VAC ?200 Phi Two Hundred Guida all'installazione

200

TheVACPhi Two Hundred

Stereo BeamPower Amplifier

Operation&MaintenanceInformation

Valve Amplification Company

Manual issued01/02/2009

Revised 03/11/2009, 01/21/2010

CAUTION -SAFETYNOTICES

THEAMPLIFIERCONTAINS NOUSERSERVICEABLEPARTS.DONOT REMOVETHEBOTTOM PLATES

ORCHASSIS COVERS.LETHALVOLTAGESAREPRESENTWITHIN THECHASSIS.DONOT OPERATE

THEUNITSIFTHEYAREWET.

VACUUMTUBESBECOME HOT ENOUGHTO CAUSESERIOUSBURNS.NEVERTOUCH ATUBEWHEN

THEUNITIS ON. ITMAYTAKESEVERALMINUTESFORTHETUBESTO COOLDOWN AFTERTHEUNIT

ISSWITCHEDOFF.ITIS STRONGLY RECOMMENDEDTHATTHETUBECOVERSBELEFTIN PLACEATALL

TIMES.

Never touchatubeiftheglass isbroken.Theinternal structurescarryhighvoltageandcouldpresent

aserious,possiblylethal shock.Ifatubebreaks,unplugtheamplifier andwait30 minutes,then

removethetube.

Keepflammable objectsawayfrom theamplifier.

DONOT LEAVETHEAMPLIFIER UNATTENDED IN OPERATION.

THEAMPLIFIERIS HEAVY.ITIS ADVISABLETO HAVEASSISTANCEIN UNPACKING,MOVING,AND

SETTINGUP. BESURETO USEPROPERLIFTINGTECHNIQUESTO AVOIDBACK STRAIN AND INJURY.

BECERTAIN TO INSTALL ITIN A SECURELOCATION FROM WHICH ITCAN NOT FALL OR TIPOVER.

Provideadequateventilation -allow atleast3inches aboveandto eachside.

Donot place inacompletelyenclosed cabinet.Donot stackother equipment on topof theVAC

unit.

Donot operateon carpetoranyother surface thatmight blockair flow.

INDEX

Introduction

Installation -Stereo

Mono Connections/ Mono Switch(option)

Operation

Installing New Output Tubes

Biasing &Checking Output TubeCondition

Replacement of Low Level Tubes

Care OfChassis

Tips andAdvice

A WordAbout Tubes inGeneral

Output Tubes

Low Level Tubes

Impedance Matching

Grounding

Tuning YourSystem

Specifications

Footnotes

Warranty&Registration Form

INTRODUCTION

ThePhi200 isauniquepoweramplifier,andoneof themostvividanddetailedinVAC’s history,

secondonlyto thelarger Phi300.1.Featuringanewdirect-coupledinput &driver circuit,extremely

fastandvividsoundisachievedfrom both single-endedandbalancedsources.

ThePhi200 maybeused as a100+watt/channel stereoamplifier,orcanbeconnectedas a200+

watt monophonic amplifier.

ThePhi200 isdesignednot to thelatestfadbut to substance,forthehighestpossible soundquality.

Timespent familiarizing yourselfwith thismanual will bewell rewarded.

INSTALLATION -STEREO USE

01)Install thevacuumtubes.Eachtubeoritsboxhas a“V” number,whichcorresponds to the

labels on thetopplateof theamplifier;these indicatewhere eachtubeshouldbeinstalled.

Fiteachtubeinto thematching socket.

Wheninserting andremoving tubes, handle them bytheir bases, not bytheir glass bulbs.

Notethatthere isalocatorpinon theoctal (eight contact)tubes thatindicates proper

alignment.

02)Connectinput cables,either RCA types forunbalancedsources,orbalancedXLRtypes for

balancedsources.

03)Verifythatthetwo“Balance /Single-Ended”switches are setto thesamedesiredposition.

Settheinput typeswitchto XLR (forbalancedinput)orRCA (forsingle-endedinput).

04)Ifyouramplifier isfittedwith aMONOSWITCH, ensure thatitissetto “STEREO”.

05)Connectthespeaker cables;theblackleadgoes to “-“ or“Ground”.Theredleadgoes to

“+” or“Positive”.Followthelabels fortheimpedance thatbestmatches yourloudspeakers.

06)Connecta12 volttrigger cable into thesocketon thebackpanel ifdesired;thisallowsthe

amplifier to beturnedon andoff byanexternal device.

07)Provideadequateventilation -allow atleast3inches aboveandto eachside.

