Chapter Preface Plus Line Stage Manuale utente
C H A P T E R P R E F A C E P L U S
Chapter
Preface Plus Line Stage
Pre amplifier
The exception, not the rule...
www.chapterelectronics.co.uk
Table of Contents
2
Important Safety Instructions................................... 3
Thank You from Chapter.......................................... 4
Introduction.............................................................. 5
Unpacking your Pre-Amplifier................................... 6
Break In Period........................................................ 6
Installation................................................................ 7
Ventilation................................................................ 7
Operating Voltage and Mains Conditions................ 8
Design Features...................................................... 9
Front Panel............................................................... 10,11,12&13
Rear Panel................................................................ 14
Remote Control......................................................... 15
Specifications............................................................ 16
Conformity & Acknowledgements............................. 17
Warranty Information................................................ 18
Contact Information.................................................. 19
Important Safety Instructions
Please read all instructions and precautions carefully before operating your
Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier.
1 Please disconnect all items in your audio or AV system before connecting or
disconnecting any mains or interconnect cables, or when cleaning
your Chapter product.
2 Please ensure that your Chapter product is always terminated with a
three pin AC power cord. To prevent the possibility of shock all three
connections must be used.
3 To clean your Chapter product please use a soft damp cloth. Never use
flammable or combustible chemicals.
4 Never operate this product with any covers removed.
5 Never allow the inside of this unit to become wet, or pour / spill liquids
directly onto it .
6 Never block air flow through the vents on the side panel.
7 Never bypass any fuse.
8 Never replace a fuse with anything other than those specified.
9 There are no user serviceable parts within this product. If problems occur,
please contact your Chapter retailer.
10 Never expose this product to extremely high or low temperatures.
11 Unplug this product during lightning storms.
3
From all of us at Chapter...
Preface Mk 2
From dream to reality...
Thank you for choosing the Chapter Preface
Pre-Amplifier.
It has been designed and manufactured to the
highest possible standards in order
to give you many years of musical enjoyment.
4
The Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier is a new ‘state of the art’ audiophile two-channel
line stage pre-amplifier, that has evolved from the acclaimed Preface and laterly
Preface Plus pre amplifier launched in 2003 and 2006 respectively.
The Pre-amp features a number of new design features along with scrupulous
attention to technical detail.
Our objective is to provide a product capable of great musicality and realism whilst
boasting exemplary technical specifications. By bringing together engineers and
designers with a lifetimes experience in audio and power system design we believe
this objective has been more than achieved.
The Chapter Preface is able to handle all of today’s high-resolution sources, with the
fidelity that you would expect of any Chapter product.
Our goal, as always, is to produce a true reference quality line stage. A product that
can be held in the highest regard from both objective and subjective perspectives.
After several years of research and development, we believe that we have
succeeded in fulfilling the requirements of even the most discerning audiophile.
Introduction
5
Unpacking your Pre-Amplifier
The shipping weight of your Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier is 20 KG.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, one person should be able to unpack the
unit safely. If you are in any doubt, please obtain the assistance of a second person.
To avoid back injury whilst carrying your amplifier (or any other piece of heavy
equipment) please crouch with a straight back and use your leg muscles.
After unpacking your pre-amplifier, please retain all packaging for future transport. If
you move house or you need to ship your pre-amplifier, only the custom designed
packaging is acceptable. Any other method of shipping may result in damage and
such damage is not covered under warranty.
Please inspect your pre-amplifier for possible damage due to shipping. If you
discover any, contact your Chapter Audio dealer immediately.
Your Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier will deliver excellent performance straight out
of the box, however, you should expect to hear it improve as it reaches its normal
operating temperatures and its various components ‘break-in’. In our experience the
most significant changes occur within the first 30 - 50 hours use, but the unit will
continue to improve in sound quality for about 100 hours, after which time it remains
quite consistent.
If the power is removed and reconnected to the pre-amplifier, you must allow a brief
‘warm up’ period for the unit to give off its best.
However, it is not recommended to leave your Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier on
permanently.
Break In Period
6
Installation
Ventilation
Your Chapter Preface Pre-amplifier has been designed to fit into a good quality
equipment rack or amplifier stand. In most installations locating the pre amp near
the source components is best. By doing this you minimise the length of any
unbalanced interconnect cable that you may be using.
Where permitting, locate the power amplifier near the loudspeakers and use a
longer pair of balanced interconnects to your Preface unit.
