Trinnov Altitude 16 Review (AV Processor)

[jhaider]

The Sherwood was spectacular and really did a great job. It had fewer filter resolution and decimated to 48 kHz but worked great. This was all done with the internal CPU so it was very slow to calculate and tweaking the target curve required updating firmware. 3D remapping worked great and it used the same 4 channel microphone that used the Ethernet cable for power.

The problem is that the HDMI board universally fails over time, presumably due to heat even though it doesn’t seem to run that hot.

I didn't know they failed - I didn't have mine long enough to get to that point. HDMI never worked particularly well though. I think Sherwood Newcastle may have been one of the first out the gate with HDMI, or at least that particular version of HDMI. Regardless, it was HDMI and not Trinnov that sunk it as a product

Also, it wasn't quite the same microphone. Same concept, certainly, but the base was much shorter and it wasn't metal. It was more-or-less the size of an Audyssey mic but with 3 more capsules.

 

[hwest]

They take the LVMH strategy it is Made in France so you pay 99 % more! Ha ha!

Unfortunately made in France doesn't normally mean better to begin with.

 

[Descartes]

Unfortunately made in France doesn't normally mean better to begin with.

Not only that but on top of if good luck with customer service with the attitude!

 

[DonH56]

Not only that but on top of if good luck with customer service with the attitude!

Trinnov customer service is among the best in the business, either through the local USA rep or going back to the factory. One thing you get for the price.

 

[Descartes]

Trinnov customer service is among the best in the business, either through the local USA rep or going back to the factory. One thing you get for the price.

That must be the exception, especially for the premium price that they charge! Ever tried getting support from Devialet!

 

[CINERAMAX]

Trinnov customer service is among the best in the business, either through the local USA rep or going back to the factory. One thing you get for the price.

The best in the business, at odd hours too.

 

[Descartes]

The best in the business, at odd hours too.

Good to know when I win the lottery

 

[CINERAMAX]

You and me both.

 

[DonH56]

I got lucky, sort-of... After blowing through three "high-end" (but not at the very top of the line) AVRs/processors in about 5 years (and some SW/FW nightmares along the way), getting a refurb (dealer returned so never out to a customer) SDP-75 (rebadged/tweaked Altitude 32) at a significant savings was cheaper than continuing the processor train. The only issue I've had is that Harman is not yet on the same update cycle as Trinnov, so I end up waiting a month or six for the latest update (partly because I do not ask). When I do ask, Harman has been very responsive at providing intermediate updates, and if I've an issue they cannot answer Trinnov takes over. Usually in less than a day. I "spoke" with a number of folk around various audio forums as well as in person and everyone agreed service is outstanding. A welcome rarity indeed. Pricey, yah, but one of the very few audio items that really is supported and upgradeable.

 

[hwest]

Not only that but on top of if good luck with customer service with the attitude!

I'm kind of glad Anthem came out with the AVM-90, it addressed everything that was important to me and Trinnov is a high maintenance is what I keep hearing. It's like having a whining girlfriend.

 

[DonH56]

I'm kind of glad Anthem came out with the AVM-90, it addressed everything that was important to me and Trinnov is a high maintenance is what I keep hearing. It's like having a whining girlfriend.

Mine has been set and forget. I know folk with among the very first few off the line that are still running and handle all the latest codecs on the original hardware. I have never heard them described as "high maintenance". Upgradeable, yes, features (SW) and hardware, but that is not high maintenance; you choose if you want to upgrade based on wants for features or need for the latest codec. Upgrades, should you choose to take advantage of them, are much less costly (SW upgrades are free, such as the recent one to add IMAX capability) and problematic than upgrading a whining girlfriend (boyfriend, whatever).

 

[CINERAMAX]

Most are set them and forget them, fake news on this topic too?

 

[PureLIN]

i had a double take at the PC backplane there

from inside pics you can see it runs a commodity MSI motherboard

Just a random question, how does the PC board communicate with other boards? I don't see the PCIe slot been occupied, does they use USB?

 

[PureLIN]

Just a random question, how does the PC board communicate with other boards? I don't see the PCIe slot been occupied, does they use USB?

Find answer here: http://hifireview.com.hk/20180307/trinnov-altitude-16‧av_processor/
They are using firewire ! An obvious legacy technology.
The firewire adapter is install in PCIe slot with x1 speed.

And the dice firewire receiver chip:

 

[Lavin8]

Hello!
Can someone explain is here significant difference between Trinnov Altitude 16 old version and a new one?
I know that the new one cames with 2.1 hdmi board and new DAC’s, so I’m more curious about new DAC’s - does it bring big change in SQ? Worth to get a new version? Only make an upgrade for new DAC’s ? (No need for now 2.1 actually, but nice to have of course) or just stay with previous model?
I don’t know maybe there were more improvements too.

TNX

 

[CINERAMAX]

FWIW In Facebook groups the general buzz is that the dac difference is unherdable.

