PS Audio GCC Owners manual

®

Owner’s Reference

Instructions for use

Owner’s Reference GCC Power Amplifi er Series

GCC Power Amp Series

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [e-mail] www.psaudio.com

©2004 PS Audio International Inc. All rights reserved.

Document 15-043-01-1

Introduction i

®

Introduction

Owner’s Reference GCC Power Amplifi er Series

Important Safety
Instructions

Heed all warnings
Follow all instructions

WARNING. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS
APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

Clean only with a dry cloth.

Do not place fl ammable material on top of or beneath the component.

All PS Audio components require adequate ventilation at all times during operation. Rack
mounting is acceptable where appropriate.

Do not remove or bypass the ground pin on the end of the AC cord unless absolutely necessary
to reduce hum from ground loops of connected equipment. This may cause RFI (radio frequency
interference) to be induced into your playback setup. All PS products ship with a grounding type
plug. If the provided plug does not fi t into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the
obsolete outlet.

Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. Unplug this apparatus during
lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

Read these instructions

When making connections to this or any other component, make sure all components are off. Turn
off all systems’ power before connecting the PS Audio component to any other component. Make
sure all cable terminations are of the highest quality.

There are no user serviceable fuses inside this product.

THERE ARE NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE ANY PS AUDIO PRODUCT. REFER ALL
SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL

Please contact your authorized dealer, distributor, or PS Audio if you have any questions not
addressed in this reference manual.

This product is manufactured in the United States of America. PS Audio
restricted for use by PS Audio International, Inc., its subsidiaries, and authorized agents.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [e-mail] www.psaudio.com

©2004 PS Audio International Inc. All rights reserved.

®

is a registered trademark of PS Audio International Inc., and is

Introduction ii

®

Table Of Contents

Owner’s Reference GCC Power Amplifi er Series

Introduction

Getting Started

Quick Start Guide

Setup Instructions

Operation

Questions and
Answers

Troubleshooting

IV

1

2 - 3

4 - 6

7 - 8

9 - 10

11 - 13

Specifi cations

Warranty

Service

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [e-mail] www.psaudio.com

©2004 PS Audio International Inc. All rights reserved.

14

15 - 16

17 - 18

Table Of Contens iii

®

Introduction

Owner’s Reference GCC Power Amplifi er Series

Thank you

These are not
integrated
amplifi ers

Cool and effi cient
running

Thank you for your purchase of the GCC series Control Amplifi er. This document covers the three
stereo Control Amplifi er models, GCC-100, GCC-250, GCC-500.

Control Amplifi ers are actually Variable Gain Power Amplifi ers™ with multiple inputs. Users can select
any one of 5 input sources and control the gain of the power amplifi er via the front panel control or
through the supplied remote control, which results in the volume to the speakers being controlled.

Control Amplifi ers are unique in the world of audio and are the shortest and purest audio path of any
product on the market. While Control Amplifi ers resemble an integrated amplifi er in their operation,
they are not integrateds.

Integrated amplifi ers are a marriage of a preamplifi er, or input volume attenuator and a power amplifi er.
Because of the PS Audio Gain Cell™, the GCC Series of products do not attenuate the input signal
and do not “throw away” the unwanted signal. Instead, the GCC Control Amplifi ers vary their gain in
response to the user’s front panel or remote commands.

This creates the world’s fi rst Variable Gain Power Amplifi er™, or the GCC Control Amplifi er.

Each of the three Control Amplifi er models is a dual mono Control amplifi er, capable of driving nearly
every loudspeaker load with ease and beauty.

GCC power amplifi ers are based on our unique and proprietary Gain Cell technology for the input
electronics and SDAT Class D switching power amplifi cation for the output.

The GCC series have high effi ciency digital amplifi cation stages that allow them to run cool to the
touch even while driving demanding loads and should offer years of trouble free performance of the
highest standards.

Power ratings

What you can
expect

Power ratings for each model are designated by their naming scheme into an 8 Ohm load. The GCC­100 provides up to 100 watts per channel, both channels driven, into an 8 Ohm load and doubles its
power rating into a 4 Ohm load. The GCC-250 provides up to 250 watts per channel, both channels
driven, into an 8 Ohm load and doubles its power rating into a 4 Ohm load. The GCC-500 provides
up to 500 watts per channel, both channels driven, into an 8 Ohm load and doubles its power rating
into a 4 Ohm load.

