Phantom DAW
The Phantom DAW: Quiet PC. Audio Workstation. Relentless Performer.
Your best work happens when you're in a state of flow. Zero distractions. Just harmony with yourself, your surroundings and your tools — your computer being one of them. When you're in the moment of crafting, editing or listening to music, you at least expect your computer to work without sounding like a jet engine. Well, now you can raise that bar higher.
The Phantom DAW is designed to empower you. Stunning, durable and energy efficient, it brings you massive computing performance with minimal noise.
Positive Air Pressure Cooling
Have you noticed that most computers struggle with noise and dust management? The Phantom DAW kills these problems by using positive air pressure cooling.
Cool air is pushed into the computer with large, slow rotating (quiet) fans at the bottom of the chassis. Warm air is pushed out the top of the chassis, where it naturally wants to exit. Because the intake fans have dust filters and air is not sucked through any other openings, your positive air pressure computer will collect much less dust than other computers. This improves efficiency, reduces noise and extends the life of your system.
"This is how computer cases should have always been made" says our airflow advisor geek (Charlie Perry, Professional Engineer).
While most manufacturers skimp on heat sinks to cut costs, we use huge heat sinks to keep your Phantom cool with minimal noise. This is geek-grade cooling gear that you'll rarely see outside of custom built quiet computers.
Environmentally Friendly Acoustic Treatment
The front of the Phantom DAW contains thick acoustic insulation with a Class A fire rating. Engineered from recycled materials, this insulation is much greener than typical acoustic foams. It also performs better. Arqen supports eco-friendly suppliers by using sustainable materials whenever feasible.
Intel SSD (Solid-State Drive)
Each Phantom DAW PC comes standard with Windows 7 Professional installed on an Intel SSD. Intel's solid-state drives have exceptional performance and the lowest rates of failure compared with competing SSDs. Solid-state drives completely outperform magnetic hard drives, and your SSD will be:
- Silent (no moving parts).
- Cool and efficient.
- Lightning quick at reading and writing data.
- Durable and reliable with a long life expectancy.
If you've never worked with an SSD before, you'll instantly notice improved workflow thanks to faster response times.
Silent Graphics with Multi-Display Support
The Phantom DAW comes standard with silent (fanless) graphics processing. The default graphics option supports two displays and is great for audio production and media playback. We have upgrade options if you plan to do graphic-intensive tasks (note that more power does NOT mean more noise!).
Need triple* displays and more power? Our Radeon HD 6850 option lets you run three displays and packs enough power for competent gaming, video production, graphic design and computer aided design (CAD). Yes this is a DAW computer optimized for audio production, but with the HD 6850 it becomes your quiet creative computing workhorse!
Quad* display workstation-grade graphics are available as an upgrade. This option is aimed at professionals who need the highest reliability and stability.
*Pro Audio Tip: Remember that LCD displays reflect sound. Make sure your multi-display setup does not prevent you from hearing your speakers accurately! (If enough people ask we'll write an article to help you with this)
Timeless Looks that Don't Deceive
Let's be honest: most PCs look ugly and thrown together. Even if you don't care about looks, aesthetics may give a hint about quality. Things that are well designed tend to look better and last longer.
Check out the Phantom DAW. The system is encased in the award winning Silverstone FT02 chassis, featuring an elegant, durable vibration-damping shell. Quality runs deep: from the premium chassis to the quiet, efficient component architecture to the outstanding operating system (Windows 7 Professional). The Phantom works in harmony with you to make music.
Suddenly the phrase "just get a Mac" seems a bit silly. At Arqen we've use both Mac and PC, but ask yourself:
- How much will a high performance Mac cost? (LOTS)
- What if you want to upgrade a Mac and add more hard drives? (You'll need a Mac Pro)
- Can you re-use parts when it's time for a new Mac? (Don't count on it!)
- Is an iMac or Mac Pro quiet enough for your studio? (It's not for ours!)
Upgradable For Years to Come
Why all this emphasis on quality when computers become outdated so quickly? Well, when you invest in a Phantom DAW you're getting more than an attractive, premium audio workstation. You're not simply buying a product: you're investing in a reusable framework.
The Phantom DAW is modular, expandable and upgradable. You can add extra hard drives, or even upgrade the internal hardware in a few years (if you know what you're doing).
Your chassis, power supply and processor heat sink (CPU cooler) will stand the test of time so well that you can re-sell them in the future. Or if you're savvy, re-use them to build a new quiet PC when the time comes. Good design is timeless and will save you money down the road.
