Artison is preparing its new Nano Backpack WiSA Powered (WP), a compact, thinline audio hub for the digital age scheduled to ship in Q2 of 2016. Measuring a mere 1 inch by 9 inches by 9 inches (H/W/D), the Backpack is designed for high-performance home theater audio and simple installation, whether it is mounted on the wall, behind a flat-panel display, or in the wall with an appropriate enclosure.
The Backpack’s diminutive size belies its capabilities. Three internal 100-watt Class D amplifiers power any passive LCR channels using Continuous Sigma technology for Class A sonics. Backpack’s features include Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby ProLogic II/IIx decoding, and internal 2.4 and 5.8 GHz antennas for access to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices. The three front channels are hard wired using a Phoenix connector, and a WiSA-compliant wireless output (24 bit/96 kHz) drives the subwoofers and surrounds, easily completing any home theater project.
“Even compact, integrated amplifiers tend to be big, boxy products that are at best barely concealed in a large rack,” said Cary Christie, Artison’s founder and chief designer. “With Nano Backpack WP, we’re incorporating the best qualities and flexibility of the most advanced products in a compact and ultra-shallow package that is easily concealed behind a TV, in a wall, or anywhere else the integrator and the end user care to hide it.”
Artison’s Nano Backpack offers maximum flexibility of installation, accepting a wide variety of sources via its array of inputs, including HDMI 2.0 (three), Bluetooth 4.0, Toslink (one), 3.5-millimeter stereo minijack (one), and RJ45 (one). The HDMI output (ARC/CED/3D/4K) pass through makes the Backpack as easy to integrate into a single-room system as it is to mount behind the display. An IR remote control is included.
Added Christie, “What it lacks in physical dimensions, the Backpack more than makes up for in high-performance sonics.”
