SIMPLY BETTER! B&K Components, Ltd. Phono 10 Owner's Manual B&K P/N12839 0902 B&K Components, Ltd., 2100 Old Union Road, Buffalo New York 14227-2725 Phone 1-800-543-5252 or (716) 656-0026, Fax (716) 656-1291 E-mail: info@bkcomp.com Web: www.bkcomp.com ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents...................................................................................................................................iii Safety Precautions .................................................................................................................................1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................2 Features ...................................................................................................................................................2 Rear Panel View ......................................................................................................................................3 Design and Construction .......................................................................................................................4 Phono 10 Connections ...........................................................................................................................4 Phono Stage ............................................................................................................................................5 Selecting Moving Magnet / Moving Coil ...............................................................................................................................5 Capacitive Loading .................................................................................................................................................................6 Resistive Loading....................................................................................................................................................................6 Control I/O Connections.........................................................................................................................8 Gain Switch .............................................................................................................................................9 Digital Output ..........................................................................................................................................9 Troubleshooting....................................................................................................................................10 Care and Cleaning ................................................................................................................................10 Specifications .......................................................................................................................................11 Limited Warranty..................................................................................................................................................................12 Returning Equipment ............................................................................................................................................................12 WWW.BKCOMP.COM ...........................................................................................................................13 iii SAFETY PRECAUTIONS PLEASE READ BEFORE INSTALLING WARNING: to prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose this unit to rain or moisture. Care should be taken to prevent objects or liquid from entering the enclosure. Never handle the power cord with wet hands. · The lightning flash with arrowhead, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user of the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may constitute a risk of electric shock to you. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the unit. Observance of polarity is essential. Double-check connections before turning the receiver or preamplifier on. The Phono 10 can be damaged if polarities are incorrect. Turn your receiver or preamplifier and Phono 10 `off' before plugging in or unplugging cables!!! The Phono 10 is equipped with raised feet. They help to keep acoustic feedback into the unit at a minimum. They also provide a measure of protection against scratching any surface the unit might be resting on. Do not alter or remove them. Do not stack anything on top of the Phono 10 (preamplifier, processor, source...etc.). Always unplug the Phono 10 from the AC power source before removing the top cover and making any changes to the Moving Coil (MC) or Moving Magnet (MM) stage inside the unit. Important! · · · · · · 1 INTRODUCTION Thank you for selecting B&K Components, Ltd.'s Phono 10 phono preamplifier. The Phono 10 is a discrete circuit DC coupled topology RIAA phono preamplifier. It features a selectable head amp for use with both Moving Coil (MC) and Moving Magnet (MM) players. In addition to a control I/O circuit is incorporated for standby / turn-on from an external device there is also a S/PDIF coax digital output for use with CD quality recording. Gold plated connectors have been utilized to minimize degradation in the signal path. In order to obtain maximum performance from this unit, please read the following instructions very carefully. Again, we at B&K Components, Ltd. would like to thank you for purchasing a Phono 10 preamplifier and wish you many years of listening pleasure. FEATURES 1% Metal Film Resistors - High quality resistors allow a lower noise floor and better sound. Control I /O - Circuit allows for power `on' and `off' muting and external control for other components. Direct coupled output - Provides a full and accurate, three dimensional reproduction of source material. Discrete Circuitry ­ Allows minimum loading of the Phono cartridge and maximum amplification dynamic range. FET loading ­ Allow maximum linearity with minimum noise. Gold Plated Connectors ­ Provides for minimum signal loss and degradation. Optional Digital output ­ Allows the Phono 10 to be used for transferring records to your Computer, CD or DAT player. If not currently installed in the Phono 10, the S/PDIF *Digital output board is available for upgrade. RIAA accuracy - +/- .2 dB through the use of polypropylene film capacitors. This produces a transparent sound with highly accurate musical timbre. Toroidal Transformer - Efficient, high current, shielded transformer that supplies the amplifier with a clean and constant supply of power, even during highly demanding source material passages. Wide bandwidth - Assures clear reproduction with all styles of music. 