Elan Ships D12 Amp; Announces D16 Amp for 2010

Elan has announced it's shipping the D12 Amplifier and is coming out with the D16 Amplifier in March 2010.

Both amplifiers were developed with technology from Texas Instruments (TI). The D12 (12 channels) delivers 115 watts at 4 ohms into each channel, while the D16 (16 channels) delivers 75 watts at 4 ohms into each channel.

The D12 and D16, which are both just more than 5-inches tall, have TI's Class-D topology with 8x oversampling and 5th order noise shaping.

"The only thing these products have in common with their predecessors is the number of binding posts on the back panels," says Elan president and CTO Bob Farinelli, who says the D12 adds front-panel readouts and standalone IR for remote volume control applications.

The D12 can drive up to six stereo pairs of speakers, 12 mono speakers or any combination of the two. Elan says the D16 will expand upon that with eight stereo pairs, 16 mono speakers or any combination of the two.

Each channel can be configured for mono, stereo, bussed mono or bussed stereo. Two universal stereo buss inputs with buffered outputs eliminate the need for extra patch cables and Y-cords.

Other features:

• Low-power standby with instant turn-on
• Software lockable gain settings
• Patent-pending ACE (Automatic Clip Eliminator) technology for thermal and short circuit protection

MSRP: D12 Amplifier ($2,400); D16 Amplifier ($2,600)