STORMAUDIO’S 2020 AUDIO HARDWARE LINE DEBUTS AT CEDIA EXPO 2019

Sporting a new StormAudio logo and designated “Mark2” the new models are slated to land in 2020 with a fresh industrial design and many performance enhancements.

Performance enhancements include eARC HDMI, DTS:X Pro and IMAX Enhanced,13.1.10 decoding, rapid codec switching and improved bass management including Dirac.

eARC HDMI, DTS:X Pro and IMAX Enhanced, 13.1.10 decoding, rapid codec switching, and improved bass management including the new Dirac Live Bass Management tool join the existing line's built-in compatibility with Dolby Atmos, DTS :X, Auro-3D, and Dirac Live Room Calibration along with StormAudio's proprietary web-based remote monitoring tool StormMonitoring.

The processors incorporate StormAudio's new proprietary 7+2 eARC HDMI card. The addition makes for faster and more robust switching with full HDMI2.0b/HDCP2.2 support. Designed by StormAudio, the card delivers 4K,18 Gigabytes per second bandwidth on all input and output ports, solid DolbyVision and HDR10 are also supported.

The integrated eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel), a feature of HDMI 2.1, provides a significant boost in bandwidth and speed, sending the high-quality audio from the 8K TV to the processor, and on to the amps and speakers.

StormAudio Mark2

The brand's new Mark2 platform can decode up to 24-channels (Dolby Atmos 13.1.10) and features ultra-fast codec switching time and substantially reduced latency (50% reduction). Additionally, the processors are ready to support both DTS:X Pro and IMAX Enhanced.

Also incorporated is Auro-3D Version 2 which enables the use of back speakers in a 13.1 layout with a 9.1 or 11.1 Auro-3D stream. Auro-3D V2 also brings improved centre channel dialogue when upmixing from stereo.

The processors feature StormAudio's updated Bass Management system which allows for multiple bass zones (customisable selective redirection). As a significant Dirac supporter, the processors are ready for Dirac Live Bass Management support which launches at Expo. This premium license supports the phase and time alignment of multiple subwoofers within a theatre. It is provided at no charge to StormAudio dealers and customers.  

StormAudio Pre-amps/Processors 2020

StormAudio's 2020 lineup of immersive sound preamp/processors consists of the following models:

• ISP.16 Analog Mk2 16-channel
• ISP.20 Analog Mk2 20-channel
• ISP.32 Analog Mk2 32-channel  
• ISP.32 Digital AES Mk2 32-channel

The Mark2 line's modular approach, same as with the current preamp/processor line, will bring options such as Digital In, Audio Video Bridging and RCA out, with even more card options planned for 2020.

StormAudio Power Amps 2020

StormAudio's 2020 line-up of power amplifiers consists of the following models:

• PA.8 Ultra Mk2, Class D, 8-channels x 200-watts; 4-channels x 800-watts bridged mode
• PA.16 Mk2, Class D, 16-channel x 200 watts (8 ohms)

StormAudio CEO Olivier Thumerel told StereoNET:

This past 18-months StormAudio has grown from a small adventure to a technical and commercial success, thanks to the dedication of its team and partners. To reflect this change and initiate a new era for our company, we felt it was time to simplify and modernize our image. We are excited to present ‘the new StormAudio' to the industry at 2019 CEDIA Expo.

Expo Demos

At 2019 CEDIA Expo luxury home theatre hardware brand StormAudio will debut its 2nd generation immersive audio line-up. The new line comprises 16-, 20- and 32-channel analogue preamp/processors, a digital AES 32-channel version, and 8- and 16-channel amps.2019 CEDIA

The new processors can be seen at StormAudio's booth #4327. The brand's current, multiple award-winning processors outfitted with the eARC HDMI card can be experienced in high-profile theatre demos by Seymour-Screen Excellence/Audio Excellence (SR-10) and Alcons Audio (SR-13).