APERIO - from the Latin, meaning to Uncover, Open, Reveal.
The model name for Warwick Acoustics' flagship, reference headphone system is a literal match for our design goal: to reproduce and reveal all recorded audio content definitively. without alteration.
The APERIO is designed for the demanding professional audio market, as a reference studio monitor headphone system for High-Resolution Audio production, mastering. mixing and recording applications. Moreover, the APERIO is designed to be equally capable in ultra-high-end home consumer applications.
The APERIO reference headphone system strives to deliver the highest level of audio performance achievable, by means of our proprietary planar electrostatic technology.
The APERIO utilises a highly-refined, evolutionary advancement of technology originally developed by Warwick Acoustics for its ground-breaking and multi-award-winning Sonoma Model One Headphone System.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Central to achieving our performance goal is the Design Philosophy behind the APERIO a concept embodied in every product developed by Warwick Acoustics and the mantra of our design and development team, from initial concept through final production. To be truly revealing of all audio content without alteration requires the entire sound reproduction system, or every element in the signal path, to be accurate and free from all forms of distortion - in a word, completely "transparent". The reproduction system cannot impose its own sonic character colourations of any kind upon the audio content. All data, whether it be analogue or digital, must be reproduced unadulterated.
Warwick Acoustics espouses a "Complete System Design" approach for all of our products. Complete System Design entails development and engineering of every element in the signal path of the sound reproduction system, from the initial delivery of analogue or digital audio content (data) to the final sound at the listener's ears.
The APERIO represents the pinnacle of this design philosophy by eliminating compromise for every element of the system and employing extraordinary attention to detail. A "flagship" or "reference" product should inherently mean that no compromises in design or execution are acceptable and that all the details matter.
We believe a "Complete System Design" philosophy is necessary and required to achieve the highest level of audio performance and sound quality. This is analogous to a computer company controlling and optimising the hardware and OS software together, or to a premium automotive brand developing an ultra-high-performance sports car ("supercar" or "hypercar"). The highest levels of performance cannot be achieved with a "Hot Rod" approach of mixing and matching disparate components and technologies because they are not optimised to work together in a synergistic manner.
Engineering of a complete and fully-optimised system will always outperform a combination of separately-engineered components at the highest levels. This Engineering philosophy is well-understood, accepted and applied in the computer, aerospace and automotive worlds. And we believe the same philosophy is valid for sound reproduction.
The APERIO's purpose is simply to reproduce audio content as pristinely and accurately as possible - without change or alteration. And this can only be achieved by means of a Complete System Design methodology.
APPLICATIONS / FEATURES
The APERIO is designed for demanding applications that require ultra-high resolution and higher output levels. The APERIO has been optimised for resolving the most minute, low-level details present on any form of audio media. These capabilities must be achieved without inducing distortion artifacts and other anomalies, such as "listener fatigue". Sound reproduction quality and audio performance should be identical at all listening levels.
The APERIO features a wide range of inputs, including balanced and unbalanced analogue, AES3 (AES/EBU), S/PDIF Coaxial, USB and Ethernet (LAN). The APERIO is unique in being a fully networkable product that exceeds typical DLNA limitations and allows digital audio reproduction of native or DoP 256 fs DSD and higher sample rate PCM formats to 384 kHz.
Within the APERIO all audio signals are kept in their native domain and format: analogue always remains analogue; DSD stays DSD until its final conversion to analogue; PCM sample rates are never converted. The signal path is pure, as direct as possible and unadulterated.
The APERIO also features an exceptional Line Output section for driving other electronics and sound reproduction components that include outboard amplifiers and loudspeakers. Balanced and unbalanced outputs are capable of driving very long cables to the highest levels with prodigious current delivery. For studio applications, downstream components connected by 150-meter balanced cables can be driven to 15 dBu without distortion.
The Line Output feature, in conjunction with an uncompromised Digital-to-Analogue Converter (DAC), preamplifier functionality and outstanding audio fidelity, enable the APERIO to perform optimally as the central hub of a state-of-the-art, two-channel studio monitoring system or ultra-high-end home audio system.
TRANSDUCER TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
The single most crucial component of any headphone system is the transducer. The ultimate performance of the complete sound reproduction system will be determined and limited by the acoustical performance and fidelity of the transducer.
The APERIO utilises a new Balanced-Drive HPEL Transducer (BD-HPEL) - a symmetrically-driven variant of Warwick Acoustics' High Precision Electrostatic Laminate (HPEL) transducer, originally developed for the Sonoma Model One headphone system. The BD-HPEL was developed specifically for applications that demand the highest level of audio resolution and greater output capability.
