Trinnov Audio Altitude16 Preamplifier-Processor Review

With the Altitude A/V preamp/processors, Trinnov Audio has created its vision of the ideal processor for a modern home theater. The Altitude¹⁶, which is the subject of this review, is packed with features to accommodate almost any home theater configuration. Thanks to its flexibility, the unique Trinnov Room Optimizer, and its 3D remapping functionality, it can transform your listening room into the perfect venue for enjoying stereo, multi-channel music, and movies, all from the comfort of your home.

Trinnov Audio Altitude16, Front View

Trinnov Audio has been focused on immersive sound since its founding back in 2003 and has a long history in the pro audio industry and commercial cinemas. My first experience with Trinnov Audio was back in 2010 when I reviewed the Sherwood Newcastle R-972. At the time, this was the first consumer product that featured a scaled-down version of the Trinnov Optimizer, and I recall being impressed with the Optimizer and its overall sound quality.

Since then, Trinnov Audio developed their own line of AV processors, and in 2015 they released the Altitude³² which was able to deliver 32 channels of Dolby Atmos! The hallmark of the platform was its extensibility, and Trinnov continued to innovate adding support for new formats like Auro-3D and DTS:X. To expand their customer base, Trinnov Audio introduced the Altitude¹⁶ in 2017, using the same technology as the Altitude³², but limiting the processor to 16 channels. I always wondered what Trinnov Audio included in their own processors. Read on and I’ll share my experience with this unique processor.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Front Panel

At a glance, the Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ looks like a typical AV processor. The front panel features clean lines and is made from a thick piece of brushed aluminum with Trinnov Audio and Altitude¹⁶ silk-screened onto the corner. The front panel display, which measures 4” diagonally, is placed behind a sleek black panel which is slightly recessed into the faceplate. Controls are minimal with the power, mute, and volume controls on the left, and the menu and source selection/navigation buttons on the right.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Rear Panel PC connectors

When we look at the rear panel, we quickly realize that this isn’t a typical AV processor but rather a very specialized computer. The lower left portion of the rear panel has the typical PC connectors for video (DVI/HDMI/VGA), Ethernet network, USB ports, PS/2 keyboard/mouse, and audio ports, which are unused. The rest of the back panel will look much more familiar and includes 16 balanced XLR outputs. The Altitude¹⁶ supports 8 HDMI inputs and two parallel HDMI outputs. The HDMI ports are HDMI 2.0b-compliant and they all support HDCP 2.2. The Altitude¹⁶ supports HDMI video switching and video pass-through at 4K/60Hz resolution, BT. 2020 wide color gamut, 4:4:4 Subsampling at 4K60 (18.2 Gbps), as well as the HDR (high dynamic range) formats Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG (Hybrid-Log Gamma).

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Rear Panel

Trinnov includes one XLR stereo balanced input, one RCA stereo input, two optical inputs, one optical output, two coaxial digital inputs, and one coaxial digital output. A 5-pin XLR input is included for connection to the optional 3D calibration microphone. Trinnov includes IP control with support for major third-party control systems, an RS-232 jack, one 12-Volt trigger input, and four 12-Volt trigger outputs that can be used to turn on external amplifiers. The first trigger output tracks with the power of the Altitude¹⁶ itself, and the other three trigger outputs are configurable by source.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Rear Panel Detail

Trinnov recently announced that they will be supporting Ravenna/AES67 on the Altitude processors later this year. This feature will use network connections to allow for the transmission of audio over local IP networks. This feature will be especially useful to custom installers where the processor and amplifiers may be separated by long distances.

There are a few differences when comparing the Altitude¹⁶ inputs and outputs to those of other AV processors. You won’t find any RCA pre-out connections, nor support for phono inputs, or FM tuners. There also is no support for a second zone. While output can certainly be sent to a second zone, the Altitude¹⁶ does not come with a dedicated volume control for an additional zone.

The Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ is Roon Ready and quite uniquely, supports playback of multichannel music, but no Roon Atmos yet. It also supports UPnP/DLNA Digital Media Rendering. It does come with a small remote.

