AER Amp One User Manual

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Operating Instructions (Preliminary)

Contents:

1. Introductions

2. Precautionary Measures

3. Conception

4. Operating Elements

5. Operating Summary

6. Technical Specifications

7. Block Diagram

one

8. Disposal Regulations

1. Introduction

Welcome to AER. We took our time - and it therefore gives us all
the more pleasure that you have chosen the amp one.

You have chosen a professional, compact and high-performan­ce amplifier, which has been specially developed for the ampli­fication of electric basses.

Here, when we say authentic tone, we are referring not only to
the instrument but rather to the entire signal chain. The instru­ment, pick-up, cable, preamp, power amplifier and loudspeakers
generate what you consider to be 'your tone'. We hope that the
amp one will make a significant contribution to this and wish
you every pleasure in using it.

amp one

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2. Precautionary Measures

When you use your amp one, always take basic safety precautions in order to minimise the risk of injury by fire or electric shock.

• Read and check that you have understood all of the infor­mation in these operating instructions.

• Observe all warnings, instructions and additional text that is
displayed on the amp one.

• Always use an earthed power connection with the correct
mains voltage. If in doubt as to whether the connection is ear­thed, have it checked by a qualified expert.

• Do not install and use your amp one in the immediate vicini­ty of water or if you yourself are wet.

• Operate you amp one in a protected location, so nobody can

3. Conception

We have set ourselves the target of housing a professional
piece of equipment with powerful performance, kit and out­standing tonal properties in a small, transportable casing, in which
the pleasure of the 'full bass' can be appreciated.

It has long been known how innovative and experimental
bassists are today.

The E-Bass has doubtless advanced into a 'solo instrument', which
has resulted in a huge rise in demands in terms of tone and tech­nology and consequently also in the demands placed on deve­lopers.

Specifics 1)

Distortion-free, strong deep bass reproduction in particular is in
constant conflict with physics, human perception and what costs
allow for the requirements of the market.

Considerably 'more' energy is required to make the really deep
tones audible at the same volume as the mid-range or higher to­nes. The aim is for the balanced reproduction of the authentic
tone of the instrument, irrespective of resonance and format con­ditions. Here, unfortunately several problem fields can theoreti­cally be added:

step on cables or trip over them and damage them.

• Do not install your amp one near to equipment with strong
electromagnetic fields, e.g. such as large mains transformers,
rotating machines, neon lighting etc. Do not lay the signal ca­ble parallel to high voltage power lines etc.

• Wire-up your amp one only when it is switched off.

• Before cleaning your amp one, remove the plug from the
mains. For cleaning, use a damp cloth. Avoid the use of clea­ning agents and ensure that no liquid enters the inside of the
equipment.

• The inside of your amp one contains no parts that are to be
maintained by the user. Leave all maintenance, adjustment
and repair to qualified experts. The 2-year guarantee period
will be invalidated in the event of outside intervention.

• Retain these operating instructions.

• Human hearing is significantly more sensitive in the mid-ran­ge than in the other ranges.

• The instrument reproduces its individual spectrum very une­venly. There are large differences in level, in emission cha­racteristics and in the duration of the vibration. There are ef­facements and super-elevations.

• Deep bass reproduction demands more 'energy' and places
considerably greater stress both on the material and on the
components, particularly if amplification is added above the
tone control (e.g.: +15dB at 80 Hz corresponds to 5.6 times
the voltage at this point) or 31.6 times more output.

2)

Tonally, the 'bass' is a very demanding instrument. Its reproduc­tion capacity extends over the entire audio spectrum. However,
the distribution relative to the level is also very disproportiona­te. The basses and primarily the levels are generally amplified
considerably in order to achieve a balanced signal, which can
then be processed with complex tone controls.

amp one

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The coincidental concurrence of sound pick-ups, pre and power
amplifiers, each with many control options and their different
qualities, very quickly show its limits in the final result and the­se limits are manifested in a moderate signal to noise voltage
difference for the audio chain overall and in an adverse effect
on the dynamics, as the performance limit of the power ampli­fier, the power supply or the components is reached too
quickly.

Here, this should be an adequate illustration of the complexity
of the problem and of why we have taken significantly different
approaches in order to implement our tonal ideas, so that the
'bass' is able to sound like it wants to sound.

• Together with a powerful power supply, an analogue
200-watt power amplifier with high drive reserves provides
the required output.

• The analogue signal processor monitors the signal such that
the complete power amplifier output can be exploited with­out the 'headroom' that is otherwise required. This saves spa­ce and reduces the weight, protects the loudspeaker, and en­sures constant, defined conditions in the power amplifier. As
this is a 'closed system' (power amplifier, processor and loud­speaker), all of the components can be optimally adjusted to
each other, which therefore guarantees maximum effectiveness
without overloading the system. We go to the limits, but not
beyond them.

