O W N E R ' S M A N U A L HC A-2003 High Current Multi Amplif ier L CAS LM L U C A S FF II L M ¤ ® Congratulations on your purchase of this precision audio component and thank you for your selection of Parasound. Your HCA-2003 was designed by renowned circuit designer John Curl to meet or surpass the stringent standards required by Lucasfilm for use in THX Home Cinema systems. Each part within your HCA-2003 has been painstakingly selected for optimum sound quality on even the most challenging music and film soundtracks. Please take a few moments to read these instructions so you may fully understand the capabilities of your new Parasound power amplifier. i Amplifier HCA-2003 High Current Mult LUCASFILM Current Overload Power CH 1 Operation Stand by CH 2 CH 3 Unpacking Your HCA-2003 The HCA-2003 is packed in two cartons. To unpack the amplifier, open both cartons and use the front and rear handles to facilitate remove of the HCA-2003 from its inner carton. Be careful not to cut or scratch yourself on the exposed extruded metal heatsinks on either side of the unit. Save your cartons and packing inserts for safe transport in case you move or if the unit ever requires shipping. Due to the weight of the HCA-2003, the white inner carton is not strong enough for safe shipping by itself. You must place it into the additional outer carton before shipment. The audiophile grade AC cord is packed separately in the inner carton. This is the only cord we recommend for use with your HCA-2003. Please take the time now to find the serial number located on the rear panel of your unit. Record it here for future reference or in case of casualty loss or theft: Serial Number: _____________ -1- Placement of Your HCA-2003 Place your HCA-2003 away from heat sources such as air ducts or radiators. Always mount the HCA-2003 horizontally and make sure that your cabinet or shelf can support its weight. It is best to provide a separate shelf for your HCA-2003 rather that stacking it directly above or below your other components. Rack Mounting Your HCA-2003 Your HCA-2003 can be mounted into a standard 19 inch equipment rack and will occupy four rack spaces. If you decide to rack mount your HCA-2003, make sure you select heavy duty mounting bolts and nuts and use nylon washers under the heads of the bolts to avoid scratching the amplifier's front panel. Do not attempt to hold your unit in place yourself while you attach the bolts and nuts. Have someone help support the unit as it is being fastened to the rack rails. Ventilation Requirements for Your HCA-2003 Your Parasound power amplifier is designed to operate with high idling, or bias, current to reduce higher-order harmonic distortion. This bias optimization of all Parasound power amplifiers results in noticeably warm operation even when no signal is present. This is a normal condition. While many other amplifier manufacturers have chosen to bias their amplifiers at a lower level to run cooler, we bias our amplifiers so the output transistors are allowed to operate in a much more linear region. Although the amplifier may run a little warmer than other amplifiers, we feel the resulting sonic improvements are significant and more than justified. To insure safe and reliable operation, it is very important that the amplifier has plenty of ventilation to prevent overheating and automatic shut down from its thermal protection circuitry. Please observe the following ventilation guidelines when installing your Parasound power amplifier in a cabinet or other enclosed area: 1. If you are not using a fan, allow at least six inches on each side and above the amplifier, and do not close off the front with a cabinet door or panel. 2. If you are enclosing the amplifier in an equipment cabinet, use a fan to draw in cool air and exhaust warm air. In either case, two vent holes are required: one for intake and one for exhaust. 3. Do not place the amplifier on carpeting which will obstruct the air flow into the bottom of the amplifier chassis and heatsinks. 4. If you plan on stacking power amplifiers, you must use a fan to circulate the warm air that quickly becomes trapped between them. Minimum Impedance Precautions You may connect loudspeakers with a 4 or 8 nominal impedance for normal operation. Your HCA-2003 is capable of driving speakers with occasional impedance dips well below 2 . However, sustained high power operation into loads of less than 4 may cause overheating and is not recommended. -2- HCA-2003 Front and Rear Panel Drawings Input Connectors and Level Controls LUCASFILM Channel 1 Manufactured under license from LucasArts Entertainment Company. U.S. and Foreign Patents pending. Lucasfilm THX Audioand Home THX Symbols are Trademarks of LucasArts Entertainment CompanyLucasfilm is a Trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. Channel 2 Channel 3 HCA - 2003 Input THX Level Input THX Level Input THX Level High Current Multi-Amplifier Parasound Products, Inc San Francisco, CA U.S.A. Fuse 15 A Channel 1 WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD.DO NOT EXPOSE THIS UNIT TO RAINOR MOISTURE. CAUTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOTREMOVE COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLEPARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TOQUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. Channel 2 Channel 3 Main Fuse Carry Handle CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN Power AC 120V 60Hz Power Consumption: 1320 W AC Cord Connector Speaker Connectors Figure #1 HCA-2003 Rear Panel i Amplifier HCA-2003 High Current Mult LUCASFILM Rack Mount Holes Current Overload Power CH 1 Operation Stand by CH 2 CH 3 Standby/Operation LEDs Power Switch Current Overload LEDs Carry Handle Figure #2 HCA-2003 Front Panel -3- Home Theater Configurations and Input Connections for the HCA-2003 Refer to Figure #1 Before making any signal connections, make sure your three HCA-2003 level controls are turned fully counterclockwise and its power is turned off. Make sure there is no strain or tension on any wires that could cause them to pull loose. Depending on the requirements of your home theater system, you can configure your HCA-2003 in a variety of ways: Option 1 If you are converting your existing two channel stereo system into a home theater system, you can use the HCA-2003 to power the front left, center, and right speakers. This allows you to use your existing two channel stereo amplifier to drive your left and right surround speakers. You can also add