Parasound HCA-3500 User Manual

O W N E R ' S M A N U A L

HCA-3500 Ultra High Current Power Amplifier

HCA-3500 Ultra High Current Power Amplifier

Power

Left

Power

Right

Designed in California by John Curl

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Table of Contents

Important Safety Instructions ........................................................................................... 3

Figure #1 HCA-3500 Front and Rear Panel Drawings ..................................................... 4

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5

Ventilation Requirements .................................................................................................. 6

Making Connections to the HCA-3500.............................................................................. 6

RCA Input Connections ..................................................................................................... 6

XLR Input Connections...................................................................................................... 6

XLR Selector Switch .......................................................................................................... 7

Speaker Connections......................................................................................................... 7

Bi-Wiring ............................................................................................................................. 7

AC Power Connections and AC Grounding ..................................................................... 7

Maintaining Y our Parasound Amplifier ............................................................................. 8

In Case of Trouble............................................................................................................... 8

Special Features for the Parasound HCA-3500 ............................................................... 9

Parasound HCA-3500 Specifications............................................................................. 10

Special Features for the Parasound HCA-3500

Independent power supplies for each channel for true dual-monaural operation

Massive encapsulated 1.4 kVA toroid power transformer for each channel

97,600 uF power supply capacitance for each channel

Multiple polystyrene film bypass capacitors in power supply

Direct coupled design uses no inductors or capacitors in the signal path

DC servo direct-coupled audio circuits with 0.5 Hz rolloff

Output transistors direct-coupled to speakers without LRC networks

Cascode Class A input stages with matched J-FET pairs

Hand-picked complementary MOSFET transistors in high voltage driver stage

High-bias Class A/AB operation provides 15 Watts of pure Class A operation

8 complementary pairs of 15 ampere 60 MHz output transistors per channel

High-quality Neutrik XLR jacks for balanced inputs

Two sets of gold-plated metal structure RCA input jacks for balanced operation

Two sets of gold-plated 5-way binding posts facilitates bi-wiring

Multiple protection circuits, temperature sensors and silver-cadmium relay protection

Glass epoxy circuit boards, double-sided for precision

Two hand-made audiophile-grade AC power cords-separate for each channel

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to
the presence of “dangerous voltage” inside the product that may constitute a risk of electric shock.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying the product.

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE
PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL

1. Read Instructions — Read all the safety and operating instructions before operating this product.

2. Retain Instructions — Retain safety and operating instructions for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings — Adhere to all warnings on the product and in the operating instructions.

4. Follow Instructions — Follow all operating and use instructions.

5. Cleaning — Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Use a damp cloth for cleaning. Clean the

outside of the product only.

6. Attachments — Do not use attachments that are not recommended by the product manufacturer; they may be

hazardous.

7. Water and Moisture — Do not use this product near water.

8. Accessories — Do not place this product on an unstable cart or stand. The product may fall causing bodily injury

and damage to the product. A product and cart combination should be moved with care. Quick stops, excessive
force, and uneven surfaces may cause the product and cart to overturn.

9. Ventilation — Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation to ensure reliable operation of the

product and to protect it from overheating. These openings must not be blocked or covered. This product should not

be placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided.

10. Power Sources — Operate this product only from the type of power source indicated on the label. If you

are not sure of the type of power supply to your home, consult your dealer or local power company. This product is
equipped with a three-prong grounding plug. This plug will only fit into a grounding power outlet. If you
are unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the
safety purpose of the grounding plug.

11. Power Cord Protection — Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or

pinched by items placed upon or against them.

12. Lightning— Unplug the unit from the wall outlet for added protection during a lightning storm and when it is left

unattended and unused for long periods of time. This will prevent damage to the product due to lightning and power
line surges.

13. Overloading — Do not overload wall outlets or extension cords. This can result in a fire or electric shock.

14. Inserting Objects into Unit - Never push objects of any kind into this product through any openings; they may

touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in fire or electric shock.

15. Servicing — Do not attempt to repair or service this product yourself. Opening or removing covers may expose you

to dangerous voltage and other hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.

16. Damage Requiring Service — Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to qualified service

personnel under the following conditions: a) If the power-supply cord or plug is damaged. b) If liquid has been
spilled into the product. c) If the product has been exposed to rain or water. d) If the product does not operate
normally by following the operating instructions. e) If the product has been dropped or damaged in
any way. f) If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance.

17. Replacement Parts — When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used replacement

parts specified by the manufacturer. Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock, and other hazards.

19. Safety Check — Upon completion of any service or repairs to this product, ask the service technician to perform

safety checks to determine that the product is in proper operating condition.

