# TRU SSLD6 Line Driver



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

First findings had me confused ...was this shipped and the actual unit forgotten? Oh damn, just my unfortunate luck. 
But to my surprise upon opening this jewel it was sitting right there neatly tucked between two layers of thick foam.
Due to its extremely lightweight aluminum housing I was pleasantly stunned as it cried out to me to be removed from it's packing container 
and let it get to work. Measuring at a mere 5 X 3.5 X 1.5 - not much more than a pack of nicotine sticks - told me this thing could be mounted anywhere, even behind a HU.

I proceeded to do a quick visual inspection a few items I noted was its front and center pots for gain adjustments. Easily accessible and with normal tools, 
unlike some others that are hidden deep in the trenches of plastic housing and always require that one micro screwdriver you never can locate when needed. A few quick turns for pure pleasure spoke to me of how precise these little things can be. At the same time noting that they were all aligned and not collapsing inside the chassis like some others I have auditioned.

Onward to the connection ... with a few simple wires for Power/Ground/Remote we were ready for RCA connections. This was obviously a breeze as well ... its just a plug&play thing. Done.
Threw the keys in the ignition and began to play whatever CD was residing in the transport. This happen to be at the time one of Steve (Audionutz) CES CDs.
After a few seconds I quickly realized this is not just your average line Driver .. We have all had those before.This was more of a conditioner (mentioned earlier), even a restorative device if you will.
My music was now completely, utterly unpolluted with issues I experienced earlier. Organic, yet charismatic. A pleasant dynamic of natural sound, but paired with zest. Not that the former was lacking, but it felt to me to be a stimulation of their full potency. I again became familiar with how agile and robust my Dyn setup could be. 

A sweet inviting reproduction with absolutely no compromise. Who could ask for anything more from a ... LineDriver?? Such a small simple device does all of this and isn't its actual intent ! 
Linedriver? Ha, that part is the bonus.

A bit more tinkering with my level settings and Im sure I will be overwhelmed even more.

Products involved were:

OEM Nav
H900
Billet 4100 (Bridged - Burr Brown > Dyn MW182s
Billet 4100 (Analog Devices) > Dyn Esotars
and of course the newest additon to the party .. SSLD6


----------



## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Yeah, and where are the pictures?


----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

On my camera, gimme a break focker.


----------



## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Make a post about new stuff...and then don't show the new stuff. Whatdupwiththat?

I'm still mad about not knowing you had a P70x2 forsale.


----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

blah blah blah theyre coming. Takes time to upload. 

Coulda just asked. Truth be told ... I had to of em.


----------



## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

See...now that's just plain messed up. Have to rub it in a guy's face like that. Not 1, but 2...butthole.


----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

I am good at something though, no?


----------



## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

Id be willing to sell if the price was right , whats up Don?! Glad to hear you like this, why still no pictures, god you're slow.


----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

Photobucket was slow ... Theyre on their way in a few brief moments.


----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)




----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)




----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

I may also add that stage height seemed to fare the same within an inch or two. Depth became increasingly noticeable and width expanded substantially. Although these findings may be of excitement or simple placebo effect. I will play a bit more and try to report back as accurately as possible. I myself am still finding it difficult that such dramatic changes can be had from a mild line driver addition.


----------



## skylar112 (Dec 8, 2005)

Those are the same potentiometers on my S44, all I can say about them is that they are kick ass. Solid, there is good feedback as you adjust them. They glide smoothly and precisely.


----------



## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

well Don your photography skills are top notch.


----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

skylar112 said:


> Those are the same potentiometers on my S44, all I can say about them is that they are kick ass. Solid, there is good feedback as you adjust them. They glide smoothly and precisely.


Same as used in the Billets as well. Commendable work on what some would consider such a 'frivolous' piece.


----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

Kenny_Cox said:


> well Don your photography skills are top notch.


Nah, just point and shoot. My camera skills - teh sucks. 

But thank you anyway.


----------



## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

I hate you!!!


----------



## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

So you're running the F#1 unit with digi out to the processor - > SSLD6 - > amps....and you weren't worried about noise, nor did you hear any? Nice!  

With the gains in the middle as pictured what type of voltage boost are you looking at? There's no indication on the unit, i see.