• We have opted for a 10" 'Sica' instrument loudspeaker. This
loudspeaker is highly suited to bass reproduction, particular­ly in small bass reflex enclosures. However, the reproduction
properties, power rating and level of effectiveness are linked,
so special bass chassis are always a little quieter (approx. -3dB)
than a universal-design chassis. The chassis has been electri­cally and mechanically tested in accordance with the AES stan­dard.

• The casing must be able to withstand a huge load. It is made
from 15 mm birch plywood (13-layer), mortised and fixed with
watertight glue. The loudspeaker is located in a bass reflex
chamber that is separate from the electronics, which means
that everything is mechanically detached.

The other equipment includes:

• Compressor

• Adjustable DI out XLR

• Line out, tuner out, headphones out

• Foot switch connection

• Insert pre and insert post equaliser

• Effect loop

• Ground lift

• Aux in

amp one

4. Operating Elements

Front (from left to right):

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Input Input (mono jack)

High/low Changeover switch for adjusting input sensitivity

Gain Input level control

Clip Overdrive display

Mute Channel mute

equaliser

colour Switch to activate the contouring mid-filter

bass Bass-sound control

bass boost Extra level increase in the bass range

middle Mid-range control

freq. Working frequency for mid-range control

bandwidth Bandwidth of the mid-range contro

treble High-range sound control

tone balance

A

balance Controls the tone

balance

int. Controls the

intensity

intensity

f

balance

A

f

balance

A

intensity

intensity

f

balance

compressor

threshold Controls the input signal threshold value

ratio Controls the adjustment of the output signal to

the input signal; determines the strength of
signal compression

active Compressor operating display LED

on/off Switches the compressor on and off

in

threshold

f. eg.

ratio= 4 : 1

ratio= 20 : 1

8

ratio= : 1

master Overall level controller

power Power control light

out

amp one

Back (from left to right):

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gnd lift Separates the protective earth from the

signal earth

headphones Stereo headphone output, mutes the

loudspeaker

line Preamp output
footswitch Stereo foot switch connection, TIP= mute,

RING = effect loop

send Output for external effects processor
return Input for an external effects processor
sub out Additional output for an external active sub-

woofer

insert pre eq Pre equaliser loop
insert post eq Post equaliser loop
aux in Stereo jack socket, input e.g. for a CD player
tuner Output for a pre-master tuner
aux level Potentiometer for adjusting the aux signal
pre/post Selector switch for the signal on the

DI output; pre or post equaliser

DI level Controls the signal level on the DI output
DI Symmetrical XLR output, pre master
power on Combined on-switch with fuse holder

(3.15 A slow)

amp one

5. Operating Summary

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Connection and Initial Operation

Check whether the mains voltage (e.g.: 120 V in the USA, 230 V
in Europe) in the location matches the voltage authorised for the
operation of your amp one. Before switching on the amplifier,
turn the master control to the zero position (far left). Then connect
all the necessary cables. You can now switch on your amp one
using the power on switch on the back of the equipment. The
green power light indicates that it is ready to operate.

• Selection

Please check the following:

Precondition:
Mute switch: Not depressed,

Preamp on the instrument: EQs in central position,
Volume: Approx. ½ to ¾ open.

Set the master controller on the amp one to the zero position
and increase the gain setting until the clip display flickers brief­ly. If this condition occurs at a gain setting of approx. '9-11 o'clock',
it is guaranteed that the source, e.g. your instrument with pre­amp

a) Is able to fully select the input level of the amp one and

b) That the complete ambient noise level (rustling, buzzing) is at
a minimum. Take the gain control back a little in order to crea­te an additional 'headroom' dynamic reserve. Use the master con­trol to set the final volume desired.

• Sound Control

The 3-band sound control on your amp one is designed to be
technically parametrically complete, although only the central
band is adjustable in terms of frequency and bandwidth. We ho­pe that we have selected the filters such that you find the sound
control to be a diverse and universal tool, which complements
the diversity of basses and tones.

We are right, are we not?!

Nonetheless, we are of the opinion that more is required in or­der to balance the instrument sound. At the extreme high end
(unbalanced reproduction properties, particularly in combinati­on with active bass electronics), the rustling is amplified from one
level to the next.

• Compressor

Our amplifiers are all dynamically controlled. The additional com­pressor can only be switched fully on or off. As well as its use as
a pure bass effects processor, the compressor can be used to ba­lance dynamic differences between various signal sources.

