Constellation Audio / Reference series – Altair II

Features

Line Stage Gain Module
We build the Line Stage Gain Module’s balanced circuit from two mirror-imaged amplifiers, one for the positive half of the signal and the other for the negative half. Through the use of hand-matched, ultra-low-noise FETs and servo circuits, our engineers have achieved an essentially perfect balance between the positive and negative halves of the audio signal.

Fully balanced circuitry
Because the Line Stage Gain Module’s circuit is fully complementary, comprising two identical circuits, it automatically cancels incoming noise and interference while increasing slew rate and frequency response. As a result, Altair II achieves an extraordinary 200-kilohertz bandwidth.

Simple, elegant remote control
The new machined aluminum infrared remote control provides a gratifying, friendly interface with Altair II. The remote’s soft leather cladding feels comfortable in the hand, and also provides a slip-resistant grip. All of Altair II’s most commonly used functions can be controlled from the remote.

User-friendly front touchscreen
Altair II’s front touchscreen accesses all of the preamp’s advanced functions, including input configuration and all other setup parameters. Large, high-contrast fonts allow the display to be read from across a room.

Incomparable mechanical isolation
Altair II’s audio circuits are double-isolated from vibration. Each Line Stage Gain Module is mounted on a sandwich of an isolating polymer layer between two stainless steel sheets. An elastomeric suspension in turn supports this platform. Highly flexible, custom-made wiring prevents any vibration on the chassis from reaching the “floated” circuit boards. The sheer mass of the Altair II chassis and internal assembly also helps damp vibration.

Home theater bypass mode
Through the front touchscreen, one of Altair II’s inputs may be configured for home theater bypass. This mode allows the left and right channels from a surround-sound processor to pass through Altair II, permitting the same left/right speakers and amplifiers to be used for two-channel or multichannel reproduction without having to make volume adjustments. Switching to any other input restores two-channel sound.

Nearly impermeable shielding
Key circuit modules inside Altair II are isolated from the others to reduce interference to the lowest possible levels. A machined aluminum shield protects each individual Line Stage Gain Module, while formed aluminum enclosures shield the control circuits. The thick walls of the machined aluminum chassis provide additional shielding against outside interference.

Machined solid aluminum chassis
In order to block 50/60 Hertz electromagnetic interference from household circuits, we encase Altair II’s inner workings in an enclosure machined from solid billets of aluminum to a minimum wall thickness of 8.2mm. These thick walls cannot resonate or vibrate as a sheet metal enclosure can.

Constellation Direct balanced interface
Owners of Constellation Audio’s Hercules and Centaur amplifiers can experience an even higher level of quality from Altair II through our Constellation Direct interface, which bypasses the input module of the amplifiers to reduce the number of gain stages in the signal chain. This reduces noise and improves reproduction of musical detail.

Triple-transformer power supply

Altair II’s power supply incorporates three separate R-core transformers, one for left channel analog audio, one for right channel analog audio, and one for control circuitry. The power supply’s machined aluminum enclosure shields the audio section of Altair II from the transformers’ electromagnetic energy. Custom-extruded PCOCC cables tipped with aerospace-type Hypertronics connectors carry the separate the three separate power feeds to the Altair II main chassis.

Optically controlled resistors for volume control
An array of 48 optically controlled resistors provides far more precision and sonically transparent volume control than even the highest-quality potentiometers can. A temperature-compensated tracking circuit that maintains ideal signal balance in all conditions. Because the optically controlled resistors are electrically isolated from the control circuits, they are as sonically benign and musically transparent as a conventional high-quality resistor.