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Table of Contents
Package Contents
1. Package Contents
2. Warning
2. Safety Instructions
2. Overview
3. Features
3. Setup Guide
4. Back Panel
5. Front Panel Controls
5. Alternate Connectivity
5. Using the 12 Volt Input Trigger
6. Using the PS Bus
6. Troubleshooting Guide
7. Specications
7. Warranty and Service
8. Contact Information
• One Hybrid Class A stereo amplier
• One 6 foot AC power cord
• One user’s manual and warranty card
• One plastic adjustment tool
• One spare 7 amp slow blow fuse
• Two spare 5 amp fast blow fuse
IMPORTANT: Be sure to save all packing
materials included with your HCA-2 as this will
be required if you ever need to ship the device
for service or modication.
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Warning
Overview
To prevent re or shock hazard, do not expose
the unit to rain or moisture. To avoid electrical
shock, do not open the enclosure. Refer
servicing to qualied personnel only.
To prevent electric shock, use a 3 prong,
grounded power cable.
Any change or modications not expressly
approved in the manual could void your
warranty.
Do not connect the output of the HCA-2 to
ground. The output of the HCA-2 is a balanced
output and should not be grounded.
Do not operate the amplier with no load (ie,
without speakers attached)
Safety Instructions
Read the operating instructions provided with
the HCA-2.
Retain the operating instructions for later use
and reference.
Unplug the HCA-2 from the wall outlet before
changing the fuse or performing any cleaning
or service.
Do not operate the HCA-2 near water. Avoid
placement near a water reservoir or excessive
moisture.
When replacement parts are required, be sure
they are specied by the manufacturer to have
the same characteristics as the original part.
Unauthorized substitutions may result in re,
electric shock, or other hazards.
Do not operate with faulty or frayed power
cables.
Congratulations! You have just taken a step into
an incredible new dimension of the audio world.
The Hybrid Class A stereo amplier, or HCA-2,
represents a revolution in the innovation and
design of amplier technology.
Analog-only amplier circuits have been rened
over and over for the last 100 years to a point
where we hardly expect to gain any further
signicant achievements. Attempts have been
made at pure digital designs only to yield results
that certainly leave much more to be desired.
The HCA-2 is an audiophile’s rst look at these
two concepts being blended into one: a hybrid
amplier with a fully balanced, Class A input
stage and a truly state-of-the-art digital output
section known as SDAT™.
Design Overview
The HCA-2 is a stereo (two-channel) amplier
rated at 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms. It is
comprised of two main stages: the input stage
and the output stage.
The input stage is the heart and soul of the
HCA-2’s sound. A fully balanced, Class A input
stage that can be fed by either single-ended
RCA connectors or the balanced XLR type.
The output stage of the HCA-2 is our unique
Super Digital Amplication Technology SDAT™
circuitry that provides an absolutely linear
response into any loudspeaker load. SDAT
circuitry is not load sensitive which assures
that the frequency response will not change
regardless of the loudspeaker load.
The HCA-2 represents a state of the art power
amplier that is affordable, efcient, and can
be used to glorify the beauty and passion of
recorded music in ones home. We trust you will
enjoy the HCA-2 for years.
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Features
Setup Guide
• Stereo power amplier
• 150 Watts Per Channel into 8Ω
• 225 Watts Per Channel into 4Ω
• SDAT™ output stage
• Balanced JFET input stage
• Single ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) type
inputs
• Fully balanced internal architecture
• Internal High Current Ultimate Outlet™
provides AC ltration
• WBT™ 5-way binding posts
• 12 Volt DC trigger
• PS bus for communication with other PS
Audio products
• 93% efcient, produces almost no heat
• PS Audio’s brushed aluminum FRAME
chassis
• Available in black or silver chassis
1. Turn off your pre-amplier or any other
equipment that the HCA-2 will be connected to.
2. Unpack the HCA-2 and place it on a smooth
surface. The HCA-2 may also be rack mounted
with an optional rack shelf. Due to the efciency
of the design the HCA-2 does not need to be
placed in a ventilated area.
3. Choose either the single-ended (RCA) or
balanced (XLR) input connections on the back
of the HCA-2. Connect the outputs of your preamplier or source equipment to the back of the
HCA-2 marked “Right Input” and “Left Input.” Be
sure to match up the left and right conductors
appropriately.
Note: If connecting the HCA-2 to a powerd
subwoofer, ensure the subwoofer’s negative
input terminal is not grounded.
4. Connect your speakers to the HCA-2’s output
terminals, labeled “Right Output” and “Left
Output.” Be sure to connect the polarity of the
speaker cables correctly. Match the HCA-2’s
positive (red) and negative (black) terminals to
the corresponding speaker connections.
5. Plug the HCA-2 into a power source. Use
the supplied AC power cable or an aftermarket
power cable. For optimum results, we
recommend the use of a PS Audio xStream
Power Cable.
6. First, turn on your source equipment. Then,
turn on the HCA-2 by pressing the power button
on the left-hand side of the chassis.
7. The HCA-2 will go into standby mode for
about 15 seconds, indicated by the amber
“Standby” light on the front panel display.