Specs:

RATED POWER
9.5 ~ 14.4 Volts DC

S/N RATIO
> 110dB

T.H.D. + NOISE
< 0.009%

INPUT SENSITIVITY
250mV ~ 9Volts

FUSE REQUIREMENT
1 Amp

POWER SUPPLY
9.5 ~ 16 Volts DC

OUTPUT LEVEL
1 : 4.5 Ratio (13V Peak)

DIMENSION (W x H x D)
3.5 " x 1.375 "x 4.125 "

WEIGHT
.46 lbs

http://www.trutechnology.com/product.../ssld6_08.html


----------



## Nass027 (Oct 25, 2006)

Sorry i must be tired or something,is there a price listed?Thanks


----------



## Class ey! (Jan 24, 2008)

Nass027 said:


> Sorry i must be tired or something,is there a price listed?Thanks


hey mate i checked pricing 299USD retail




cheers!


----------



## low (Jun 2, 2005)

now this is what im talking about!  this should go well on my copper


----------



## invecs (Jul 30, 2005)

Got any pix of the system?

Thanks for the review.


----------



## drake78 (May 27, 2007)

That' a nice looking made in the USA piece. $300 msrp yikes


----------



## bafukie (Nov 23, 2007)

man... TRU always look sexy to me


----------



## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

FoxPro5 said:


> So you're running the F#1 unit with digi out to the processor - > SSLD6 - > amps....and you weren't worried about noise, nor did you hear any? Nice!
> 
> *With the gains in the middle as pictured what type of voltage boost are you looking at? There's no indication on the unit, i see.
> *
> ...


....cricket......cricket......cricket.......


----------



## low (Jun 2, 2005)

^ more 

...cricket...cricket...even more crickets...


----------



## Colin+M (May 8, 2006)

eleventy drazilagigamillion volts, of course


----------



## BaSiCEvil (Mar 14, 2007)

That's one sexay piece of equipment.

Nice pics mang!


----------



## little4banger (Oct 25, 2005)

Hey Guys,

John just worked over my Billet B-475 with the upgrades and after talking to him and reading the reviews, I picked up a SSLD6.
I used a little tube preamp in the the past but what is the correct way of settings the gains on the amp and line driver?
Just looking for a little tech knowledge...  

Thanks,
-Eric


----------



## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Why didn't they make the amps and line driver with balanced connections? You want to talk about cutting down noise, then balanced is the only way to go.


----------



## low (Jun 2, 2005)

i think thats where that copper thingymajiggy comes into place....cat5 or something. different amps/pricepoints i guess...

and whos to say they cant make the amps' preamp cards in the billets accept balanced...*cough cough* oops!



thehatedguy said:


> Why didn't they make the amps and line driver with balanced connections? You want to talk about cutting down noise, then balanced is the only way to go.


----------



## dan_f (Feb 6, 2008)

thehatedguy said:


> Why didn't they make the amps and line driver with balanced connections? You want to talk about cutting down noise, then balanced is the only way to go.


I designed the SSLD-6 for Tru. I design tons of stuff for the pro world here in LA with fully balanced inputs and outputs. I do some of the best balanced inputs made, both with solid state designs with a 90db+ common mode rejection ratio as well as with Jensen and Cinemag transformers.

This product was done unbalanced for the simple reason that most head units and amps have unbalanced outputs and inputs. Then to connect an unbalanced source to a balanced input you lose most of the advantages of a balanced input. And when you connect a balanced output to an unbalanced input, you lose all the advantages of a balanced line. 

Yes there are a few cases where by connecting a balanced input to an unbalanced source can theoretically be better, but that is generally when the source is pretty awful to start with and has poor grounding. In this case we decided to go unbalanced. If there is enough market demand some day we may make a unit with balanced inputs and outputs. But really, until there are a lot of amps and head units with balanced inputs and outputs, it does not make sense. As well, there is little standardization in connectors for balanced audio inputs and outputs in the car audio world. In pro I use Neutrik XLR connectors but the result is that the line driver would have to be about three times the physical size.

If you have serious noise issues where a balanced input is really needed (as opposed to fixing the noise problem) I suggest trying a Jensen audio transformer. See http://www.jensen-transformers.com/

Dan


----------



## khanhfat (Feb 4, 2008)

what does this doo?


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2007)

6spdcoupe said:


> First findings had me confused ...was this shipped and the actual unit forgotten? Oh damn, just my unfortunate luck.
> But to my surprise upon opening this jewel it was sitting right there neatly tucked between two layers of thick foam.
> Due to its extremely lightweight aluminum housing I was pleasantly stunned as it cried out to me to be removed from it's packing container
> and let it get to work. Measuring at a mere 5 X 3.5 X 1.5 - not much more than a pack of nicotine sticks - told me this thing could be mounted anywhere, even behind a HU.
> ...


