EBS Fafner II-XD EXTREME EDITION User Manual

EBS FAFNER II - XD

EXTREME EDITION

MADE IN SWEDEN BY EBS SWEDEN AB

G

RINDSTUVÄGEN 44-46, SE-16733 BROMMA,SWEDEN

[phone], FAX : [phone]

E-

MAIL:

*

(

[e-mail]

www.ebssweden.com

WEB:

August 2010

Users Manual

Contents: Page:

Introduction 2
Getting Started 3
Front Panel Controls 4
Block Diagram 8

Page:

Rear Panel Connections 10
Channel Reference 12
Specifications 14

FAFNER XD MANUAL

INTRODUCTION SPECIFICATIONS

2 15

F

or more than a millennia ago, there was in the Nordic countries a legend

about afamily consistingof aman named and histhree sons, ,

and .
One day when Utter was at the river taking a bath in his animal form of an otter, he
was by mistake killed and devoured by the evil god Loki. At this, Reidmar was of
course outraged and demanded a ransom from the Father of all Gods, Odin. The
ransom demanded was Utter's otterskin covered by gold to the last whisker. The
gods saw no other solution than to complywith this andgave Reidmar what he asked
for.

afner and Regin became very angry with their father who didn't want to share

his treasure. Finally theydecided to kill theirfather to get thetreasure, and sodid.

ot long after the two brothers had killed their father, Fafner became so greedy

that he determinedto kill hisbrotherRegin to getthe treasure for himself.

nowing that his treasurewould not be safe inthe family's house, he draggedit to
a cave far from the house. After he had assured himself that all the traces were gone
he transformed himself into a gigantic snakelike dragon and settled down to guard
his treasure.

Reidmar Utter

Regin Fafner

F

N

K

The raw power and cruelty of Fafner the Dragon, is what EBS Sweden has
incorporated in ournew Basshead.

The tube armed Fafner Basshead is targeting the sound-conscious Bassplayers

who know what they want; the best possible sound.

EFFECTS LOOPS:

REMOTES:

TUNER OUT:

LINE OUT:

AMP INPUT:

POWER AMP:

AUXILIARY INFO:

Loop Signal Level nominal -10 dBv
Gain Unity (1:1)
Output Impedance (Sends) <100 ohms
Input Impedance (Returns) 47 kohms // 100 pF

Connection: REMOTE JACK: RING = Mute

TIP = Drive

FILTER JACK: RING = Filter Section

TIP = Character

Function: Connect to GND

for bypass.
Threshold 0.7 V
Current 5 mA suitable for LED

Output Impedance: < 25 kohms
Signal Level As Instrument

Output Impedance <100 ohms
Nominal Signal Level 0 dBv

Input Impedance 10 kohms
Sensitivity 32 dB (40x)

Continuous Output Power >600 W RMS

@ 4 ohms Impedance

750 W RMS

@ 2 ohms Impedance

Power Requirements max 900 W
Mains Protection: T6.3A Fuse (230V)

T10A Fuse (100/120V)
Dimensions (WxDxH): 48 cm x 36 cm x 13 cm

19” x 14” x 5.2”(3U)
Weight: 16 kg ( 36 lbs.)

Specifications are subject to change without notice!

FAFNER XD MANUAL

SPECIFICATIONS GETTING STARTED

14 3

INPUT:

GAIN:

CHARACTER:

COMP/LIMIT:

FILTER SECTION:

DRIVE SECTION:

BALANCED OUTPUT:

Input Impedance 2 Mohms // 100 pF

Gain Range min/max -oo/ +30 dB
Gain Peak LED +10 dBv
Frequency Response +0 / -3 dB 20 - 20.000 Hz

Filter: Type Shelving High/Low Pass
Gain: Lo +9 dB @ 40 Hz

Hi +6 dB @ 8 kHz

Compressor Gain 0 dB
Attenuation max 24 dB
Compression Ratio max 3:1
Attack (80%) typ <10 ms
Release (80%) typ 100 ms

Bass Filter: Type 12 dB/oct. Shelving

Gain Range +/- 18 dB @ 80 Hz

Hi Middle Filter: Type Bandpass Filter

Frequency Range 100 - 4.500 Hz
Q - Normal 0.7
Q - Hi-Q mode 1.8
Gain Range +/- 15 dB

