Linea Research 88 C20 – Eight-Channel 20000W Power Amplifier Linea Research

Linea’s 88C Series of eight channel amplifiers are optimised for use in installations. Combining massive power and peerless audio performance with unique DSP, the 88C Series also incorporates many features that ease it’s integration on to both new and legacy systems, the 88C Series represents an unmatched advancement in amplifier technology.

Features:

• Eight channels of sonically pure Class D amplification
• Unique, precise, 96kHz digital signal processing
• Over‐designed switch mode power supply
• 85V to 240V Auto-sensing PSU
• 3,000 to 20,000 watts RMS total output
• Tamperproof front panel
• Ethernet network for system operation and monitoring
• Analogue, AES3 and optional Dante™ / AES67 digital network audio
• Powerful grouping and multi layer EQ
• Accepts 48kHz and 96kHz FIR files via System Engineer (certain models)
• Fully designed and engineered in house by Linea Research
• Manufactured in the UK

Sharing the same feature set and form factor as Linea’s 44C Series of four channel amplifiers the 88C Series is available in models that develop between 400Watts and 2,500 Watts per channel (up to 5,000 Watts for a bridged pair). Unusually these are not, ‘transient’, ‘burst’ or ‘peak’ power figures, they are the power levels that are delivered by all channels simultaneously even when driven with the same dense program material.

With Linea amplifiers there is no need to ration power between channels, you can use all the power you have paid for all the time. This has been independently verified.

Linea can do this because state of the art components and a finely optimised design results in an amplifier that is between 7% and 10% more efficient than any competitive product. This efficiency gain directly translates in to the generation of about half the wasted energy (heat) which is clearly significant. In addition to reducing energy costs high efficiency results in generous power reserves ensuring that pristine sound quality is maintained even under the most extreme conditions.

Ethernet is used for remote control and monitoring while the tamper proof front panel allows easy verification of the operating status and signal levels. Control via Linea’s intuitive Podware PC application provides many convenient and time saving features such as very flexible management of presets, and Overlay grouping of Mutes, Gains, Delays and EQ across an entire system. Control from 3rd party systems is also possible via TCP/IP, RS232 and RS485 while comprehensive relay and contact closure ports ensure that basic control can be achieved very easily.

The advanced 96kHz DSP is fully integrated into the product and provides an array of unique and genuinely useful features. Because all aspects of the DSP algorithms are designed and hand crafted in house by Linea, they are not available on products from any other manufacturer. For example, LIR linear phase crossover filters which are as easy to use as more conventional filter shapes, and have less latency than FIR filters. Also the powerful VX Limiter suite which sports Peak, RMS and Excursion limiting, as well as multiband limiting for passive 2-way enclosures.