Furman ITREFERENCE7, ITREFERENCE20, ITREFERENCE15 User Manual
When employing the IT-REFERENCE you will immediately notice far clearer, stunningly focused sound and visual images from
your system. Video presentation will be crisp and colors true. Sonic
transients will be startlingly fast with bass fundamentals that shake
foundations with their weight and visceral impact. Mid and high frequencies will bloom with sweet, non-glaring ease and imaging will
improve dramatically, all the while remaining true to your system’s
inherent virtues.
Installation
Before unpacking your unit, inspect the carton for any obvious
severe damage to the box and internal protective materials. If internal
damage is likely, contact the carrier who delivered the unit before
proceeding with unpacking. If, after unpacking, shipping damage is
evident, contact the carrier. Save all shipping and packing materials.
You may need them if you should ever have to return the unit to the
factory for servicing.
The box should contain the IT-REFERENCE unit, Owner’s Manual,
and Warranty Registration Card. If anything is missing, please contact
Furman Customer Service. Fill out and return your warranty registration
card. Registration is recommended because it can be used to establish
whether the unit is within the warranty period should your original
ownership documents be lost, and it assists us in informing you about
upgrades or other vital information.
The power source to which the IT-Reference is connected must
be adequate for use at 20 Amps. Though the system may function
with a 15 Amp panel circuit breaker, nuisance tripping and vastly inferior
protection could result. If your system includes audio power amplifiers
that require more than modest power demands, a circuit breaker with
a rating of at least 20 Amps is essential for optimum performance. If
other electrical loads are used on this same AC line, and the continuous
load from your equipment is in excess of 10 Amps, we recommend a
30 Amp circuit breaker wired with #10 gauge wire. For installations
which must comply with NEC codes, a dedicated 20 Amp circuit is
the minimum requirement. If in doubt, consult your local electrician.
The IT-Reference is manufactured with four rubber feet for placement on any table, cabinet, shelf, or floor capable of supporting its
weight. Because of the IT-Reference’s advanced internal magnetic
shielding, placement or proximity to other components is not critical, and the IT-Reference does not produce any appreciable heat.
The IT- Reference may also be rack mounted in a standard 19”
rack by attaching the optional IT-Reference rack ears. These optional rack ears mount flush with the back portion of the ITReference’s front panel. They are attached to the chassis by removing the (3) countersunk screws on each forward-side of the
chassis top cover. Each rack ear is installed with pan-head Philips
screws contained within the IT-Reference Rack Ear mounting kit.
Due to the weight of the IT-Reference (80 lbs.), it is recommended
that placement be at or near the bottom of your rack when choosing this mounting option.
Once the IT-Reference is placed, its AC cord must be plugged
into an appropriate socket (see current rating recommendation
above). This AC cord will carry substantial unbalanced AC current,
so it should be dressed away from critical signal-carrying cables, or
at the very least, cross them at a 90 degree angle. The same is
true of the power amplifier AC cords when plugged into the ITReference’s “Amplifier Power” AC filtered outputs. All other components plugged into “Discrete Symmetrical Power” outlets (A) through
(D) have symmetrical balanced AC current and will radiate virtually
no field; as a result of this technology, their placement is not critical.
The IT-Reference’s “Symmetrical Power Outlets” should be employed for all components other than power amplifiers, powered
subwoofers, or powered loudspeakers. Each “Discrete” bank (A)
through (D) contains two parallel outputs, that are symmetrically
balanced, filtered, and totally isolated from adjacent output banks
or the “Amplifier Power” outlets. It should be noted that as each AC
bank’s outlets are in parallel, component power supply noise could
potentially “back-wash” between these units. For this reason it is
recommended that systems with minimal componentry (four units
Suggested AC Connection: Example 1
MONOBLOCK
AMPLIFIER
MONOBLOCK
AMPLIFIER
COMPACT DISC
TRANSPORT
PHONOGRAPH
TURNTABLE
DIGITAL/ANALOG
CONVERTER
PRE-AMPLIFIER
or less, excluding the power amplifiers) utilize one “Discrete” bank
per component. This will maximize performance by eliminating inter-component AC noise contamination entirely! For systems utilizing more componentry, high performance will still be achieved
with careful routing of component AC cords to the IT-Reference’s
four “Discrete” power banks. We recommend separating digital processors, DVD’s, and CD transports from pre-amplifiers, tuners, and
tape machines. Further, video monitors should ideally be separated from audio components.
