There are two other ways to connect to the unit for control. (It also features integration with The CEDIA Designer home theater design software.) Since I don't have a sophisticated control system in my own home theater, I instead used the supplied handset along with a URC MX-990 universal remote for my evaluation. Hence, the unit supports Control4, AMX, Creston, Savant, and RTI, and can be controlled via IP or RS232. While the non-backlit remote control Trinnov includes is rather spartan, it's also true that the main customer for an Altitude16 will likely have a custom-installed home theater that runs on an advanced control system. (Trinnov also says that the modular hardware design allows for HDMI connections to be updated to version 2.1 when that upgrade becomes available.) The benefit to this design is that when a new processing mode comes along, the Altitude16 can be easily upgraded for it over the internet. In lieu of a chip-based DSP, Trinnov uses a Linux-based software suite that runs on a multicore Intel i3 processor. Since the Altitude16 is based on a PC architecture, it features standard I/O options on the lower left side of its rear panel. The unit is also Roon Ready and functions as a UPnP renderer. Other connections include a trigger input, four trigger outputs (three configurable), an RS-232 control port, an Ethernet port for network connection and control, and two additional Ethernet ports labeled for future use. It has eight 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 (HDCP 2.2-compliant) inputs and two HDMI 2.0 outputs (with eARC on output 1), dual coaxial and optical digital inputs (plus one output of each type), and analog XLR and RCA stereo inputs. The Trinnov offers 16 channels of processing with support for the three major immersive audio formats: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Pro, and Auro-3D. A large dimmable display shows volume, input, and audio format status, along with other information about incoming and outgoing A/V signals. The brushed aluminum front panel contains only a few controls: power, mute, volume adjustment, and source selection, plus menu navigation buttons. Once it arrived and was unboxed, I admired the Altitude16's design-it has an industrial look that I personally love in an A/V component. (Trinnov's portfolio also includes the Altitude32, a model with up to 32 discrete output channels and the Amethyst, a four-channel processor that can be configured for stereo, biamped, or 2.2 output in systems with dual mono or stereo subwoofers.) To prepare myself, I even downloaded and starting reading Trinnov's 172-page manual well in advance of the Altitude16's arrival. But all that changed when I found out I'd be reviewing the Trinnov Audio Altitude16, an $18,000 surround sound processor offering up to 16 discrete output channels plus the company's proprietary Optimizer speaker/room correction, that's arguably the most sophisticated and flexible offering of its kind on the market. I've been reviewing A/V gear for over 15 years, and it's rare that something new comes along that will intimidate me.
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