Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 Owners manual

OWNER’S MANU A L

THE SONIC FRONT I ERS SFD-2 DIGI TAL P R OCESSO R

CONTROL FUNCTIONS AND CONNECTIONS

A C

A

-Phase Control Switch - This toggle switch allows the user

B D

to invert the system phasing easily and safely. When the switch
is in the 0° position the SFD-2 will put out a normal or non­inverted signal in relation to the signal being received from the
source. When the switch is in the 180° position the SFD-2 will
put out an inverted version of the signal as compared to that
being received from the source. This feature offers a convenient
method of correcting source material which was recorded “out
of absolute phase” or to compensate for a component in your
system, such as a preamplifier, power amplifier or signal con­nection, which inverts phase.

B - Power Indicator LED - This LED will light when the

Power Switch (G) is in the OPERATE position and the SFD-2
is receiving power. This LED will flash on and off for approxi­mately 45 seconds after the Power Switch (G) is turned to the
OPERATE position. During this time, the two vacuum tubes are
warming up and the analogue outputs are muted. Once the
warmup period is past, the LED stops blinking and glows
steadily, the output stage relays are unmuted and the SFD-2 is
ready to play.

C - Signal Locking Indicator LED - This LED will light when

an operational digital source is selected.
NOTE: Depending on the source or transport being used in
conjunction with the SFD-2, it may be necessary to have the
source unit in the “P L A Y” mode and the SFD-2 receiving the
digital transmission before the LED will light.

E G

D

-D e-Emphasis Indicator LED - This LED will light when a

F

pre-emphasized digital track is being played. The correct
de-emphasis equalization is switched in automatically by the
SFD-2 circuitry, and no user adjustments are necessary.

E - Input Signal Selector Switch - This 3 position toggle

switch selects between the three digital inputs located on the
back of the SFD-2: AT&T/ST (Glass Fibre) Optical, RCA
Coaxial and AES/EBU XLR. A connection to all 3 inputs may
be made from 3 separate sources. The Signal Locking
Indicator LED (C) will light when the source is activated in
conjunction with the input chosen by this switch.

F - Sampling Frequency Indicator LEDs - One of these

LEDs will light, indicating the frequency of the digital input sig­nal. The sampling frequencies are 32K, 44K and 48K.

G - Power Switch - This toggle switch, when switched to the

OPERATE position, allows the SFD-2 to receive full power,
rendering the SFD-2 operational as indicated by the Power
Indicator LED (B). When the switch is in the STANDBY position,
the SFD-2 is not receiving full power and is not operational.

N

H I

H - Detachable Power Cord Socket - Plug the Detachable

Power Cord into this socket (see Figure 1). The SFD-2 is factory
set for the correct operating voltage for the area in which it is
sold (see shipping box for voltage setting). If a different operat­ing voltage is required, please contact an authorized Sonic
Frontiers dealer, distributor or the factory directly.

I - Digital Out - This output jack provides a digital signal for

dubbing purposes with a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) or
Compact Disc recorder (CD-R). The signal source is selected
through the front panel Input Selector Switch (E).

J - AT&T/ST (Glass Fibre) Optical Input - This input will

accept a digital connection from a digital source’s Glass Fibre
Optical digital output (see Figure 3). This connection type is con­sidered best for optimum performance and sound quality; if your
source unit has this type of digital output we recommend it’s use.

K - RCA Coaxial Cable Input - This input will accept a digital

connection from a digital source’s RCA - S/PDIF - Coaxial digi­tal output (see Figure 3). The RCA - S/PDIF - Coaxial cable
impedance should be 75 ohms.

J

K M

M

-Left and Right Channel Balanced XLR Audio

L

Output Connectors - These are balanced audio outputs
and should be used when connecting the SFD-2 to the
balanced audio inputs of a line level preamplifier, control
amplifier, integrated amplifier or receiver, if these units are so
equipped (see Figure 4). (Left channel output of the SFD-2 con­nects to the left channel input of control unit and right channel
output of the SFD-2 to the right channel input of control unit.)
NOTE: The XLR jack pin connectors for the SFD-2 are config­ured as follows:Pin #1 : Ground

Pin #2 : Positive (+) Phase
Pin #3 : Negative (–) Phase

N

-Left and Right Channel RCA Single-Ended Audio

Output Connectors - If the balanced inputs are not applica­ble for use, the RCA single-ended (unbalanced) audio outputs
should be used when connecting the SFD-2 to the RCA single­ended audio inputs of a line level preamplifier, control amplifier,
integrated amplifier or receiver. (Left channel output of the SFD-2
connects to the left channel input of control unit and right chan­nel output of the SFD-2 to the right channel input of control unit.)

L - AES/EBU XLR Input - This input will accept a digital signal

from a digital source’s AES/EBU XLR digital output (see Figure

3). A 110 ohm balanced cable terminated with XLR plugs
should be used for this connection.
NOTE: The XLR jack pin connectors for the SFD-2 are config­ured as follows:Pin #1 : Ground

Pin #2 : Positive (+) Phase
Pin #3 : Negative (–) Phase

Figure 1 - Align socket pins to corresponding holes and push together firmly.