Great Review. By the way do you happen to sell these? I asked being that you have more than one pictured in your picture. If so let me know as I am interested in picking one of these up sometime soon.



dan_f said:


> I designed the SSLD-6 for Tru. I design tons of stuff for the pro world here in LA with fully balanced inputs and outputs. I do some of the best balanced inputs made, both with solid state designs with a 90db+ common mode rejection ratio as well as with Jensen and Cinemag transformers.
> 
> This product was done unbalanced for the simple reason that most head units and amps have unbalanced outputs and inputs. Then to connect an unbalanced source to a balanced input you lose most of the advantages of a balanced input. And when you connect a balanced output to an unbalanced input, you lose all the advantages of a balanced line.
> 
> ...


Good Post.


----------



## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

Yes, I do sell these.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

*back from the depths*

So, the PDX’s are noisy buggers. I realize this. I want to increase the ‘loudness’ but can’t because of the noise floor. 

So, it seems a line driver might be what I need, but I have questions first. 

Is this the kind of device that would do what I’m wanting it to?

More importantly, I’m running 8 channels (4-way active). The line driver has six channel in/out. So, I don’t think I’d be able to run it b/t the processor and the amp. But, what about putting it b/t the headunit and the amp? Would that help the situation at all (assuming the line driver does actually clean up the low SNR)?

Thanks, Don.


----------



## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

Wait, so will you be bypassing the DSP?


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

No. I was wondering if using this piece before the bit one would help. I know there's a guy doing it now, but I'm not sure if he did so to remedy the same issue I'm looking to.


Headunit – line driver – bit one – amps

Or

Headunit – bit one – line driver (only 6 channels, thought) – amps

Not sure which would be better, or if either would really help.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Either buy 2 of these or you use one and leave one set of RCA's out. Being able to keep the gains lower on your PDX's should help with your noise floor issues though. Or at least I would think so.


----------



## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

I think that putting the line driver after to the BitOne to the amps would be better because you are boosting the singal that the BitOne outputs to the PDX.

My question is that if you know that the PDX amps are inherently noisy, why not just replace them? I know that this isnt the most economical choice, but this has seem to have been your problem for a while now


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> Either buy 2 of these or you use one and leave one set of RCA's out. Being able to keep the gains lower on your PDX's should help with your noise floor issues though. Or at least I would think so.


The simplest route would probably be to use this on the tw/mr/mb channels and leave the 7/8th channels (sub) without the line driver. 

Of course, there’s the matter of putting it before the bit one. I would think after would be best, though, so I agree with you fella’. 



azngotskills said:


> I think that putting the line driver after to the BitOne to the amps would be better because you are boosting the singal that the BitOne outputs to the PDX.
> 
> My question is that if you know that the PDX amps are inherently noisy, why not just replace them? I know that this isnt the most economical choice, but this has seem to have been your problem for a while now


Get out of my head, Mark. 

Yea, the best way to solve that problem is replace the source of the problem. You’re 100% right. But, like you said money is the most important factor. Beyond that, however, is the fact that I actually do like the PDXs because of their size and efficiency. I need that in my civic. Plus, I just overhauled my trunk… I don’t wanna again! 


I’ve talked to a few people about these amps and it’s the same story: turn the gains down if you don't want to hear the noise. I’ve done that, but I miss the output I once had, or the placebo effect that goes with it.  It’s a tradeoff… but if the line driver would remedy this, I’d be very happy with the setup.


----------



## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

If you are turning the gains way down just to not hear the noise that the PDX amps possess how much power are you actually getting? Then now the power/size ratio become useless dont you think? You could get the same amount of power, even better "quality" power from probably two 5/6ch or 4ch amps depending on your setup


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

azngotskills said:


> If you are turning the gains way down just to not hear the noise that the PDX amps possess how much power are you actually getting? Then now the power/size ratio become useless dont you think? You could get the same amount of power, even better "quality" power from probably two 5/6ch or 4ch amps depending on your setup


I wouldn’t say useless, but I do see your point.

So, let’s say I have 5v using a 0db track (just pulling this out of the air, but is logical). If the tru just doubles this, then you get 10v. So, now at 4ohms, you’ve gone from 6w to 25w. 
I don’t know if I’d get that voltage increase, but if the tru is rated as a 4.5 multiplier, then 2v should be a decent guess.