Trinnov is also adding support for IMAX Enhanced to the Altitude platform. The licensed IMAX Enhanced technology, which combines IMAX digitally re-mastered 4K HDR content and enhanced DTS:X audio, will be added at no extra charge. This feature requires that you have an IMAX Enhanced certified display or projector.

In addition to its software upgradability, Trinnov Audio has made the overall platform modular and upgradable. For example, Trinnov has offered multiple HDMI board versions since the Altitude³² was launched, including HDMI 1.4 in an 8×2 configuration, HDMI 2.0 in a 7×2 configuration, and the current HDMI 2.0 version in an 8×2 configuration which also supports ARC/eARC and can down-scale 4K to 1080p on output 1. Trinnov will be offering another HDMI upgrade to support 8K video in the future, and owners of the Altitude processors will be able to upgrade for a fee when they are ready.

Getting started with the Altitude processors takes some patience and fortitude as they are quite different to set up than the typical A/V processors and receivers on the market. If you aren’t using the services of a custom installer, Trinnov offers excellent support for their products starting with an extensive user manual which is included in the box and available online, along with access to their technical support team via email. For this review, I started by reading the manual. After working with the processor for a few days, I also reached out to Chuck Back, Trinnov’s Managing Director in the United States, who graciously helped answer my many questions.

You may have noticed that there are just numbers listed on the rear panel by each of the inputs and outputs which provides a clue to the Altitude’s flexibility. I connected my amplifiers, components, and 4K TV to the Altitude¹⁶ and kept track of the source and output connections which would come in handy later. I had connected my left and right main channels to the first two XLR outputs and plugged in a network cable. I turned on the Altitude¹⁶, and after about a minute, the Altitude splash screen on the front panel was replaced by information for HDMI1. I turned on the corresponding source component and had sound and a picture. So far so good.

There are multiple approaches for configuring the Altitude¹⁶, but the first consideration is how best to connect to the processor. While the front panel allows for some basic configuration for things like network settings, it really isn’t used to configure the processor. To set up the Altitude¹⁶, the options are to directly connect a physical monitor, mouse, and keyboard, or to connect remotely over the network. For network connectivity, the Altitude¹⁶ provides a browser-based interface that is accessible from any web browser on your network. We’ll discuss this interface a bit later in the review. While it allows for some processor configuration, the normal browser interface does not provide access to the more advanced setup and configuration options. This leaves connecting to the Altitude¹⁶ remotely with a VNC client.

If you aren’t familiar with VNC, it stands for Virtual Network Computing and offers a way to remotely control a computer. The Altitude¹⁶ runs a VNC server that relays the display, keyboard, and mouse of the Altitude¹⁶ to a VNC client of your choosing. There are several choices available for VNC client software such as Mocha VNC or Chicken of the VNC as options. I used an Apple iPad for my testing and used the free VNC Viewer app from RealVNC as my VNC client. With the VNC Viewer application, I just opened a connection to the Altitude¹⁶ using its IP address, entered the password for the Altitude (its serial number), and was presented with the full Altitude user interface. If you don’t want to use VNC client software, Trinnov includes VNC access in the Altitude¹⁶ browser interface. In a browser on the local network, just type in the IP address of the Altitude¹⁶ followed by “/vnc.html” to access the VNC client.

The configuration options for the Altitude¹⁶ are extensive and can be overwhelming. I’ll do my best here to provide some perspective on what it’s like to configure the Altitude¹⁶. Trinnov Audio includes a basic wizard with the Altitude processors to make the setup process more approachable for new users.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard

Launching the Altitude Wizard opens with the option to start a new configuration or update an existing one.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Room Options

The next step in the Setup Wizard is to specify the speaker layout for the room. Trinnov includes a long list of predefined layouts covering basic stereo and surround, Dolby Atmos, Auro-3D, and DTS:X. They also include hybrid layouts for popular configurations like 9.1.6 with left and right wide speakers. It’s a simple matter to select an initial layout and just start adding or removing speakers to create any desired configuration. It is also possible to just add all the speakers for the room individually without using an initial layout. The interface is simple to use and keeps one from doing crazy things like selecting just a left speaker without a corresponding right speaker to form a matching pair. The room graphic at the top of the interface also shows the corresponding speaker location in the room. Clicking on a speaker in the graphic also selects the speaker in the interface.

