transports with which it is used. In fact, all
unselected digital inputs are capacitively shunted to ground upon entering the
Nº36 to prevent their interaction with any portion of the circuitry inside the pro-
cessor. As a result, the selected input effectively has the Nº36 “all to itself” for its
conversion to analog.
Fully balanced design
The Nº36 is fully balanced in both the analog and digital domains. Even single-
ended digital inputs (anything other than the balanced aes/ebu standard) are im-
mediately converted to balanced signals before any further routing or processing
of the signal. All digital filtering and processing is implemented in a balanced
configuration, and conversion to analog is accomplished in two opposing polarity
20-bit converters per channel.
This approach maintains the integrity of the signal, reducing the opportunities for
music-destroying noise and digital artifacts to enter the signal path.
24 bit digital architecture
and HDCD
®
compatibility
All digital filtering and processing maintains a true 24-bit throughput capability,
providing greater digital resolution than any existing source component. Even the
most stringent requirements of professionals can easily be met with this design.
In addition to true 20-bit capability (24 bits in the digital domain, filtered to the
20-bit resolution of the digital to analog conversion stages), the Nº36 also incor-
porates High Definition Compatible Digital
®
decoding to take full advantage of
the increased resolution available from HDCD encoded 16-bit CDs. The High
Definition Compatible Digital
®
format retains much of the resolution inherent in
professional twenty bit recordings by encoding this information more efficiently
within the sixteen bit space available within the Compact Disc format.
The technology embodied in the Nº36 sets it apart from other high end products,
one which will stand the test of time.
