Kicker (Stillwater Designs) is shipping this month a new “Front Row” car audio digital signal processor at $299.95.
The unit has 6-channels for three speaker pairs. It helps lift the sound stage of your music up off the car floor and up to ear height where it belongs.
The Front Row has 32-step fully variable digital crossover controls to let users adjust staging and imaging and bass from the front seat.
It uses a simple analog-based control system, but signal manipulation is performed digitally (28-/56-bit, double-precision DSP with 24-bit AD/DA converters).
The subwoofer section includes a variable subsonic filter and each section incorporates a Clip Limiter, a fast-acting compressor/speaker saver that monitors input signal and prevents clipping and distortion. The result is clearer sound at high volumes, says Kicker.
The Front Row also includes simulated 5.1 surround sound and a bass boost feature plus a bass restoration feature.
Specifications:
– 50 MHz CPU / 28-/56-bit double-precision DSP / 24-bit AD/DA converters
Frequency Response (Hz): 10-22k, +/-0.2dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 110dB
THD: 0.004%
32-step variable crossovers with 12, 24 or 48dB/octave slopes
– Front: high-pass 0-500Hz or 0-5kHz (10x switch)
– Rear: high-pass 0-500Hz
– Rear: low-pass 50-500Hz or 500-5kHz (10x switch)
– Sub: subsonic filter 0-80Hz, fixed at 48dB/octave
– Sub: low-pass 40-160Hz
Subwoofer Phase: variable 0-180 degrees
KickEQ: variable 0-+15dB at 45Hz, Q=3
SHOCwave: variable bass restoration
Source: Kicker
