Hello:
I am the owner of Digiphase Electronics Inc. located in the central Florida area. Since 1994 my company has produced various Digital Signal Processing products such as the Compact Disc Interface (CDIF) board, the Finite Impulse Response Processor (FIRP) board, and the Finite Impulse Response Stereo Transceiver (FIRST) board. The original Stereo Workstation product consisted of a 50 MHz PC with a CDIF board installed inside, and a separate off board PC bus expansion enclosure that housed a number of FIRP boards. The CDIF board provided the S/PDIF interface to a Compact Disc Player, and the FIRP boards provided the computational power to implement the Signal Processing functions. There's no way that the Signal Processing could be accomplished by the 50 MHz PCs that existed at that time. The next step in the evolution of the Stereo Workstation was the introduction of the FIRST board which combined the functionality of the CDIF board and multiple FIRP boards into one installed PC board. By this time PCs were hitting the 200 MHz mark which was still too slow to handle the Signal Processing. These early hardware based systems were expensive to produce and a selling price of over $4000 was the result. Eventually PCs became fast enough, at 1 to 2 GHz, that it became conceivable to implement the Signal Processing directly on the PC processor. The Stereo Workstation Software product incorporates all the Signal Processing functions of the previous hardware systems into one inexpensive software package that can be installed on any Windows compatible machine.
As for myself, I have over 30 years experience developing Signal Processing and Image Processing, Software and Hardware, for Launch Support Systems at the Kennedy Space Center. I have a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an MS in Signal Processing and Control Systems from the Florida Institute of Technology. But most importantly, I am an avid Music enthusiast. I like all Music but seem to have settled out listening mostly to Classic Rock and Jazz. My Stereo adventure started in the early 70s where I drove to countless Stereo Dealer stores and collected all kinds of new, old, and home built equipment. Eventually in the early 90s, I settled on some pretty good components that became my ultimate home system. But it quickly became noticeable that there were quality differences, or in keeping with Stereo Workstation terminology, Sonic Performance differences between CDs. This was also true for LPs. I could adjust my analog equalizer (Technics SH-8065 33 Band) for one CD but the next CD needed a different adjustment. As I got better at setting the adjustments I found that I could adjust the Sonic Performance of my Music in profound and subtle ways. Unfortunately it was physically impossible to keep up with all the different adjustments that were needed for all the different CDs that I had. I would have to adjust 33 bands on each stereo channel every time I played a different Disc. Another hassle was that the adjustment settings would have to be written down somewhere because nobody could remember all those numbers. Considering my background it was only natural that I would start looking for a way to use Digital Signal Processing techniques and Computer Graphics to implement user friendly Equalization Graph Adjustment, storage, and retrieval. Stereo Workstation Software is the end result of this search.
Stereophiles like to talk about their equipment so I have included the picture below showing my home system with the Stereo Workstation components annotated. Stereo Workstation Software developmental listening tests were conducted mostly in this room. My Stereo Workstation is configured for Dual Computer operation. The Base Computer is a Dell Dimension 2350 with 2.4 GHz clock and the Mobile Computer, shown propped up on the ottoman in front of the couch, is a Fujitsu Lifebook T4020 Tablet PC with a 1.7 GHz clock. The two Computers are linked using a WiFi connection. Click Here to see some other ways a Stereo Workstation can be connected to a Stereo System. The Base Computer has an M-Audio Audiophile 192 board installed internally, and an M-Audio Fire Wire Solo Box connected to a Fire Wire port externally. An Esoteric P-10 CD Player is connected to the S/PDIF input of the Audiophile 192 and the S/PDIF output of a Pioneer DV-414 CD/DVD Player is connected to the S/PDIF input of the Solo Box. The analog input of the Audiophile 192 is connected to the Samsung 52" TV and the analog input of the Solo Box is connected to a Sony STR-DA1000ES Surround Sound AM/FM Receiver. Stereo Workstation Software allows easy switching between these inputs. The Audiophile 192 S/PDIF output is connected to a Krell SBP-32X DAC, and the Solo Box S/PDIF output is connected to an MSB Technology Link DAC. The Krell SBP-32X DAC analog output is connected to a balanced input of a Krell KSL Pre Amp and the MSB Technology Link DAC is connected to a single-ended input. The Krell KSL Pre Amp drives the Krell KMA-160 mono block power amps which drive the Thiel 5.0i Speakers. The Sub-Woofers are Sunfire 13" True Subwoofer-Signatures. I have an interesting and I think effective configuration where I have put each Sub Woofer on an Acoustic Sciences Sub Trap and with a 20" diameter Tube Trap on top of the Sub Woofer. The picture was taken far enough back to show the Sonex wall treatments in the front and on the sides. Not shown in the picture, to reduce the clutter, are three 12"x48" RoomTune panels that are placed in front of the equipment rack and TV screen to stop the direct reflections. A panel is also normally located in front of each window and to the side of each Sub Woofer stack.
The digital world we live in compels us to consider new ways to use software and computers in the Home Stereo System environment. I am convinced that Stereo Workstation Software is an exciting and effective product that will change how we listen to Music in the 21st century.
Steve Klinko Engineer/Owner
Digiphase Electronics Inc.
|