 

[GXAlan]

The original 2015 model has a SINAD around 90 dB. The middle tier one that Amir tested in 2021 is shown here, hitting 100 dB at 4V. The new one should be better but it doesn’t really matter. The original 2015 was already transparent for theater use.

I will try to post some measurements next week.

 

[TonyJZX]

firewire also makes the F22 and F35 fighters fly

its a solid, obviously milspec grade comms method and so i think using it on an av component shows that these people are serious at what they are doing

while i get the side-eye at them using a commodity $100 motherboard i'm guessing its easier for them to work in x86

they could probably do it in a PI if it met their processing requirements.... just a means to an end

 

[Haskil]

Well, I've read them of course, and I simply don't understand why you focus that much on measured SINAD while you admit a slightly better measurement won't change anything to the actual audible performance.

Trinnov products are not State of the art because they measure perfectly well on every criteria per se, which isn't so relevant nor important, but because they globally measure well enough anyway, they sound good, they have possibly the best calibration system so far, they are very reliable and are upgradable, and because the company offers a very good service and a great expertise. That what real State of the art is all about.

Another example : my Topping D70S measures slightly better than the pro interface Merging Anubis, but the second one has a lot more functionnalities, has no clocks and pops at extinction, has a faultless reliability, and sounds even better than my Topping, no matter what tells the test bench. Of course, the price is not at all the same.

Well no... You must first check whether a manufacturer's promises are kept.

Whoever this manufacturer is and whatever their reputation.

Then, compared to the public selling price of the Trinnov, changing the DAC cards for better ones would have a negligible impact, or even, who knows?, would not increase its public selling price in any way.

The search for maximum performance is a way of not regressing in the long term through small successive renunciations by adopting the lowest technological cost. Especially by a company whose room optimizer seems to be "the" best "automatic" speaker correction software in the room. I have heard a well-tuned Trinnov several times and have been able to measure the power and effectiveness of its various corrections. This in no way prevents us from hoping that the DAC cards chosen are better in terms of performance than those chosen... How else? By ear?

Sorry for your personal experience Tovarich007: mine with another DAC Topping than yours, the DX 3 Pro, is the opposite of yours: no difference between it used as a preamp on its line output, compared to various other DACs including RME ADI 2 , Gustard, or even Tact 2.2X...

 

[GXAlan]

Then, compared to the public selling price of the Trinnov, changing the DAC cards for better ones would have a negligible impact, or even, who knows?, would not increase its public selling price in any way.

Trinnov’s are pretty rare to find used. Like a luxury sports car that isn’t a limited edition product, they will depreciate more in absolute dollars than a regular car. You cannot save “$10k” off a $2k AVR. You might find $10k off a $37k AVP.

1) Channel count definitely affects resale
2) HDMI 2.0 MDS vs. HDMI 2.0 CYP doesn’t seem to make a difference. HDMI 2.1 does.
3) ESS Sabre vs Burr Brown doesn’t seem to make a big difference in price, but the upgrade cost might not be horrible if you want that mental satisfaction of having fancier DACs.

I would like to see a full exposure of what this Trinnov box does better or not for 11k more than the new Marantz AV10, put it back to back, compare features, sound quality, etc.

SINAD is only one measure of performance. The real difference is in the room correction. I have the HTP-1 which is superior to the AV10 in many ways. (PEQ, Dirac plus loudness, BassEQ) With my room and speaker layout, the Trinnov Altitude 32 is way better in sound. Is it worth the price premium? Hardly. The point of diminishing returns is much closer to just $1K. Even the HTP-1 isn’t 4x better than a 1k AVR. Is it headless panther/piggy bank stealing panther? Not at all.

Feature wise, the Altitude 32 doesn’t even let you power it on with an IR remote control. So any consumer AVR/AVP wins there. But if you think about Dirac, it has no idea if your speakers are positioned to Dolby spec, the LCRs are standing shoulder to shoulder, or if the LCR is at 9, 12, and 3 o’clock. The Trinnov does know.

If you had your speakers at 9,12,3 o’clock, your left channel is too far to the left. In theory, if the left and center played the same thing, the phantom center places the apparent source in the region between the true left/true center and where you would want to put your speaker. The Trinnov can apply this approach to all speakers simultaneously to provide you with 3D remapping.

The closer you are to Dolby spec for your layout, the better Dirac gets. The bigger your room (where you need more speakers than 9.1.6) or the more your room needs to integrate with home decor (where your speakers are less ideal), the better Trinnov is. You also have fancier PEQ, fancier bass management, etc.

If your Atmos speakers are not full range, for example, instead of driving bass to the subwoofer, you may actually want to put the bass to the bed layer speaker that is closest because you want some localization.

If you have passive speakers, you can have the Trinnov act as a digital crossover with phase alignment for a 2,3, or 4-way setup.