Sutherland Engineering N1 User Manual

N1

-a preamplication
instrument

by Sutherland Engineering

OWNER’S MANUAL

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................3

INSTALLATION/USE...................................................................................4

CONFIGURATION OF PHONO STAGE....................................................5

REMOTE CONTROL........................................................................................5

DESIGN...........................................................................................................6-7

WHITE NOISE GENERATOR......................................................................7

SPECIFICATIONS..........................................................................................8

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INTRODUCTION

As we surge ahead, focused on the latest break through, it is easy to loose sight
of prior art. The N1 design reaches back to incorporate the latest technology of

1955. That would be the Nixie tube, the rst numeric display.

The design then moves forward to mine other historical treasures.

In the 60s, 70s and 80s, all preamps were full-featured. That is, they included a
phono stage, a line stage and a power supply all in one box. There are signicant
advantages in going that way. The installation is simpler, the cabling requirements
are simpler – it has a feeling of concentrated purpose.

All preamps of that era had single-ended circuit topology. That was the standard
and had the very signicant advantage of simplicity of the signal path. More recent
marketing efforts promote balanced connectivity. Balanced topology imposes twice
the circuitry into the signal path. Abandoning single-ended is not an advancement.

AND playing vinyl (or should I say records?) was how we accessed our music. The
advantages and enjoyment of vinyl are more treasured now than ever before.

The N1 also includes what we would expect from a modern design. It has remote
control of volume, input and mute. Each component is carefully selected to bring you
closer to your music. AND it uniquely incorporates Sutherland circuitry derived from
the cost-no-object Destination series.

To fully appreciate the heart-felt passion that went into every detail of the N1,
you also need to study the thoughtful, meticulous layout inside the case.

Every detail makes for ‘pride of ownership’. The machined aluminum front panel,
the tempered glass display window, the understated minimalism --- all speak of old
fashioned pride of craftsmanship.

That’s the N1 story. But the true appreciation and enjoyment of the N1 is really

based on direct experience.

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INSTALLATION

Installation is straight forward. The N1 is supplied with a very basic AC power
cord to get you started. Many will want to use something more high-end. Feel
free to experiment. The N1 will automatically accept incoming AC line voltages
between 90 volts and 260 volts. No adjustments are necessary. It is designed to
be powered up all the time. There is no on/off switch.

The N1 dissipates very little heat. It has no special ventilation needs. However,
do not place it on top of heat generating components – like power ampliers.

All right channel connections are on the upper row of connectors.
All left channel connections are on the lower row of connectors.

There are two sets of output jacks per channel. One output would go to your
power amplier. The second could be used for a subwoofer, a recording device or
other accessory. Output impedance is a low 200 Ohms and can drive long runs of

interconnecting cable, if necessary.

Line level inputs use connectors 2 thru 5.

Input 5 is a unity gain pass through for

integrating into your home theater system.

Phono uses input 1. Attach your turntable’s

grounding wire to the thumbscrew near the

phono inputs.

USING

When AC power is rst applied to the N1, software begins a power up sequence.
The digital display will count down from 60 seconds. When 00 is reached, the
initial selected input will be 1 and the initial selected volume will be 00.

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To select a different input, press the control knob. The two digits of volume
indication will go off. That leaves only the input display illuminated. The outputs
are now muted and the knob is used for selecting an input. The N1 is unmuted by
pressing the front panel knob again. The volume numeric indication comes back on
and the volume level will then ramp up to the value last used with that particular

input.

The N1 has a timer feature that will automatically turn off the Nixie displays.
If the N1 controls (knob or remote) are not used for a certain time period, the

Nixie displays will go off and a yellow LED will go on. There is no change is audio

settings. The Nixie display simply turns off. You can select the time period (in
hours). To do so, press and hold the control knob in for 5 seconds. When it is
released, the yellow LED will blink and you can select the time period with the
control knob. When set to 0, the timer is disabled and the Nixie display will stay
on continuously. After selecting the time period, press the knob again to return
to normal preamp operation.

