Balanced Audio Techn. VK-31 Owners manual

1

VK-31

WARRANTY REGISTRATION FORM

Unit Serial Number: _______________________________________

Customer Name: _______________________________________

Address: _______________________________________

_______________________________________

Date of Purchase: _______________________________________

Purchased From:

Dealer Name: _______________________________________

Address: _______________________________________
_______________________________________

IMPORTANT NOTE:

In order to receive the full five year product warranty, please mail this

completed form together with a copy of your sales receipt to Balanced Audio
Technology at the address below, within thirty days of purchase.

Failure to do so will result in the product being warrantied for one year

from the date of manufacture.

1300 First State Blvd. Suite A Wilmington, DE 19804

Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

2

VK-31

Vacuum Tube

Balanced Stereo Preamplifier

Owner's Manual

1300 First State Blvd. Suite A Wilmington, DE 19804

Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

3

TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION 4

Package Content 4
Physical Placement 5
Connecting to your system 5

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS 6

VK-31 Power On sequence 6
Turning the VK-31 Off 6
PHASE Button and LED 7
MONO button and LED 7
MUTE button and LED 7
INPUT selection 7
VOLUME knob 7
DISPLAY format 8
FUCTION button 8
DISPLAY ON-OFF function 9
MUTE function 9

VK-31 PROGRAMMABLE FUNCTIONS 10

Parameter Definitions 11

PROGRAMMING THE VK-31 11

BALANCE adjustment 11
VOLUME offsets 12
PHASE 13
MONO/STEREO 13
MAXIMUM gain 13
FIXED gain 14
DISPLAY MODE 14
INPUT NAME 15

REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS 16

Volume Up/Down 16
Mute 16
Fade 16
Input 17
Display/Power 17

Fuse Protection 17
Servicing 17
Cleaning 17

Warranty 18

4

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for your purchase of the Balanced Audio Technology VK-31 preamplifier.
Please read this owner's manual to obtain the full benefit of the VK-31 in your system. It will
provide you with the needed safety information and operating procedures for this exceptional
unit.

WARNINGS:

To prevent the possibility of serious injury, electrical shock or fire:

DO NOT operate with the cover removed.

DO NOT expose to rain or moisture.

DO NOT defeat the ground power-plug.

DO NOT replace fuse with anything other than the same type and rating as supplied by the factory.

Package Contents

Included in the box should be the following:

Description Quantity

VK-31 Preamplifier 1
Power Cord 1
Spare Fuse 1
Torx Wrench (T-10) 1
Spare Top Cover Screws 5
User’s Manual 1
VK-R3 Remote Control (If ordered)

Save all the packaging material in a safe dry area for the unlikely event that you need to
return the VK-31 to the factory for service.

5

PHYSICAL PLACEMENT

It is recommended that you provide at least 6" of free space around the unit for proper ventilation.

Mount the unit on a hard surface with proper ventilation underneath.

Do not stack the VK-31 preamplifier on top of other units, nor vice versa.

CONNECTING THE VK-31 TO YOUR SYSTEM

Balanced Components

Use balanced XLR interconnects. All input and output connectors are clearly marked on the back
panel.

Note: The VK-31 XLR connectors are wired as follows:

Pin 1: common/shield
Pin 2: positive
Pin 3: negative

For the VK-31, use the Main 1 XLR Output for connection to your balanced power amplifier. The
Output 2 is configured as an RCA connector output.

Single-Ended Components

Single-ended components have RCA connectors. The VK-31 preamplifier is designed to
work with mix of single-ended and balanced components connected to its inputs and outputs. If
more single ended components need to be connected to the preamplifer, then the XLR inputs or
outputs can be used for that in conjunction with RCA/XLR adapters. These adapters are available
from an authorized Balanced Audio Technology dealer at a nominal charge.

Two types of adapters are available:

Input Adapters: RCA Female to XLR Male

Output Adapters: RCA Female to XLR Female.

6

VK-31 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

STANDBY Button and LED

The Standby button is used to turn the unit ON and OFF and to switch the preamplifier into its
Standby mode. The LED indicates the status of the unit’s power circuitry and has four state:

LED OFF Display OFF Unit is in OFF state

Display ON Unit is in ON state

LED Flashing Unit is going through its Power-ON routine

LED ON Unit is in its STANDBY mode

When the unit is plugged into a power line, it will stay in the OFF state until the Standby button is
pushed. The LED will then start blinking and the unit will go through a 50second warm-up
sequence. At the end of that sequence it will turn ON.

Pressing the button again will switch the unit into its Standby mode.

The VK-31 can be turned OFF by pressing and holding the Standby button.

VK-31 Power-On sequence:

When you turn the VK-31 On, it will automatically go through a gentle power-on sequence. This
sequence takes 50 seconds, during which time the display and the Standby LED will be flashing,
indicating the status of the unit.

1. The number on the display during this time indicates the volume setting. This will usually
start at 000. This setting can be changed during this time by using the volume knob or
Volume Up/Down buttons on your VK-R3 remote control transmitter. In addition, such
functions as Phase, Mono, input selection and Mute can be changed during this time either
from front panel or through the remote control.

2. Normally the VK-31 will be not muted (Mute LED on the display is OFF) and will begin
playing at the end of the 50 second delay. If so desired, the unit can be put in the MUTE
mode during this delay interval either by depressing the front panel MUTE switch or by
using the MUTE button on the VK-R3 remote control transmitter.

Turning the VK-31 Off:

The unit can be turned OFF by pressing and holding the Standby button. It will automatically
mute.