MAGAZINE
The N20's new and ultra-quiet linear power supply uses 2 transformers, 4 cores for the digital audio output section, large audio-quality capacitors and isolated grounding, and is said to contribute to an immediate improvement of the sound.
The grounding of the SPDIF outputs is now isolated by a separate transformer for even lower noise floor when using AES/EBU or Coax RCA & BNC, in comparison to the N10.
All new boards are equipped with a high precision OCXO clock and oscillator, which has 4 to 10 times higher stability (frequency stability vs. load) than the N10. A word clock input allows the N20 to be synchronized to an external word clock.
Like the A30, ACS10 and ACS100, the N20 has a built-in super capacitor-based uninterruptible power supply. This prevents damage to the disc and operating system in the event of a sudden power outage by safely shutting down the system.
The N20 has an 8.8-inch widescreen color display (1980 x 480), as found in the A30. The housing is only slightly taller than that of the N10.
The N20 comes without hard drives installed. As with the N100SC and ACS100, the hard drives are the customer's choice. Each of the two mounting slots on the back can hold a 2.5" SSD with 1, 2, 4 or 8 TB or a 2.5" HDD with 15 mm height and up to 5 TB.
The next-generation USB Audio Class 2.0 module was designed with special attention to reducing jitter and providing the lowest possible latency. Like the W20SE and ACS10, the N20 features a double-isolated LAN port to filter out router-related interference.
With double the DRAM (8 GB) of the N10, it provides ample system resources for additional features in the future. A larger and improved SSD memory is also used for caching.
The 13.5 kilogram weighing N20 comes with a special three-year AC warranty*, will be available in silver or black in January*, and costs 12,900 Euros*.
*Availability and Price for Germany.
