Trinnov Altitude32 – Modular Immersive Audio Processor

Description

Overview

The Altitude32 is Trinnov’s reference immersive audio processor and the platform on which the company’s reputation in high-end home cinema was built. It is modular: specified as 8-8, 8-16, 16-24 or 24-32 for maximum channel counts of 12, 20, 28 or 36, with DAC boards added later to grow the system. It decodes Dolby Atmos to as many as 34 discrete channels. Trinnov writes it closed up as Altitude32; UK dealers usually write Altitude 32.

Design & build

A 3.5U rack chassis of 442 x 165 x 445 mm weighing 14.5 kg with rack ears, in black as standard and silver as a paid option. Custom heat sinks and silent fans handle cooling, the audio and processing supplies are separate, and AntiPop relays sit on each output. Maximum draw is 132W with a thermal output of 450 BTU/h — worth knowing when sizing rack ventilation. The five-year warranty is transferable, with an extension programme available.

Sound & performance

Dolby Atmos is decoded natively to 34 discrete channels, DTS:X Pro to 30.2 and Auro-3D to 13.1, alongside the Dolby and DTS channel-based formats, PCM to 24-bit/192kHz, IMAX Enhanced and Roon. Processing is 64-bit floating point, native to 192kHz up to 24 channels and 96kHz above. Conversion is 24-bit/192kHz out and 24-bit/96kHz in, at 115 dB A-weighted. Up to four-way active crossovers and 29 presets mean a bespoke, actively driven speaker system can be built out properly.

Key features

• Four hardware configurations for 12, 20, 28 or 36 maximum channels, expandable later by adding DAC boards.
• DB25 analogue outputs of 8, 16, 24 or 32 by configuration; eight balanced XLR outputs on the 8-8 and sixteen on all others.
• AES3 digital: two XLR inputs, one XLR output, plus DB25 outputs that scale with configuration.
• Eight HDMI inputs and two HDMI 2.1 / HDCP 2.3 outputs, 40Gbps throughout, 4K120 / 8K60, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision.
• Four S/PDIF inputs, two S/PDIF outputs, two stereo XLR and three stereo RCA analogue inputs, plus a 7.1 RCA input.

Technology

The Altitude32 does not run on banks of fixed DSP chips; it runs on a single multi-core Intel platform under Trinnov’s own operating system. That is the reason major new features have repeatedly arrived on processors already installed in customers’ homes, at no cost. The Optimizer measures each loudspeaker with Trinnov’s 3D microphone, which locates every speaker in three dimensions — distance, angle and height — and can remap the soundfield so the mix arrives from where the format intended, even where the room forced compromises in placement. WaveForming, Trinnov’s active bass technology, drives an array of subwoofers individually to launch one controlled wavefront.

Beyond 32 channels, the Altitude48ext extension unit takes the system to 48 individually decoded outputs and 64 total processing outputs, enabling a full 24.1.10 layout. Network audio is not part of the Altitude32 specification — that is the AltitudeCI’s role, and we will say so rather than claim a feature this processor does not have.

Specifications

Maximum channels 12 / 20 / 28 / 36 by configuration. HDMI 8 in, 2 out, HDMI 2.1, 40Gbps, 4K120 / 8K60. Dolby Atmos to 34 channels, DTS:X Pro to 30.2, Auro-3D to 13.1, IMAX Enhanced, Roon. 64-bit floating point on Intel multi-core. DAC 24-bit/192kHz, ADC 24-bit/96kHz, 115 dB A-weighted. 442 x 165 x 445 mm, 3.5U, 14.5 kg, 132W maximum. Five-year transferable warranty.

Who it’s for

This is the processor for a reference cinema — a large immersive layout, actively driven or multi-amplified speakers, several subwoofers and an owner who expects the room itself to be engineered out of the equation. It is also the right answer where a system will grow: start at a lower channel count and add DAC boards as the room develops. If twenty channels is the ceiling, the Altitude16 is the more sensible buy, and we will say so.

Why buy from Hidden Home Technology

Because the Altitude32 is built to order, there is no single honest shelf price for it — the figure depends on the configuration, and UK listings for “an Altitude32” frequently describe quite different machines. We would rather quote you properly than publish a number that turns out not to apply to your room. Tell us the layout you are planning and we will specify the configuration and send a written quotation inclusive of VAT. Hidden Home Technology designs, supplies, installs and calibrates Trinnov cinema rooms from our base in Bath, working across the South. Dan Crick has twenty-five years in the industry, the company has traded since 2004, and we are a CEDIA member, number A-356536. Demonstrations can be arranged at our Basingstoke showroom; more on our Trinnov brand page.