News

Slim Devices Introduces Transporter, the Ultimate Device for Audiophiles, and Declares the Death of the CD Player (2/8/2006)

Today, Slim Devices introduced Transporter, the most advanced networked audio system available. Designed to appeal to the most discerning audiophiles and music lovers, Transporter's sound quality surpasses that of even the most sophisticated high-end compact disc players. It also offers a broad range of options not available on any CD player, including thousands of Internet radio stations, Pandora's award-winning personalized music service and Rhapsody's two-million track collection of online music. Audiophiles can use Transporter to listen to their music collection, regardless of whether it was originally downloaded on their PC or purchased on CD. These capabilities are expected to make CD players obsolete.

The retail price for Transporter will be $1,999. Slim Devices will accept pre-orders for Transporter starting today and begin shipping the product on September 18.

Slim Devices CEO and co-founder Sean Adams explained that Slim Devices has been designing affordable streaming audio products for single and multi-room use since 2000. "Slim Devices' Squeezebox products have long been respected for high sound quality among networked audio systems," said Sean Adams, the CEO and founder of Slim Devices. "With Transporter, we set out to design an even better system by incorporating ideas both from the audiophile community and specialist engineers from around the globe. Transporter is designed not merely to rival traditional high-end sources, but to surpass them in both subjective and quantifiable performance."

Award-winning industrial designer Fred Bould, who previously designed Slim Devices' Squeezebox, is responsible for the case and remote design. Several of his works are included in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Transporter's thick aluminum chassis protects the system from external noise, and gives it a high-quality fit and finish that will complement any system. The case will be available in either black or clear anodized finish.

Inside Transporter

For Transporter, Slim Devices selected the AK4396 DAC, the newest and most advanced professional-grade converter from AKM. Its performance is remarkable especially at the high frequencies that create the sense of imaging and realism. Hailed as a "miracle DAC chip," its low out-of-band noise allows the use of low-order output filters with higher cutoffs, resulting in preservation of phase and reduced distortion within the audible band.

Transporter's gold plated circuit board is arranged to keep digital and analog sections separate, and to minimize jitter through careful management of clock signals. Power is supplied to the DAC and analog stages by three separate super-regulator circuits. The balanced amplifiers use precision polyphenylene film capacitors. Individual op-amp packages ensure low noise and immeasurable crosstalk between channels.

Special Offer for Those Pre-Ordering Transporter

The company will begin shipping the product on September 18, 2006 and will accept pre-orders until then. Any order placed before the ship date will receive a free Squeezebox, an ideal solution for customers who wish to listen to their digital music in more than one room. Customers can place pre-orders on Slim Devices' website.

www.slimdevices.com