Sonic Frontiers Power 1 Owners manual

Operating Manual for the Sonic Frontiers Power 1 Stereo Amplifier

Operating Manual for the Sonic Frontiers Power 1 Stereo Amplifier

We at Sonic Frontiers hope you will derive many years of listening pleasure from your
new Power 1 Amplifier. This Operating Manual contains important information regard­ing the operation and care of this Amplifier. Be sure to read this manual carefully and
follow these instructions in order to keep it performing and sounding its best. Please con­tact Sonic Frontiers if you have any questions - a Customer Service Representative will
be pleased to assist you.

Contents

Unpacking................................................................................................................1

Quick Setup..............................................................................................................2

Reference Diagrams ..................................................................................................3

Installing the Tubes....................................................................................................5

Controls, Functions and Connections...........................................................................7

Biasing of the Power Tubes.........................................................................................9

Adjustment for Load Impedance...............................................................................10

Care and Maintenance............................................................................................12

Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................13

Warranty................................................................................................................14

Specifications..........................................................................................................15

This symbol is intended to alert the
user to the presence of uninsulated
“ d a n g e rous voltage” within the
p ro d u c t ’s enclosure that may be of
s u fficient magnitude to constitute
a risk of electric shock to persons.

This symbol is intended to alert the
user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (serv i c i n g )
i n s t ructions in the literature accompa­nying the appliance.

Sonic Frontiers Inc. can be reached at:
2790 Brighton Road, Oakville, Ontario, Canada L6H 5T4
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail] WWW: http://www.sonicfrontiers.com

8/96 SKU#56606

Unpacking

At this point we can assume that you have successfully opened the box flaps and found
this manual. The box was designed to ensure the safe transport of the amplifier. Sonic
Frontiers strongly recommends the storage of the Power 1 box in a safe, dry place. In the
event that the amplifier may have to be shipped in the future, the original box is the best
means for the protection and safety of the Power 1 during transportation.

You may want to enlist a friend’s help to remove the amplifier from the box as the
distribution of the weight can make this awkward (hint: the back of the chassis is the
heavy end). Here is a chart listing what you will find in the box:

If after your inspection of the contents there is a discrepancy, contact your dealer or
Sonic Frontiers immediately.

Removing the Tube Cover

To remove the cover, loosen and remove the 4 screws installed from
the bottom, 2 per side. Lift the cover straight up and away from the
tubes.

To add the cover, simply place the cage over the tube top, replace and
tighten the 4 large screws.

Tube Complement:

Slot Screwdriver
Phillips Screwdriver
Biasing Tool
Power Cord
Cotton Gloves
Extra Fuse
Amplifier
Tube Cover
Warranty Card
Operating Manual

Packaged Items

4-6550C or KT88
6-6922

1
1
1
1
1 pair
2
1
1
1
1

Quick Setup

At this point, we urge you to read and understand this manual in its entirety. But if you
desire immediate action and have skill and/or past experience with tube hardware, fol­low these steps.

1. Place the amp on a hard flat surface that will not impede airflow under the amplifier’s
chassis (carpeting or area rugs are NOT acceptable as hard surfaces).

2. Ensure the Power 1 is in Mute mode (these selector switches are on the rear of the
chassis). When disconnecting and connecting cables, placing the amplifier in Mute is an
excellent practice.

3. Tube bias was set at the factory prior to shipment. Tubes are also marked for their
corresponding socket location. Carefully inspect each and install appropriately. Check
Installing the Tubes and Biasing of the Power Tubes (a must read) for further
clarification.

4. Replace the tube cover as described in the Unpacking section. If the tube cover is
not used, it is recommended that the tubes, namely the 6550C/KT88s are protected from
settling dust in NON-USE periods. Dust settling on the tubes can cause heat impairment
of the tubes.

5. Connect your preamplifier’s left and right balanced or single-ended outputs to the left
and right inputs of the amplifier.

6. Connect the speakers to the positive (+) red and negative (-) black output binding
post. Note: It is not recommended to operate any tube amplifier without
its speaker load connected.

7. Select the input for use via the selector switch: XLR-Balanced, Single-Ended Non­Inverting, Single-Ended Inverting.

8. Power up your system turning the power amplifier on last, ensuring that both “green”
LEDs are on (no Standby or Mute activation). Allow 5 minutes of warm up before
operation.

Reference Diagrams

Tube locations V1 to V3 and V6 to V8 indicate placement for the six 6922 tubes.

Locations V4, V5, V9, V10 indicate placement for the 6550C/KT88 power tubes.

A Holes on the Tube Top labeled “A” are LED indicators for the bias of the power

tubes situated nearest.

B Holes labeled “B” are the location of the bias controls. The bias controls adjust the

bias of the tube which they are joined to by the lines. Direction arrows around the
controls indicate the rotation of the control to INCREASE the bias of the power
tubes.

This drawing is referred to
as the “Tube Top” within
the instructional text.

This drawing is referred to
as the “Front Panel” within

the instructional text.

This drawing is referred to

as the “Rear Panel” within

the instructional text.

C Power Switch

D Standby Switch

E Power LED (Green - Power; Red - Both Channels in Mute; Orange (Red + Green)

- One Channel in Mute)

F Standby LED (Green - Operate; Red - Standby)

G Detachable IEC Power Cord Socket

H Fuse Location

I Left and Right Channel Input Selector Switches

J Left and Right Channel Balanced XLR Inputs

K Left and Right Channel Single-Ended RCA Inverting Inputs

L Left and Right Channel Single-Ended RCA Non-Inverting Inputs

M Left and Right Channel Ground Posts

N Left and Right Channel Loudspeaker Binding Posts