SPL DIRECTOR MKII - Stereo Preamplifier

MK2 - Stereo Preamplifier

The director sets the tone.
The centerpiece of the HiFi system is the preamplifier. With remote source selection and volume control, retro-looking VU-meter, premium DA converter and superior VOLTAiR technology, the Director Mk2 delivers musical achievements.

Milled from solid
is the large 45mm volume control. Its mass together with the Alps RK27 “Big Blue” motorized potentiometer further enhances the “spoon in honey” feel.

The red LED marker makes the setting visible even in dark environments.

RC Volume
The volume can be controlled remotely with any infrared remote control, which the Director Mk2 simply learns.

Source of joy
You can connect up to ten (10!) stereo sources to the Director Mk2. Six of these are for analog input signals and four are for digital input signals.
The source selection is shown in the dot matrix LED display: IN 1 to IN 6 for analog inputs.

AES, USB, COAX, OPTI for digital inputs, where the detected sampling rate is displayed after about two seconds. For example U768 = USB input with sampling rate 768kHz.
Source selection can also be operated remotely if the selector is set to the "Remote" position.

The Director Mk2 offers two pairs of balanced inputs with XLR connectors and four standard inputs with gold-plated RCA connectors.

On the digital side there are four additional inputs. PCM audio is received in S/P-DIF format via coaxial Cinch, optical Toslink and balanced XLR (AES). Both PCM and DSD audio can be converted via USB.

The DAC768
The acclaimed AKM AK4490 Velvet Sound™ premium DAC chip is used as the conversion chip in the digital-to-analog converter, which thanks to its new architecture reproduces the finest sound details.

Converts PCM audio with 32-bit resolution and up to 768kHz sampling rate, which is equivalent to 16 times CD resolution. Direct Stream Digital is also supported up to DSD4 or DSD256 resolution.

The DLP120
The analog output of the DAC chip must be filtered by a low-pass filter. The Director Mk2 has two of these: one for PCM audio and one for DSD audio, as different roll-off frequencies are needed.
And unlike every other DAC in the world, the low-pass filters here are built using VOLTAiR technology, which provides an advantage in dynamics and headroom.

Good old days
Two mechanical VU meters display the input levels for the left and right audio channels.
With the VU switch you can optimize the display for different signal levels.

Tape Monitor
The circuit of a tape monitor is quite retro. Who still owns a cassette deck or a tape recorder? Who still has an equalizer?
To put it another way: Who would want to do that and can't do it because no manufacturer offers a tape monitoring circuit anymore?
Well, whoever wants can again.

Audio levels today are much higher than in the past and many recorders will be overloaded.
In this case, simply press the switch and the recorder level is lowered by 10 dB.
To compensate, the recorder level is increased by 10 dB. Et voilà.

Preamplifier and direct output
On the output side, power amplifiers or active speakers can be connected to the preamplifier output jacks using XLR.
The direct output via RCA collects the output signal before the volume control and thus offers the possibility of connecting a headphone amplifier.

AMP CTL
Convenient are the AMP CTL sockets to which power amplifiers with 12V trigger inputs can be connected to be switched on and off remotely together with the Director Mk2.