CONFIGURATION OF THE PHONO STAGE

The phono stage is congurable for many

gain and loading options. It is shipped with

200 Ohms for loading and 60 dB for gain.
You can easily choose other values. Remove
the top cover. On the left side of the audio

board are connectors for the loading and

gain cards. Simply plug in the value of your
choice. Each card carries two values. With
no card in the loading socket, you will have
a loading of 47.5 k Ohms. Each card will
connect to both the left and right audio boards – thus both channels will be set to
the same value.

THE REMOTE CONTROL

If you’ve been frustrated by complex remote controls, you will appreciate the N1’s
remote. It is so simple there was no need to even label the buttons. And yet it
still does more than you might expect.

Basically there is the volume up button, the volume down button and the mute

button.

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Beyond those basic functions, are more

thoughtful and useful aspects. When the

N1 is muted (by either pressing the front
panel knob or the orange mute button on
the remote), the volume level quickly goes to
zero and the two digits of volume indication go
off. That leaves only the input display illuminated.
The remote up/down buttons then function to make

changes to the selected input. When the N1 is then

unmuted, the volume numeric indication comes back on and
the volume level will then ramp up to the value last used with

that particular input.

The orange LED on the remote shows how rapidly commands are being sent. One
command for each ash. A quick push of the volume up or down buttons will send
only one command. Volume can be easily raised or lowered by one value. Holding
the button down for longer will send more commands and at a faster rate.

DISCUSSION OF DESIGN

The N1 uses a stack of two identical mono boards. Each board contains a mono phono
preamp, a mono input selector, a mono volume control, a mono line stage, multiple stages
of power supply ltering / regulation and a processor for control.

Each channel of music will see exactly the same circuit and physical layout. The most
subtle details between the two channels will be preserved as they travel thru precisely

identical signal paths.

Construction details contribute not

only to the N1’s performance but

also to pride in owning a well crafted

instrument. The neat and orderly
internal layout reect the attention
to every design detail.

THE PHONO STAGE

The phono stage is the same circuitry
as used in the Destination level
PhonoBlocks. Only the power supply

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is down sized a bit. It is assumed that vinyl is
the primary listening source. This phono stage
compares to the nest available separates.
One half of each audio board’s area is dedicated

to the phono stage.

THE LINE STAGE

The line stage is the same circuitry as used
in the Destination level LineBlocks. Only the

power supply is down-sized. The line stage
circuit and layout of the N1 was literally lifted

from the LineBlock’s CAD les using copy and

paste.

THE CONTROL SECTION

The N1 uses exactly the same control board as the LineBlocks.

The Nixie displays are not only an aesthetic retro touch, they are

bright, large and easy to read from a distance.

Control couldn’t be simpler. One knob for input selection, volume
control and muting. The N1 will also conveniently remember and
restore the volume level last used for any particular input.

Muting is fast, but volume is more slowly ramped up when
unmuting.

THE WHITE NOISE GENERATOR

It can take quite a long listening time before a high resolution
component reaches its full performance potential. The N1 is no

exception.

However, the N1 has a built in white noise generator that can
be used as a break-in signal. Simply select input number 6 and

the white noise generator will be enabled. When an input other

than 6 is selected, the noise generator is completely disabled
and out of the listening path. You can use the white noise generator with your
power amplier either on or off. If it is on, you will hear white noise from your
speakers. Thus all of your system will be subjected to a break-in signal.

SPECIFICATIONS

GAIN LINE STAGE: 12 dB (max, display at 99)
0 dB (display at 76)

GAIN PHONO STAGE: 45 dB, 50 dB, 55 dB, 60 dB

LOADING PHONO STAGE: 100, 200, 475, 1K, 10K, 47K

INPUTS:

Input 1 is phono
Inputs 2, 3 and 4 are line level with adjustable volume
Input 5 is unity gain pass thru for Home Theater
Input 6 enables a built in white noise generator

OUTPUTS:

Two paralleled per channel.

SIZE:

3.5” high X 17” wide X 18” deep

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