Trinnov Audio Amethyst
The Amethyst’s 3D room optimization unlocks tauter bass, sharper focus and a remarkably open soundstage without sacrificing musical body. Al Griffin heard cleaner low end and deeper staging, while Future Audiophile found its flexible bass management transformative. With DAC, phono stage, Roon readiness and active crossover control, this is a high-resolution command center for ambitious stereo systems.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
93/100
Build Quality
91/100
Features Connectivity
94/100
Value for Money
89/100
Pros
Room Optimizer delivers tighter, more defined bass, improved midrange focus, and greater soundstage depth.
Highly resolving, open presentation with stable imaging, convincing height, and excellent dynamics when optimized.
Exceptionally versatile hub: DAC, MM phono stage, Roon/network playback, configurable active crossover, and subwoofer integration.
Cons
Precision and Monitoring correction presets can sound dry, overly forward, or clinical with some recordings.
At its premium price, it makes most sense for owners who will use its room correction and bass-management capabilities.
One reviewer heard cooling-fan noise from the listening position.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 93/100
The Amethyst earns especially strong praise when its Room Optimizer is engaged: reviewers repeatedly heard a cleaner, more open and more focused presentation than in bypass. Its character is generally neutral, direct and highly resolved, with unusually convincing spatial organization and dynamic life, though some correction modes can make voices leaner or treble more forward.
Transparency Resolution
95/100
Reviewers consistently describe the Amethyst as very open, transparent and resolving, with Alpha Audio calling it essentially inaudible after proper calibration. SoundStage Solo heard no glare or obvious digital-processing character, while several reviewers found that bypassing correction brought back haze, muddiness, or a loss of openness.
Tonal Balance Musicality
91/100
Its overall balance is widely praised as linear, smooth and natural, with SoundStage Solo highlighting greater texture and body than competing processors. The available presets allow a listener to choose a more relaxed or more analytical presentation, but LowBeats found voices somewhat anemic in one setting and another reviewer found Precision mode's treble occasionally dry or overly intimate.
Dynamics
93/100
Dynamics are a clear strength, with reviewers reporting punchy transients, taut bass and strong dynamic snap from drums and guitars. Correction also improves impulse behavior, and the Precision setting was said to convey the music's dynamic charge particularly well.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
Reviewers repeatedly heard improved depth, focus and image stability with the Optimizer engaged. Instruments and voices were described as more clearly separated and precisely localized, with sharper phantom outlines, convincing height, and a greater sense of space.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
91/100
The Amethyst is described as solidly and thoughtfully built, with a thick engraved faceplate, low-resonance chassis, extensive shielding, and separate power supplies for computing, digital, and analog sections. Reliability was excellent during several tests, though one reviewer could hear the cooling fan from the listening position.
Features Connectivity
94/100
This is an exceptionally versatile control center, combining extensive balanced and unbalanced analog and digital connectivity with DAC, MM phono stage, network streaming, Roon readiness, and multichannel subwoofer integration. Its Room Optimizer, active crossover functions, multiple correction presets, remote operation, and deep setup control make it far more capable than a conventional stereo preamp.