You should expect state of the art performance and sonics from any of the GCC Series Control
Amplifi ers. These Control Amplifi ers are unmatched by any other power amplifi er/preamplifi er
combination on the market in terms of performance within their rated power levels and will provide
excellent performance in either a two channel or multi-channel environment.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [e-mail] www.psaudio.com

©2004 PS Audio International Inc. All rights reserved.

Introduction iv

®

Getting Started

Owner’s Reference GCC Power Amplifi er Series

Location

Cautions

Isolation

Power Cables

Conditioners

Once your new GCC Series Control Amplifi er is unpacked, you’ll need to fi nd a convenient place to set
it. Placing the Control Amp nearest to your source equipment is probably the best idea since you will
want to have as short an interconnect between the source and the Control Amplifi er as you can.

There are several ways to mount the GCC Series Control Amplifi er: on a rack shelf or on a shelf near
your sources.

If the GCC Series Control Amplifi er is to be placed on the fl oor or carpet, make sure the unit is not
going to come in contact with water or cleaning solvents. Make sure the carpet does not interfere
with airfl ow to the amp.

The GCC Series Control Amplifi er can benefi t from aftermarket isolation devices such as cones, spikes
and Sorbothane pads.

Once you have chosen the location for the GCC Series Control Amplifi er you can use the supplied
AC power cord to connect it to the AC wall receptacle or you can use an aftermarket power cord and
receptacle.

We strongly recommend the use of a PS Audio xStream Power™ AC cable and a PS Power Port™
AC receptacle to feed the GCC Control Amplifi er power. While the supplied power cable is adequate
for the task it is not going to provide the best performance. Choosing any xStream Power cable will
make a signifi cant performance improvement over the stock power cable.

We recommend the use of power conditioning equipment, such as a PS Audio Power Plant, UPC­200 or any of the Ultimate Outlet or Power Director series from PS. We do not recommend the use of
simple AC fi lter power conditioners, not made by PS Audio, as most of these will ”bleach” the sound
and rob the music or video soundtrack of some measure of life and dynamics. If you do not use PS
Audio power conditioning equipment, you would be advised to plug the GCC Control Amplifi er directly
into the AC wall receptacle.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [e-mail] www.psaudio.com

©2004 PS Audio International Inc. All rights reserved.

Getting Started 1

®

Quick Start Guide

Owner’s Reference GCC Power Amplifi er Series

Once you have decided on the location and chosen the appropriate power cables, you are ready to
install the GCC Control Amplifi er.

Power down fi rst

Connect the
inputs

Balanced inputs

RCA inputs

We recommend that you power the entire system down before installing the GCC Control Amplifi er.

Insert the GCC Control Amplifi er into the system.

Connect the inputs of the GCC Control Amplifi er to the output of your source equipment such as
CD players, phono preamplifi ers, tuner,
etc. There are two choices of inputs:
balanced or single ended. There is one
balanced input and four single ended
RCA inputs.

Balanced inputs require a source that
has a balanced output. These outputs
are the preferred method of connection
as a balanced XLR type of output allows
the lowest noise connection, and allow
owners to take advantage of the high
common mode rejection characteristics
found in the Gain Cell of the GCC
Control Amplifi er. Be sure to use a high quality well shielded and well regarded interconnect for this
critical link. PS Audio makes an entire line of excellent choices for interconnects, perfectly matched
to your equipment’s needs.

RCA or single ended inputs will be the typical inputs as many sources have only this standard type of
input. Be sure to use a high quality well shielded and well regarded interconnect for this critical link.

Speaker Cables

Check for proper
polarity

Subwoofer
connections

Speaker cables are a critical link between your loudspeakers and your new GCC Control Amplifi er.
Make sure you use only the highest quality such as a PS Audio speaker cable that will be perfectly
matched to your equipment’s needs.

Pay close attention to the polarity on the rear panel binding posts. It is critically important that you
match plus and minus (red and black) of the GCC Control Amplifi er to the plus and minus of your
speaker. Carefully observe the polarity. The plus or red terminal of the GCC Control Amplifi er must
eventually be tied to the plus or red terminal of your loudspeaker. The GCC Control Amplifi er is a non­inverting amplifi er design meaning it is in phase with the input signal.

