darTZeel CTH-8550 User Manual

CTH-8550 Integrated amplifier

User Manual

Table of contents

1. Preliminary note________________________________________________________ 5

2. Introduction ___________________________________________________________ 5

3. Brief description________________________________________________________ 5

4. Warranty______________________________________________________________ 6

5. Installation ____________________________________________________________ 6

5.1. Unpacking _______________________________________________________________________ 6

5.2. Location ________________________________________________________________________ 6

5.3. Connections______________________________________________________________________ 6

6. The CTH-8550 in details _________________________________________________ 7

6.1. Front panel ______________________________________________________________________ 7

6.2. Rear panel _______________________________________________________________________8

6.2.1 Fuse and voltage settings__________________________________________________________ 8

6.3. Remote control ___________________________________________________________________ 8

7. Activation key procedure _________________________________________________ 9

8. User parameters ________________________________________________________9

8.1. Main features_____________________________________________________________________ 9

9. How to set everything____________________________________________________ 9

9.1. Power on sequence _______________________________________________________________ 10

10. Full configuration and settings ___________________________________________ 10

11. Some advice and tips ___________________________________________________ 14

11.1. Cleaning and upkeep____________________________________________________________14

11.2. What not to do_________________________________________________________________ 14

12. Assistance ____________________________________________________________ 14

11. Technical data ________________________________________________________ 15

darTZeel CTH-8550 User Manual, version 0.92 Page 3 of 15

darTZeel CTH-8550 integrated amplifier

User Manual

1. Preliminary note

Your CTH-8550 comes with an USB key.

This key will be necessary for giving all needed

information to the internal CPU.

When you will receive your CTH-8550, you will

have to register before being able to use your
integrated amplifier.

Until registration will be completed, the CTH-8550

will only operate for 15 minutes from each powering
ON.
As soon as you will have registered, your official
dealer will send you by e-mail the appropriate files.

Go to chapter 7 “Activation key procedure”, page 9,
knowing how to proceed for receiving your
activation key file.

Please read this user manual in its entirety.

We did our best not to make you fall asleep. We

hope it will work…

The CTH-8550 will require about 170 hours of

playing time before it will deliver what you bought
for.

2. Introduction

We would like to congratulate you for purchasing a

darTZeel CTH-8550.

The darTZeel CTH-8550 is the most advanced

analogue integrated amplifier designed so far.

This new musical component directly benefits from
our past experience in audio, yet with plenty of
innovative features you will discover in reading this
– hopefully joyful – user manual.

Especially designed for its friendly user operation,

the CTH-8550 will provide you many years of total

pleasure listening to your favourite music.

The new fluorescent display, with its comprehensive
menus, will greatly simplify all possible provided
settings.

3. Brief description

Your CTH-8550 represents the cumulative research

and development we brought in the audio industry
these past decades.

Passion and love for music reproduction are easily

palpable in the CTH-8550.

Our challenging goal was designing and realizing a
“no compromise, all-in-one music machine”.

The result is what you will experience very soon,
when you will listen to your favourite records.

With no less than nine inputs – including optional

phono inputs – and two preamp outputs, the

darTZeel CTH-8550 is the ideal modern audio

integrated amplifier to fit in any high-end audio
system.

Thanks to its newly developed output power stages,
driving any speaker load will be a real game for the

CTH-8550.

With more than 200 watts into 8 ohms, and close to
350 watts into 4 ohms, even low sensitive speakers
will put out plenty of SPL during your most
demanding, dynamically speaking, sessions.

The new power circuits only use three junctions in

the signal path, offering a truly musically, fast and
transparent reproduction.

Furthermore, in those “green” days, we are proud to

say the CTH-8550 runs very cool, saving your

electrical bill, thus only giving power to the speakers
instead of wasting it unnecessarily.

This integrated amplifier actually marks a new

corner in the darTZeel history, by bringing features

you will not find elsewhere.

Hey, this is a darTZeel machine, isn’t it?

On the technical point of view, there is no doubt that

the CTH-8550 is a very special machine.

As for the most important thing you will ask for, and

we obviously do mean the music, you will simply

find it… enthralling.

The rather intuitive menus much helped in keeping
this user manual quite compact.

Sometimes, it is possible to bring high technology
while preserving some trees...

darTZeel CTH-8550 User Manual, version 0.92 Page 5 of 15