Treble Filter: Type Shelving

Gain Range +/- 15 dB @ 10 kHz

Gain Range min/max 0 / 34 dB
Low End Compensation (Boost off) < 350 Hz
Modes Solid State / Tube
Tube Type ECC83 (European type)
Tube Heating DC

Middle Filter: Type Bandpass Filter

Output Level Nominal/Padded +4 dBm / -30dBm
Output Impedance < 10 ohms current lim.
Frequency Response +0/-3 dB 10 - 20k Hz
Dynamic Range: linear/A-w. 102/105 dB typ.
XLR Connections 1-GND, 2-Hot, 3-Cold
Options GND Lift, Pad

Frequency Range 50 - 2.000 Hz
Q 1.0
Gain Range +/- 15 dB

Edge Filter: Type Bell Filter

Gain Range +/- 12 dB@6kHz

Congratulations on your choice of the

bass head !EBS Fafner

The is the most powerful,
versatile and complete bass head ever built.
With two separate channels, extensive routing
possibilities, built in compressor, tube section,
dual balanced outputs and super powerful EQ
sections, the amp offers an extremely wide
range of sound possibilities.

EBS Fafner II XD

1. Carefully unpack the bass head.

2. Check that all knobs are set fully counter
clockwise besides the EQ controls marked
BASS, HI MID, TREBLE, MIDDLE and
EDGE which should be set to mid position.
Make also sure all push switches are set to
their outer positions. Now the EBS Fafners
settings are "zeroed" and ready to be
personalized.

3. Turn on the POWER switch. Wait for
approx. 15 seconds before switching on the
STANDBY switch to allow the tube to
warm up.

4. Plug in your bass. While plucking the
strings as hard as you would during your
hardest playing, gradually increase the
GAIN knob unit the peak LED starts to
flash at peaks.

5. Move over to the VOLUME knob and
adjust for the desired output volume.

GETTING STARTED...

BUILDING THE SOUND...

6. The first tonal shaping circuitry are the
next to the GAIN control.

These filters provide for a preshape EQ
prior of further fine tuning of your sound.

7. Enable the filters by pressing the

pushbutton and explore the filter

section.

8. The clean channel also features the use of a

tube buffer for adding those extra
harmonics by pressing the
switch.

9. If you need to refine your dynamics, adjust

the COMP/LIMIT knob to your needs.

10.Engage the drive channel by pressing the

button. Now you have full
control of the drive circuitry with its’ EQ.
Turn up the LEVEL to the desired level
compared with the level from the clean
channel.

Character Filters

Filter

Active

Tube Mode

Drive Active

11.Now, press the button. This mode
enables you to serial the two channels, so
now you can dial in your drive sound with
the aid of the filters and options of the clean
channel.

This wasa briefintroduction of .As
you go on further in this manual, you will learn
how to use and utilize all of the useful features
that the offersyou.

Serial

EBS Fafner

EBS Fafner

GOOD LUCK !

FAFNER XD MANUAL

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

4 13

1

13

2

4

345

6 8 12 13 15 1611

7 9 10 14

2

FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION FRONT PANEL CONTROLS:

INPUT

CHARACTER FILTERS

- A low noise, high impedance
instrument input that will interface with passive
and active instrumentsperfectly.

- The EBS Fafner
provides two filter, and , which
operate independently from the other preamp
functions. This gives the user the opportunity to
preshape the sound before the final processing
with the otherfeatures ofthe preamp..

When pressedto their'sinner position, boost is
achieved in bass and treble ranges respectively.
These filters can be contolled remotely. Please
refer to the rear panel description of the remote
jacks.

preshape Hi Lo

Hi

Lo

GAIN

COMP/LIMIT

- Controlto adjustthe instruments'signal
strength to the right operating level in the EBS
Fafner.

For optimum basic signal level, turn up the
GAIN knob until the PEAK led starts flashing
from the strongestsignal fromthe instrument.