Quiet, Efficient, Stable power
The heart of the Phantom DAW is the ultra-quiet Corsair Gold AX850 power supply. We use an 80 Plus Gold certified power supply so that each component in your system receives clean power, with minimal wasted energy - and minimal heat. This reduces your total cost of ownership and your environmental footprint. Efficient, stable power is the groundwork for reliable computing.
i5 or i7 "Ivy Bridge" Processor
Brilliantly fast and built to last. The brain of the Phantom DAW PC is your choice of the Intel Core i5 3570K or i7 3770K. The Intel i5 3570K gives you four cores clocked at 3.4 GHz for incredible performance with impressive energy efficiency (a thermal design power of 77 Watts).
The Intel i7 3770K gives you even more speed with similar efficiency. With four cores clocked at 3.5 GHz plus Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology, you get up to eight threads of multitasking madness.
Go nuts with your convolution reverb and physical modeling plugins. These processors can handle it . . . and if you find you need more juice you can easily overclock them!
Green Storage
With your system on a lightning fast solid-state drive, the Phantom DAW gives you additional storage via quiet, cool, Western Digital Caviar Green SATA III hard drives. Massive storage. Minimal vibrations. High data reliability. Reduced power consumption.
Windows 7, Optimized for Audio
Windows 7 is brilliant for audio! Your Phantom DAW PC comes with Windows 7 Professional, tuned for stable, high performance use with audio software.
Each system is built based on Arqen's reference model. The reference Phantom DAW has been fine-tuned through multiple design iterations and stress tested under demanding scenarios using:
- Pro Tools 10 with an Avid MBox Pro (3rd generation) and Mackie Control Universal Pro.
- Reaper.
- Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Masters Edition (Audition, Premier, After Effects, Photoshop).
- Octave software for audio signal processing and scientific computing.
- System benchmarking software.
If you're living in the dark ages we can also tune your system for Pro Tools 8 (just ask). If you want your system to be tested with your DAW software, please contact us and we can install your copy on your machine and run it through the paces.
Notify me when it goes on sale!
No More Noisy, Wasteful, Consumer-grade Crap.
Take a moment to look at your current computer . . . and listen. It's loud. Perhaps it's ugly too, built in a poorly designed chassis made of cheap plastics. Now imagine what's under the hood? Chances are your manufacturer forgot to tell you because they're embarrassed: your current PC is built from parts that are designed to fail after just a few years.
You deserve better. No more struggling to hear over the roar of noisy fans. No more failure-prone, consumer-grade hardware.
Don't consume the Phantom only to trash it when you're done! Enjoy it for years, then upgrade it. Or pass it on. At Arqen we wanted a quiet, durable, high performance audio workstation that we could upgrade as needed . . . and we thought you might want the same. So we made the Phantom DAW computer for you, and for us (As Arqen's lead designer, I use mine every day for audio production, design work and scientific computing).
Higher Quality Leads to Less Waste.
"Quality is not act. It is a habit." — Aristotle
Ever heard of planned obsolescence? This wasteful practice plagues the electronics industry: Companies build products that are designed to fail, so that you have to buy new stuff more frequently.
At Arqen we're working against planned obsolescence. We find components that have the best durability in their class. We use them to build quiet computers inside a high quality chassis that can accommodate future hardware upgrades. When it's time to upgrade your computer system, you can continue using the same chassis, fans, power supply and CPU cooler (processor heat sink). If you'd rather not re-use, you can re-sell these components to local geeks who build their own computers.
Buy it nice or buy it twice. By re-using these durable parts you'll reap their benefits for years to come and you'll save money. By spreading this idea you can help change the wasteful habits of the consumer electronics industry. And as a mindful buyer you'll enjoy quality while feeling good about your purchases.