8. Once the blue “Operate” light becomes
visible in the display, the HCA-2 is
ready to go.
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Back Panel
1. 12 Volt Trigger
The HCA-2 is equipped with a 12 Volt DC input
trigger. The 12 Volt trigger can be used with
other 12 Volt trigger equipped products to relay
power status.
See “Using the 12 Volt Input Trigger” for more
information.
5. Fuse
The fuse is a 7 amp slow blow. It can be
removed by inserting a at device into the fuse
holder’s slot and twisting counter-clockwise.
Note: Unplug the power cord before checking
the fuse.
3. PS Bus
The P500 comes equipped with a built in PS
Bus. The PS Bus allows other PS Audio products
equipped with a PS Bus to communicate via
standard RJ11 "twisted end" crossover cable.
Note: use only a “twisted end” crossover cable.
A standard phone cable will not work.
See “Using the PS Bus” for more information.
4. IEC Power Input
15 amp male IEC standard power socket.
5. PS Bus jumper switches
The jumper switches control the functionality of
the PS Bus. These settings are only functional
when connected to other PS Audio products via
the PS bus.
6. Speaker terminals
The 5-way WBT™ binding posts are capable of
accepting speaker cable with either spade lug,
banana plug, pin connector or bare wire.
Connect the left positive binding post (red
ring) of the HCA-2 to the positive (red or +) left
speaker cable lead. Connect the left negative
binding post (black ring) of the HCA-2 to the
negative (black or -) left speaker cable lead.
Do the same for the right terminals of the HCA2 and the right speaker. Be sure to hook-up the
speaker(s) in phase with the HCA-2; it should
be positive to positive and negative to negative.
The HCA-2 uses a balanced output design.
Therefore, the negative speaker terminal is not
common or ground.
Note: Do not operate the HCA-2 without
speakers connected.
7. Audio Inputs
There are two sets of inputs to choose from,
single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR).
The single-ended RCA connections are a very
high quality, gold plated connector designed
specically for PS Audio components. The
HCA-2 is a fully balanced design, thus use of
the balanced XLR inputs is the optimal choice.
Since the gain is higher for balanced input, as
opposed to the single ended input, be sure to
use the inputs in matched pairs (in other words,
use both RCA inputs or both XLR inputs, but
never one of each).
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Front Panel Controls
Alternate Connectivity
Power
The front panel of the HCA-2 was designed to
bring both a level of elegance and simplicity
into your system. The power button (on/off)
is located on the far left-hand side. When the
HCA-2 is off, pressing this button will initiate the
power up sequence.
Display
The front panel display window contains three
status indicators: Standby, Operate and Fault.
These indicators show the current status of the
unit.
Standby
After pressing the power button to turn on the
HCA-2, the “Standby” indicator will illuminate
in amber. The word “Standby” will be visible in
the front panel display. The HCA-2 will remain
in standby mode for approximately 15 seconds.
During this period no sound will be produced
from the connected speakers.
Operate
After the initial warm-up mode, the “Standby”
indicator will go out, and “Operate” will illuminate
in blue. The PS logo will also illuminate at this
time.
The HCA-2 is now ready to play music.
Fault
The nal indicator that may illuminate within the
front panel display is a red “Fault” light. This
indicates an abnormal operating condition. To
reset the HCA-2 and return the unit to normal
operating conditions, unplug the HCA-2 from
the power source and then re-connect. If the
fault light continues to illuminate, please refer to
the Trouble Shooting Guide.
Illumination Control
The blue “Operate” indicator and PS logo can
be dimmed to match your room’s environment.
Locate the small hole found under the bottom
of the HCA-2 directly below the PS logo. Using
the supplied adjustment tool, rotate the dial
mounted just inside this hole to increase or
decrease the brightness of these lights.
The HCA-2 is a stereo amplier and cannot be
switched into a mono conguration. However,
it can be used in bi-wiring or bi-amping
congurations.
Bi-wire
Bi-wiring allows for separate cables to transfer
the high and low frequencies to the speakers.
This enables each type of cable to be optimized
for the specic frequency bandwidth.
To Bi-wire, use one cable to connect the HCA-2
to the left and right “low” frequency terminals on
the speakers. The second cable can be used
to connect the HCA-2 to the “high” frequency
terminals on the speakers.
Alternatively, Bi-Wire speaker cable may be
used to achieve the same effect.
Bi-amp
If more performance is desired, two HCA-2’s
can be used to drive a pair of speakers if
equipped with dual binding posts.
One HCA-2 should be used to drive the “low”
section of the left and right speakers. A second
HCA-2 should be used to drive the “high”
section of the left and right speaker.
Using the 12 Volt Input Trigger
The HCA-2 can be activated when connected
to another electronic component with a 12
Volt DC output trigger. Many other electronic
components, such as pre-ampliers or AC
control products, provide an external 12 volt
trigger output.
When a 12 volt DC signal is applied the HCA-2
will respond by switching from off to “Operate”
mode. If the DC voltage is removed, the HCA-2
will power off. The 12 Volt DC input trigger is a
female mini-jack (3.5 mm).
