ISE Day 1 – PowerSoft Unveil Unica

(Pic – PowerSoft’s Luca Giorgi and Claudio Lastrucci with Unica)

First up on the impossible but fun schedule of ISE press events was the unveiling of PowerSoft’s big new product series, Unica.

PowerSoft’s Luca Giorgi and Claudio Lastrucci literally lifted the veil from the new integrated amp and DSP platform. There are six models; three with 8 channels and three with four. In Italian, Unica means means both ‘unique’ and ‘single’, riffing on the fact thesre are 1RU, all-in-one solutions that are unique in the market.

The UNICA range comprises three four-channel (UNICA 9K4, 12K4 and 16K4, with 9,000W, 12,000W and 16,000W respectively) and three eight-channel models (UNICA 2K8, 4K8 and 8K8, with 2,000W, 4,000W and 8,000W).

Featuring high power density, top-shelf sound quality and class-leading efficiency, and backed by no less than five new patents and four existing ones, UNICA represents the third and latest generation of Powersoft amplifier platforms, designed to meet the requirements of any size of installation within a single product family.

Unica also introduces the next generation of Powersoft’s industry-leading DSPs, based on the latest system-on-chip technology. The DSP section is operable even when only PoE+ power is available, simplifying deployment and pre-configuration operations. If you have a PoE++ switch, you can even test loudspeakers beforewe the final mains power has been sorted.

Powersoft have solved a major industry issue by developing a new functionality for hot-swapping amplifiers: because each UNICA amplifier is able to automatically archive backups on a flash memory drive situated on the rear panel, users can easily replace a faulty unit with a new one in a matter of minutes, without any configuration or product knowledge.
 
Based on Powersoft’s proprietary third-generation architecture, Unica is optimised to reduce points of failure while allowing more accurate reproduction and improved performance compared with previous amplifier generations. An all-new power supply section facilitates efficient conversion, resulting in less power dispersion through wasted heat, while a new approach to heat management has resulted in fan noise reduction, making UNICA the quietest amp ever designed by Powersoft. A filter can also be easily accessed without any tools, making it faster and more convenient to keep the airways clear of dust.
 
Networking is achieved through three ethernet ports, allowing both AoIP and control redundancy and splitting control vs AoIP traffic. Thanks to a firmware-level protocol, audio over IP is managed through both Dante and AES67.
 
Compared to existing Powersoft products, UNICA also benefits from enhanced Power Sharing developed for the output section, with each output channel capable of delivering up to twice the power when loaded asymmetrically.
 
“Being designed around future functionalities and added features, our new-generation platform guarantees customers maximum reliability and simplified operations throughout the entire project, from planning to completion,” says Claudio Lastrucci. “This, combined with its reference-quality sound, industry-leading power efficiency and a straightforward user experience, makes UNICA a truly futureproof amplifier platform, and the new industry standard.”