Value for Money
89/100
At roughly $10,000, the Amethyst is unquestionably a premium purchase, but reviewers regard its DAC, phono, streaming, DSP, room correction, and crossover capabilities as a substantial and unusually complete package. Owners who will use the Optimizer and bass-management facilities are likely to find the outlay well justified; reviewers also caution that there are strong conventional preamp alternatives for listeners who will not use those functions.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Digital Audio Connectivity
- S/PDIF Inputs x4 (2 optical, 2 coaxial) S/PDIF Outputs x2 (coaxial) AES3 Inputs (XLR) x2 AES3 Outputs (XLR) x2 Wordclock (BNC) x1 Input, x1 Output
- Analogue Audio Connectivity
- Balanced inputs (XLR) x4 Unbalanced inputs (RCA) x4 Balanced outputs (XLR) x4 Unbalanced outputs (RCA) x4 Phono input (RCA) 1x Stereo (switchable phono / Line)
- Audio Processing
- ADC Resolution / Sampling Rate 24 bits/96 kHz DAC Resolution / Sampling Rate 24 bits/192 kHz A/D signal-to-noise ratio 119 dB (A-Weighted) D/A signal-to-noise ratio 118 dB (A-Weighted) Clock / Jitter attenuation > 50 dB is above 100Hz
- Hardware
- Processor Intel Dual-Core 1.8 GHz Data prescision 64 bits, floating point Cooling system Custom heat sinks + additional slow fans Safety components AntiPop relays on each analog output
- Power Supply
- Power requirement 230V / 110V - 50 / 60 Hz (Manual Switch) Power consumption 40W Mains fuse 1A Slow-Blow Internal PSUs Independent for audio and processing sections
- Weight & Dimensions
- Dimensions (W x H x D) mm 441 x 97 x 418 Dimensions (W x H x D) inches 17 3/8" x 3 7/8" x 16 1/2" Shipping box dimensions (W x H x D) cm 74 x 59 x 28 Weight 9.4kg Shipping weight / volume 14.9kg / 0.122 m3
- Warranty
- Standard Warranty 5 year Transferable Yes
- Chassis
- Standard Color Silver Optional Color Black
Manufacturer's Description — Trinnov Audio
The Amethyst includes an 12 input preamplifier with built-in Speaker/Room Optimizer, Trinnov’s innovative HybriD Phono Preamp, a Network Renderer, a 24 bit/192kHz DA Converter and a 2-way intelligent, active crossover engine. It also features built-in Wi-Fi connectivity for simplified operations making it the perfect centerpiece of any traditional or modern HIFI Installation.
Highly accurate, transparent and revealing as a pure preamp, the Amethyst elevates stereo playback through its state-of-the-art room correction system that reveals the best of your loudspeakers with incredible focus and imaging stability. High-resolution audio sources, up to 192kHz, are processed at their native sampling rates, never converted or down sampled.
With 64-bit floating-point processing, true signal integrity is assured, producing resolution greater than 320dB and enabling digital volume control without any loss of resolution. As the heart of your system, the Amethyst accommodates a total of twelve digital and analog sources, even including an analog phono stage for LP playback.
Straightforward Automated Process
Setup is guided by the Optimizer’s calibration wizard, which enables system optimization in a matter of minutes.
The wizard creates five presets with different acoustic flavors to get you started. Further fine-tuning is available through a deep set of additional tools, with up to 29 individual presets available for saving custom settings.
Why Room Correction Matters
The Amethyst delivers an outstanding transparent sound and provides a versatile set of features as well as rich connectivity.
However, it stands out with its built-in state-of-the-art room correction system to ensure true-to-source sound reproduction in your listening environment.
REMOTE & NETWORK CONTROL
Any tablet, smartphone or laptop can control the Amethyst over a local network. Connection is available through Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The Amethyst can also act as its own Wi-Fi access point and is a network UPnP/DLNA player. An IR remote is also provided for more conventional operation.
More than 2 Channels
The Amethyst provides four output channels for stereo playback, enabling active crossovers, intelligently calibrated, for bi amplified speakers, or bass management to drive one or two subwoofers.
The stereo channel configurations available are 2.0 with no subwoofer, 2.0 with bi amplified speakers, 2.1 with a single subwoofer or 2.2 with dual mono or stereo subwoofers.
Roon Ready
Roon has become an industry standard for streaming high-resolution music to high-performance stereo and immersive audio systems.
The Amethyst, like all Altitude preamp/processors, is a Roon Ready network player, enabling you to enjoy your music through its direct Roon interface. Roon network playback utilizes the Amethyst’s exceptional internal clock, ensuring the highest possible audio quality.
iOS Remote Control App
Remotely control your processor from your iPhone or iPad with our iOS Remote application. Set the volume, switch between inputs and select a different preset from your fingertip.
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- 3mA Audio — online and in-store — Houston, Texas, United States (website)
- Aalen Hifi — in-store — Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Wurtemberg, Germany (website)
- Acoustic Frontiers — online and in-store — Fairfax, California, United States (website)
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- Audio Excellence (CH) — Switzerland (website)
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