- A low noise com­pressor/limiter that works fast and effectively,
tightening up the sound and preventing the bass
head fromsaturating at peakswhen approaching
the headroom limit. A string may be plucked
very hard and fast, without any greater
differencein levelor sideeffects.

The COMP/LIMIT knob sets the compression
ratio, i.e. The signal strength relation between
the input and output; the higher ratio the more
compression.

Note: A correctly set GAIN is vital for the
signal processing to work properly in the.EBS

Fafner

à

DRIVE CHANNEL IN PARALLEL MODE:

D

RIVE CHANNEL IN SERIAL MODE:

D

RIVE CHANNEL IN SERIAL MODE,FILTERS ACTIVE:

D

RIVE CHANNEL IN SERIAL/PARALLEL MODE:

FAFNER XD MANUAL

QUICK CHANNEL REFERENCE FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

12 5

The LED intensity dynamically indicates the
amount of compressionduring play.

– This switch actives the
filter section described under point 6. This
function canbe controlled remotely. Pleaserefer
to the rearpanel descriptionof theremote jacks.

- The filter section contains threeen-

hanced performance filters:

is a 'shelving' type 12dB/oct slope phase

compensated bass filterwith awide gainrange.

has anfrequency range of100-4k
Hz. This filter facilitates total control over the
mids, with a wide bandwidth giving a natural
and non-peakingresult. The switch selects
higher gain and a narrow band for precise
control of themids.

is a shelving type filter controlling
the higher mids and treble registers, giving
presence and ambienceto thesound.

FILTER ACTIVE

FILTERS

BASS

HI MIDDLE

Hi-Q

TREBLE

5

6

7

Bass

Hi Mid

Hi Mid
HiQ

Treble

TUBE MODE -This switch actives a pure tube
buffer providing a touch of the distinguished
warmth and depth of tubes. While reaching the
headroom limit, this buffer will provide a true
tube softclip limiting function, usefulfor adding
those extra truetube harmonics.

CLEAN CHANNEL FILTERS ACTIVE:

C

LEAN CHANNEL IN DRIVE ACTIVE,BYPASS:

C

LEAN CHANNEL IN DRIVE ACTIVE,FILTERS ACTIVE:

C

LEAN CHANNEL IN BYPASS:

D

RIVE CHANNEL ACTIVE:

FAFNER XD MANUAL

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

6 11

DRIVE ACTIVE

DRIVE

POST DRIVE EQ

– This switch actives the
drive section with all of it’s features. This
function can also be controlled remotely. Please
refer to the rear panel description of the remote
jacks.

- This knob controls theamount of gain
in the tube stage, and provides an extra gain all
the way up to 34 dB. This control also com­presses the sound when turning up the level of
the knob up to maximum, producing pure tube
limitation.

- This filter section contains
two highperformance filters for finetuning your
drive channel sound:

has a frequencyrange of 50-2kHz
and facilitates total control all from the bass
timbres up to the mids, controlling with
precision the difinitionof themids.

is “bell” type filter controlling the
higher mids for setting definition, presence and
ambience to thesound.

MIDDLE

EDGE

à

8

9

10

11

12

Middle

Edge

LEVEL

CLEAN LVL

DRIVE CHANNEL OPTIONS:

BOOST

SERIAL

- This knob controls the level of the

channel. The drive channel must be

activated for thiscontrol towork.

- This knob controls the level of
the channel to be mixed in with the
channel sound. The drive channel must be
activated for thiscontrol towork.

– The boost switch makes possible a
choice of two different overdrive types. When
this switchis in its'inner position aflat, or linear,
gain is achieved with the knob. However,
when this switch is in the outer position, the
frequencies below 350 Hz is bypassed,
producing a warmer distortion without
saturation, allowing theplayer adding more low
bass thanwith conventional bassamps. The bass
is compensated over the tube stage, giving the
same bass responseup tomid distortedsounds.

- The serial switch selects the source
for the drive channel. In outer position the
source is taken directly after the gain and
preshape filters. In inner position, the source is
taken afterthe clean channel, including allof the
clean channel features; filters, compresssor and
tube buffer.

drive

clean drive

drive

8

9

10

11

REMOTES –The EBSFafner is equipped with
two remote jacks for controlling with foot
switches the ,

functions on the front panel plus a mute

function.