For my system, I tried several different configurations but settled on a 7.3.4 configuration. Another unique feature of the Altitude processors is the ability to map the speakers based on audio format. In my case (see speakers 10 and 11 in the above image), I was able to use my Height Left/Right Surrounds for Auro-3D, while also mapping them as Top Middle for Atmos, Dolby, and DTS. I thought this approach was brilliant and something that I remember wishing for with the Auro-3D implementations on other processors like the Marantz AV-8805.

The interface allows for sending pink noise to verify the speaker connections. You will also notice the output column in the interface. This allows for the selection of the physical output on the back of the Altitude¹⁶. If you mix up a speaker or two when connecting things, just select the correct output and the problem is resolved without moving any cables! This interface also allows for complex speaker configurations such as active crossover, parametric EQ, and the creation of speaker arrays which allows for the duplication of channels across multiple pairs of speakers. The active crossover settings in the Altitude¹⁶ enable 2-,3-, and 4-way crossovers, and speaker manufacturer PEQ settings can be entered eliminating the need for external boxes. In a separate calibration, the Altitude measures the individual driver responses and sets the active crossover levels and delays.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Bass Management Quick Setup

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Bass Management Individual Setup

The next step in the Setup Wizard is bass management. The Altitude processors do not specify a limit on the number of subwoofers except for having enough available outputs for the desired configuration. Bass management settings can be applied globally to all speakers via Quick Setup, or individually on each speaker and subwoofer. Settings like gain, filter type, slope, frequency, and polarity are all presented here, but it’s up to the user or calibrator to make the proper selections. Once a set of room measurements has been taken, the results can be used to further refine the bass management settings based on the capabilities of the speakers.

The Altitude¹⁶ also allows for intermediate bass management where non-subwoofer speakers could have their low frequencies sent to a nearby speaker. An example of this might be a Dolby up-firing speaker sending its low frequencies to the speaker underneath. There are also options for configuring how the LFE channel is managed, and a “stacked subs” option is included to adjust the perceived level when using multiple subwoofers. The bass management on the Altitude¹⁶ is very capable but requires some analysis and understanding of the capabilities of the speakers in the listening room.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Recommended XLR to RCA Wiring

I used the LFE connections on my GoldenEar Triton Reference speakers as two of my subwoofers. The Altitude¹⁶ does not provide a set of RCA channel outputs, so I asked Trinnov Audio how best to connect from XLR to RCA. Chuck Back sent me the above diagram which confirms that the recommended approach is to float XLR pin 1. Another method would be to use a transformer from Neutrik or Jensen. Trinnov said that “Using Pins 2 & 3 will maximize the voltage swing across a single-ended input, and therefore the s/n ratio – assuming the power amplifier can handle the full voltage swing. If not, you may be better off using Pin 1 (signal ground) and Pin 2 (non-inverting), leaving Pin 3 to ‘float’ (disconnected). The best connection depends on your power amplifier.” Emotiva makes a cable with the recommended wiring which was what I ended up using.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Microphone Setup

Each of the Trinnov calibration microphones comes with a serial-number-specific compensation file which can be loaded into the Altitude¹⁶ by plugging the provided USB stick into any USB port on the processor.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Microphone Position

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Microphone Directions

With the cable in place, the next steps are to connect the microphone, remove its protective cap, and power on the microphone.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Calibration Microphone in Cradle

Positioning the microphone is a bit tricky since it not only needs to be level, but the front of the microphone (indicated by a red LED), must be pointing directly toward the front of the room. Ideally, this should be at an azimuth of 0 degrees which is surprisingly challenging to align. The microphone comes with a cradle and attachment hardware to mount to a typical stand.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Master Level

With the microphone attached and powered on, the next step is to adjust the volume of the Altitude¹⁶ until the level indicates 80 dB SPL. I would like to see Trinnov enhance this interface, or provide a separate function, to help with the microphone alignment. In the current design, there is no way to find out just how off the microphone alignment is until the entire measurement process has been completed.

