TacT Audio 2.2 mini

[Κώστας Φ.]

"Fast forward to a few months back, when TacT Audio's Radomir Bozovic dropped by my house to setup the newly available 2.2 mini room processing preamplifier. Borrowing much of the technology found in the larger brother, the RCS XP 2.2, the 2.2 mini omits such features as analog inputs and less overall "processing" power. Then again, it also costs much less, retailing for around $3k. According to "Boz", the 2.2 mini was designed for those who wish to get a taste of powerful room correction in an all digital system, i.e. Transporter, Squeezebox, Sonos, etc. Like its siblings, the 2.2 mini features a computer-less interface: meaning the user does not necessarily have to have a computer to setup and correct the individual room. The supplied microphone plugs directly into the mini's back, and along with the supplied remote, one can then setup the system—in theory anyway. While this is certainly the case at perhaps a rudimentary level, I found that accessing the most powerful processing features of the 2.2 mini is of course best done through your computer's visual display and the proprietary TacT Audio software. Regarding that software, it is very powerful indeed, allowing you to completely alter the characteristic's of your audio system to your heart's content—for better or worse, naturally. Since all inputs to the 2.2 mini are in digital form, all manipulation is done in the digital domain, and with 24/192 accuracy. My heartfelt advice to the new owner would be to spend a good afternoon or two becoming familiarized with the online manuals and all aspects of the mini's tremendous functionality. Otherwise, you will be hopelessly overloaded.

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There is no question about it: the 2.2 mini is a processing powerhouse. Besides the most obvious element, room correction, it also features what TacT has dubbed "DRC" or dynamic room correction. DRC takes room correction one-step further by providing on the fly, a Fletcher-Munson based correction for each 0.1dB of volume increments. Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Munson discovered some time ago (1933!) that our hearing is both frequency and level dependant. Think "loudness" button your favorite 60s and 70s receiver. What Fletcher and Munson discovered was that our ear's sensitivity is not constant, i.e. turn the volume down and bass/treble perception falls off dramatically. To compensate for this, the 2.2 mini can be configured around nine presets—for each 0.1dB increase in volume the 2.2 mini will automatically recalculate the frequency spectrum. Further, one can add their own personal characteristics to each of the presets, thus truly providing full control of the output signal in the digital domain. Simply put, according to TacT Audio, "the future of audio is here".

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The Conclusion…

The fact that you are limited to only digital sources, the 2.2 mini doesn't really fit into my system, which consists of two turntables, two reel-to-reel machines, one cassette deck, and an FM tuner. On the other hand, techies—those who prefer razor sharp musical accuracy over musicality and only have digital sources—will no doubt find the TacT Audio 2.2 mini a pleasant surprise. It is full of whizz-bang technology that only years ago would have cost considerably more then the $3000 asking price. You will certainly appreciate the versatility and friendly relatively easy to use proprietary TacT Audio software. Stay tuned for more action from TacT Audio's true digital amplifiers." -- Danny Kaey


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