2 REAR PANEL VIEW Control I /O Gain Switch Left and Right Analog Outputs Left and Right Analog Inputs 1 CAUTION CONTROL I/O ENABLE voltage 2 IN D I G I TA L OUT GAIN -10dB 3 LEFT OUTPUT GND 4 LEFT INPUT RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN AC IN S E R . N O. + + D E F E AT + + RIGHT OUTPUT + RIGHT INPUT WE SIMPLY SOUND BETTER. B&K www.bkcomp.com + OUT 12V 35mA 0dB B&K Components, Ltd. Made in the U.S.A. 7 AC Receptacle 6 Digital Output 5 Ground Binding Post Phono 10 Rear Panel 1. Control I / O 2. Gain Switch 3. Analog Outputs 4. Analog Inputs 5. Ground Binding Post 6. Digital Output 7. AC Receptacle 1. Control I /O - For remote turn on from receiver or preamplifier. 2. Gain Switch - Adjusts the output level by 10 dB. Allows matching the output level to other source levels. 3. Analog Outputs - Connect the Phono 10 to a receiver or preamplifiers analog input. 4. Analog Inputs ­ Connect a Phono Player to the Phono 10. 5. Ground Binding Post - For connecting ground from a Phono Player to the Phono 10. 6. *Digital Output ­ Connect the Phono 10 to a S/PDIF coax digital input for playback and/or recording. 7. AC Receptacle - For attaching the supplied AC power cord to the Phono 10. *Digital output is an option (Upgradable) 3 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION The Phono 10 utilizes high quality electronic circuitry to achieve an environment wherein a detailed, transparent and highly musical sound can be realized. The high quality parts complement includes state-of-the-art solid state devices, 1% metal film resistors, polypropylene capacitors and a low noise toroidal transformer. PHONO 10 CONNECTIONS All leads should be connected securely to the input and output terminals. Loose connections can lead to impaired performance, noise interference and possible damage to your equipment. When making connection changes of any sort (reinserting input lead pins, changing phono cartridges, etc.), be sure to first turn your receiver or preamplifier's power off as well as the Phono 10's power (light indicator off). Typical interconnections are illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 1 NOTE: A grounding post is provided for connection to the phono player. 4 PHONO STAGE The phono stage of the Phono 10 may be configured for either Moving Magnet (MM) or Moving Coil (MC) applications with the additional capability to set the resistive and capacitive loading of the phono cartridge. Note: Your Phono 10 has already been configured for a MM stage with a resistive load of 50 Kohms. You do not have to perform any modifications unless you so desire. To reconfigure your Phono 10, follow the appropriate procedure listed below. IMPORTANT - ENSURE THAT THE POWER CORD IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE AC OUTLET PRIOR TO PERFORMING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES! SELECTING MOVING MAGNET / MOVING COIL 1. Locate the 2-position slide switch on the inside of the unit (see Figure 2). It is located near the back left side with the front of the unit facing you. The switch can be identified by its blue color and white tab in the center. MC and MM are labeled on the board on either side of the switch. 2. Slide the center white tab left or right to select the type of phono stage that is desired. Left = Moving Coil (MC), Right = Moving Magnet (MM). NOTE: The Phono 10 is shipped from the factory with the phono stage set to the MM configuration and a resistive load of 50 Kohms. Selecting the MC stage without changing the resistive loading (see "Resistive Loading") will result in an effective load of 133 ohms. Figure 2 5 IMPORTANT - ENSURE THAT THE POWER CORD IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE AC OUTLET PRIOR TO PERFORMING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES! CAPACITIVE LOADING NOTE: The Phono 10 is shipped from the factory with no capacitor installed. Typically, the capacitance of the phono cables (Cphono cables) is sufficient and no capacitor is needed. The capacitance (Cload) should be: Cload = Ccartridge - Cphono cables - 75 pF 1. Determine the capacitor value (pF) for proper loading of the MM cartridge in accordance with the specifications of the cartridge you have selected. The manufacturer of the cartridge may suggest a recommended value. The capacitive loading affects both the MM and MC stage. 2. With the front of the unit facing you, locate the two gold plated pin receptacles with the label "CLOAD" between them. They are located near the back left of the circuit board. 3. Trim the leads of the capacitors (one per channel) to approximately 3/8 inch. 4. Insert the leads into the "CLOAD" pin receptacles securely. RESISTIVE LOADING NOTE: The Phono 10 is shipped from the factory with a 100K ohm resistor installed and the phono stage MM configuration selected (see "Selecting Moving Magnet / Moving Coil"). This resistor should not be removed unless the resistive loading is being changed in accordance with the following guidelines. 1. Determine the resistor value for proper loading of the cartridge in accordance with the specifications of the cartridge you have selected. The manufacturer of the cartridge may suggest a recommended value. The resistive loading affects both the MM and MC stage. The factory installed resistors in the Phono 10 will match most phono cartridges on the market. IMPORTANT - ENSURE THAT THE POWER CORD IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE AC OUTLET PRIOR TO PERFORMING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES! A. The resistive loading for the MM stage can be calculated using the following equation: Ri (in Kohms) = (100,000 * Rc) / (100,000 - Rc) Where: Ri = inserted resistor value Rc = cartridge loading value (must not exceed 100 Kohms) **1 Kohms = 1,000 ohms ** For example: Rc (desired) = 50 Kohms Ri = (100,000 * Rc) / (100,000 - Rc) Ri = (100,000 * 50,000) / (100,000 - 50,000) Ri = 100 Kohms (factory installed) Refer to (Table 1) for more examples. B. The resistive loading for the MC stage can be calculated using the following equation: Ri (in ohms) = (133 * Rc) / (133 - Rc) Where: Ri = inserted resistor value Rc = cartridge loading value (must not exceed 133 ohms) For Ri >> 1300, Rc = 133 ohms For example: Rc (desired) ...