a powered subwoofer for extended low frequency response. Use the following input configuration so you have an easy way to remember the connections to each channel for level setting and troubleshooting: · · · · · · Connect the left front output of your processor to INPUT 1 of your HCA-2003. Connect the center output of your processor to INPUT 2 of your HCA-2003. Connect the right front output of your processor to INPUT 3 of your HCA-2003. Connect the right surround output of your processor to INPUT 1 of your two channel stereo amplifier. Connect the left surround output of your processor to INPUT 2 of your two channel stereo amplifier. Connect the subwoofer output of your processor to the input of your powered subwoofer. Option 2 If you are converting your existing two channel stereo system into to a home theater and you prefer to keep using your existing two channel amplifier for your front left and right channels, you can use your HCA-2003 for the front center and left and right surround channels. You can also add a powered subwoofer for extended low frequency response. Following is the suggested input configuration for this option: · · · · · · Connect the left front output of your processor to INPUT 1 of your two channel stereo amplifier. Connect the right front output of your processor to INPUT 2 of your two channel stereo amplifier. Connect the center output of your processor to INPUT 1 of your HCA-2003. Connect the right surround output of your processor to INPUT 2 of your HCA-2003. Connect the left surround output of your processor to INPUT 3 of your HCA-2003. Connect the subwoofer output of your processor to the input of your powered subwoofer. Option 3 If you do not have an existing amplifier, you can use two HCA-2003s to power all six channels of your home theater system that includes a passive subwoofer. Following is the suggested input configuration for this option: · · · · · · Connect the left front output of your processor to INPUT 1 of your first HCA-2003. Connect the center output of your processor to INPUT 2 of your first HCA-2003. Connect the right front output of your processor to INPUT 3 of the your HCA-2003. Connect the right surround output of your processor to INPUT 1 of your second HCA-2003. Connect the left surround output of your processor to INPUT 2 of your second HCA-2003. Connect the subwoofer output of your processor to INPUT 3 of your second HCA-2003. -4- Speaker Connections to the HCA-2003 Refer to Figure #1 Use Good Speaker Wire For best results, use 16 gauge or thicker speaker wire and keep its length short as possible. This will help maintain a high damping factor and avoid deteriorating bass response. Also, each channel should be connected with the same length speaker wire. You may wish to experiment with audiophile-grade speaker wire. Polarity It is important to observe correct speaker connection polarity to prevent phase cancellation. One side of each speaker wire will have some sort of mark on one conductor: either printing, a raised ridge on the insulation or a different color of conductor. This permits you to know which wire you had connected to the + and which to the -- speaker terminals so you can do the same at the power amplifier terminals. Five-Way Binding Posts The five-way binding posts on the rear panel of your HCA-2003 will accept banana or dual banana plugs, most high-quality 1/4" spade lugs, or up to AWG 12 bare solid or stranded wire. Banana Plugs Banana plugs offer the most convenient connection to the speaker terminals. They also have a large amount of surface to make contact with the speaker terminal. For these reasons, we recommend the use of banana plugs in most applications. However, you may want to use the "gas tight" connection provided by spade lugs or bare wire. Spade Lugs If you prefer to use speaker cable with spade lugs, make sure you do not permit the lug to rotate as the terminal is tightened. Do not overtighten the speaker terminal onto the spade lug. The Parasound limited warranty excludes terminals that are sheared off as a result of overtightening. Bare Wire If you use bare speaker wire without plugs, make sure you strip off only enough insulation so the exposed bare wire fits into the hole that runs sideways through the terminal's metal shaft. Before inserting the wire, twist all its strands tightly to prevent strays that could cause a short circuit. If you have a soldering iron, it is a good idea to "tin" the bare wire with solder to keep it from unraveling and to prevent oxidation. -5- AC Power Connections and AC Grounding Refer to Figure #1 Before you connect the AC cord, make sure the HCA-2003 power switch is in the off position. If possible, try to make a direct connection to an AC wall outlet. Do not connect the amplifier to the accessory AC outlet on your preamplifier or processor. The amplifier's current draw exceeds the ratings of most preamplifier's power switches and power cords. If you use an external AC line conditioner or surge suppressor, make sure it can handle the current draw of the amplifier. Grounded three pin AC cords are standard on most high end components. However, in some cases, it may be necessary to "lift" the ground or reverse the polarity of the AC plug to reduce hum. You may use a 3 pin -to- 2 pin AC plug adaptor to lift the AC ground. You will not compromise the sound quality of your system by lifting the AC ground of your amplifier. Operating Your HCA-2003 Refer to Figure #2 Power Switch The upper position of the power switch is on and the lower position is off. Standby/Operation LEDs When you first turn the unit on, the red standby LED will illuminate for about four to five seconds while the amplifier circuits are stabilizing. After that, the red standby LED will extinguish and the green operate LED will come on to signal that the amplifier is operational. The red standby LED also illuminates whenever protection circuits are triggered. If this happens, turn the unit off and remove all connections to the HCA-2003 then turn it back on. If the red LED continues to glow with no inputs or outputs connected to it, there may be an internal fault. If the green operate LED comes on with no inputs or outputs connected to it, check for a shorted speaker wire. In rare cases, there may be DC coming from your preamplifier or processor. Have a qualified technician check for this. Current Overload LEDs These LEDs indicate overload of the power supply just before the onset of audible distortion. The current overload LEDs for c ...