The advantage to this strategy lies in the fact that the interconnects carry low
current signals that are easily transmitted over distances with greater accuracy
than the high current signals required by loudspeakers.
Your Preface Pre-Amplifier has been designed to drive the most demanding of cable
runs and amplifier loads with ease.
The back of your Preface Pre amplifier has been laid out to keep every
connection accessible. We recommend that you leave some clearance behind the
unit to fit cables without having to bend them excessively.
In order to conform with CE regulations your pre-amp is fitted with a rocker
style power switch on the rear of the unit as well as a ‘standby’ switch on the front
plate. This rear mounted rocker switch disconnects power from the power supply,
resulting in effective disconnection of the amplifier from the AC mains.
Please allow your pre-amplifier to have at least five centimetres between the top
cover and the next shelf up on an equipment rack.
The slotted vents on the side of the pre-amp must not be obstructed, as this would
reduce the free flow of air through the unit.
7
Operating Voltage and Mains Conditions
A good quality three pin, 5 ampere IEC standard, detachable mains lead is
provided for use with your pre-amplifier. It is recommended that you use this lead.
Please contact us for advice if replacement is required.
The Chapter Preface uses several very low noise, double regulated, linear power
supplies to control digital, analogue and control circuitry. Using large custom made
screened transformer and a fastidious attention to circuit layout gives the unit
staggering noise performance, whilst an advanced mains monitoring system allows
the unit to ride through the most unsettled of mains conditions.
The input voltage from which the Preface will operate is factory set to either 110V or
230V.
As the transformers in the Chapter Preface are custom made to our specification,
there is no difference in unit performance if operated at 230V 50Hz or 110V 60Hz.
Total audio performance is thus assured anywhere in the world.
8
Design Features
Finest Part Selection: The Preface uses the best sounding OPAMPS from Burr
Brown. All electrolytic capacitors, are all ultra low ESR Samwha or Panasonic Gold
series. On the power supply we use the finest sounding regulators our own custom
screened mains transformers. At Chapter we also use the finest full immersion gold
Printed Circuit Boards and ‘Melf’ surface mount precision resistors.
Wide bandwidth: This is important in preserving the vital H.F. phase information
essential to stereo sound staging and realism. The output stage was designed
specifically for its speed of response, further improved by a high-speed differential
input stage. Frequency compensation of the pre-amplifier is achieved in such a way
as to allow excellent phase and gain margin into complex amplifier loads without
compromising high frequency phase or power bandwidth.
Balanced ground layout: Cancels the ground currents that can cause
Inter-modulation distortion and crosstalk in a conventional stereo design.
Full Immersion Gold Printed Circuit Boards: Audio signals travel on gold track.
As you would imaging, compared to copper and gold plate this is a very expensive
to manufacture, but the sonic benefits are hugely tangible in terms of space, air and
dynamics.
Custom Designed Differential Volume Control: At Chapter we auditioned many
different volume pots, all of which had their own traits. Instead of designing
electronics to counter the sonic signature of any particular pot, we have designed
our own, using a series of precision resistors and relays. This gives us
unprecedented levels of resolution with complete volume repeatability.
Large Very Low Noise PSU: The heart of the pre-amplifier, where digital,
analogue and control power supplies are derived from a custom made 400VA
transformer, utilising cascaded super regulators and banks of Low ESR capacitors.
9
10
Getting Started...
When applying power to your Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier for the first time please
ensure to operate the rear panel AC mains switch. This allows the amp to enter
standby mode. Whilst in Standby mode the sensitive voltage gain stages are still
powered up to ensure that the unit will sound at its best after only a
short period of time. Whilst in standby mode the Pre-Amplifier draws around 5 watts.
Once the amp is in standby mode a red LED will appear on the amplifier front panel.
The knobs will not be lit.
To fully activate the unit, touch any of the touch switch sensors, or rotate / press
either of the knobs. Once the amplifier is powered up the knobs will light blue, the
relays engage and the amplifier is ready to use.
To return the unit to standby mode, touch and hold the Power button located on the
amplifier front panel until you hear the relays disengage and the lights on the knobs
go out.
If you wish to isolate the unit from the mains supply you must turn off the amplifier
using the rear panel mains AC switch first.
If you will not be using the unit for long periods of time, for example going on
holiday, it is best to totally disconnect the amplifier from the AC mains by removing
the moulded plug from the wall socket.
Indice