20. Wall or Ceiling Mounting — Mount the product to a wall or ceiling only as recommended.

21. Heat — The product should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, and other

products (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

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Figure #1

HCA-3500 Front and Rear Panel Drawings

HCA-3500 Ultra High Current Power Amplifier

Rack
Mount Holes

Non-Inverting RCA Input Jack

Inverting RCA Input Jack

Input Selection Switch

Right Channel

Unbalanced Inputs

Input Selector

Balanced

Left Power Switch

Normal and Bi-Wire

Speaker Connectors

Non-Inverting

Inverting

Unbalanced

Overload

Right

Power

Power

Temp

High

Left

Operation Status

Indicators

Right Power Switch

Right Speaker Left Speaker

Bi-Wire Bi-Wire

Same as Right Channel

Left Channel

Non-Inverting

Unbalanced Inputs

Inverting

Input Selector

Unbalanced

Balanced

Carry Handle

Balanced XLR Connector

Carry Handle

1

3

2

Balanced Input

CAUTION

TO PREVENT ELECTRIC
SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
THE COVER. THERE ARE
NO USER SERVICABLE
PARTS INSIDE. REFER
SERVICING TO QUALIFIED
SERVICE PERSONNEL

Fuse T15A/250 V

Main Power Fuse

IEC AC Cord Connector

Power Consumption: 1200 W

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HCA - 3500

Ultra High Current Power Amplifier

Parasound Products, Inc

San Francisco, CA U.S.A.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

AC 120V 50/60Hz

Power Consumption: 1200 W

Fuse T15A/250 V

Balanced Input

WARNING

TO PREVENT FIRE
OR SHOCK HAZARD,
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS
UNIT TO RAIN OR
MOISTURE. DO NOT
RESTRICT ADEQUATE
VENTILATION.

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of this precision audio component and thank you for your selection of
Parasound. Your Parasound HCA-3500 was designed by renowned circuit designer John Curl and is built
using only the finest precision components available for optimum musical quality and performance.

Each channel of the amplifier has its own power supply including an independent 1.4 kVA toroidal power
transformer and 97,600 uF of filter capacitance. This dual-mono configuration provides the high levels
of power needed for some of today’s more sophisticated speaker systems. The inherently low output
impedance of the HCA-3500 easily maintains control of your loudspeakers even during demanding
impedance variations.

Unique circuit topology of the direct coupled HCA-3500 includes balanced JFET input transistors,
MOSFET drivers and ultra high current output devices. The output delivers a generous 15 watts of pure
class A operation. Additionally, there are no inductors or capacitors in the signal path. These design
refinements reduce high odd-order harmonic distortion, improve overall clarity and preserve low-level
musical details.

Please take a few moments to read these instructions so that you may fully understand the capabilities
of your new Parasound power amplifier.

Unpacking Your HCA-3500

Carefully unpack your amplifier and remove all the enclosed accessories. These accessories include two
12 AWG AC cords, rack mount hole plugs, and this manual. Be sure to inspect the unit for any possible
shipping damage. If you see any, contact your Parasound Dealer immediately. Save all the packing
material in case you need to ship the amplifier for repair. Before you proceed, find the serial number
located on the rear panel of your amplifier and record it here for reference:

Serial #____________________ Date of Purchase____________________

Installing Your HCA-3500

Locate your amplifier away from heat sources such as air ducts and radiators. Always mount the amplifier
horizontally and make sure that your cabinet or shelf can support its weight. It is best to provide a separate
shelf for your amplifier rather that stacking it directly above or below your other components.

The HCA-3500 occupies four rack spaces (7") in a standard 19 inch equipment rack. When rack mounting
the HCA-3500, have someone help support the unit while you bolt the component to the rack rails. Be
sure to use heavy duty mounting bolts and nylon shoulder washers on both sides of the faceplate to avoid
scratching the amplifier’s front panel and also to help prevent ground loops. Contact Middle Atlantic
Products at [phone] to obtain any additional rack mounting hardware you may need.

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Ventilation Requirements

To insure safe and reliable operation, it is very important that the amplifier has plenty of ventilation to
prevent overheating and automatic shut down from its thermal protection circuitry. Please observe the
following ventilation guidelines when installing your amplifier in a cabinet or other enclosed area:

1) If you are not using a fan, allow at least six inches on each side and above the amplifier, and do
not close off the front with a cabinet door or panel.

2) If you are enclosing the amplifier within an equipment cabinet, use a fan to draw in cool air and
exhaust warm air. Two vent holes are required: one for intake and one for exhaust.

3) Do not place the amplifier on carpeting that will obstruct the air flow into the bottom of the
amplifier chassis and heatsinks.