The BD-HPEL requires symmetrical, high voltage drive signals to generate a differential, electrostatic force that moves the diaphragm. The BD-HPEL has twice the excursion capability, greater linearity and lower distortion than Warwick Acoustics' first generation HPEL.
This next-generation HPEL transducer is built in the United Kingdom, at Warwick Acoustics' state-of-the-art R&D facility. The BD-HPEL is manufactured under strict laboratory conditions using proprietary, semi-automated, cell-based production techniques. We control all aspects of sourcing, production, testing and quality assurance. Every transducer produced is tested in our lab, graded and matched within 0.5 dB to a complementary unit to form a matched-pair.
Only the best-performing matched-pairs of BD-HPELs are installed in APERIO headphones.
The core technology of our BD-HPEL has been refined over several years to be impervious to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity variation, stable in performance and sound quality over time (even after years of daily use), and extremely durable.
These characteristics have been achieved because of the simplicity and robustness of the design, utilisation of only the finest materials available and Warwick's proprietary manufacturing processes.
The BD-HPEL retains Warwick Acoustics' patented cellular structure, which acts to significantly reduce and distribute resonant phenomena, and extends bandwidth to over 60 kHz. Subdivided cells act as smaller, phase-aligned planar sources, whose parallel-driven outputs combine acoustically to form a cohesive planar wave front.
HEADPHONE TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
For the APERIO headphone, Warwick Acoustics had two primary design objectives: 1) the headphone must provide the optimum mechanical and acoustical conditions for the BD-HPEL transducer that enable the best audio performance and sound quality possible to be achieved and, 2) the headphone must be comfortable for the user, even under critical monitoring conditions, for extended periods of time.
Many of the design requirements mirror those of the BD-HPEL transducer. Minimisation of resonant phenomena was paramount, as mechanical resonances and acoustical standing waves could potentially degrade the acoustic output of the transducer. Major structural components of the headphone, for example, the ear cups, are fabricated of injected Magnesium a rigid material lighter and significantly better-damped than aluminium and most polymers. Because the Magnesium is injected, complex and precise components that typically would require CNC-machining are possible. Key structural fasteners are fabricated from stainless steel for strength and durability. Gaskets are formed from closed-cell foams that are well-damped and free from compression-set.
The mechanical design is robust and employs the finest materials available for each functional purpose. Even the two-stage finish was selected for its excellent damping properties and durability. The result is a mechanical foundation that is extremely rigid, well-damped and free from resonances.
The development team carefully designed the ear cup components to minimise acoustical reflections and diffraction, on both sides of the transducer. Similarly, acoustic impedance is optimal on each side of the transducer. The APERIO is extremely "open" to the surrounding air, with a minimum of obstruction between the transducer diaphragm and the listener's ear. Unlike most headphones, the APERIO does not have regions over the transducer covered with acoustical materials that impede air flow or spectrally filter the sound (aka, passive equalisation). This common approach is not needed for the APERIO and has deleterious effects on sound quality, especially with regard to detail, resolution and sonic neutrality.
THE APERIO HEADPHONE CABLE
The APERIO headphone cable is a state-of-the-art, custom design, optimised specifically for the APERIO headphone and drive electronics. The headphone cable must transmit multiple balanced analogue drive signals at up to 500 Vpeak, nearly 2000 VDC bias and Earth Ground - all without corruption, interference or risk of electrical shock. Because the electrical load (impedance) of the headphone is primarily capacitive, it is essential for the headphone cable to have extremely low self-capacitance, to avoid excessive current shunting at high frequencies and to minimise antenna-like EMI/RFI emissions.
The APERIO headphone cable exhibits less than 175 pF of capacitance at two meters length. Because the BD-HPEL transducers have no drive coils there is no appreciable inductance; thus, cable inductance is not a critical limiting factor of the APERIO's performance, as it could be for conventional electrodynamic and planar magnetic headphones. Similarly. resistance is much less of a factor for the APERIO, since current draw at low frequencies where most of the musical energy resides - is negligible.
The APERIO headphone cable features a Dual Mono design with optimised conductor winding geometry and isolated shielding to minimise electrical crosstalk between channels. The electrical shielding is unique a copper-plated Aramid fibre braid that provides excellent EMI/RFI shielding while still maintaining very good flexibility and light weight. This shielding prevents both EMI/RFI emission (pollution) and EMI/RFI absorption (which could corrupt the audio signal).