I think I may just try to pick one up and try it out myself rather than play the guessing game. I was just hoping for some input on the subject.


----------



## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

fair enough....i dont think it would hurt as all but IMO you are just putting a band-aid on the problem


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

azngotskills said:


> fair enough....i dont think it would hurt as all but IMO you are just putting a band-aid on the problem


Probably exactly right. But, again, I don’t have the $ to put toward new amps, nor the time to really rework an install to accommodate what I’d like to buy. The PDX’s do everything I want them to except for the SNR issue. If the tru works, then I’m set! If not, then someone on this forum is getting a heckuva deal. 

Thanks, Mark.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

azngotskills said:


> fair enough....i dont think it would hurt as all but IMO you are just putting a band-aid on the problem


I'm with Mark on this one. But I also understand where you're coming from Erin. Worst case you try this and it doesn't fix it. Then you sell off the amps and line driver and go a different route.


----------



## skylar112 (Dec 8, 2005)

Erin if you're interested I have a SSLD66 you can try out. If you like it buy one, if not no harm done. I'm not using it for the time being.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

skylar112 said:


> Erin if you're interested I have a SSLD66 you can try out. If you like it buy one, if not no harm done. I'm not using it for the time being.


I just bought John's! Argh!!!!!!!!

I guess I'll just go ahead and use that. Thanks for the offer, though.


----------



## skylar112 (Dec 8, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> I just bought John's! Argh!!!!!!!!
> 
> I guess I'll just go ahead and use that. Thanks for the offer, though.


Haha my timing is bad. Best of luck with it.


----------



## bruther (Sep 22, 2009)

Just got my line driver from Don,
It's crazy how light this thing is.......It actually feels like it is less than a pound.


----------



## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

bruther said:


> Just got my line driver from Don,
> It's crazy how light this thing is.......It actually feels like it is less than a pound.


Did you also notice a significant difference once installed?


----------



## Forty Five (Dec 26, 2009)

I just installed my line driver to my Billet B 475 - which is running a set of focal KRX2's. Very similiar to what was describerd by the other post:

I was able to turn my gains on the amp completey down to zero. Turned the Line driver up about 50% (Still tweaking).

Wow....The Top end opened up and the stage seemed to get wider and more open.
Yes - This appears to be more than a line driver..The backdrop is absolutely silent - no noise at all...no traces of anything other than the music itself.

Bass notes come through much tighter, deeper, faster.
Transients and layering are much smoother...

For those who do home audio - its seems almost like a RIchard Gray Power line conditioner.

My system volume is now actually louder at 50% from the head unit, with no signs of hitting the limits of the set up than it was when at 75% approaching distortion levels..

Try one.....also strongly suggest the Tru amps...clearly a difference...

I too went to Don at Audible allusions..added the amp about 2 weeks ago, added the line driver this weekend..upgraded from a JL 500/5 amplifier where I was semi active with the focals.

I am now 100% passive with the focals and all I can say is that I underestimated the passive set up with these speakers until I added in the Tru gear.

Still one the hunt for maximum sound..getting closer.

Pictures to come


----------



## matdotcom2000 (Aug 16, 2005)

I am just playing devils advocate here did you go from jl 500/5 to tru amps to adding the line driver??? What was the progression of in the advancement of the sound. Was it totally due the addition of the line driver?? or a bit of this and a bit of that???


----------



## Forty Five (Dec 26, 2009)

I went from upgrading the speakers to then upgrading the amp from the JL 500/5 to the Tru B-475. Amazing difference..For the first time I stopped fiddling as the Tru B-475 is very basic. Sound became less harsh and more detailed - started hearing nuances in songs that I did not hear with the JL.

Then after having that all set up the way I wanted, i added the line driver and things got even better. Hope that helps.


----------



## Ankit69 (Oct 13, 2009)

i also got the ssld6i from don (6spdcoupe) and it made a world of difference. it's simply a fantastic product. plus its so sexy!


----------



## mozzor (Jan 18, 2010)

What is the difference between the SSLD6 and SSLD6i?


----------



## gymrat2005 (Oct 4, 2009)

"i" stands for international, and it comes with all of the available upgrades pre-installed. Both OP275, and OPA2134 BurrBrown op amps. Wima, Os-Con, and Nichicon MUSE capacitors. 
I forget which are installed on what channels and I'm too lazy to go look, but it's basically the SSLD6 with their top level components already inside.


----------



## matdotcom2000 (Aug 16, 2005)

man would somebody post the manual to this thing?? or both things


----------