If you have speakers with Active Crossovers, the wizard will then walk through the calibration of the active crossovers. For this purpose, Trinnov has both an automatic calibration mode and an extensive manual interface.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Calibration

The next step in the process is taking the actual measurements for each speaker. This part is very interesting as the interface is updated to reflect where each speaker is in the room. The Trinnov Optimizer measures each of the speakers over the full frequency range. Unlike some room correction systems, it is not possible just to remeasure a single channel if a problem is encountered during the measurement process. After the first set of measurements has been completed, the microphone can be moved, and additional measurements can be taken and saved. The Trinnov Optimizer can use a single measurement position, or it can measure multiple positions up to a recommended limit of 10 per configuration for the Altitude¹⁶. It is also possible to update an existing room configuration with additional measurements taken at another time, and this can be done directly from the calibration menu in the preset without running through the Setup Wizard.

There are only two steps left in the process. The first is a simple weighting interface that allows for balancing the results across multiple measurement points. The default is to automatically distribute the weighting, but the interface allows for manual weighting. The measurements can be weighted however you like and the Altitude¹⁶ will take care of the arithmetic. For example, using a value of 5 for the main listening position and 1 for the others makes the main listening position five times as important as the rest in the resulting calculation.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Filter Computation

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Setup Wizard Computation Finished

The last step is to process the measurement data and compute the room filters. The microphone then needs to be powered off and disconnected from the Altitude¹⁶. With the calibration out of the way, let me give you a brief tour of the Altitude¹⁶ menu system and discuss what happened with the calibration measurements.

Diving into the Altitude¹⁶ menu system we find a lot of functionality located throughout a tabbed user interface. Clicking the gear icon brings up the Advanced Settings section of the interface which allows for most of the configuration on the Altitude¹⁶. The Altitude¹⁶ supports 17 sources and up to 29 memory presets.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ Source Options

Sources can be easily renamed and assigned to any input and are fully customizable. Options include such things as name, listening format, levels, delay, preferred preset, remapping mode, etc.

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Memory Preset Optimizer Settings Top View

The Trinnov Optimizer results are shown on multiple tabs on each preset. The Top View tab provides an overview of the measured placement of each speaker in the room. The scale and reference radius can be adjusted, but surprisingly there is no option to switch the distance from meters to feet. (0.3048 m = 1 ft)

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Memory Preset Optimizer Settings Elevation View

A similar Elevation View shows how the speakers are vertically positioned in the room compared to their ideal positions (shown in degrees above or below horizontal).

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Memory Preset Optimizer Settings Summary

There is also a summary page that provides the measurement details for the speakers showing distances, elevation, levels, delays, etc. This is the summary that indicates how precise the microphone azimuth alignment was during the calibration process. In this example, I am off by 0.2 degrees for center azimuth which was more than acceptable. I managed a 0-degree result just once which was lots of nerdy fun.

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Memory Preset Optimizer Graphs

The Altitude¹⁶ provides a full set of graphs in the interface which can be customized. The graphs show the before and calculated after-results, and the filter computed by the Trinnov Optimizer. Numerous graph display options are included, and graphs are provided for amplitude, phase, group delay, and impulse response.

The Altitude¹⁶ also allows for custom target and excursion curves to further adjust the room correction to taste. There are also numerous advanced controls in the Optimizer Settings and Advanced Settings menus, many of which seem best left to Trinnov Audio Support or a custom installer.

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ USB Key Detected Load/Save Options

The last setup feature that I wanted to mention is something that I didn’t discover until weeks after using the Altitude¹⁶. If a USB stick or key is inserted into the Altitude¹⁶, a menu appears with saving and loading choices for all the Altitude¹⁶ configuration options. Included in those options is a very nice PDF document which provides a detailed summary of the calibration results.

In my listening environment, I used a 7.3.4 GoldenEar Technology Triton Reference system with a pair of Triton Reference front speakers with powered subwoofers, a GoldenEar SuperCenter X center channel, a pair of GoldenEar Invisa MPX in-walls as surround speakers, two pairs of GoldenEar Invisa HTR 7000 as top-middle height and rear surrounds, and a pair of GoldenEar Aon 2 speakers for front height speakers. I used a pair of Bryston 7B3 Cubed Series mono-blocks for my main channels, a five-channel Bryston 9B3 Cubed Series amp for my surround and center channels, and a Rotel RMB-1095 to power the height channels. For the 3 subwoofer channels, I used an SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofer, and I connected the subwoofers in the Triton Reference towers via their LFE inputs. I used an Oppo UDP-205 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player and an Apple TV 4K (2017 model) as my primary source devices.

