Musical Surroundings Supernova Owners manual
MUSICAL SURROUNDINGS PRESENTS:
THE SUPERNOVA
PHONOGRAPH PREAMPLIFIER
SuperNova Phonograph Preamplifier
Musical Surroundings
1
2
-5
-3
-7.5
-2.3
-1.7
-1
-.5
0dB
left
3
Attenuator
right
Status
Source Selector
OWNER’S MANUAL
THE SUPERNOVA
PHONOGRAPH PREAMPLIFIER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) INTRODUCING: THE SUPERNOVA PAGE 3
2) SET-UP PAGE 4
3) REAR PANEL PAGE 5
4) FRONT PANEL PAGE 6
5) LOADING SETTINGS PAGE 7
6) GAIN SETTINGS PAGE 9
7) INPUTS PAGE 10
8) OUTPUTS PAGE 11
8.1) WHICH OUTPUT CONFIGURATION IS BEST FOR ME? PAGE 11
8.2) CONNECTING TO A PREAMPLIFIER (STANDARD
CONFIGURATION) PAGE 12
8.3) CONNECTING TO A POWER AMPLIFIER (PHONO-
DEDICATED CONFIGURATION) PAGE 13
8.4) -20DB/0DB SWITCH PAGE 14
8.5) ATTENUATION SWITCH PAGE 14
9) SUPERNOVA BATTERY POWER SUPPLY PAGE 14
10) USING THE SUPERNOVA PAGE 14
11) MIKE YEE’S NOTES ON THE SUPERNOVA PAGE 15
12) WARRANTY INFORMATION PAGE 16
DIAGRAMS
DIAGRAM 1: REAR PANEL PAGE 5
DIAGRAM 2: FRONT PANEL PAGE 6
DIAGRAM 3: LOADING SETTINGS (CHART) PAGE 8
DIAGRAM 4: GAIN SETTINGS (CHART) PAGE 9
DIAGRAM 5: INPUT CONNECTIONS PAGE 10
DIAGRAM 6: STANDARD OUTPUT CONFIGURATION PAGE 12
DIAGRAM 7: PHONO-DEDICATED CONFIGURATION PAGE 13
2
1) INTRODUCING: THE SUPERNOVA
The SuperNova is a complete phonograph preamplifier that is designed with superior
imaging in mind, providing realistic imaging of all types of music.
FEATURES:
? The SuperNova handles up to three phono inputs.
? Gain settings are user-adjustable from 40 to 60 dB.
? Loading settings are user-adjustable from 30 Ohms to 100,000 Ohms.
? Independent Gain and Loading settings are available for each of the three
phono inputs.
? There are no “signal path” switches except for the passive attenuator, if used.
? There are two available outputs options: a standard “line out” FIXED output,
and a “phono-dedicated” VARIABLE output.
? A Passive Attenuator on the front of the unit controls volume when the
SuperNova is connected directly to a power amp.
? The SuperNova uses Large Area Monolithic Super Matched Transistor Pairs for
lowest noise performance.
SUPERNOVA BATTERY POWER SUPPLY FEATURES:
? Rechargeable batteries.
? The charging circuits completely disconnect from the batteries when in
battery mode.
? Optically coupled voltage monitors will wake up the processor to engage the
charging of the batteries if the batteries are discharged enough.
? Four seven-cell NiMH “AA” battery packs provide power, one for each positive
and negative power supply for each channel.
? There are four separate charging circuits.
? The positive and negative battery packs are charged separately in case there
is different current usage between the positive and negative power supplies.
This prevents repeated overcharging one battery pack while undercharging
the other battery pack.
? The batteries will be “topped off” by putting the unit into charge mode if there
is no activity for one week.
? Fully Dual Mono even when not in Battery Mode.
? Battery packs have an estimated life of 3+ years. Replacement Battery Packs
are available through your dealer where you purchased your SuperNova.
? The power supply has been designed to sound excellent even without the
batteries installed.
3
2) SET-UP
The SuperNova is easy to set up, although, because of its flexibility, it may take
some listening to fine-tune the settings to perfectly match your system and your
personal tastes. Begin by removing the SuperNova and the SuperNova Battery Power
Supply from the box. Set-up involves the following steps:
Setting configuration of the Gain and Loading:
The SuperNova is adaptable to any phonograph cartridge, with user-adjustable
Gain and Loading settings that allow the user to match their moving-coil or
moving-magnet cartridge to any of 256 possible Loading and 16 possible Gain
settings. This feature allows the SuperNova to be custom-configured to any highend cartridge, resulting in superior imaging, amazing presence, accurate sound,
and precise musicality. The settings switches for Gain and Loading are located on
the SuperNova’s rear panel. See DIAGRAM 1 (page 5) for a complete explanation
of the rear panel and its functions.
Connecting the Inputs and Outputs:
The SuperNova inputs accept up to three turntables, and features two sets of
outputs, which allow the user to configure their system in two ways:
1) STANDARD (FIXED OUTPUT) CONFIGURATION (DIAGRAM 6, page 12), which delivers a
standard line-level signal to a pre-amp, line-stage amp or integrated amp;
2) PHONO-DEDICATED (VARIABLE OUTPUT) CONFIGURATION (DIAGRAM 7, page 13),
which delivers a variable (attenuated) signal directly into a power amp. This
option bypasses the extra circuitry present in nearly every system, offering a
cleaner sound and making this the preferred option for users who listen
exclusively to LPs.
