SPL, the company behind the innovative and much-aped Transient Designer, have unveiled two new desktop monitor controllers, dubbed the Control One and Marc One. They share an identical feature set, except that the former is an analogue-only affair while the latter incorporates a 2-in/2-out USB interface, using high-quality converters that are capable of running at sample rates up to 768kHz in PCM mode, and can even reconstruct 1-bit DSD streams.
Both of the new devices are made in Germany, and can switch between two stereo analogue inputs (plus the USB input, in the case of the Marc One). They also allow for main and alt monitor switching, and offer a number of other useful monitoring options including mono switching, and the ability to flip the L-R stereo image (which SPL tout as being useful for dubbing mixers who need to find sound effects that correspond to on-screen movement).
Subwoofer and headphone outputs are also present — the latter being driven by a high-powered Class-A/B amp, and also benefitting from another SPL innovation called Crossfeed. First developed for the SPL Phonitor headphone amp, the Crossfeed control essentially feeds some of the higher frequencies from the left input to the right output, and vice versa, in order to accurately mimic the effect of listening on speakers. The effect here is variable, with the lowest setting offering a standard 'straight-through' headphone experience. Max approximates the experience of a widely spaced pair of monitors, while the centre position, we're told, applies an inter-aural level difference equating to speakers placed 30 degrees left and right, as you'd expect with normal 'equilateral triangle' speaker/listener placement.
The SPL Control One and Marc One are available now, and carry prices of $599 and $799 respectively.