My home theater is in my great room which is 18’ W x 20’ D x 12’ H, and while most of the speakers are positioned well, I have some compromises in terms of the placement of the rear surrounds and the front height speakers. My center channel is positioned above the television angled toward the main listening position. My height left and right surround speakers are also best suited for Auro-3D in terms of placement, but they also work well as Atmos Top-Middle speakers. I was always frustrated that I had to compromise on other processors between using a speaker for either Auro-3D, or Dolby and DTS, but not all three. While the formats don’t always agree on placement for each channel, the Attitude16 is the first processor that I’ve ever used that allows for speakers to be mapped based on format and user preference.

Unlike a more traditional processor, the power-on sequence on the Altitude¹⁶ takes just under a minute to complete. While based on a PC platform, the fans in the Altitude¹⁶ were very quiet in regular use. Despite its complexity, using the Altitude¹⁶ is as simple as selecting a source and adjusting the volume. Source and preset options allow for easy customization and can really help tailor the listening experience. The Altitude¹⁶ also allows for copying entire presets, so it was very simple to experiment with something without any concern of losing my current favorite settings. This was especially helpful when experimenting with target curves.

In my daily usage of the Altitude¹⁶, I preferred to leave the Trinnov Optimizer engaged with its normal processing defaults applying acoustic correction, level alignment, and delay alignment. I also left the 3D remapping functionality engaged, which is designed to correct for speaker placement issues by “remapping” sounds to their correct location in the room. The performance of the Altitude¹⁶ as a stereo preamplifier was superb. Music was wonderfully detailed and spectacularly imaged, with a wide soundstage that at times made me wonder if I was listening in a surround mode. Both male and female voices sounded natural, instruments had a distinct presence in the room, and I was consistently impressed by the layers of detail and nuance that the Altitude¹⁶ managed to extract from any content.

Listening to native Auro-3D content was another delightful experience, with the Altitude¹⁶ effortlessly delivering a stunning performance. It also illustrated that the Altitude¹⁶ is limited to processing 96kHz content. On the Auro-3D discs, recordings are also included for 5.1 DTS HD MA 24/192 kHz and 2.0 LPCM 24/192 kHz. Attempting to play that content via HDMI to the Altitude¹⁶ results in muted output which is expected. The Trinnov Audio Altitude³² processor can process the 24/192kHz content due to its faster processor.

I was also unexpectedly surprised at how much impact the Auro-Matic Upmixer could have on regular stereo content. While music sounded fantastic without any surround processing, enabling the Auro-Matic Upmixer along with the Trinnov Optimizer expanded the soundstage and effectively used all the speakers in the room to create a more intimate listening experience. This worked especially well with theatrical and live performance content, and it was surprisingly enjoyable even on regular television. I’ve heard the Auro-Matic Upmixer on other processors in my room, but the implementation on the Altitude¹⁶ along with the Trinnov Optimizer was impressive.

Listening to music using Roon was effortless as the Altitude¹⁶ also works as a Roon Ready network player. Selecting the Altitude¹⁶ from the Roon Remote interface immediately switches the Altitude¹⁶ to the Roon Ready source input. Basic Roon info like album and artist are also displayed in the Altitude¹⁶ user interface.

Roon Remote Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Enhanced Signal Path

The Roon Remote interface shows detailed information about the enhanced signal path and the various processing applied by the Altitude¹⁶. It is important to note that playing any music with a bit rate higher than 24/96 kHz is automatically down-sampled by a factor of two by the Roon Server on the local network and then sent to the Altitude¹⁶ Roon endpoint for further processing and output. The process is completely seamless and works well.

