Fostex HP-A8 Quick Start Manual

Quick Start Guide

HP-A8

32-bit DAC headphone amplifier

8289683000

(555373)

Thank you very much for purchasing the HP-A8.
This manual provides the basics of the HP-A8. Read this
before you use the unit for the first time.

<Note>: If you connect the HP-A8 toa Windows computer via USB,
youmustinstallthededicatedUSBAudioClass2.0driverwhichcanbe
downloadedfromtheFostexwebsite(www.fostex.com).
IfyouuseaMaccomputer,youdonotneedtodownloadadriver.

E-2

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1) Read these instructions.

Lisez ces instructions.

2) Keep these instructions.

Conservez ces instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

Respectez tous les avertissements.

4) Follow all instructions.

Suivez toutes les instructions.

5) Do not use this apparatus near water.

Ne pas utiliser cet appareil près de lʼeau.

6) Clean only with dry cloth.

Nettoyer uniquement avec un chiffon sec.

7) Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions.

Ne pas bloquer les ouvertures de ventilation. Installer conformé-

ment aux instructions du fabricant.

8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers,
stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

Ne pas installer près de sources de chaleur telles que radiateurs,

registres de chaleur, poêles ou autres appareils (y compris les am­plificateurs) produisant de la chaleur.

9) Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug.
A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A ground

­ing type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide
blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug
does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the
obsolete outlet.

Ne détruisez pas la sécurité de la terre ou polarisées - fiche. Une

fiche polarisée possède deux lames dont une est plus large que lʼ
autre. Une prise de terre possède deux lames et une broche de
terre. La lame large ou la troisième broche sont prévues pour votre
sécurité. Si la fiche fournie ne rentre pas dans votre prise, con­sultez un électricien pour remplacer la prise obsolète.

10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at
plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the
apparatus.

Protégez le cordon dʼalimentation dʼêtre piétiné ou pincé, particu-

lièrement au niveau des fiches, des prises, et le point où ils sortent
de lʼappareil.

11) Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

Nʼutilisez que des accessoires spécifiés par le fabricant.

12) Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the
manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart
is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus
combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

Utilisez seulement avec la charrette, position,

trépied, support ou table spécifiée par le fab­ricant, ou a vendu avec lʼappareil . Lorsquʼune
charrette est utilisée, utilise la prudence quand
déplacer la combinaison de charrette / appareil pour éviter la bles­sure de pointe-sur.

13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long
periods of time.

Débranchez cet appareil pendant les orages ou lorsquʼil nʼest pas

utilisé pendant de longues périodes de temps.

14) Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required
when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-sup

­ply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen
into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture,
does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

Confiez toute réparation à un personnel qualifié. Une réparation

est nécessaire lorsque lʼappareil a été endommagé de quelque
façon que ce cordon dʼalimentation ou la fiche est endommagé,
liquide a été renversé ou des objets sont tombés dans lʼappareil, lʼ
appareil a été exposé à la pluie ou à lʼhumidité, ne fonctionne pas
normalement, ou sʼil est tombé.

15) The apparatus shall be used in an open area.

Cet apprareil doit être utilisé dans un endroit a aire ouverte.

16) Apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and that no ob

­jects filled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on appalatus.

Lʼappareil ne doit pas êclaboussures et aucun objet ne contenant

de liquide, tel quʼun vase, ne doit être placé sur lobjet.

17) Mains plug is used as disconnect device. It shall remain readily operable
and should not be obstructed during intended use. To completely discon

­nect the apparatus from supply mains, the main plug of the apparatus
shall be disconnected from the mains socket outlet completely.

La prise du secteur et utilisé pou déconnecter le système. La prise

du secteur ne doit pas étre obstruée ou doit être facilement acces­sible pendant son utilisation. Pour être complèment déconnecté de
lʼalimentation dʼentrée, la prise doit être débranchée du secteur.

ATTENTION

RISQUE D' ÉLECTROCUTION

NES PAS OUVRIR

WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS

• CAUTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH WIDE BLADE OF
PLUG TO WIDE SLOT, FULLY INSERT.

ATTENTION: POUR PREVENIR LES CHOCS ELECTRIQUES, APAR DE LA

FENTE LARGE, FOND.

• WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this
apparatus to rain or moisture.

