Krell Industries announce Foundation, the latest in a long line of  A/V processors from the company. Featuring the latest digital connectivity, the Foundation also maintains Krell’s standards for analogue audio reproduction.

From decoding the latest lossless audio formats, extensive digital switching, 3DTV pass-through,  etc the Foundation is certainly well equipped. The 7.1-channel processor also features balanced audio outputs, automatic setup and room EQ.

In addition to 10 HDMI 1.4a inputs, the Foundation has 2 HDMI outputs, both of which feature Audio Return Channel. With ARC, a display device is able to send audio back down the HDMI cable to the processor. This is beneficial for those with televisions with built-in web streaming capability like Netflix or Pandora, so the streaming audio can use the full home theater system instead of just the TV’s speakers.

The Foundation includes a new Krell development – Intelligent HDMI switching. Intelligent HDMI switching is a combination of circuitry and software that optimizes HDMI operation. Various parameters including the monitor’s electronic ID and source video resolution are stored in non-volatile memory. All 10 source inputs are always active so source, channel, video resolution, and audio format changes are instantaneous. The Intelligent HDMI design provides the fastest signal recognition possible.

The Foundation also features Krell’s Automatic Room Equalization System (ARES), to help ensure the best possible performance from every room. ARES analyzes all the speakers in the system, their location, phase, and distance from each other, to determine the best crossover frequency, delay, etc. In addition, ARES incorporates the acoustics of the room to determine unique EQ curves for each of the 7.1 output channels.

The Foundation will be available at Krell authorised dealers in February 2013 for $6,500 MSRP.