Audio Video News

Looking for a great home theater preamp that won't break the bank? Atlantic Technology's new A/V preamplifier/processor will perform flawlessly with "every consumer surround-sound processing format currently known to man," according to a recent announcement. It will also do so a price far below some of its big-ticket competitors. The P-2000 carries a suggested retail price of only $1699.

The P-2000 comes equipped for several Dolby modes, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Surround EX, and three versions of Dolby ProLogic II modes. It's equally adept at DTS, with DTS 5.1, DTS-ES Discrete, DTS-ES Matrix and DTS NEO:6. It's also one of the first processors to offer the new Cirrus Extra Surround™. Developed by Cirrus Logic, this process lets you to listen to any digital or analog source in 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 mode depending on your speaker configuration. Automatic decoding: the P-2000 can automatically switch to a 6.1 surround mode when the new 6.1 channel digital flag is present in the source material. You also may select it manually.

With its 5.1 analog bass management system, the processor lets you enjoy the full benefits of DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD. Do you have mismatched front and rear speakers, or is your center channel speaker significantly different from the left-right pair? The P-2000 allows you to tune the response of differing speakers through the use of independently adjustable crossovers. Cirrus's new Triple Crossover gives you the ability to set the crossover point for the speakers in three groupings: Front Left/Right, Center, and Surround/Surround Back. For each group you may set the crossover at 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 or 150Hz. It's an easy and precise way to optimize system performance with any combination of speakers. Another unique feature is Dolby ProLogic II, with three standard modes (Movies, Music, and regular ProLogic) and a switchable "Panorama" mode. The P-2000 has separate settings for "dimension" and "center width," giving you more control of the soundstage.

The P-2000 also works as a purist audiophile preamp. Its analog bypass switch sends input signals directly to the volume control and then on to the power amp, without subjecting them to A/D - DSP - D/A processing. All analog inputs---such as from a disc player or outboard decoder---may be set to operate in bypass mode. The new AT processor also has special a "theater compensation circuit that lets you take the edge off overly bright sound tracks.

Do you have a second speaker system elsewhere in the house? All you need there is a power amp with remote turn-on capability, and you can feed it the sources from your main system---for example, you could have FM radio in one room while a DVD movie is playing in your home theater. The P-2000's second zone capability lets you select a separate source for the second zone, and adjust the volume in the second zone through the use of an IR sensor in that zone. The illuminated remote control offers direct access to all input sources, with easy selection of surround modes and the ability to easily trim all channel levels without the need to enter the system set-up mode.

Video capabilities include HDTV compatible component video switching. Onscreen menus appear in either NTSC or PAL video formats. The P-2000 is "future-proofed" by the inclusion of an internal E-PROM chip that will allow for software upgrades. Atlantic Technology says a 230-volt version will be available soon.