JL Audio Ships Its New Processor 

FiX 82

JL Audio will release the first of a line of new advanced car audio processors next week.

The new FiX will be the only processor currently on the market to adjust time delay, said JL Audio’s Manville Smith.

The new FiX 82 will ship initially at $299.99 in small quantities with larger shipments to begin next month.

The FiX allows the addition of aftermarket amplifiers and speakers to a factory car radio system without the need to change the radio. It gives the installer a clean signal that is summed, and time corrected so that an aftermarket product may be added, even when the factory system is loaded with digital signal processing, as many are today.

“The first thing the unit does is look at the signal coming into its 8 analog inputs and it…finds the signal that is most delayed and adjusts all the others by applying delay so the delay is equal on all 8 channels…” said Smith. “Then it can stitch the signal to sum them together so if you have a woofer, midrange and tweeter, you can combine them into the full range signal that is now time coherent,” he added.

The unit then applies 30 band of equalization in each output channel to create a flat frequency response. And then that signal is sent into a pair of RCA analog outputs and also to an optical output so the unit has both analog and digital outputs.

The system takes 30 to 40 seconds to calibrate with a CD or USB stick that inserts into the factory system. There’s an LED to tell you when calibration is complete.

Next year, the unit will allow connection to a PC so that installers can look at the system results in more detail.

The FiX 82 delivers 2 channels of output of a 24 bit signal at 48kHz.

There is an optional controller that is a rotary knob with a push button that is used to preserve handsfree calling. On some vehicles the handsfree system uses noise cancellation and is linked to the audio signals. So if you add new time delay, it can hamper the handsfree performance. So users can press the button when a call comes in to disable time delay and then press the button again at the end of the call to restore it. There’s an LED to tell you which mode you are in. The button will carry a price in the $50 range.

In the first quarter next year, JL Audio plans to introduce a FiX 86 with 8 channels in, and 6 channels out.

Also in Q1 next year, JL Audio plans to add two tuning processors called Twk [pronounced Tweak] that can be used by installers to set up systems.

e FiX 82 functions include:

1. Eight differential-balanced inputs accept virtually any OEM analog audio signal, from low-voltage, line-level to high power, amplified speaker-level, and converts them to digital audio with 24-bit effective resolution.
2. Compatible with full-range and band-limited OEM signals, outputs from factory 2-way, 3-way or 4-way stereo systems are automatically summed into a complete, full-range stereo signal.
3. Factory filtered or “tuned” signals are automatically restored back to a flat, full-range audio output. These digital-domain corrections can vary from subtle to dramatic, depending on the amount of equalization engineered into the factory audio system.
4. Time delayed OEM signals are automatically corrected into a synchronized output.
5. A simple calibration process performs signal summing, EQ restoration and time-delay correction tasks automatically.
6. Digitally corrected signals can then be sent to your aftermarket signal processors or amplifiers via two methods: • Analog audio through a stereo pair of low-distortion, 4-volt (RMS) line-level outputs• Digital audio through an optical (Toslink) output, supporting PCM audio (S/PDIF) 48kHz/24bit
7. Differential-balanced input architecture ensures noise immunity and compatibility with most analog output OEM source units or amplifiers.
8. Selectable turn-on options for activation include: conventional 12-volt trigger, automatic via Signal-Sensing or automatic via DC Offset-Sensing.
9. Provides a dedicated remote turn-on voltage output for activating aftermarket amplifiers or signal processors.
10. JLID Controller Port allows connection of the optional DRC-100 Digital Remote Controller (sold separately), adding Master Volume Control, Handsfree Optimization Mode and Input Clipping Indicator capabilities from the driver’s seat.
11. USB port provides access to update firmware and advanced options.

NEW MX series Marine Subwoofers with LED grilles and Bluetooth receiver Controllers.

JL Audio has also released some revised versions of their marine subwoofers, which now include LED lighting in the grilles, as well as a pretty trick new Bluetooth receiver/controller opening new doors for marine installation.

Integrated into the Sport Grille’s frame, the internal LED lighting assembly was meticulously designed to uniformly illuminate the woofer’s cone area with a lively blue glow, adding a dramatic visual experience to your high seas journey. The grille’s brilliant chrome finish, achieved through a unique multi-layer plating process, was developed through extensive testing to withstand the harsh sea environment for years to come.