Technics SU-R1000E-K Integrated Amplifier

With the SU-R1000, Technics is introducing its first reference-class integrated amplifier. The SU-R1000 is the result of many years of research and development work with the aim of further improving digital amplifiers.

Technics SU-R1000E-S

The SE-R1, launched in 2014, was Technics' first reference-class stereo power amplifier with many of the then new and original digital technologies such as LAPC (Load Adaptive Phase Calibration) and the JENO engine (Jitter Elimination and Noise-Shaping Optimisation). With its precise sound image and room-filling sound ambience, the SE-R1 was positively received by the market and marked the beginning of the digital amplifier era. The SL-1000R turntable system, launched in 2018, fused digital control technology with traditional analog technology at the highest level. Combined with the overwhelmingly strong torque and precise and smooth rotation behavior, this turntable achieved an unprecedented smoothness and sound dynamics that no conventional turntable could match. Now, with the launch of the SU-R1000 amplifier, Technics is taking the sound quality of digital amplifiers to a whole new level.

SU-R1000 development approaches

Analog high-end amplifiers, which are still largely used today, have a long history. They use tried-and-tested technologies to improve sound quality. Digital amplifiers, on the other hand, still have great potential for further development, as the rapid technological progress of recent years has enabled increasingly precise signal processing that is not possible with analog systems. Since music is now mostly played digitally via CD and streaming, digital amplifiers should also be used. In addition, devices such as analog-digital converters (AD converters) are also on the rise, enabling highly precise digital signal processing of analog music sources.

Since 2014, Technics has set itself the goal of further optimizing digital amplifiers. The technical innovations developed in the course of research were used in the new reference class amplifier SU-R1000.

Further development of digital amplifier technology in the Technics SU-R1000E-S

The new amplifier uses new innovations such as ADCT (Active Distortion Cancelling Technology) in addition to familiar digital technologies such as Jeno Engine and LAPC to precisely eliminate distortion in the power output stage caused by voltage drops and electromotive effects from the connected speakers. Performance is increased without compromising the signal-to-noise ratio and the sound presence and spatial sound for which Technics amplifiers are known.

Further development of the power supply

The new high-performance switching power supply Advanced Speed Silent Power Supply ensures an outstanding signal-to-noise ratio, while four independent power supplies guarantee excellent channel separation and dynamic sound thanks to superior load stability.

Intelligent Phono EQ

Lovers of analogue records are an important target group for Technics. The SU-R1000 is equipped with the Intelligent Phono EQ, which uses specially developed digital technologies to generate an ideal equalization curve. The perfect coordination of the pickup and phono equalizer allows the channel separation and frequency response to be optimized and the sound quality to be further improved. A special calibration vinyl record, which is supplied together with the amplifier, also supports this.

JENO (Jitter Elimination and Noise-Shaping Optimization)

Jitter is one of the main causes of distortion in digital systems and is caused by incorrect timing of the master clocks used in digital-to-analog conversion. To prevent the effects of digital jitter on the music signal, Technics has developed an entirely new jitter reduction circuit. This circuit consists of a clock generator for noise shaping to reduce jitter in the low frequency range and a high-precision sampling rate converter in the high frequency range. To prevent errors in conversion to PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), Technics has developed a new PWM converter assembly. The circuit optimizes the speed of noise shaping, the degree of requantization number and the PWM gradation; thus conversion to PWM signals is achieved without damaging the dynamic range of the high-resolution signals. These technologies enable Technics digital amplifiers to reproduce the natural and subtle nuances of music.

LAPC (Load Adaptive Phase Calibration)

To ensure that the impedance characteristics of the output bass filter do not influence the frequency response as is the case with conventional digital amplifiers, Technics has developed a function that enables the amplifier to measure the phase and impedance characteristics of the connected loudspeakers and optimize them accordingly. This optimization algorithm works with digital signal processing and thus achieves an ideal impulse response. The correction processing based on this new algorithm achieves a flat frequency response - both in amplitude and phase - in contrast to conventional amplifiers. The result is sound reproduction with a very precise spatiality.

ADCT (Active Distortion Canceling Technology)

Technics' newly developed ADCT (Active Distortion Cancelling Technology) feature precisely extracts and eliminates distortions in the power output stage caused by voltage drops and electromotive effects of the connected speakers, ensuring excellent sound performance for a wide range of speaker types. Deviations between the speaker output and the JENO output are detected and the digital output signal is corrected. This ensures powerful speaker operation and strong sound energy, while also offering the superior characteristics of a digital amplifier such as low noise, sharp sound image and expansive sound atmosphere, regardless of the connected speaker types.

High performance switching power supply Advanced Speed Silent Power Supply

The SU-R1000 uses a switching power supply system to provide a stable supply of the voltage and current required for the digital amplifier. The Advanced Speed Silent Power Supply has eliminated the modulation noise that often affected sound quality in conventional switching power supply systems. The result is a power supply with a fast response time and high output level.

Four independent power supply units

In the SU-R1000, every element of the power supply has been redesigned with the goal of higher sound quality. In addition, four independent power supply units are provided for different circuit blocks to further improve sound quality. Since the SU-R1000 is an integrated amplifier, the internal circuits consist of a preamplifier stage and a power amplifier in a mixture of analog and digital circuits. The phono EQ section, which processes tiny analog signals, is particularly susceptible to the effect of noise transmitted through the power supply line. The SU-R1000 uses separate power supply units for the analog circuits and the digital circuits in the preamplifier stage. In addition, it uses separate power supply units for the right and left channels in the power amplifier stage, which requires large electrical power. With the four independent power supplies, the SU-R1000 prevents power line-induced interference between the circuit blocks and realizes a high signal-to-noise ratio and excellent isolation.

Battery-powered clock

Battery-operated clock generator For a digital amplifier, the more precise the clock generator, the better the sound quality. However, the power supply to the clock generator often produces annoying noise. The SU-R1000 is therefore equipped with a battery-operated clock generator that eliminates the noise. This achieves a differentiated sound image and sensitive spatial expressiveness.

GaN FET driver

In the power output of the amplifier, Technics has used a high-speed FET driver made of GaN (gallium nitride) with very low resistance and extremely short switching times. This results in a very dynamic and precise sound.

Intelligent Phono EQ

The Intelligent Phono EQ built into the SU-R1000 uses Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to improve sound quality, achieving a level of sound quality that is not possible with an analog phono EQ. DSP consists of Accurate EQ Curve, Crosstalk Canceller and Response Optimiser. These functions can be turned on or off according to the user's preference.

1. Accurate EQ Curve
   Accurate EQ Curve is achieved by a hybrid analog-digital converter (A/D). The low-pass filter (LPF) performs analog processing, high frequencies are boosted with high accuracy after A/D conversion. This suppresses bit loss during digital filter processing and achieves a high signal-to-noise ratio.
2. Crosstalk Canceller
   This function measures the crosstalk of the built-in cassette and then performs reverse correction with the built-in DSP to optimize the crosstalk characteristics. This results in a sharper sound image and a more expansive sound ambience.
3. Response Optimizer
   The Response Optimiser measures the frequency response of the cartridge used using a TSP (Time Stretched Pulse) signal. It corrects characteristic disturbances such as effects caused by the power adjustment between the cartridge and the phono equaliser in order to perfect the phono equalisation curve.

A variety of inputs and outputs

The new amplifier has numerous inputs and outputs including balanced phono XLR and two USB ports to enable the use of a variety of analog and digital sources and peripherals.