Applied Research and Technology (ART) DPS II Owner's Manual

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTION – READ FIRST

This symbol, whenever it appears, This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts
alerts you to the presence of uninsulated you to important operating and maintenance
dangerous voltage inside the enclosure-voltage instructions in the accompanying literature.
that may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock. Read manual.

Read instructions:

Retain these safety and operating instructions for future reference. Heed all warnings printed here and on the equipment.
Follow the operating instructions printed in this user guide.

Do not open:

There are no user serviceable parts inside. Refer any service work to qualified technical personnel only.

Power sources:

Connect the unit to mains power only of the type described in this user guide or marked on the rear panel. The power
source must provide a good ground connection.

Power cord:

Use the power cord with sealed mains plug appropriate for your local main supply as provided with the equipment. If the
provided plug does not fit into you outlet consult your service agent. Route the power cord so that it is not likely to be
walked on, stretched or pinched by items placed upon or against.

Grounding:

Do not defeat the grounding and polarization means of the power cord plug. Do not remove or tamper with the ground
connection on the power cord.

Ventilation:

Do not obstruct the ventilation slots or position the unit where the air required for ventilation is impeded. If the unit is to be
operated in a rack, case or other furniture ensure that it is constructed to allow adequate ventilation.

Moisture:

To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock do not expose the unit to rain, moisture or use in damp or wet conditions. Do
not place container of liquid on it, which may spill into any openings.

Heat:

Do not locate the unit in a place close to excessive heat or direct sunlight, as this could be a fire hazard. Locate the unit
away from any equipment, which produces heat such as: power supplies, power amplifiers and heaters.

Environment:

Protect from excessive dirt, dust, heat, and vibration when operating and storing. Avoid tobacco ash, drink spillage and
smoke, especially that associated with smoke machines.

Handling:

To prevent damage to the controls and cosmetics avoid rough handling and excessive vibration. Protect the controls form
damage during transit. Use adequate padding if you need to ship the unit. To avoid injury to yourself or damage to the
equipment take care when lifting, moving or carrying the unit.

Servicing:

Switch off the equipment and unplug the power cord immediately if it is exposed to moisture, spilled liquid, objects fallen
into opening, the power cord or plug becomes damaged during a lightening storm or if smoke odor or noise is noted.
Refer servicing to qualified technical personnel only.

Installation:

Install the unit in accordance with the instruction printed in the user guide.

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The ART DPS II

DI/O Preamp System II

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 3

Features ....................................................................................................................................................... 4

Installation ................................................................................................................................................... 5

AC Power Hookup .................................................................................................................................. 5

Analog Audio Connections ..................................................................................................................... 5

Controls and Indicators ..............................................................................................................................6

Input Control ........................................................................................................................................... 6

+20 dB Gain Switch ................................................................................................................................ 6

Input Impedance Control ........................................................................................................................ 6

Front Panel Controls (picture) ................................................................................................................. 7

Phantom Power +48V Switch ................................................................................................................. 7

Phase Reverse Switch ............................................................................................................................ 7

V3 Variable Valve Voicing Control ....................................................................................................... 8

LED Input Meter ...................................................................................................................................... 8

VU Meter ................................................................................................................................................. 9

Output Control ........................................................................................................................................ 9

Digital Controls and Indicators ..................................................................................................................9

Digital Level Knobs .................................................................................................................................. 9

Digital Controls (picture) ....................................................................................................................... 10

Sample Rate Control ............................................................................................................................. 10

ADAT Channel Control ......................................................................................................................... 11

Connections (Analog) ............................................................................................................................... 11

Dual Purpose Input Jacks (Front) .......................................................................................................... 11

Rear Input Jacks.................................................................................................................................... 12

XLR Output Jacks (Rear) ...................................................................................................................... 12

¼” Output Jacks (Rear).......................................................................................................................... 12

Connections (Digital)................................................................................................................................. 13

S/PDIF Coax Out (Rear) ........................................................................................................................ 13

Optical ADAT Input (Rear)..................................................................................................................... 13

Optical ADAT Output/TOSLINK (Rear).................................................................................................. 13

Word Clock Input (Rear) ........................................................................................................................ 13

¼” Inserts (Rear).................................................................................................................................... 14

DPS II™ Signal Flow Diagram .................................................................................................................. 14

Operation ................................................................................................................................................... 15

Using V3 .................................................................................................................................................... 16

Warranty Information ............................................................................................................................... 17

Service ....................................................................................................................................................... 18

DPS II Specifications ............................................................................................................................. 19

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INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing an ART DPS II (DI/O Preamp System II) - and
congratulations: You now own one of the most versatile preamplifiers available.
Offering a superb level of sound quality, the DPS II hybrid tube and solid state circuit
design, combined with a straightforward user interface, quickly and easily gives you
access to all of its features - and moves you forward into the digital recording domain.

