Rodgers Audio: The Pinnacle of Realism

YOU’LL HEAR PIPES, NOT SPEAKERS

One of the most common remarks, when someone hears a Rodgers organ for the first time, is “I can’t tell the difference between the digital sounds and pipes!” Rodgers audio systems famously make the speakers disappear, so all you notice is the music.

REAL PIPE SOUND

Rodgers speakers are designed to deliver the emotional power, delicate nuances and lively spatial presence of a magnificent pipe organ. Their wide dispersion capacity and consistent frequency response make them uniquely suited to accurately reproduce pipe organ sound without coloration or distortion.

KEVLAR® CONE MATERIAL

Rodgers’ full-range speakers are built with incredibly strong, stable Kevlar® cones, found in many of the highest quality loudspeakers available. With fibers five times stronger ounce for ounce than steel, Kevlar® wears longer and withstands more temperature variation than other speaker materials. But it’s also far lighter than other cone materials, allowing speaker drivers to move more quickly and accurately, with less cone flex and a higher tolerance for peak power levels.

BALANCED AUDIO

Crown® amplifiers dramatically improve the organ’s sound by incorporating balanced audio input circuitry that uses two opposite-polarity conductors to carry the differential audio signal. An additional shield around each pair of wires shunts away unwanted electrical noise, keeping it from affecting the signal on the wires inside.

RODGERS PDI (PIPE DIMENSIONAL IMAGING)

The unique stereo imaging of PDI™ is one more reason Rodgers organs offer the most realistic pipe-like sound available today. Two generators and two speakers are used per note, but where PDI™ differs from stereo sampling is that PDI™ requires only one sample per note. Rodgers' proprietary sampling techniques use multiple microphones for the purpose of capturing the full character of the pipe – NOT to introduce or capture a stereo field for stereo reproduction.

This technological improvement offers superior flexibility and dispersion when compared to stereo recording and reproduction for home systems. The stereo imaging of PDI™ is designed to work in large spaces such as churches and eliminates the problem of small sweet spots found in typical home systems. With each pipe in its own aural position in the overall soundscape, a rich, warm, lifelike pipe tone is created. 

WORLD - CLASS AMPLIFIERS

Rodgers organs come with audio power amplifiers from Crown®, a global leader in high- performance professional audio systems. They’re the perfect match for Rodgers’ exclusive organ sound generation system. Like Rodgers, Crown® uses advanced technology to reduce the number of discrete components in order to improve reliability and efficiency. And like the organ, vast resources mean the audio system is never “pushed.” Crown® CT Series amplifiers use patented class-I technology that is superior to older analog-only amplifier designs.

Combined with Rodgers Audiophile speakers, they support a clear, transparent organ sound that soars beyond what’s heard from any other organ audio system available today. Amplifiers with class-I technology sip tiny amounts of energy, generate little heat and deliver extremely reliable performance. Efficiency is the key to getting more power out of an amplifier with less waste than ever before. Class-I technology draws less power from the AC supply, yet delivers much more power (wattage) per channel than analog-only amplification equipment.

Crown® CT Series products handle reactive loudspeaker loads easily and gracefully by reusing energy returned from the loudspeaker, rather than dissipating it as heat or forcing the amp into premature current limiting. These characteristics mean that class-I amplifiers run better, longer and cooler than other designs, especially at lower impedances. It also makes them more reliable, since they aren’t constantly stressed to their limits or subjected to excessive heat.

BALANCED AUDIO

The combination of Rodgers speakers and Crown® CT Series amps achieves a clean, amplified signal for optimal organ sound. It is important to avoid the disturbing ground loop hum that can occur with unbalanced audio systems. Rodgers’ system of balanced audio (also called differential signal) uses three wires: signal “hot,” signal “cold” and shield. Balanced audio technology amplifies only the difference between the “hot” original signal and the inverted “cold” duplicate signal, completely ignoring unwanted noise. This signal transport method is less susceptible to external influences such as nearby AC electrical service or motors.

ADVANTAGES OF CROWN® CT SERIES AMPLIFIERS

More powerful than previous Rodgers analog amplifiers

Lighter weight – Crown CT Series amps weigh just 10 pounds

Minimal heat generation

Quiet and low-maintenance – Crown CT Series amps use a fan-less cooling system

Able to operate on any voltage, from 100v to 240v

Attractive, low-profile design (less than 2 inches high)

Rack mountable

Powers on and off with the organ console

Features include an external circuit breaker, rear-mounted volume controls for each channel, a thermal indicator, clipping indicator, signal indicator, front-mounted power switch, high pass filter control, limiter feature and control, flexible input routing, auto- standby feature and control, meets worldwide safety testing, meets European ErP requirements, and more