Sincerely,
Tim Perry
Lead Designer
Chassis
| Model | SilverStone Fortress FT02B |
| Color | Black |
| Material | 4.5 mm aluminum unibody frame, 0.8 mm SECC steel body |
| Type | Mid Tower |
Processing & Motherboard
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Processor (Standard) |
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Processor (Upgrade) |
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| Motherboard |
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Connections
| Front I/O |
2 x Front USB 2.0 (Can upgrade to USB 3.0) 1/8" Audio Out 1/8" Mic |
| Main I/O |
2 x Rear USB 2.0 4 x Rear USB 3.0 optional upgrade to 3 x FireWire 800 |
Onboard Audio
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Coaxial S/PDIF out Optical S/PDIF out 6 x Audio jacks (providing 2, 4, 6 and 8 channel consumer audio) |
Communications
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Intel Gigabit LAN (RJ45) port Bluetooth v2.1 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) technology ASUS BT GO! Utility |
Expansion slots
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Slot 1: PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot 2: PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot 3: PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot 4: PCI Slot 5: PCI Express 2.0 x8 (x16 sized slot) Slot 6: PCI Slot 7: PCI Express 2.0 x4 (x16 sized slot, also works with PCIe x1, x4) With graphics Option G1, G3 and G4, Slots 1-2 are covered by the graphics card and processor heat sink. With graphics Option G2, Slots 1-4 are covered by the graphics card and heat sinks. Alternative configurations can be arranged (please make an account and contact us). |
Included Software
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Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (tuned for audio production) User friendly EFI BIOS ASUS AI Suite |
In The Box
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Phantom DAW Power cable Documentation Extra hardware that came with your components |
Physical Specification
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Dimension (W x D x H) |
212 x 616 x 497 mm (8.35" x 24.3" x 19.6") |
| Weight | 24 kg (53 lb) |
Storage
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Memory
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Memory Type: 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM Four memory slots for up to 32GB of main memory |
Motherboard Graphics
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VGA Out Port HDMI Out Port DisplayPort Out DVI-D Out Port |
Dedicated Graphics
| Option G1 |
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| Option G2 |
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| Option G3 |
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| Option G4 |
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Optical Drive
| Option D1 |
Slot Loading 8x DVD-RW Combo DVD Writer DVD±R/RW, DVD±R(SL/DL), CD-R/RW |
| Option D2 |
12x Blu-ray Player DVD±R/RW, DVD±R(DL), CD-R/RW |
| Option D3 |
12x Blu-ray Writer BD-R/RE, DVD±R/RW, DVD±R(DL), CD-R/RW |
Power
| Power Supply | 850 Watt ultra-quiet Corsair Gold AX850, 80Plus Certified |
| Input Voltage | 110V AC or 120V AC |
| Voltage Range | 90-264V AC (power supply input voltage) |
| Frequency | 50Hz to 60Hz |
| Operating temperature | 10° to 35° C (50° to 95° F) |
Customization Options
The Phantom DAW is in pre-production. To get notified when it goes on sale, enter your email to the right, then click the big blue button. You can also help speed up production by spreading the word. "Like", "Tweet" or share with a friend. We really appreciate it!
Hardware
Processor
| Intel Core i5 3570K (6MB Cache, 3.4GHz) Quad-Core "Ivy Bridge" | ||
| Intel Core i7 3770K (8MB Cache, 3.5GHz) Quad-Core Hyper-Threading "Ivy Bridge" | [Special Order, +$135] |
Motherboard
Memory
| Kingston 8GB DDR3-1600 (2x4GB) HyperX | ||
| Kingston 16GB DDR3-1600 (4x4GB) HyperX | [+$135] | |
| Patriot 32GB DDR3-1333 (4x8GB) | [Special Order, +$480.00] |
Hard Drive 1
| 120 GB Intel 520 SATA III Solid-State Drive (Silent) | ||
| 160 GB Intel 320 Solid-State Drive (Silent) | [+$45.00] | |
| 180 GB Intel 520 SATA III Solid-State Drive (Silent) | [Special Order, +$180.00] | |
| 240 GB Intel 520 SATA III Solid-State Drive (Silent) | [Special Order, +$370.00] | |
| 300 GB Intel 320 Solid-State Drive (Silent) | [Special Order, +$380.00] |
Hard Drive 2
| 2 TB 5400 RPM SATA III Western Digital Caviar Green Hard Drive (Quiet) | ||
| 3 TB 5400 RPM SATA III Western Digital Caviar Green Hard Drive (Quiet) | [Special Order, +$80.00] |
Graphics
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NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 1GB Silent, Supports 2 Displays |
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PowerColor Radeon HD 6850 1GB Silent, Supports 3 Displays w/ 1 on DisplayPort |
[+$175.00] | |
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PNY Quadro NVS450 512 MB Silent, Supports 4 Displays using DisplayPorts |
[Special Order, +$500.00] | |
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ATI FirePro 2460 512 MB Silent, Supports 4 Displays using DisplayPorts |
[Special Order, +$255.00] |
Optical Drive
| Silverstone Super Multi-Slot Loading 8x DVD Writer | ||
| Asus 12x Blu-ray Player | [Special Order, +$55.00] | |
| Asus 12x Blu-ray Writer | [Special Order, +$90.00] |
Chassis Options
| Front-Access 2x USB 2.0, 1/8" Headphone and 1/8" Audio Out | ||
| Front-Access 2x USB 3.0, 1/8" Headphone and 1/8" Audio Out | [Special Order, +$40] |
Controllers
| No FireWire | ||
| FireWire 800 PCI-E Card (3x FireWire 800 Ports) | [+$110.00] |
Software
Operating System
Service and Support
Arqen Service Plan
| Standard Warranty: 1 Year Parts, Labor and Tech Support | ||
| Upgrade Coverage: 2 Year Parts, Labor and Tech Support | [+$199.00] | |
| Upgrade Coverage: 3 Year Parts, Labor and Tech Support | [+$299.00] |
Summary
Price: $2166.80 CAD
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