The ART DPS II is a tube microphone preamplification system designed with
recording musicians in mind. It has been carefully designed, engineered and
manufactured to provide you with years of great sound and reliable service.

The DPS II extends the range of applications by adding V3 (Variable Valve
Voicing) which will help you to quickly and easily record a variety of instruments –
including drums, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, and more. We also feature
our OPL (Output Protection Limiter) to make V3 even more powerful. The DPS II
also functions as a direct box, with impedance matching and preamplification for

instrument or line-level sources.

A versatile insert loop on each channel provides access for additional signal
processing or direct access to our high quality A/D converter. Separate gain controls
on analog and digital outputs allow you to optimize the unit for simultaneous
applications.

Digital outputs include S/PDIF, TOSLINK or ADAT (front panel selectable). The A/D is
front panel adjustable from 44.1KHz-96KHz or syncs to ADAT or external word clock
(32KHz-100KHz). You can patch into any ADAT stream and select which pair (or ALL)
of channels the DPS II™ transmits.

The DPS II™ also features ART Analog to Digital conversion system and ART Tube
Technology similar to that of the ART D/IO. This ensures that when you are going from
the analog preamplification to digital, your signal will be as warm and musical as you
decide it to be.

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DPS II FEATURES:

• Dual Analog VU metering

• Dual LED input metering

• V3 (Variable Valve Voicing) with OPL (switch selectable)

• Over 75 dB of gain

• Adjustable input impedance

• Hand selected 12AX7A dual triode tube

• Balanced XLR inputs and outputs

• ¼” High impedance Instrument input and ¼” line level output

• Automatic instrument input switching

• +48V Phantom Power (switch selectable)

• Phase Reverse Switch

• Gain (+20dB) Switch

• Input Gain Control

• Output Level Control

• ART A/D Conversion

• Lower Noise At Low Gains

• ADAT, S/PDIF, TOSLINK Digital Interfaces

• 24-bit/96 KHz Operation

• Fully shielded all-steel chassis

• Designed and developed in the USA

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INSTALLATION

The DPS II may be used in a wide variety of applications and environments. In a
rack-mountable, all-steel enclosure, the unit is designed for continuous professional
use. Mounting location is not critical. However, for greater reliability we recommend
that you not place the units on top of power amps or other sources of heat. The tube
circuitry needs about a minute to “warm up” from a cold power up.

AC Power Hookup

The DPS II has an internal power supply designed to operate at 115 VAC @ 50 to 60
Hz. Units manufactured for use outside the United States of America have been
modified to comply with the required electrical specifications.

Analog Audio Connections

Audio connections to and from the DPS II are balanced XLR (Pin 2 = Hot (+), Pin 3 =
Cold (-), Pin 1 = Ground) and unbalanced ¼” (Tip = Hot (+), Sleeve = Ground). We
recommend that you switch off the +48V Phantom Power whenever changing
connections to the XLR input. The front mounted jacks can act as both a balanced XLR
connection, and an unbalanced ¼” connection.

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CONTROLS & INDICATORS

Input Control

The Input Control sets the amount of input gain of the DPS II. Turn the control
clockwise to increase gain and counterclockwise to decrease gain. You may
control two ranges of gain with this control, +20 to +68dB and +0 to +48dB.
Selection of the gain range is made with the +20dB gain switch.

NOTE: This control, along with the +20 dB Switch, is responsible for any
saturation of the tube. To change the tube character, utilize these 2 controls.

+20db Gain Switch

Use the +20dB Gain Switch to set the gain range of the input control. When the
switch is out, the unit operates in Normal mode. Depressing the switch adds
20dB of gain. For microphone applications, where more gain is needed, push the
switch in. For hot line level inputs, set the switch in the out position.

This switch also affects the tube circuit. When selecting +20dB of gain, the tube
is driven harder and becomes the dominant source of gain and overload
character.

Input Impedance Control

The same microphone can sound different on various pre-amps. One reason is
that every pre-amp presents a different load to on its’ input, some even change
as gain is changed! Our third generation discrete front end was designed to be
absolutely transparent. Every nuance of the microphone is maintained providing
detail masked by inferior pre-amps. The Input Impedance control is one key
element in providing new versatility in voicing microphones.

NOTE: the Input impedance control only affects mic/line inputs. The ¼”
instrument input on the front panel is NOT affected by this control in any way.
The instrument input impedance is ALWAYS >

1M Ohm.

Dynamic microphones are affected as much as phantom powered units.

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