Use the Aux Out RCA connectors on the rear of the GCC Control Amplifi er to feed your subwoofer’s
low level inputs. Some subwoofers have high level inputs where the output of the amplifi er can be
connected as an input to the subwoofer. Generally there is no problem. In a few rare instances there
may be a problem, which will show itself as problematic if the amp’s protection comes on after hooking
up the sub. REL subwoofers and some Sunfi re subwoofers can be problematic. Please check with
the factory or your dealer if you encounter these subwoofers or any problems.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [e-mail] www.psaudio.com

©2004 PS Audio International Inc. All rights reserved.

Quick Start Guide 2

®

Quick Start Guide

Owner’s Reference GCC Power Amplifi er Series

Bi-amping

Locking binding
posts

Connecting a
banana style

If you wish to use a second power amplifi er to bi-amp,
you can use the GCC as either the top end amplifi er
or the bottom end amplifi er for the bass. If you have
a GCC-100 we would recommend this be used on
the top end (tweeter) of the bi-amp speaker. Use the
largest amplifi er for the bass frequencies. Connect
the second amplifi er to the Aux Out RCA connectors
on the rear of the GCC Series Power Amplifi er.

These binding posts, on the rear panel of the GCC
Control Amplifi er, will accept either spade or banana
type connectors. To use a spade or forked connector,
simply unscrew the binding post, place the tongs of
the spade over the threaded binding post and tighten
the outer barrel of the binding post. It is permissible
to us a wrench to tighten the binding post down.

The banana style connectors should be inserted into
the center hole on the rear of the binding post. The
PS Audio binding post is a unique locking design for
banana style connectors. You should not attempt
to insert a banana connector into the GCC Control
Amplifi er’s binding post while the binding post is locked closed. To insert a banana style speaker
cable connector, loosen the outer barrel of the GCC Control Amplifi er’s binding post, insert the banana
connector and then tighten. Note that once this has been tightened, the banana connector is locked
securely in place. Do not attempt to remove the banana connector without fi rst loosening the outer
barrel of the binding post.

Do not ground
the outputs

Plug it into a
power source

Push the front
panel logo to turn
it on

Make sure that neither the + nor the – terminals of the amplifi er come in contact with each other, or
ground, or anything other than the speaker terminals when the amplifi er is on. This will shut the amp
off and place it in a protection mode.

Plug the GCC Control Amplifi er into the power source using the AC power cable you selected. It
is advisable to use as short a power cable as possible to the GCC Control Amplifi er. We do not
recommend plugging the GCC Control Amplifi er into an extension strip or plug extender unless it is
of the highest quality and heavy duty design, such as the PS Audio Juice Bar or device with similar
properties.

Make sure the source equipment, like a CD player or tuner, are turned on. Then, press the front panel
PS logo on the GCC Control Amplifi er to power up the GCC Control Amplifi er. There is a normal 2
second delay for the amplifi er once powered up.

At this point you should be ready to enjoy the benefi ts of the GCC Control Amplifi er and enjoy!

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [e-mail] www.psaudio.com

©2004 PS Audio International Inc. All rights reserved.

Quick Start Guide 3

®

Setup instructions

Owner’s Reference GCC Power Amplifi er Series

Front panel setup
menu

How to enter into
the setup menu

The Gain Cell Control Amplifi er Setup menu allows you to adjust the following controls:

• Input Name

• Input Gain

• Home Theater Bypass Input

The setup menu allows
you to view the following
information:

• Software
Version

To enter the setup menu,
turn the GCC off from
the front panel power
button. Then, hold down
the Input Up and Input
Down buttons and press
the Power Button while
holding the other buttons.

The display will then read:
(Setup) Input 1 Name

To scroll through the
options, use the Input Up
or Input Down buttons.
The list of options are:

Input 1 Name
Input 1 Gain
Input 2 Name
Input 2 Gain
Input 3 Name
Input 3 Gain
Input 4 Name
Input 4 Gain
Input 5 Name
Input 5 Gain
Home Theater Bypass

Press the Mute
button to accept

Software Version

Once you have selected the option that you want, press the Mute button to enter that mode. You
should see the current setting on the 2nd line of the display (below the option name).

Press the power
button to exit

At any time, you may press the Power button to exit to Setup Menu.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [e-mail] www.psaudio.com

©2004 PS Audio International Inc. All rights reserved.

Setup Instructions 4