Only the blue “Operate” indicator and PS logo
are adjustable in this fashion. The brightness
of the amber “Standby” or red “Fault” indicators
cannot be adjusted.
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Using the PS Bus
The PS Bus allows for more sophisticated
communication between other PS Audio
products. The HCA-2 includes two PS Bus
connectors. This allows for several PS products
to be linked together so they work as a system.
There are 4 small switches next to the PS Bus
connectors. If the PS Bus is not in use, then the
switch setting will not effect the operation of the
amplier.
From left to right the rst three switches set the
“Network Address” for the product on the PS
Bus. If more than one HCA-2 is connected to
the bus, then each amplier should be assigned
a different address. The switches are off when
up, and on when down.
fuses are half size (5x20mm) and the value is 5
amp fast blow. Replacing the fuse should bring
the unit back to life. If it does not then it may
need to be serviced. Contact PS Audio or an
authorized distributor.
Note: The fuses blow due to either very loud
playback or very low impedance speakers or a
combination of both. If this happens frequently,
reduce the playback volume or use speakers
with higher impedance.
The speakers are producing a hum or buzz
A hum or buzz heard through speakers is a
ground loop hum. A ground loop hum can occur
if there are two different ground lines attached
to the system. Use the Humbusters guide on the
PS Audio website <www.psaudio.com> located
under “Toolbox” to help pinpoint the problem.
Address SW1 SW2 SW3
1 Off Off Off
2 On Off Off
3 Off On Off
4 On On Off
5 Off Off On
6 On Off On
7 Off On On
8 On On On
The fourth switch, SW4, is used to assign the
amplier to a “Network Group”. Either group
1 or group 2 can be selected (up or down
respectively). Multiple groups can be used if
it is necessary to connect multiple products to
the PS Bus but only specic products should
respond to commands.
Trouble Shooting Guide
The HCA-2 is stuck in “fault” mode
Ensure that the speaker wires are not shorted
out (making contact with each other). if the
HCA-2 is connected to a powerd subwoofer,
ensure the subwoofer’s negative input terminal
is not grounded.
Disconnect unit from its power source and
plug it back in to clear fault mode. If the unit
remains in fault mode this then it may need to
be serviced. Contact PS Audio or an authorized
distributor.
A very low level fuzz/crackling noise audible
within 1-2 feet from the speaker is the HCA-2’s
own “self” noise and is normal.
The HCA-2 is producing an audible signal or
“singing” internally
If the HCA-2 is producing noise then one or both
of the speakers are not connected while the
HCA-2 is powered on and producing a signal.
Turn off the HCA-2 and connect both speakers
and turn the unit back on.
The HCA-2 is not responding and is
completely dark
The main fuse may need to be replaced. Using
a at head screwdriver or small coin, twist it
counter-clockwise. The fuse holder should pop
out. Replace the fuse with the included 7 amp
slow blow or a fuse with the identical rating.
If the problem persists then it may need to be
serviced. Contact PS Audio or an authorized
distributor.
One or both channels are not working or
sound “muted”, “distorted” or “quiet”
Unplug the HCA-2 and remove the top cover.
Now examine the 2 fuses on main circuit board
located where output wires attach to board. The
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Specications
Warranty and Service
Power Rating (both channels, stereo)
8 ohms - 150 watts per channel
4 ohms - 250 watts per channel
2 ohms - 275 watts per channel
Performance
Frequency - 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Response +/- 0.5 dB
THD+N - 0.2% @ 1kHz (full power)
Voltage Gain - 24 dB
Input Impedance - 100K
General
Weight - 35 lbs
Dimensions - 17 x 4.5 x 14 in (WxHxD)
Inside the U.S. and Canada
PS Audio’s warranty is 3 years parts and
labor, from the date of original purchase. The
warranty follows the product itself regardless of
ownership, new or used.
Outside the U.S. and Canada
PS Audio has authorized distribution in many
countries of the world. In each country, the
authorized importing retailer or distributor
has accepted the responsibility for warranty
of products sold by that retailer or distributor.
Warranty service should normally be obtained
from the importing retailer or distributor from
whom you purchased the product. In the
unlikely event of service required beyond the
capability of the importer, PS Audio will fulll the
conditions of the warranty. Such product must
be returned at the owner’s expense to the PS
Audio factory. Contact your PS Audio distributor
or the PS Audio customer service department
for more information.
Service issues
Should your unit ever require service or if you
have any technical questions about the HCA-2,
you must either contact your dealer (PS Audio if
purchased direct) or your PS Audio distributor.
No equipment will be received at our service
facilities without an attached RA number.
If purchased through an authorized PS Audio
dealer or distributor, the RA number must be
obtained by the dealer or distributor. If the
product was purchased from PS Audio direct,
this can easily be obtained by calling PS Audio
at 720-406-8946 or by contacting us via E-mail
at <service@psaudio.com>.
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PS Audio International, Inc.
4824 Sterling Dr.
Boulder, CO 80301 USA
Toll Free: 877-772-8340
Ph: 720-406-8946
Fax: 720-406-8967
www.psaudio.com
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