Tenor phono1 Owner's Manual
Tenor
Phono1
Ultimate Reference
Phono Stage
Owner’s Manual
!
July 2015
Important Safety Instructions
1. Please read this Owner’s Manual for your own safety and the protection of your Tenor
equipment.
2. Once you have installed your Tenor equipment, store this Owner’s Manual in the travel
case or another safe place for future reference.
3. Please heed all warnings and cautions.
4. Please follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this equipment near water or where there might be a chance it could come
in contact with water.
6. Clean only with a clean dry cloth. See notes under Care and Maintenance.
7. Do not install near a heat source such as radiators, heat registers, stoves or any other
source of heat.
8. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized and/or grounding type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one slightly wider than the other. A grounding plug
includes the third ground prong. In the event the plug provided does not fit your power outlet, consult an electrician for assistance. Failure to do this may result in damage to the equipment and/or possible injury or death.
9. Please protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at the
wall and at the plug on the rear panel of the equipment.
10. The use of extension cords and/or convenience plugs is not advised due to the power
requirements of the equipment.
11. Please mount equipment as specified in User Manual.
12. Please unplug equipment during lightning storms. When not in use for long periods of
time unplug the equipment and have a technician remove the rechargeable battery
located inside the Phono 1 chassis. The battery must be installed and sufficient time
with Phono 1 plugged in to AC to charge the battery before system can be used again.
13. Refer all service of equipment to qualified Tenor personnel. In the event the equipment has been damaged, dropped, exposed to water or foreign objects have entered
the cabinet, disconnect immediately from power source and consult a qualified service
technician.
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS
APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO
USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER ALL SERVICING TO QUALIFIED
PERSONNEL
ii
Tab l e o f Con t ent s
Introduction 1
Congratulations 1 ..........................................................................................................
Safe Set-up Instructions 1 ................................................................................................
Design Principles 1 ........................................................................................................
Precision Crafted, Assemb ly and Delivery 1 ...........................................................................
Unpacking 2
Travel Case Lifting Caution! 2 ...........................................................................................
Travel Case Opening 2 ....................................................................................................
List of Items Included with Tenor Phono 1 2 ...........................................................................
Moving Your Phono Stage 2 ...............................................................................................
Installation 3
Considerations 3 ...........................................................................................................
3rd Party Isolation Stands 3 ..............................................................................................
Placement 3 ................................................................................................................
Ven ti lation 3 ................................................................................................................
Input Source Component Quality 4 .....................................................................................
Preamplifiers 4 .............................................................................................................
Remote Turn On Jack 4 ...................................................................................................
AC Power Requirements 5
AC Mains Voltage 5 ........................................................................................................
AC Power Conditioners 5 .................................................................................................
Stabilizing & Initialization after Power On. 5 .........................................................................
Break-in Period 6 ..........................................................................................................
Tu be L i f e 6 ..................................................................................................................
Design Features 7
Summary of Phono 1 Design Features 7 ................................................................................
Front & Rear Panel 9 ......................................................................................................
Turning Power ON 10 ......................................................................................................
Initial Power ON/OFF Screens 11 ........................................................................................
Vacuum F loresce nt Disp la y (VFD ) Butto n Overv ie w 12 ...............................................................
VFD Display Screens & Buttons 13 .......................................................................................
SETUP Screens 13 ..........................................................................................................
INPUT Buttons 15 ..........................................................................................................
DISPLAY Button 16 .........................................................................................................
MUTE Botton 16 ............................................................................................................
MONO Button 17 ...........................................................................................................
PHASE Button 17 ...........................................................................................................
ON/OFF Button 17 .........................................................................................................
Phono 1 Programming Guide 18
OUTPUT Selection 18 ......................................................................................................
GAIN FACTOR Selection 20 ................................................................................................
EQ CURVES Selection 21 ..................................................................................................
<<Z>> LOAD COMP Selection 21 .........................................................................................
AUDIO GROUND Selection 23 .............................................................................................
INFO Selection 24 .........................................................................................................
CLOCK Selection 24 .......................................................................................................
FACTORY SET Selection 24 ................................................................................................
Troubleshooting Overview 25
Phono 1 Warnings/Cautions/Fuses/Triggers 25 .......................................................................
Phono 1 – No Power 25 ....................................................................................................
Ground Hum 25 ............................................................................................................
Balanced Moving Coil Cartridge Cable Connection (Arm) 26 ........................................................
Care and Maintenance 27
Wood Faceplate and Top Rails 27 .......................................................................................
Metal Chassis and Top Plate 27 ..........................................................................................
Electrical Connections on Rear Plate 27 ...............................................................................
Audio Board (Vacuum Tubes) 27 .........................................................................................
Tenor Ph ono 1 Spec ifi cat ion s 28
Warranty 29
Product Registration 30
Tenor Co nta ct I nfo rma tio n 31
Owner’s Notes 32
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Introduction
Congratulations
Congratulations on the purchase of your new Tenor Phono 1 single chassis/dual mono
Ultimate Reference Phono Stage. We are very proud of the extensive engineering, design and craftsmanship in our equipment and are confident that our Phono 1 phono
stage will deliver the musical experience of your lifetime.