Experiencing movies on the Altitude¹⁶ was equally thrilling thanks to the Trinnov Optimizer’s 3D Remapping technology. There were two primary differences taking place in my room. The first being that the perceived sound from the center channel speaker was now lowered, positioned directly in front of the listening position seamlessly blending between the main left and right speakers. The other difference was that many sound effects moved through the listening room in a more realistic and immersive way, creating a wonderful sense of depth and spaciousness that I’ve not experienced in my room from other processors. Listening to movies and especially Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content was simply amazing.

I also enjoyed how good DVD-Audio, especially multi-channel, sounded on the Altitude¹⁶. Again, in my room, this was heavily due to the Trinnov Optimizer’s 3D Remapping technology.

If I have any complaint about the Altitude¹⁶ performance, it is the unfortunate audio delay that occurs when initially playing some content. For example, if I started watching a movie with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, the picture will start displaying and then in a couple of seconds, the audio will start playing. The audio is not out of sync with the movie, it was simply muted while the Altitude¹⁶ loaded up the required software and started processing the Dolby Atmos soundtrack. In many cases, this was not noticeable, but in other cases, it was obvious that about 3 seconds of the opening music was missing. If I restarted the movie by skipping back to the beginning, the content would then play correctly because the appropriate software was already loaded in the Altitude¹⁶.

While this processing delay was annoying at the start of a movie soundtrack, it proved to be a significant disappointment when playing Spatial Audio encoded with Dolby Atmos on Apple Music. I had tried to play the Spatial Audio sampler from my Apple TV 4K and while it worked, I lost seconds at the start of every song. For example, on “The Long and Winding Road” from The Beatles – Let It Be (2021 Mix), the words “The long and winding road” are completely missing from the start of the song!! The song starts playing at “that leads to your door” which just ruins the song for me. Fortunately, there is an easy solution, but it involves turning off the Dolby Atmos option for music playback on the Apple TV settings menu. This of course defeats the ability to listen to the Dolby Atmos music mixes. Trinnov Audio is already working on reducing the delay.

The following are some of the highlights from my listening experience with the Altitude¹⁶.

From an operational perspective, the Altitude¹⁶ supports a robust control protocol via TCP/IP which made it easy to control with Roomie Remote on my iPad. I also bookmarked a page in my iPad’s browser to open the Altitude¹⁶ browser interface.

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Browser Interface

The browser interface looks just like the VNC interface and most notably leaves out the Settings options. It was nice to just be able to touch the screen and interact with the processor without having to move the cursor around the screen as when using a VNC client. I would like to see the interface enhanced with some different icons for the sources. The current design shows everything as an XLR cable which doesn’t really help for things like HDMI sources. Ideally, some different icons for source devices would be a nice addition.

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Browser Interface Optimizer Settings Not Ready Yet

The browser interface is still a work in progress as trying to open the Optimizer Settings brings up this reminder to use the VNC client or a physical display to get to that part of the interface. The VNC interface can be accessed from the browser as mentioned earlier.

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Optimizer Settings Tab Navigation Confusion

We discussed earlier the importance of the Optimizer Settings menu in the VNC or graphical user interface. Here’s another look at the same “Fine Tuning” page but this time in the VNC client. The “Optimizer Settings” tab is located next to “Bass Management”. Don’t let this “tab” fool you. It is just a shortcut to the “Optimizer Settings” tab that is already part of the “Settings” tabs shown above. If you click this tab, the interface immediately opens to the “Home” tab under “Settings” for the current preset. While that sounds great, it means that I’m now in a completely different part of the user interface, and depending on what I had last opened on the “Settings” tabs, like “Optimizer Graphs” or “Processor” for example, I may be sent to those parts of the interface instead of the actual “Optimizer Settings”. It is outrageously confusing in practice and is a great example of the limits of a tabbed user interface. I hope that Trinnov can move all the setup and settings into the newer browser interface, and I hope that they use a fresh interface design and lose all the tabs – at least from the browser interface at a minimum. The current browser interface is also not a responsive design, so it doesn’t gracefully resize, so don’t plan on using it on a mobile phone without some patience and difficulty.

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Dolby Atmos Object Viewer

A very cool Dolby Atmos Object Viewer is built into the speaker layout interface. It shows the positions of the Dolby Atmos objects in real-time moving within a 3D representation of the listening room. It’s fun to play with and does provide some perspective on what’s going on within an Atmos data stream.