4) Avoid stacking components. If you do stack components, you must use a fan to circulate the
warm air that will quickly become trapped between them when they are powered on.

Making Connections to the HCA-3500

Refer to Figure #1

Leave the AC cords disconnected before making any signal or speaker connections. When making
connections to the amplifier, make sure there is no strain or tension on the input leads, speaker wires, or
AC cord that could cause them to pull loose.

RCA Jack Input Connections

You can connect the output of your preamplifier or processor to the RCA input jacks in a variety of ways:

Normal Unbalanced Non-Inverting Input

Connect the unbalanced outputs of your preamplifier to the left and right positive (+) inputs only. With
this connection, the HCA-3500's output is non-inverted; a positive signal at the input results in a positive
signal at the output.

Unbalanced Inverting Input

Connect the unbalanced output of your preamplifier to the to the left and right negative (—) inputs only.
With this connection, the HCA-3500's output is inverted; a positive signal at the input results in a negative
signal at the output.

Balanced RCA Inputs

Connect the left and right positive (+) output of your preamplifier to the left and right positive (+) inputs
of the HCA-3500 and connect the left and right negative (—) output of your preamplifier to the left and
right negative (—) inputs of the HCA-3500. These balanced connections provide an alternative to using
an XLR connector if your preamplifier is equipped with (+) and (—) RCA output connectors.

XLR Input Connections

If your preamplifier is equipped with balanced XLR output connectors, you can use these connections
as an alternative to the RCA jacks. The industry standard pin assignment for the
HCA-3500's XLR input connector is Pin 1: Ground, Pin 2: Positive (+), and Pin 3: Negative (—).

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Input Selector Switch

Once you have decided which input connectors you will use, set the input selector switches to their
Unbalanced or Balanced XLR position.

Speaker Connections

You may connect bare wire up to AWG 12, speaker wire terminated with 1/4" spade lugs, or banana plugs
to the five-way binding posts of your power amplifier. If you use bare wire without terminals, make sure
you remove only enough insulation so the wire can fit through the hole that runs sideways through the
terminal’s binding post. Before inserting the wire, twist all its strands tightly to prevent strays that could
cause a short circuit. (You may want to "tin" the stripped wire with solder to prevent it from fraying and
oxidizing.)

Bi-Wiring

The HCA-3500 is equipped with an additional set of binding posts to facilitate bi-wiring. These extra
speaker connectors are in parallel with the main binding posts. If your loudspeakers have two sets of
speaker connectors, you can bi-wire by connecting two sets of speaker cables from each channel of your
HCA-3500 to your speakers. Bi-wiring effectively reduces the lead resistance of your speaker wire thus
diminishing power loss and improving damping factor. The extra set of binding posts also make it easy
to connect an additional pair of speakers.

Observing Correct Polarity

When you connect speakers to your amplifier, you will notice that one side of the two conductor speaker
wire will have some sort of mark: either printing, a raised ridge on the insulation, or a different color of
conductor to let you know which wire to connect to the positive and which to the negative speaker
terminals so you can repeat the connection on the power amplifier's binding posts.

Minimum Speaker Impedance Precautions

Although the HCA-3500 is capable of driving speakers with occasional impedance dips well below
2 Ω, it is primarily designed to drive loudspeakers with a 4 Ω or 8 Ω nominal impedance. This is because
sustained high power operation into loads of less than 4 Ω may cause overheating and subsequent thermal
shutdown.

AC Power Connections and AC Grounding

Before you connect the AC cords, make sure the HCA-3500's power switches are in the off or down
position. If possible, plug your amplifier directly to an AC wall outlet. Be sure to plug both AC cords into
the same outlet help prevent possible ground loops. Do not connect the AC cords to the accessory AC
outlet on your preamplifier because the amplifier's current draw exceeds the ratings of most preamplifier’s
power switches and power cords. If you use an external AC line conditioner or surge suppressor, make
sure it can withstand the HCA-3500's power requirements listed in the specification section of this
manual.

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Operating the HCA-3500

Refer to Figure #1

Power Switches

There are separate power switches for the left and right channels. Press the upper side to turn each channel
on; press the lower side to turn each channel off.

Bi-Color Channel Status Indicators

When you first turn the power switches of the HCA-3500 on, the Left and Right channel status indicators
will light red for about five seconds while the internal circuits are stabilizing. After that, these indicators
will change from red to green to signal that bothe channels are operational. Either the Left or Right
channel status indicator may change from green to red if there is a fault that triggers the protection
circuitry. This may indicate one of the following conditions: DC present at the amplifier's input, a speaker
impedance overload, a short circuited speaker line, or a possible internal fault. If either indicator changes
to red, remove power to the amplifier and check all connections. During this time, the protection circuits
should automatically reset. If either Left or Right channel status indicators remain red after you reapply
power, contact your Parasound Dealer, Installer, or Parasound Technical Service Department for further
advice.