AVIS: Pour réduire le risque dʼincendie ou de choc électrique, ne

pas exposer cet appareil sous la pluie et lʼhumidité.

• CAUTION: Use of any controls or adjustments or performance of proce

­dures other than those herein specified may result in hazardous radiation
exposure.

ATTENTION: Lʼutilisation de tout contrôle ou de réglages ou de

procédures autres que celles indiquées ci-après peut entraîner une
exposition à des radiations dangereuses.

• WARNING: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved
by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.

AVIS: Les changements ou modifications à cette unité nʼétant pas

expressément approuvé par la partie responsable de la conformité
pourrait annuler lʼautorité de lʼutilisateur de faire fonctionner lʼ
équipement.

• WARNING: Do not place the unit on top of any soft, porous, or sensitive
surfaces to avoid damaging the surface. Use a protective barrier between
the unit and surface to protect the surface.

AVIS: Ne placez pas lʼappareil au-dessus de toutes les surfaces

souples, poreux, ou sensibles pour éviter dʼendommager la sur­face. Utilisez une barrière de protection entre lʼunité et la surface à
protéger la surface.

• WARNING: Use of this unit near fluorescent lighting may cause interfer

­ence regarding use of the remote. If the unit is displaying erratic behavior
move away from any fluorescent lighting, as it may be the cause.

AVIS: Lʼutilisation de cet appareil à proximité dʼéclairage fluo-

rescent peut provoquer des interférences sur lʼutilisation de la
télécommande. Si lʼappareil affiche un comportement erratique sʼ
éloigner de tout éclairage fluorescent, telle quʼelle peut être la
cause.

• WARNING: Do not install this equipment in a confined space such as a
book case or similar unit.

AVIS: Ne pas installer cet équipement dans un espace confiné

comme une bibliothèque ou une unité similaire.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELEC­TRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR
BACK).

AVERTISSEMENT: POUR RÉDUIRE LE RISQUE
DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE
COUVERCLE (NI LE DOS).

NO USERSERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER
SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSON

-

NEL.

AUCUNE PIÈCE À LʼINTÉRIEUR. ENTRETIEN DE
PERSONNELQUALIFIE.

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilat­eral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of
uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclo­sure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk
of electric shock to persons.

Le symbole de lʼéclair fléché dans un triangle équilaté

­ral, est destiné à alerter lʼutilisateur de la présence dʼ
une “tension dangereuse” dans le boîtier du produit qui
peuvent être des ampleur suffisante pour constituer un
risque dʼélectrocution aux personnes.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is in

­tended to alert the user to the presence of important operat­ing and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature
accompanying the product.

Le point dʼexclamation dans un triangle attire lʼatten

­tion de lʼutilisateur sur la présente dʼune importante
littérature concernant le fonctionnement et lʼentretien
(les réparations) de lʼappareil dans les manuels fournis.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

E-3

Overview

The HP-A8 is a DAC headphone amplifier offering
superb analog and digital circuitry designs. You can
listen to music reproduced by a personal computer
or digital audio device with high quality sound.

• High quality 32-bit DAC (AK4399) and all discrete
analog circuitry headphone amplifier for maxi

-

mum sound quality

• Self-developed USB driver up to 32bit/192kHz on
Mac (24bit on Windows)

• Asynchronous mode using high precision TCXO
(temperature compensated crystal oscillator) sup­presses clock jitter.

• Audiophile quality electronic volume is used for
level control.

• Large capacity toroidal power transformer for
ample power supply.

• Audio source selectable from a personal com­puter, digital audio device or analog audio device.

• Built-in SD (SDHC) card drive to reproduce DSF
file on an SD card, as well as be used for future
software upgrade using an SD card.

• Two headphone jacks as well as the line output
(RCA jacks) for analog output.

• Internal clock or External clock mode selectable.

• Up-sampling function (x 2, x 4 or OFF).

• Selectable digital filter type.

• 24-step selectable gain for headphone output.

• Direct analog output mode bypassing the volume
circuit.

• Comes with a handy dedicated remote controller.

• OLED (organic electroluminescent display) repre­sents current system information as well as menu
information.

Supplied accessories

The following accessories are supplied with the
HP-A8.

• Remote controller x 1

• Power cord x 1

• Quick start guide (this manual) x 1

After purchasing the HP-A8, check that all the
above items are included in the package.

* Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft

Corporation in the United States and other
countries.

* Mac is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in

the U.S. and other countries.

* All other trademarks are the property of their

respective owners.

Table of contents

Table of contents ...........................................E-3

Overview ........................................................E-3

Supplied accessories ....................................E-3

Features and controls

Front panel ..............................................E-4

Rear panel ...............................................E-5

Display ....................................................E-6

Remote controller ....................................E-7

Using the HP-A8
Example 1: Listening to the audio from

an external digital audio device ..............E-8

Example 2: Listening to a DSF file on

an SD card ..............................................E-9

Using the menu

Basic menu operation ..........................E-11

Menu items ...........................................E-11

Declaration of EC Directive ........................E-12

Fostex distributors list in Europe .................E-12

For the more detailed information, see the “Owner’s
manual (details)” that will be uploaded to the Fostex
website (www.fostex.com) later and updated as
needed.

FCC (U.S.A.) & ICES-003 (Canada)

INFORMATION

1. IMPORTANT NOTICE
This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions contained in this
manual, meets FCC and ICES-003 requirements. Changes or modifications
not expressly approved by Fostex Company for compliance could void the
user’ s authority to operate the equipment. DO NOT MODIFY THIS PROD

-

UCT.

2. IMPORTANT
In order to comply with FCC and ICES-003 requirements, use high quality
shielded cables for connection to accessories and / or another products. If
any cables are supplied with this product, they MUST be used. Follow all
installation instructions. Failure to do so could void your FCC / ICES-003
authorization to use this product in the USA / Canada.

3. NOTE
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when
the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment
generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a resi

­dential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will
be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

4. Compliance with Part 15 of FCC Rules and Canadian ICES-003.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interfer

­ence, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including
interference that many cause undesired operation.

This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du

Canada.

E-4

❶

[

POWER] switch

This switch turns on or off the unit.
When the switch is down, the unit is on.

❷

[ON]

indicator

When the unit is on, this indicator lights in red.

❸

[

OUTPUT SEL] switch

This switch selects weather analog audio is output
from the [PHONES

]

(1 and 2) jacks or the

[

ANALOG
OUT] jacks.
When the switch is up, audio is output from the
[

PHONES] (1 and 2) jacks.
When the switch is down, audio is output from the
[

ANALOG OUT] jacks.

<Memo>:Regardless of the [OUTPUT SEL]
switch setting, the digital audio signal is always
fed to all [DIGITAL OUT] jacks (except when the
input source is an analog source or a DSF file).

❹

Display

Shows various information of the unit.
See E-6 for details.

❺

[

PHONES] (1 and 2) jacks

(stereo phone jacks)

These jacks are used to connect to headphones.
You can connect headphones to both jacks simul­taneously, allowing monitoring by two persons at a
time.
The audio signal is output from these jacks when
the [OUTPUT SEL

]

switch on the front panel is up.

Features and controls

Front panel

❻

[

INPUT SEL] dial

You can select the input source from the following
by rotating this dial.

External device connected to
the [AES/EBU] jack on the rear panel
Computer connected to
the [USB] jack on the rear panel
External device connected to
the [ANALOG] jacks on the rear panel
SD card inserted to
the [SD CARD] slot on the rear panel
External device connected to
the [DIGITAL IN - COAXIAL] jack on
the rear panel
External device connected to the
[DIGITAL IN - OPTICAL 1] jack on
the rear panel
External device connected to the
[DIGITAL IN - OPTICAL 2] jack on
the rear panel

AES/EBU

USB

RCA

SD

COX

OPT1

OPT2

<Memo>:The currently selected input source is
shown on the display.

In the menu mode, this dial is used for selecting the
item or value (see “Using the menu” on page E-11).

❼

Audio volume dial

This dial controls the audio output volume of the
[

PHONES] (1 and 2) and [ANALOG OUT] jacks.
Audiophile quality electronic volume is used.
The current volume position is shown at the right
top on the display.

<Memo>:When the “DIRECT” menu item is set
to “ON”, this dial does not affect the output vol

-

ume of the [ANALOG OUT] jacks.

volume

input sel

1 2phonesoutput selpower

on

off

H P A8

32BIT DAC

HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER

❷ ❼❸ ❹ ❻❺❶