Chord PRIMA User Manual

1

welcome

Thank you for buying a Chord Electronics product

Before you start to enjoy using your Chord Electronics product, please take a couple of minutes
to read how to connect your audio equipment and loudspeakers to your Chord Choral product
and how to maximise your listening experience.

user guide for

pre amplifier
PRIMA

2

pre-amplifier

PRIMA

The pre-amplifier is the control centre of your system. By connecting your audio sources to
it you can choose the source you want at any particular time and control it.

You can also adjust the balance and volume before the signal is sent to a power amplifier.
Your pre-amplifiers can be operated manually or via any Chord remote control

background

We want you to be confident using your new Chord Electronics product.
You are probably an audiophile with extensive knowledge of audio equipment.

However, you may not be!
So in the following section we explain a few basics to help you get started, or get you back

up to speed if you are a little rusty.

connecting your equipment

Chord amplifiers are supplied with and designed to be connected using balanced inputs. The interconnecting
cables you use will depend on the available input and output sockets on your other equipment. We have
installed unbalanced inputs on all Chord equipment, thus enabling you to mix Chord Electronics and other
manufacturer’s equipment.

Balanced inputs carry twice the strength of signal of unbalanced inputs and are able to be fed down long
lengths of cable with less deterioration of signal. They are also less prone to interference than unbalanced inputs.
Balanced inputs have three pins and use Neutric XLR style connectors. Pin 1 is earth, pin 2 is positive and
pin 3 is negative.

Unbalanced inputs use RCA phono connectors, which are gold plated with teflon high performance dielectric
insulators for optimum performance.

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1

3

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when setting up

To ensure that your Chord product works efficiently and safely, please pay particular
attention to the following issues.

ventilation

Your Chord product should have at least 5cm of clear space all around it to ensure a free
flow of air at all times. We do not recommend that you place your Chord product directly
on a carpet as this can damage the equipment through blocked ventilation.

mains lead and plug

All Chord equipment comes supplied with the correct mains lead and plug. This should be
used at all times.

if you need to fit a plug for UK/Europe

Connect the blue wire to the neutral terminal
Connect the brown wire to the live terminal
Connect the yellow/green wire to the earth terminal

if you need to fit a plug for US/Canada

Connect the white wire to the neutral terminal
Connect the black wire to the live terminal
Connect the green to the earth terminal

earthing issues in Europe

In some European countries a hum may occur if your processor is connected to mains
sockets that do not have an earth. If this is the case please ensure that:

1. Your equipment is connected via a multi-way mains block which contains an earth point

at each socket outlet. This is to ensure that the chassis metalwork of each item is
connected together.

2. We recommend that an earthing method for your building is implemented.

3. Use the connecting points on your Chord unit and connect to an available earth point.

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safety warnings

It is important that your equipment is earthed at all times via its own mains lead. Failure to
do this may be hazardous. The power supply components within the units are designed to be
operated at lethal voltages and energy levels. Circuit designs that embody these components
conform with applicable safety requirements. Precautions must be taken to prevent accidental
contact with power-line potentials. Do not connect grounded test equipment.

This unit complies with EN 5008 1-1 and IEC 80 1/2

Caution: The BLU employs a laser that emits both visible and invisible radiation.
Removal of the top cover or tampering with any of the enclosed electronics may result in
exposure to hazardous levels of laser radiation that could cause eye damage. To prevent
injury this product should be returned for qualified service to Chord Electronics Ltd.

There are no user serviceable parts within any Chord Electronics Choral
product. Unauthorised tampering or dismantling of this product will
invalidate the warranty and could cause injury

mains connection

The mains connector of your Choral product is at the back of the unit. Plug the female end
(socket) of the mains cable into the power connector of your Choral product, and the male
end (plug) of the mains cable into mains wall socket or mains extension socket. The mains
connector type will differ slightly for each Choral product. This is due to the highly

compact nature of this range requiring differences in chassis metalwork for each product.

Live Neutral

Mains
Switch

Earth

Mains
connector

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powering up

for the BLU

If you are powering the BLU up from standby mode simply press the STANDBY button on
the top panel controls or the STBY on the remote control .

If you are powering up the BLU from cold then press the bottom part of the power switch

labelled ‘I’. If the BLU has no disc loaded, the top panel display wi th read “NO DISC”; if a

disc has been loaded then the number of tracks and length of the CD will be shown. Please

all ow a short time for t he BLU to read th e disc’s Tab le of Con tents (TOC). During this
time the display will indicate “-- ----“

For all Choral products except the BLU

Press the bottom part of the power switch labelled ‘I’.

powering down

for the BLU

For everyday use there is no need to power down the BLU completely, you can put the BLU
into standby mode instead. Press the STANDBY button on the top panel controls or the
STBY on the remote control to put the BLU into standby mode. If at this point, you wish to
power down the BLU completely then press the top part of the power switch labelled ‘O’.

For all Choral products except the BLU
Press the top part of the power switch labelled ‘O’.

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outputs on the PRIMA

You need to connect the outputs on the back of your pre-amplifier to a power amplifier in
order to drive your loudspeakers. There is a pair of balanced XLR outputs, which will drive
a 68Ω load.

connecting to your power amplifier

1. Use the XLR style output connectors to connect your PRIMA pre-amplifier to the XLR
style input connectors of your power amplifier.

2. If you are using the PRE AMP REMOTE, then press the button marked O/P 1.

3. If you are using the Chord touch-screen remote control then press the OUTPUT 1 LCD
touch pad, which is on page 3 of the CHORAL SERIES device menu.

Main outputs on the PRIMA