Connecting the power source:
The SuperNova connects from the rear panel to the SuperNova Battery Power
Supply via the supplied Ribbon Cable, and the SuperNova Battery Power Supply
then connects to the wall via the supplied Power Cord.
The SuperNova front panel contains a three-position Switch Selector (to alternate
between turntables), an 11-position Attenuator (for volume control when using the
PHONO-DEDICATED (VARIABLE OUTPUT) CONFIGURATION), and two LEDs which indicate the
status of the charging system. See DIAGRAM 2 (page 6) for a view of the front panel
and explanation of the functions available.
4
3) REAR PANEL
The SuperNova’s Rear Panel is designed to offer unprecedented flexibility. The unit is
able to connect to up to three turntables simultaneously, with user-adjustable Gain
and Loading settings for each. In the examples below, the SuperNova has been
connected to three types of cartridges: a low-output moving-coil cartridge (turntable
1), a medium-output moving-coil cartridge (turntable 2), and a moving-magnet
cartridge (turntable 3). Check the specifications for your cartridge(s) and adjust the
Gain and Loading settings accordingly.
REAR PANEL (DIAGRAM 1)
TURNTABLE 2 SETTINGS:
(medium-output moving-coil cartridge)
GAIN: 50 db (switch 2 ON; all others OFF)
LOADING: 1K ohms (switch 6 ON; all others OFF).
TURNTABLE 1 SETTINGS:
(low-output moving-coil cartridge)
GAIN: 60 db (all switches ON).
LOADING: 475 ohms (switch 5 ON; all othersOFF).
TURNTABLE 1:
RCA input (left)
LEFT
O
N
GAIN
SWITCHES
GAIN
SWITCHES
O
N
RIGHT
123
2 3 4
1
4
PHONO 1
O
N
O
N
1 2 3 4 6 7 85
TURNTABLE 2:
RCA input (left)
1 2 3 4 6 7 85
INPUT
LOADING
INPUT
LOADING
O
N
1 2 3 4
GAIN
SWITCHES
GAIN
SWITCHES
O
N
123
TURNTABLE 3 SETTINGS:
(moving-magnet cartridge)
GAIN: 40 dbs (all switches OFF)
LOADING: 50K ohms (switch 8 ON; all others OFF)
TURNTABLE 3:
RCA input (left)
O
N
2 3 4
1
GAIN
SWITCHES
GAIN
SWITCHES
O
N
2 3 4
1
PHONO 3
O
N
1 2
O
N
1 234
3 4 6 7 8
INPUT
LOADING
INPUT
LOADING
4
PHONO 2
O
N
1 2
O
N
3 4 6 7 8
INPUT
LOADING
INPUT
LOADING
1 2 3 4
5
5
6 7 8
GAIN and LOADING:
These are general settings for
common configurations. For
more complete tables, see
secs. 5 and 6 (pages 7-9).
ON = UP
OFF = DOWN
5
INPUT LOADING
SWITCHES
Pos. 1: OFF = 200 pf
ON = 300 pf
Pos. 2: 59 ohms
Pos. 3: 121 ohms
Pos. 4: 243 ohms
Pos. 5: 475 ohms
Pos. 6: 1,000 ohms
Pos. 7: 2,000 ohms
Pos. 8: 50,000 ohms
ALL OFF = 10,000 ohms
GAIN
SWITCHES
Pos. 1: 56 db
Pos. 2: 50 db
Pos. 3: 46 db
Pos. 4: 44 db
NONE ON = 40 db
5
ALL ON = 60 db
6 7 8
LEFT OUTPUT (FIXED)
See section 8.2 (page 12) for more details
about STANDARD output configuration.
LEFT OUTPUT (VARIABLE)
See section 8.3 (page 13) for more details about
PHONO-DEDICATED output configuration.
MUSICAL SURROUNDINGS - MADE IN U.S.A.
FIXED OUTPUT VARIABLE OUTPUT
-20db
1
-20db
FIXED OUTPUT
2
0db
0db
VARIABLE OUTPUT
POWER
GROUND
GROUND LUG:
Attach ground wire
from turntable(s) here.
-20db/0db SWITCH:
See sec. 8.4 (page 14) for details.
LEFT
RIGHT
RIGHT OUTPUT (VARIABLE)
See section 8.3 (page 13) for more details about
TURNTABLE 1:
RCA input (right)
TURNTABLE 1 SETTINGS:
(low-output moving-coil cartridge)
GAIN: 60 db (all switches ON).
LOADING: 475 ohms (switch 5 ON; all othersOFF).
TURNTABLE 2:
RCA input (right)
TURNTABLE 2 SETTINGS:
(medium-output moving-coil cartridge)
GAIN: 50 db (switch 2 ON; all others OFF)
LOADING: 1K ohms (switch 6 ON; all others OFF).
TURNTABLE 3:
RCA input (right)
TURNTABLE 3 SETTINGS:
(moving-magnet cartridge)
GAIN: 40 dbs (all switches OFF)
LOADING: 50K ohms (switch 8 ON; all others OFF)
See section 8.2 (page 12) for more details
about the STANDARD output configuration.
the PHONO-DEDICATED output configuration.
RIGHT OUTPUT (FIXED)
POWER MODULE
(connect POWER RIBBON CABLE here)
5
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