Trinnov Altitude¹⁶ Processor Meters

The Processor interface provides some very nice real-time feedback on the content being played including meters for both inputs and outputs for all channels. It is also possible to adjust individual settings per channel and isolate playback to specific channels.

From a video perspective, I ran into no issues with the HDMI side of the Altitude¹⁶ and it was incredibly fast to switch inputs, except for the already noted audio processing delay.

The source device for the HDMI and analog tests was an Oppo Digital UDP-205. The volume was adjusted for 4 VRMS at the XLR outputs of the Trinnov Altitude¹⁶. The Trinnov Optimizer was off unless otherwise noted, and I used the Builtin Preset without any processing engaged.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ 1 kHz 24/96 Sine Wave 0 dBFS HDMI Input XLR Output, 4 VRMS

Now we look at the results using one of the HDMI inputs, fed from test files played on an OPPO UDP-205. At 1 kHz, and 24-bit/96k sampling rate, THD+N was 0.001053% at 4 VRMS. The spectrum is very clean with the harmonics at 2 and 3 kHz being about 103 dB and 105 dB respectively below 4 VRMS.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ 10 kHz 24/96 Sine Wave 0 dBFS HDMI Input XLR Output, 4 VRMS

At 10 kHz, and 24-bit/96k sampling rate, THD+N was 0.005805% at 4 VRMS. The second harmonic at 20 kHz is about 87 dB below 4 VRMS.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ 19 kHz, 20 kHz Combined 24/96 Sine Wave 0 dBFS HDMI Input XLR Output, 4 VRMS

Here are the results for the 19 kHz, 20 kHz combined test frequencies using the HDMI input with 24-bit/96k sampling at 4 VRMS. We see distortion spurs throughout the spectrum. There is a visible B-A peak at 1 kHz about 88 dB below each test tone at 1 VRMS which is insignificant. The second harmonics at 38 kHz and 40 kHz are approximately 93 dB below the fundamentals which is insignificant.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ 60 Hz, 7 kHz IMD 24/96 Sine Wave 0 dBFS HDMI Input XLR Output, 4 VRMS

The standard IMD test signals of 60 Hz and 7 kHz resulted in 0.000981% IMD, which is excellent.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ 1 kHz Sine Wave 0 dBFS Analog Input XLR Output, 4 VRMS

Now we look at the results using one of the Analog inputs, fed from the same test files played on an OPPO UDP-205. At 1 kHz, THD+N was 0.001126% at 4 VRMS. The spectrum is very clean with the harmonics at 2 and 3 kHz being about 103 dB and 105 dB respectively below 4 VRMS.
Insert Fig. 45 (Caption: Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ 10 kHz Sine Wave 0 dBFS Analog Input XLR Output, 4 VRMS)

At 10 kHz, THD+N was 0.005347% at 4 VRMS. The second harmonic at 20 kHz is about 87 dB below 4 VRMS.

Insert Fig. 46 (Caption: Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ 19 kHz, 20 kHz Combined Sine Wave 0 dBFS Analog Input XLR Output, 4 VRMS)

Here are the results for the 19 kHz, 20 kHz combined test frequencies using the Analog input at 4 VRMS. We see distortion spurs throughout the spectrum. There is a visible B-A peak at 1 kHz about 87 dB below each test tone at 1 VRMS which is insignificant. The second harmonics at 38 kHz and 40 kHz are approximately 93 dB below the fundamentals which is insignificant.

Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ 60 Hz, 7 kHz IMD Sine Wave 0 dBFS Analog Input XLR Output, 4 VRMS

The standard IMD test signals of 60 Hz and 7 kHz resulted in 0.001041% IMD, which is excellent.

The TRINNOV AUDIO ALTITUDE¹⁶ is an outstanding reference-quality 20-channel processor.

The Trinnov Audio Altitude¹⁶ is a unique reference processor in terms of both its design and the configuration options that it offers. Thanks to the Trinnov Room Optimizer and its unique 3D remapping functionality, it delivers a superb listening experience for music, movies, and multi-channel content. It was a pleasure to have the Altitude¹⁶ in my home, and if you have the opportunity, give it a listen.