StormAudio ISP Evo IMMERSIVE SOUND PREAMP/PROCESSOR

One thing that interested me about the StormAudio ISP Evo is that, despite its obvious hi-fi function, it's more like a computer than a typical "prepro."

- KALMAN RUBINSON

While it does offer a few "legacy" analog inputs, it is for the most part all-digital, input to output, including network connections on both ends. Consequently, it is less likely to leave sonic fingerprints on the music than devices that convert digital to/from analog or modulate their signals with active amplification or attenuation.

It is notable that, despite its audio function, the Storm completely lacks traditional audio specifications-distortion, dynamic range, and so on.

Yes, that aspect of the product was appealing, but the real trigger for me was that when I began this review, the StormAudio ISP Evo was the only consumer device to fully incorporate the latest version of Dirac Live Active Room Treatment (ART). An earlier, more primitive version of ART, called DLBC Full Bass Optimisation, was tantalizing² but ran only on Windows or Mac computers and seemed never to get out of beta status. My expectation for the ISP Evo is that the installation and calibration procedures of this integrated version, which is now fully commercial and public, will be more coherent and smoother and that the results will be even better than before.