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Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
Sapphire III is equipped with a high-quality DSP IC and hosts a comprehensive set of signal processing
functions to complement the amplifier in its intended application environment. These functions can be
controlled, edited, saved and recalled using the PC-based Control Panel application. Refer to the user
manual for the Control Panel for more specific information.
DSP Effects Implemented in Sapphire III include:
• Up to 170mS of system delay.
• Up to 10mS of high-resolution time/phase alignment delay.
• 5-band Parametric EQ with independent Frequency, Q control for each channel.
• Limiter with adjustable threshold and release times.
• 2-way crossover with frequency adjustment.
Sapphire III also allows control of Bridging (A/B, C/D), Input selection (Dante™ or analog) and analog input
level via the Control Panel.
Effects Description and Control Parameters:
Time/Phase alignment Delay
The Time/Phase alignment delay function provides very short, fine-grained adjustments in the output delay,
mainly for aligning speaker phase in small spaces. The range is 0 to 10 mS, adjustable in 0.01mS increments.
System Delay
System delay provides much longer output delays, up to 180mS and is used for aligning speaker systems
that are placed far apart, such as towers in an outdoor concert setting or large indoor spaces. This delay
time can be adjusted in 0.1mS increments.
5-Band Parametric EQ
Sapphire III features 5 bands of parametric EQ. The default frequency bands are set at 100, 500, 1K, 2K and
4KHz. Each band has these functions:
• -10 dB to +10 dB attenuation.
• Q "Quality Factor" Adjustable from 0 to 14 for peaking specific frequencies.
• Per-band enable/disable.
Limiter
The Limiter, if enabled, controls the overall loudness of the output signal and can dampen peaks above
the set threshold. The Limiter block offers 3 parameters of control:
• RMS time constant from 1 to 128 dB/S.
• Decay from 1 to 128 dB/S.
• Threshold adjustable from 14 dB to +14 dB.
2-Way Crossover
A Linkwitz-Riley 2-way crossover is available if the user wishes to set up Sapphire III for a Bi-amped
configuration. This block sets up the amp to switch the audio between 2 outputs based on the signal
frequency. Corner frequencies can be set anywhere in the audio range from 10Hz - 20KHz. The gain for
each output can also be set between -10 dB and +10 dB.
Bridging
Sapphire III offers bridging to effectively double the power output at the expense of running as a 2-channel
amplifier in Bridged mode. Bridge mode can be selected from the Hardware switch on the rear of the unit
and Sapphire will follow this switch setting by default at power-up. In Bridge mode, Dante™ channel 1 or
analog input A maps to the A/B outputs and Dante™ channel 3 or analog input C is mapped to the C/D
outputs. Other audio inputs will be ignored.
In Bridge mode, the crossover is also available. In this configuration, the Sapphire III is effectively a mono
amplifier with bi-amped outputs. Audio must be input on Dante™ channel 1 or analog input A.
Input level control
Sapphire III defaults to the level settings on the front panel at power-up, these will control the level of the
signal at the ADC input. The Software Control Panel can override these settings if desired, for example in a
remotely-located amp setup where it is difficult or inconvenient to manually adjust the input level from the
front panel. Level is controllable from –∞ to 0 dB.
Power Amplifier
Sapphire III
7
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