SPL Mercury provides connections for a total of seven digital stereo input sources. For each digital source there is a dedicated and illuminated tactile switch for quick selection and quick comparison. The detected sample rate is shown in the display. One USB input and two coaxial, two optical and two AES/EBU inputs are available. AES input 2 also supports Dual-Wire (DW) mode.
The display shows the synchronization status and the detected sampling rate. Any source except USB can be synchronized to another source or to an external Word Clock. If the sync “Source” is selected in the display, each source uses its own sync code embedded in the signal.
Holding the Sync button for more than two seconds Mercury will change to the 0dBfs display. SPL Mercury offers all reference levels in dBu corresponding to a 0 dBfs (full scale) digital signal: +14, +15, +16, +17, +18, +20, +22 and +24 dBu.
The FIX OUT is an analog balanced stereo output which can be calibrated to all common reference levels (see 0 dBfs). SPL Mercury offers a variable analog balanced stereo output. This output provides the same signal as the FIX OUT, but the level is continuously adjustable. Thus SPL Mercury can also be used as a state-of-the-art monitor controller.
This analog potentiometer is used to control the level of the VAR OUT output. We use the ALPS RK27 “Big Blue” potentiometer with a nice “spoon in honey” feel and excellent channel tracking. So not only the auditory but also the haptic experience of volume control is at the highest level.
Digital Inputs
- AES/EBU, PCM sample rates 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz
- Coaxial SPDIF, PCM sample rates 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz
- Optical SPDIF (Toslink F06), PCM sample rates 44.1/48/88.2/96/with Glass fibre <1 m: 176.4/192 kHz
- USB (B), PCM sample rates 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192/352.8/384/705.6/768 kHz
- USB (B), DSD over PCM (DoP), sample rates 2.8 (DSD64), 5.6 (DSD128), 11.2 (DSD256) MHz
- 0 dBfs calibrated to 15 dBu
