Dcs P8i User Manual
dCS P8i
Upsampling SACD/CD Player
User Guide
Software Release 1.1x
July 2006
© dCS Ltd. 2005, 2006 Price UK £8.00 / Euro 12.00
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise)
without the prior written permission of dCS
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice, and whilst it is checked for accuracy, no
liabilities can be accepted for errors.
1
. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this
1
dCS is Data Conversion Systems Ltd. Company registered in England No. 2072115.
dCS P8i User Guide Guide for Software Issue 1.1x
dCS Ltd August 2006
SING THE
U
Congratulations on purchasing your dCS P8i.
Before using your un it, please read this section and the Step by Step Guid e. This will enable you to
set the unit up quickly and safely with your hi-fi system.
From time to time, dCS will rel ease upd ated softwar e on CD th at you can ins tall yours elf us ing th e CD
Update feature. Please check our web-site occasionally to see if new P8i software is available, or
consult your dealer.
dCS P8i
FOR THE FI R ST TIME
What’s in the box?
Check that the box contains the following items:
• dCS P8i
• Control Summary
• Power cable
• 2 spare fuses
• Remote control unit
• Remote control guide
• 3 x AAA batteries
• 1.5mm Allen Key for the remote control unit
Check the contents of the inner carton against the lis t above . Notif y your dealer as soon as possib le if
anything is missing or damaged. W e suggest that you retain the ori ginal pack aging for poss ible future
use. If this is not possible, replac em ent pack aging ca n be or dered f rom dCS or our distribut ors . Details
can be found on our web site at www.dcsltd.co.uk.
Safety Notice
Your dCS P8i contains no user serviceable parts. DO NOT attempt to open the case as there are
potentially dangerous voltages present inside. In the event of the unit developing a fault, please
contact your dealer in the first instance. If you need more help, contact dCS.
Laser Radiation Hazard
The dCS P8i is a Class 1 Laser Product, it com plies with U.S. FDA 21CFR subchapter J. In normal
use, there is no risk of exposure to laser radiation.
IMPORTANT!
The metal top cover must only be removed by authorised service personnel.
The cover protects the user from indirect exposure to visible and invisible
laser radiation, as well as risk of electric shock.
Manual filename: dCS P8i User Guide v1_1x~.doc
English version web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk
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email: mailto:support@dcsltd.co.uk
dCS P8i User Guide Guide for Software Issue 1.1x
dCS Ltd August 2006
Removing the Transit Screws
The transit screws clamp the mechanism to reduce the risk of shipping damage. They must be
removed before the unit is used.
Lift the unit out of the packaging, turn it ups i de-do wn a nd pl ac e it on a ta bl e to p. Id ent ify the two transit
screws from the following drawing.
Using a flat headed screwdriver, unscrew the two transit screws and put them in a safe place.
IMPORTANT!
If you intend to transport the unit further than the next room, replace the
transit screws – they need to be secure BUT NOT OVER-TIGHT. Units that
are returned for repair without transit screws correctly fitted will be subject
to a repair charge.
Manual filename: dCS P8i User Guide v1_1x~.doc
English version web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk
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email: mailto:support@dcsltd.co.uk
dCS P8i User Guide Guide for Software Issue 1.1x
dCS Ltd August 2006
Mains Voltage Setting
Before connecting th e power cable to your P8i for the fir st time, please check that it has been set to
the correct operating volt age for your mains supply. The un it’s voltage setting is sho wn on the label
beneath the mains inlet on the rear panel. If this does not matc h your local supply volt age, DO NOT
attempt to use the unit. Contact your de aler to h ave th e unit r eset. Usi ng the P8i with the wrong m ains
setting for your loca l supply m ay result in serio us damage to the unit and will invalidate t he warrant y.
Do not attempt to reset the voltage yourself.
Power Cables
If you wish to use a power cable other than the one suppl ied, please ensure that it is a good f it to the
mains inlet, is not too fat, too stiff or too heavy.
Mains Conditioners
We do not recommend the use of mains conditioners. However, if you do wish to use a mains
conditioner with variable voltage and frequency, we recommend that you s et the v olt age to match your
local voltage and the frequency to either 50 or 60Hz ONLY.
IMPORTANT!
Damage caused to your P8i by misuse of a mains conditioner or by a
malfunctioning mains conditioner is not covered by the warranty.
Positioning the unit
Place the P8i on a firm, vibration f ree base, allo wing convenient c onnection to the oth er parts of your
system. For best results avoid siting the P8i either direct l y on or underne ath pr eamplifiers or tuners . T o
prevent overheating, we recommend that you leave some free space around the unit to allow for
ventilation.
Manual filename: dCS P8i User Guide v1_1x~.doc
English version web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk
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email: mailto:support@dcsltd.co.uk
dCS P8i User Guide Guide for Software Issue 1.1x
dCS Ltd August 2006
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
This section guides you through setting up the unit for basic operation.
Preliminaries
The Control Summary sheet details the menu structure and outlines the use of the front panel
controls. A comprehensive user manual will be available free of charge from our web-site at
www.dcsltd.co.uk or a bound copy can be ordered from our web site.
STEP 1 – Connecting the P8i using the Analogue Outputs
If you prefer to use an external DAC, go to step 2.
Most owners will make use of the P8i’s internal Ring DAC to drive the power amplifier directly.
