Legacy AERIS Review - Dsp
I’ve also never heard such hyper detail, both micro and macro. That includes some pretty
outstanding ribbons and panel models. Usually such extreme level of detail is accompanied by
edginess and a quality I call mechanical. Sometimes there is even a harshness and unevenesss as if
the designer had boosted the upper frequencies to give the illusion of detail, but it’s really just
overemphasis and a lack of linearity that is pretty easy to detect. Lots of audiophiles love them.
Speakers like those make me feel like I’m hearing a lecture about the music instead of the music
itself. This was not so with the Aeris. It was actually a pleasure just to listen to a tone sweep from
the bottom of human listening range to the top. Almost flawless – just one continuous sweep with
no suck outs or over modulations, bumps or humps. All the detail, soundstaging and every other
audiophile prerequisites without the unnatural, antiseptic character. The Aeris is a major
accomplishment.
DSP
Here’s where it might get dicey from some of you. The Aeris employ DSP or digital signal processing
in a separate box in the form of a Xilica XP-4080. While you may have never of it, you’ve probably
heard it because it is used in many professional recording studios. Bill calls it the “The Aeris
Wavelaunch DSP” in the owner’s manual. It is a 40-bit matrix (not 24 or 32 bit) processor allowing
resolution exceeding that of recordings currently available. He says that it “provides for biamping,
time synchronization and level matching of the ICE powered woofer section to the user’s choice in
upper range amplification”. That’s important. Remember, just the woofers are amplified so you
must have your own amp to power everything else. The DSP allows for the matching, not only in
volume levels, but in other critical areas such as timing and coloration. If you're worried about
extra digital artifacts or phase issues, don't. There are none.In fact, by limiting bouncing off the