Rainbow Digital Signal Processor
Advances in digital signal processing have led to an increase in the choice of products available. This offering from German manufacturer Rainbow sports one of the most intuitive control surfaces available. We take a closer look.
If you are beginning your journey into upgraded car audio, you may not have even considered the need for signal processing. In fact many people do not see this as an essential unless you are reaching for the stars! However, as prices are driven down by the availability of robust components capable of taking the extreme conditions of the automotive environment, we are beginning to see a number of units released which can really help to establish a decent acoustic environment in a really difficult listening space. Furthermore, we are experiencing a serious decline in the availability of un-messed-with signals from standard-fit head units in cars. The Rainbow DSP 1.8 with wi-fi module can help in two ways.
Rainbow is a manufacturer of car speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers par excellence. Having enjoyed more than 20 years of world renown, Rainbow has turned its talents to that of signal processing. With a very long tradition and lots of knowledge and experience of vehicle interiors, the problems of developing a good listening environment in a metal box with glass and various absorbent materials inside, it made perfect sense for Rainbow to undertake such a project.
The Rainbow DSP 1.8 differs from others in its class due to the wi-fi module that accompanies it which not only allows the product to be operated by a mobile device but also allows direct streaming of uncompressed audio files from iOS and Android devices connected to it. This allows users to bypass the sometimes sub-standard factory head unit (See “SEAT Of All Learning” and “Beeming Smiles”) and is an increasingly popular means of accessing favourite tunes and playlists on the move. One thing it won't do is stream from external or web-based providers such as Spotify etc. but I am certain this will happen in time.
Music files can be accessed in all the usual ways (Artist, Album, Genre etc.) by your mobile phone using an easy to use downloadable app. Other storage devices such as an SSD or flash drive can be connected via a USB port.
The device features a 3.5mm Auxiliary input for external analogue sources and there is also a navigation/telephone input with autosensing. This automatically mutes your music to enable a driver to hear a navigation instruction or take a phone call without having to take hands off the wheel. Once the instruction or call is completed, beautiful music is reinstated. If this does not cover all of the bases then a SPDIF (Sony Phillips Digital Interface) digital input is also provided.
The streaming of uncompressed audio is more a by-product of this device’s capabilities rather than its primary purpose. Offering 6 low-level or 6 high-level inputs, the DSP 1.8 features Burr-Brown A to D convertors on each input channel. Each channel features a 30-band parametric equaliser based around a 56-bit Analog Devices processor allowing huge tuning capability so that the sound can be matched to the interior of a car and the tastes of the car driver. Furthermore, each channel features time alignment that allows the signal from a nearby speaker to be delayed and synchronised exactly with one that is physically further away. In this way, it is possible to set an exact sweet spot anywhere in the vehicle you choose. This would usually be the driver’s seat in my own car but could also be set for two-person listening. On-board high, low and band-pass filtering is also included and is most helpful when setting up an active system. A very cool feature is the ability for installers to store your settings in cloud storage and recover them for future use. Although not mentioned in the information I have seen, I would imagine installers could even share these settings to download as a standard setting for other similarly equipped cars of the same make and model.
The inputs can be assigned to any of eight pre-amp outputs for onward transfer to an amplifier or multiple amplifiers. If using amplifiers with a digital input there is a TOSLINK output too. There are connections available for a wired remote control and also a MOST port for future development when it is hoped that the MOST bus from a suitably equipped vehicle can be picked up and fed into the processor directly affording an even more direct link between source unit and processor.
It is these back-end features that are most useful to the installer in order to get the best performance out of the speakers and amplifiers you have chosen for your installation. Programming of these parameters is possible by connecting a PC to the device or connecting a tablet running the “Pro” app. It may be tempting to think that it would be great fun to have access to these settings for regular tweaks however, I would strongly recommend that you leave this to the professionals! They have the experience to make the most of the incredible flexibility this product offers and ill-advised tweaking could actually undo all the good set up work that has been done and you would have to return to your installer to have the original settings reinstated.
This is a product of exceptional sophistication and most of its capability is the domain of the installer. The added ability to use it to stream music is an awesome boon and should be enjoyed to the maximum.
You can find out more at www.fourcaraudio.co.uk (QR code: http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/rainbow/digital-signal-processors/)
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