You may usethe RM-4pedal fromEBS, or any
standard footswitch pedal making connectionto
ground for each of the remote functions. In
addition, thesejacks providecurrent suitablefor
LED indication.

character filters filter active drive

active

,

Note: Each of thefunctions switcheson thefront
panel needsto be set to innerposition inorder to
be remotely controlled.

SPEAKER OUTPUTS

AC INPUT

SYSTEM FAN

– Connect your
speakers here. Care should be taken when
connecting speakers so that the minium total
impedance is notlower than2 ohms.

– Connect only tothe indicatedAC
voltage. If the mains fuse blow, replace only
with the sametype.

– The system fan is a tempera­ture controlled fan and will increase the speed
according to thetemperature andpower output.

Note: Lower impedance than 2 ohms may cause
permanent damage tothe amp.

EBS will not take responsibility for
eventual hearing damages caused by the
powerful EBS Fafner.

IMPORTANT: Make sure not to cover the
ventilation opening!

SOMETHING ABOUT TUBES…

Although the ECC83 (12AX7) is a long life tube,
it is recommended replacing thetube once a year
to guarantee perfectoperation.

In order to replace the tube, please follow the
instruction below:

1) Power off and unplug the amplifier from the
mains.

2) Let the amplifier fully discharge for at least
five (5) minutes.

3) Remove the top cover by removing the four
bolts at the amps left at right side, and the two
bolts on thetop covernext tothe rearpanel.

4) Locate the tube at the poweramp board and
carefully remove thetube.

5) Place the new tube in place. Be sure that no
tube pins aredamaged.

6) Place thetop coverin place.

Done!

FAFNER XD MANUAL

REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS AND CONTROLS FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

10 7

13

14

15

16

VOLUME

BALANCED OUTPUTS

STANDBY

- The VOLUME knob controls all
volume in the unit, controlling the poweramp
and LINE output. The balanced outputs (XLR)
are not affectedby thesetting of thisknob.

- A balanced output
functions as a high quality line box for
connecting toPA mixingconsoles or to studio or
broadcast recording units, with high noise
immunity.

The EBSFafner isequipped withtwo balanced
outputs, in order to be able to monitor both the
input signal and the signal from the entire
preamp.

The output is a direct copy of the
signal present at the input jack, so no controls
effect this output.

The outputs the signal afterthe entire
preamp and is not dependent of the output
volume.

Lifting groundis a great aid inmany occasions.
When required, set the switch at the
front panel to inner position to disconnect the
ground from theoutputs.

The switch sets the option of either studio
standard leve, inouter position, or whenpressed
microphone level.

- This switch disconnects the
poweramp from the speaker outputs, mutes the
line output and the balanced outputs. The mute
function can alsobe remotely controlled.

PRE EQ

POST EQ

Gnd Lift

Pad

Please
refer to the rear panel description of the remote
jacks.

- Switches theamp onor off.POWER

1

9710

15

6

7

2

3

4

11

234685

FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION REAR PANEL:

POST LOOP

CLEAN CHANNEL LOOP

DRIVE CHANNEL LOOP

EFFECTS LOOP

- This serial loop is situated after
the VOLUME control. Use the for
connecting to another poweramp or to another
Fafners for connecting
two amps together.

- This isthe clean
channel serial loop and is only active for the
clean channel.

- This is the drive
channel serial loop and is only active for the
drive channel.

- This is the commoneffects
loop available for both channels and is situated
after the individualchannel loops.

LINE OUT

POWERAMP INPUT

FX MIX

LO-Z INPUT

TUNER OUT

– This control controls the mix level
for the common , from 0%
(off) to 50%(parallel), to100% (serial).

– This input is a low impedance
input suitable forconnectingwireless systemsor
other sourceswithout theneed of using the input
on the front panel.When connecting to the input
on the frontpanel, thisinput isdisabled.

- This low impedance output is
suitable for driving tuners. The signal from this
output is identicalto theinstruments' signal.

EFFECTS LOOP

FAFNER XD MANUAL

BLOCK DIAGRAM

8 9

FAFNER XD MANUAL