The clip display generally indicates a high input signal. Brief flicke­ring of the clip is not dangerous. However, when in operation,
ensure that it does only flicker. For safety, you should take the
gain or volume control on your source (instrument) back a little
in order to guarantee an optimum and distortion-free repro­duction. If required, you can use the mute switch to silence the
equipment. Mute can also be operated by footswitch.

amp one

6. Technical Specifications

Single-Channel Amplifier for E-Basses

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Input:

Channel 1 Jack, mono, Sensitivity: -25 dBV,

-15 dbV with pad-switch on
Input Impedance: 1 Meg
Noise: < -82 dBV

Aux in, L/R Jack, stereo

Sensitivity: -3 dbV
Input Impedance: 22 K

Effect Return Jack, mono

Sensitivity: -6 dbV
Input Iimpedance: 10 K

Clip indicator 8 dB under clipping

Output:
Tuner Jack, mono, -6 dBV

Headphones Jack, stereo, max. 1,7 V RMS,

max 2 x 100 mW into 32 Ohms

For headphones only!
Do not connect to other devices!
Do not use mono jack plugs!

DI out XLR, adjustable max. -15 dBV, balanced,

pre/post equalizer

Sub bass Jack, 0 dbV

Line out Jack, 0 dbV

Inserts Jack, stereo, tip = send, ring = return

Footswitch Mute Channel 1 = tip,

Effect on/off = ring

Equalizer

Bass ± 10 dB / 80 Hz
Middle ± 10 dB
Frequency 350 - 1,1 kHz, 1-1/3 octave
Treble ± 13 dB / 10 kHz
Bass boost + 10 dB / 55 Hz
Colour - 3 db / 700 Hz

+ 10 db / 7,5 KHz

Tone balance Maximum intensity

+ 9 dB / 40 Hz
+ 6.5 dB / 10 KHz

Compressor Threshold - 40 dB to 0 dB

Ratio: 1 : 1 to 20 : 1

Analog Signal Processor

AER low-distortion limiter, subsonic filter

Poweramp 200 W sine-wave into 8 Ohm, 1% THD,

30 Hz - 20 kHz, analog power amplifier

Speakersystem10“ (25 cm) woofer, Neodym magnet

Mains power AC 230 V, 50 - 60 Hz, max. 550 W
Mains fuse Slow, 3.15 A, 5 x 20 mm
Finish Waterbased acrylic, black spatter finish

Cabinet 15 mm (0,38“) Birch Plywood

396 mm (14,56“) height
320 mm (12,59“ ) width
285 mm (11,20“) depht

Weight: 13,5 kg (29,5 lbs)

www.aer-amps.com

AP1_E_11/07

amp one

7. Block Diagram

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amp one

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8. Disposal Regulations

The disposal of electronic equipment in household waste is not
permitted.

AER GmbH waste electrical and electronic equipment is not to
be taken to public collection points for disposal.

AER GmbH remains solely responsible for the disposal of AER
GmbH waste electrical and electronic equipment labelled with a
dustbin.

To dispose of AER GmbH waste electrical and electronic equip­ment that is labelled with a dustbin symbol, please contact us;
we will ensure correct and cost-neutral and disposal.

In the case of AER GmbH waste electrical and electronic equip­ment that is not labelled with a dustbin, the owner is responsi­ble for correct disposal in accordance with the law.

However, we are also happy to help in this case and we can pre­sent you with the options of where to dispose of these electrical
goods.

The telephone number of AER GmbH: [phone]

Here, we will provide you with qualified information on the dis­posal of AER GmbH waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Declaration

The EU directive on the disposal of waste electrical and electro­nic equipment (WEEE, 2002/96/EC) has been changed to the el­ectrical and electronic equipment act.

All AER electrical equipment affected by WEEE has been label­led with the symbol of a crossed out dustbin since 13.08.2005.

This symbol indicates that the disposal of the equipment is not
permitted with household waste.

It has been circulated in this form since 13.08.2005.

In the German registration department EAR, AER GmbH has
been registered under WEEE registration number DE26301529.

European Union, Norway,
Iceland and Liechtenstein

The disposal of electronic equipment in household waste is not
permitted.

All AER electrical equipment affected by WEEE has been label­led with the symbol of a crossed out dustbin since 13.08.2005.
This is also applicable for Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

This symbol indicates that the disposal of the equipment is not
permitted with household waste.

It has been circulated in this form since 13.08.2005.

The European directives of WEEE are anchored in different res­pective national laws in all European states. As such, we are un­fortunately unable to provide you with one standard disposal so­lution.

The distributor or importer for the respective state is responsi­ble for the observance of the laws of that state and must ensu­re the disposal of the waste electrical and electronic equipment
in accordance with national regulations.

Other Countries

For correct disposal of the electrical goods, please ask the local
dealer or the appropriate authority.