Current Overload Indicator

These indicators let you know if there is too low of an impedance at the amplifier's output thereby
exceeding the amplifiers current capacity. During normal operation, the bi-color Left and Right channels
indicators for the will be green and the Current Overload indicator will remain off. If either channel is
driven beyond its maximum current capacity because the impedance for that channel is too low, the
Current Overload indicator will light red and the affected channel's indicator will change from green to
red.

High Temp Indicator

This indicator will light when either of the external heatsinks reaches 90 degrees centigrade. If the High
Temp indicator lights, it probably means that the amplifier has inadequate ventilation. If either channel
is driven beyond its thermal capacity, the High Temp indicator will light red and the affected channel's
indicator will change from green to red. Refer to page 6 for more information about proper ventilation.
Once the heatsink cools below 90 degrees, the amplifier channel will automatically reset and resume
normal operation.

Maintaining Your Parasound Amplifier

Your Parasound power amplifier requires no periodic maintenance and has no user serviceable parts
inside. To avoid the risk of electric shock, do not remove the top cover. The amplifier's exterior can easily
be cleaned with a soft cloth moistened only with a few drops of water or glass cleaner.

Main Power Fuses

There is an external fuse for each channel on the rear panel. These fuses protect the unit from possible
damage to internal parts. Never replace fuses with a higher value than installed from the factory.
Substitution of larger fuses may create serious stress and damage to internal parts and will void your
warranty.

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In Case of Trouble

If you suspect a problem with your amplifier, first turn the amp off and check all your connections. The
trouble may be caused by another component or even a defective hookup cable. If you are hearing hum
out of your speakers, turn off the amplifier and disconnect the inputs to it. If the hum goes away, when
you turn the amplifier back on it was probably be caused by your preamplifier or one of the source
components connected to it. Also, make sure that both AC cords are connected to the same AC outlet.
In rack mounted systems, ground loops and hum can sometimes develop via the metal rack rails of the
equipment rack. This problem can be solved with nylon shoulder washers (refer to rack mounting section
of this manual).

If All Else Fails...

Call your Parasound dealer or Parasound Technical Service Department. We can suggest other diagnostic
tests you can easily perform. If we determine that your amplifier should be returned to Parasound or an
Authorized Parasound Warranty Center for inspection and possible servicing, call Parasound for the
location of a warranty center near you. If you choose to send it to Parasound, contact us to obtain a Return
Authorization (RA) number. You will be asked to repack the unit in its original packaging including the
additional outer box for protection during transit. The RA number must be clearly marked on the outer
carton only. You should ship the unit by UPS with adequate insurance and a copy of your purchase receipt
to validate your ownership.

Units that arrive without your specific RA number, without a suitable shipping carton or with evidence
of improper internal packing may be refused. We do not accept collect shipments. After repair under
warranty, the unit will be returned to you via prepaid UPS within the Contentinental United States. In the
case of a non-warranty repair, contact us and we will advise you of the repair charges before you ship the
unit to us. The same packing and Return Authorization number requirements apply.

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Parasound HCA-3500 Specifications

Continuous Power Output

350 watts RMS per channel from 20 Hz-20 kHz into 8 Ω, both channels driven
500 watts RMS per channel from 20 Hz-20 kHz into 4 Ω, both channels driven

Current Capacity

120 amps peak per channel

Slew Rate

> 130 V/µS

Power Bandwidth

2 Hz-150 kHz, +0/-3 dB at 1 watt

Total Harmonic Distortion

< 0.05 % at full power; < 0.01 % typical levels

Intermodulation Distortion

< 0.03 %

Transient Intermodulation Distortion

Unmeasureable

Dynamic Headroom

> 1.5 dB

Interchannel Crosstalk

> 95 dB at 1 kHz
> 80 dB at 20 kHz

Input Impedance

100 kΩ

Input Sensitivity

1.4 V for 100 watts output

2.25 V for full output

Gain

31 dB

Signal to Noise Ratio

> 115 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted

Damping Factor

> 1000 at 20 Hz

Power Requirements

110 Vac-120 Vac 1200 watts per channel

Dimensions

19" wide x 7" high x 18" deep (7 3/4" high with feet)

Weight

80 lb Net

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Parasound Products, Inc. 950 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111

415-397-7100 / FAX [phone] www.parasound.com

© 1998 Parasound Products, Inc.

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