08)Donot place inacompletelyenclosed cabinet.Donot stackother equipment on topof the

VAC unit.

09)Donot operateon carpetoranyother surface thatmight blockair flow.

10)Thechassis will becomehot innormal use.

11)Donot allowthechassis to touchanymetal parts,suchas theframeof anequipment rack.

Thismight createaparallel groundpath thatcoulddegradethesoundof yoursystem.

12)Connectthepower cordto thepower source indicatedon therear panel (will beeither

100,120,220, or240 voltsAC).Voltageconversionsmustbedoneatthefactoryof by

anauthorizedVAC importer.

13)Avoidpower conditioners thatfloatthegroundpin.

14)Power requirementsare approximately600 watts.Payclose attention to power quality,and

beaware thatdifferent power cords canalter thesound.

15) Checkthebiassettingsof theoutput tubes whentheunitisfirstinstalled andwhenever a

tubeischanged.Itisalsoagoodidea to verifythesettingsperiodically,suchas once a

week. Follow thebiasprocedure outlinedlater inthismanual.

NOTES:

Donot removeandconnectinput cablesorspeaker cableswhile isamplifier isrunning.

Doing sorisksdamageto yourloudspeakers ortheamplifier.

Donot operatetheamplifier without aloudspeaker orloadresistorattached.

Donot allow anything to touchthetubes innormal operation -theybecomeveryhot.

Takecare to keepeveryone,especiallychildrenandpets,frombeingable to reachand

touchthetubes, whichbecomeextremelyhot andcause seriousinjury.

Never touchatubeiftheglass isbroken.Theinternal structurescarryhighvoltageandcould

present aserious,possiblylethal shock.Ifatubebreaks,unplugtheamplifier andwait30

minutes, thenremovethetube.

Keepflammable objectsawayfrom theamplifier.

MONOCONNECTION -

with

Mono Switchoption

For200+watt mono operation:

1)SettheMONOSWITCH to “Mono”.

2)Ensure thatthetwoBALANCE/SEswitches are setidenticallyto oneanother.

3)Connecttheinput cable to either XLRconnector(balancedsource) orto either RCA

connector(unbalancedsource).

4)Connectthenegativespeaker leadto either “COMMON”binding post.

5)Connectthepositivespeaker leadto the“4-8"bindingpostassociatedwith theCommon

postselectedinstep4.Inmono operation,thiswill matchwell with speakers rangingfrom

approximately2to 8ohms.

6)Donot use the“1-2"or“2-4"binding posts.

MONOCONNECTION -

without

Mono Switchoption (earlyproduction units)

For200+watt mono operation:

1)Connectidentical input signals to thetwoinput jacks. Itispossible to use a“Y”adapter to

dothis, orwith twocablesifyourpreamplifer has twopairs of outputs.

2)Connectajumper wire betweenthetwobinding postslabeled“COMMON”.

3)Takenoteof yourloudspeaker’s impedance.Ifitis4or8ohms,connectajumper between

thetwobindingpostslabeled“8OHMS”;ifitis2ohms,connectajumper bewteenthetwo

binding postslabeled“4OHMS”.

4)Ifyourspeaker is4or8ohms,connectitto theCOMMONand8OHMbindingpostsof

either channel;ifyourspeaker is2ohms,connectitto theCOMMON and4OHMbinding

postsof either channel.

5)Ensure thattheBALANCE/SINGLE-ENDED switches are setidentically.

OPERATION

Power on earlyunitsisappliedwith afront panel pushbutton switch.Notehowyou are pushing

thebutton if‘contactbounce’occurs, andyou’ll soon acquire areliable technique.

Power on later unitsisappliedthroughafront panel rocker switch.

Soundwill beginapproximately45 seconds after turnon.

Aswith all highfidelityproducts,thesoundcharacteristic of theVAC changes somewhatas itwarms

up.Weadvise againstleavingtheequipment on atall times forsafetyreasons,andbecause of the

attendant acceleration of output tubewear andpower consumption.Lifeof theoutput tubes

averages 3,000 to 8,000 hours.Forbesttubelife,turntheamplifier off whenyou are not listening.

AnytimethattheVAC Power Amplifier has not beenused forafewweeksthesoundmaybe

different.Thisisalsonormal forhighresolution audioequipment.Optimumsoundshouldreturnafter

afew hoursof operation, preferablywith anaudiosignal.

