StormAudio ISP Core 16+ – 18-Channel Immersive Audio Processor

Description

Overview

The ISP Core 16+ is the fully-loaded version of StormAudio’s compact processor at £13,666.44 inc VAT. It carries 18 channels of decoding and upmixing rather than 16, and it includes as standard the two things the Core 16 treats as options: StormXT channel expansion and HDMI matrix switching for multi-room video. Everything else — the Elite-derived DAC components, the hybrid analogue/digital volume control, the full Dirac Live suite — is shared with its sibling.

Design & build

Same French-built 3RU chassis as the Core 16: 40.22 x 44.2 x 13.27cm (depth x width x height) without ears or feet, removable rack ears adding 4cm across and feet 2cm up, 8kg net. A 5-inch colour TFT display and infra-red sensor sit on the front panel, and the universal 100–240V switch-mode supply works anywhere. Audio leaves on 16 balanced XLR outputs, with a digital optical Toslink stereo downmix for a second zone.

Sound & performance

Auro-3D®, Dolby Atmos®, DTS:X Pro and IMAX Enhanced are decoded natively, with inputs to 192kHz and post-processing at 48kHz. The extra two channels over the Core 16 matter most in rooms that want a fuller height layer or an additional pair of surrounds. Behind them sits the same processing depth as the flagship: standard and expert bass management, an unlimited number of subwoofer channels, up to four crossover points per channel from 6 to 48dB per octave in Linkwitz-Riley or Butterworth alignments, and up to 20 bands of parametric equalisation on every channel. Active Room Treatment supports up to nine speakers on this model.

Key features

• 18 channels of decoding and upmixing, delivered through 16 balanced XLR outputs
• StormXT channel expander included as standard
• HDMI matrix switching for multi-room included as standard
• All grades of Dirac Live licence included — Room Correction, Bass Control and Active Room Treatment
• 7 HDMI inputs and 2 outputs, HDMI 2.1a and HDCP 2.3, 8K and 4K120, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision, ARC and eARC
• Roon Ready end point; StormMonitoring remote monitoring; five-year warranty; official URC drivers
• Flexible bass routing across up to six zones remains an optional licence

Technology

Dirac Live Room Correction, Bass Control and Active Room Treatment provide different calibration tools. ART coordinates suitable speakers and subwoofers over Dirac’s specified 20–150 Hz range to reduce low-frequency resonances and decay. It is an additional option in the setup process, not a replacement for acoustic treatment, sound isolation or capable speakers. Confirm the firmware and included licence scope for the exact unit, particularly an existing or previously supplied processor. Manual level, delay, crossover and PEQ settings remain important; StormAudio also supports REW measurement import.

StormXT, included here, is StormAudio’s channel expander: when a soundtrack’s format leaves some speakers silent, it draws the relevant signal from neighbouring channels and feeds them, so every speaker earns its place whatever the disc is mixed in. The included HDMI matrix lets one source feed the cinema and a second room independently. Configuration runs in a browser via the StormEasy wizard.

Specifications

Eighteen channels of decoding and upmixing, delivered on 16 balanced XLR outputs, with an optical Toslink Zone 2 downmix. Seven HDMI inputs and two outputs at HDMI 2.1a and HDCP 2.3 with matrix switching included, 8K and 4K120, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision. 3RU, 8kg. Full detail in the specification table below.

Who it’s for

The right choice when the Core 16 is nearly enough but not quite — an 18-channel layout, or a system that must feed video to a second room without a separate matrix. If you know you want StormXT and HDMI matrix switching, start here rather than licensing them later. For 24 or 32 channels, or analogue outputs beyond 16, look at the ISP Elite MkIII.

Why buy from Hidden Home Technology

Hidden Home Technology designs, supplies, installs and calibrates StormAudio systems from our base in Bath, Somerset, and demonstrates across the South. Dan Crick has 25 years in the industry, the company has traded since 2004, and we are a CEDIA member (A-356536). A processor of this calibre only performs when the room around it is right, so we treat it as one job — acoustics, speaker layout, amplification, video, control and Dirac Live calibration by our own team. Contact us for a configured quotation or to discuss demonstration arrangements; read more on our StormAudio brand page.

HHT system-planning advice

The Core 16+ headline decoding count is not a promise of 18 separate analogue outputs: this model has 16 balanced XLR outputs. Confirm how the planned speakers, subwoofers, active crossover ways and secondary-zone needs map to the physical connections. StormXT and HDMI matrix facilities should be assessed against how the household will use the system.

Read StormAudio beyond Dirac ART for our manual-setup approach and StormAudio versus Trinnov for the wider system comparison.