Most audiophile and premium audio/video systems will have combined continuous current demands far below 10 Amps. It is rare, in
fact, for relatively high current drawing units such as power amplifiers to draw as much as 5 Amps continuously. However, for the
ultimate in performance, it is vital that an AC filter posses extraordinarily low impedance, and possess the capability to pass peak
current demands far in excess of the RMS (continuous) current rating. The IT-Reference was designed to more than meet this de-
mand. Additionally, our Power Correction Circuitry effectively creates a current reserve in excess of 8 Amps that is cleaner and faster
than a dedicated line from your local power station. This benefits
audio and video performance dramatically.
When power correction technology is employed with even the
most sophisticated circuit breakers, it effectively adds to the per-
ceived current load. Though the IT-Reference was designed for
steady 20 Amp operation, and peak current demands many times
that, it is recommended that the total continuous current draw be
limited to 1500 Watts per IT-Reference employed. This is far in
excess of typical home demands. If you are unsure of your system’s
current draw, consult your Furman dealer or Furman service representative. The total continuous current draw of most electronic
components is typically listed in Watts by their AC input cord or AC
connector. Watts ratings are simply added to determine the total
system RMS current draw. It should also be noted that the ITReference’s correction circuitry has no actual effect on the power
drawn from your utilities’ power meter. The IT-Reference draws a
mere 8.5 Watts independent of other components.
Soft Start and Continuous Use
When power is first applied to the IT-Reference, the Soft Start
feature is activated. The extraordinarily low-impedance of the ITReference’s proprietary transformer can draw as much as 200 Amps
for the first ¼ second power is applied. This creates a system capable of incredible instantaneous power demands without a trace
of the typical dynamic and transient compression common in many
other, inferior designs. Still, the circuit breakers in your service panel
could nuisance trip with such a large toroid transformer when power
is applied. Furman’s Soft Start circuit eliminates this potential inconvenience by absorbing the initial current surge, then bypassing
its circuitry within two seconds of energizing the IT-Reference. There
is an audible “clack” when the IT-Reference is first turned on or off.
This sound is produced by the Soft Start circuit’s massive 25 Amp
relay engaging or disengaging. It is best to avoid re-energizing the
IT-Reference from turn-off mode until the “clack” sound has occurred
(typically within two seconds).
There is nothing in the IT-Reference’s construction, design, or
componentry to wear over the life time of the product, and there is
no power draw from your electric service meter aside from the LED
power indicator, relay, and GFCI protection circuit. For this reason
the IT-Reference may be left with its power engaged permanently
at a cost of pennies per month. This is an added benefit, as many
audio/videophiles find performance improves significantly when
leaving low-powered components permanently charged (turned on).
Ground Fault Interrupter (GFCI)
The IT- Reference’s “Discrete Symmetrical Filtered AC outlets”
incorporate a balanced AC power output, whereby both the neutral
and positive leads of the AC cable run at 60 Volts AC in opposing
polarity, referenced to ground (0 Volts AC). This is but one of the ITReference’s advantages over other AC-filter/protection designs.
Though virtually all domestically produced electronic equipment is
designed to detect electrical shorts and other potentially dangerous equipment problems in the positive lead referenced to its ground,
Suggested AC Connection: Example 2
POWERED
SUBWOOFER
MONOBLOCK
AMPLIFIER
VIDEO MONITOR
MONOBLOCK
AMPLIFIER
COMPACT DISC
TRANSPORT
V.C.R.
DIGITAL/ANALOG
CONVERTER
SURROUND-SOUND
PROCESSOR
AUDIO PRE-
AMPLIFIER
D.V.D.
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