The P8i has one pair of balanced analogue outputs on XLR connect ors (Left and Right) and one pair
of unbalanced analogue outputs on two RCA phono connector (Left and Right).
• Connect either the bal anced or the u nbala nced a nalogue outputs on the P8i to the m atching inputs
on your preamplif ier / p ower am plif ier with suit able a udio c ables. Both s ets of outputs m a y be used
simultaneously, if required.
• Connect the power amplifier to your loudspeakers.
STEP 2 – Connecting the P8i using the Digital Outputs
If you are using the P8i’s internal DAC, go to step 3.
When playing CDs, 16bit / 44.1kS/s digital data will appear on the AES OUT and RCA OUT
connectors, which can be used to drive an external DAC.
• Connect one of the AES or RCA digital outputs on the P8i rear pan el to the m atching inputs of the
DAC using suitable screened digital cables.
• Press the MENU button and use the arro w buttons to scr oll to the Digita l Out page. If this is set to
Off, press the MENU button to change to On.
• Connect the analogue outputs of your DAC to the m atching inputs on your preamplifier / power
amplifier.
• Connect the power amplifier to your loudspeakers.
STEP 3 – Connecting to the Digital Inputs
You can use the P8i’s inter nal Ring DAC to co nvert digital data from an external source to analogue.
In this release, the unit will lock to 32, 44.1 or 48kS/s and process word lengths up to 24 bits.
• Connect the external sour ce (such as a DAB rad io or DVD pl ayer) to e ither th e AE S IN or RCA IN
connector on the P8i back panel, using suitable screened digita l cables. You can use bo th digital
inputs if you wish.
• Connect the analogue outputs of your DAC to the m atching inputs on your preamplifier / power
amplifier.
• Connect the power amplifier to your loudspeakers.
Manual filename: dCS P8i User Guide v1_1x~.doc
English version web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk
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email: mailto:support@dcsltd.co.uk
dCS P8i User Guide Guide for Software Issue 1.1x
dCS Ltd August 2006
STEP 4 – Powering up
• Connect the power c ab le sup pl ie d to the po wer in let on the P8i rear pane l. If you are using a power
cord other than the one supplied with the P8i, make sur e that it is a good fit to t he mains inlet and is
not too large or heavy as to cause damage (see “P o wer ca bl es ” on page 4). Plug the ot her end into
a convenient power outlet. Set the power switch beside the power inlet to the on position (I).
• Press the Standby button briefly. W ait several s econds while th e P8i configur es itself . The butto ns
light up in blue sho wing that th e unit is bo oting up. Af ter a f e w seconds t he blue lig hts turn of f. Unit
displays dCS P8i, Welcome and then Loading. Once booted up, the colour of the buttons
changes to green, signifying that there is no disc in the player, and the unit should display No Disc.
• Make sure the volume on your P8i and amplifier is set to a low level before operation.
The first time you use the unit, it is a good idea to ensure it is set to a known state, as follows:
• Press the MENU button and use the ar r o w butto ns to sc rol l to the Factory page of the m enu. Pr ess
the MENU button again to select this option. The unit will reset itself.
STEP 5 – Inserting and playing a Disc
• Press the Stop/Eject button. The display will show Opening, the drawer will open and the n the
display will sho w Open.
• Place the disc onto the tr ay and pr ess the Stop/Eject button a gain. T he d ispla y will s ho w Closing,
Loading, Read TOC, Check ing and will then build a tab le of contents displaying 1-5, 6-10, etc.
The disc will be iden tified as CD or SACD. Either the CD or the SACD indicator will light. In this
release, the unit will play the SACD layer of a hybrid disc by default. The colour of the buttons
changes depending on the t ype of dis c you cho ose to pla y, red for a CD la yer or lilac f or an SACD
layer.
• Press the Play/Pause button. Turn the volume to a comfortable level. You should have audio.
• Press the Play/Pause button to pause playing, press again to resume playing.
• Press the Next Track or Previous Track buttons to skip to another track.
IMPORTANT!
• Press the Stop/Eject button to stop the disc. Press it again to open the tray.
• Enjoy the music!
Oops! There is a disc stuck inside!
If you load a disc tha t cannot be read (such as a CD upside-down, a DVD or a damaged/dirty dis c),
don’t worry. The P8i will displa y Reading and will tr y to read the disc for abo ut 40 seconds. W ait until
the display changes to No Disc, then open the tray with the Stop/Eject button.
Please be patient, do not overload the unit with commands. If too many
Previous Track commands are sent, the unit may freeze at track 1. To
correct this, press the Next Track button once to go to track 2.
STEP 6 – Using an external so urce
If you connected an external source to the P8i in STEP 3, turn it on and select it as follows:
• Press the MENU button and use the arrow buttons to scroll to the Source m enu page. Press the
MENU button again to select either the AES or RCA input.
Either the AES or RCA indicat or will il luminate. T he unit will d etect the sam ple rate of the source ( 32,
44.1 or 48kS/s only), then display the source word length and sample rate on the left side of the
display (e.g. 16/44.1k).
• Turn the volume to a comfortable level. You should have audio.
• Enjoy the music!
IMPORTANT!
Manual filename: dCS P8i User Guide v1_1x~.doc
English version web-site: www.dcsltd.co.uk
When using the digital inputs, the CD controls are disabled.
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