Please notethatalthoughyourVAC Systemhas beenrunfor48 hoursatthefactory,thebreak-in

timeof highresolution audioequipment isinfuriatinglylong. ThePhisoundwill continueto season

forapproximately200 hours.Theearlysoundof theamplifier will beless extended,dynamic,and

coherent.Thenthesoundwill improvenoticeably,followedbyaperiodof darker sound,finally

giving wayto thedesiredmusicality. Patience isavirtue.

Alsobeaware thatmanycomponentsdisplaytheneedforanewbreakinperiodafter being

transportedinunheatedcargoaircraft.

INSTALLINGNEW OUTPUTTUBES

First, see theSAFETYNOTICEearlier inthemanual.

Output tubes are typeKT88.Replacement outputtubes shouldbepurchasedfromVAC. Itis

desirable thattubes beinmatchedquartetsforeachchannel,andbeclose to the"bogey"values

forthemajorparameters. Makecertainthateachtubefitsfirmlyinitssocket.

ALL POWERMUSTBEOFF.Waituntil theoldtubes havecooleddown(TUBESBECOME HOT

ENOUGHTO CAUSESERIOUSBURNSWHENIN OPERATIONANDMAYTAKESEVERALMINUTESTO

COOLDOWN).Install thenewtubes firmlyandfullyinthesockets,observingthatthetubewill only

fitinto thesocketinoneorientation,determinedbytheplastic “keyway”inthecenter of thebase.

Donot use excessiveforce. Replace thetoprods before operating theamplifier.

Adustthebiascontrolfullycounterclockwise.

Switchon theamplifier andfollowthebiasprocedure outlinedlater inthismanual.Biasmustbe

checkedandadjustedwhentheamplifier firstturnson,at60 seconds,90 seconds,twominutes,

andfiveminutes.Intheearliestchecks,setthebiassothatthemeter readabitto theleft of center.

Final setting shouldbemadeafter 15-30 minutes. Rechecknew tubes dailyforthefirstweek.

Whenever atubeischanged, thebiassettingsmustbecheckedand adjusted.

Aslight violetglowinthetubeisnot cause forconcern.Ifatanytimetheplate(theoutermostmetal

structure) of theoutput tubes beginsto glowbright orangeorredSWITCH OFF IMMEDIATELY (a

small area with adull orangeglowisnormal forcertainversionsof theKT88).Theredglowindicates

thatthetubeis"runningaway",being destroyedbyconducting excessivecurrent.Tubes mayrun

awayforseveral reasons:

1)Thetubeisnot fullyinsertedinthesocket.

2)Thetubefitslooselyinthesocketand thuscannot makecorrectcontact.Suchatubeis

unusable.

3)Thetubeisdefective.

Intheevent thattrouble isencounteredcheckconnectionsand/ortryanother tube.Stopifthe

problem persistsandconsultwith yourdealer orVAC.

Forfurther information,refer to Tips &Advice:Tubes inGeneral andTips &Advice:Output Tubes.

CHECKINGOUTPUTTUBECONDITION

Thecondition of eachindividual KT88 output tubeshouldbecheckedwith thebuiltinindicatorLED

lights, locatedbehindeachKT88.

Proper settingisindicatedbyanLEDthatisdarkwhenno music isplaying, but lights‘with thebeat’

as music isplayed.Toachievethissetting, place theprovidedadjustment screwdriver inthebias

adjustopeningforthetubeto beset.While watchingtheassociatedLED, turnthecontrolclockwise

until theLEDlights;thenturnthecontrolslightlycounterclockwise until theLEDjustgoes out.Be

certainto stopthemusic before making thereading.

Repeattheadjustmentsifnecessary, as thetubes interactslightly.

DoNOT touchthetubes themselves, as theyare hot enoughto cause seriousburns.

NOTE:Someversionsof KT88will evidence adull orangeglowover asmall percentageof the

tube’s anode(see photo).

OutputTube Bias Adjustment:

Biassettingsitshould be checkedwhenyouinstall youramplifierand

approximatelyonce everymonththereafter.Itmustalsobe adjustedeachtime

atube isreplaced.

Allow theamplifier toreachnormaloperatingtemperature(abouttenminutes

ofwarmup should be sufficient).Mutethepreamplifierand setthebiasforthe

four KT88 tubesby referencingtheamber LEDlightsbehind eachtube.

Usingthesuppliedtool(orasmall flatbladedscrewdriver),rotateeachcontrol

in turnclockwiseuntil theassociatedLEDjustlights,thenbackup slightlyuntil the

lightjustgoesout.

Since theadjustmentscaninteractslightly,recheckall four tubes.

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