Safe Set-up Instructions
This Owner’s Manual is provided to assist in the unpacking, installation and ongoing
care of your Phono 1 phono stage. It is recommended that you take a few minutes to
acquaint yourself with the contents of this manual before unpacking.
Design Principles
The passion and desire to attain the most realistic and live musical reproduction of
recorded material is a lifetime goal of Tenor. Building on Tenor classics including the
internationally acclaimed:
• OTL 15 & 75 Wp & Wi (Output Transformer-Less) amplifiers
• hp150/hp300 first generation Hybrid amplifiers
• 175S Ultimate Reference Stereo Amplifier
• 350M Ultimate Reference Mono Block Amplifier
• 175S Haute Puissance
• 350M Haute Puissance
• Line 1/Phono 1 Ultimate Reference Line Stage Preamplifier
The Phono 1 delivers musicality and transparency beyond all other phono stages.
Tenor’s proprietary research in the field of Harmonic Structural Integrity (HSI) is the
essence behind each of Tenor’s Zero Perceived Distortion products. The Phono 1 is the
finest single chassis/dual mono phono stage in the world and is designed to be the perfect match with any of Tenor’s amplifiers or preamplifiers.
Precision Crafted, Assembly and Delivery
Each Tenor phono stage is precision crafted in our facility in Montreal, Canada, by
master technicians dedicated to exacting standards using only the finest of materials.
Rigorous testing, matching and selection of electronic components precedes each custom build, following which, hundreds of hours of burn in ensures complete musical
equilibrium prior to calibration and delivery so your purchase will stay within calibration for most of your life. Each Phono 1 is outfitted with a custom travel case which is
specially designed to protect the unit during transit. Great care goes into every step
to ensure that the Tenor experience is nothing short of magnificent!
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Unpacking
Each Phono 1 has been transported to you in its custom travel case which has been
specially designed to protect the units during transit anywhere in the world. Given
the substantial weight and size of the phono stage, it is suggested that careful attention be given to the following:
Travel Case Lifting Caution!
The phono stage including carrying case has a combined weight of 102.5 lb/46.5 kg.
Travel Case Opening
The travel cases have been custom designed to provide the utmost in protection during transit and storage of the phono stage. An empty case weighs approximately 44
lb/20 Kg. When not in use they should be stored away in a safe and dry location.
The weight of the Tenor Phono 1 is not evenly distributed about the centre axis from
front to back which creates a very awkward load, therefore careful attention is required!
Caution should be used in lifting the phono stage out of the lower portion of the travel
case to make sure that nothing scratches the beautiful Tenor wood and metal finish.
Position the travel case close to the final location by rolling on the travel case wheels.
Clear the space of the final location in advance and have two reasonably strong people
lift the phono stage upwards out of the travel case until the phono stage is clear of the
travel case sides. Special care is needed when installing in a shelving unit due to restrictive access. When sliding the Tenor Phono 1 on a shelf, do not drag on rubber feet
but lift enough weight so that rubber feet do not bind when sliding.
List of Items Included with Tenor Phono 1
•
1 Owner’s Manual
•
1 Protective Cover
•
1 Kubala-Sosna Emotion Power Cord with country specific AC mains plug
•
Package of User Accessible Fuses
Moving Your Phono Stage
Once the Phono 1 has been turned off using the top right button in the display,
turn the power off at the rear and let sit for about 10 minutes - to dissipate high volt-
ages. Disconnect all cables and power cords then put them underneath the phono
stage in the travel case with connector ends wrapped in a protective material so they
do not come in direct contact with the wood or metal finish which can be scratched or
marred if care is not taken.
Consult Owner’s Manual for reconnecting cables and power cords following a move to
ensure nothing is taken for granted. To protect the beautiful metal and woodwork, it
is always recommended to use the protective cover and travel case when moving the
Tenor Phono 1. The weight of the Phono 1 is not distributed evenly about the centre
axis making for a difficult load. It is recommended to have two people to move the
Phono 1 safely.
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Installation
Considerations
The Tenor Phono 1 needs to be located in a clean, safe and dry environment within
close proximity to the AC power mains for the provided 2m AC power cord to connect
to the wall and also be close enough for the user supplied interconnects to connect to
your preamplifier and turntable/arm combination. Placement on a ventilated open
shelf built for audio equipment is of course ideal.
3rd Party Isolation Stands
Mechanical isolation of the main Tenor Phono 1 audio board is achieved with a custom
made tuned suspension. All Tenor amplifiers use custom rubber/wood feet combinations to isolate the chassis from externally generated acoustic vibrations transmitted
from shelves. Although not necessary, 3rd party isolation stands can be used but do
ensure that the units support a 58.5 lb/26.5 kg weight of the Phono 1. Please note
that the weight is not evenly distributed about the centre axis from front to back of
the Tenor Phono 1 as the balance point is forward of centre - this sometimes affects
the stand performance and should be discussed with the stand manufacturer.
Placement
AC power mains should be within reasonable access of the Tenor Phono 1. The Tenor
Phono 1 can be ideally installed on an isolated 15 amp circuit @ 1xx Volts (8 Amps @
2xx Volts) with other source equipment. Sharing common AC power mains for source
equipment is recommended as that generally simplifies any potential for ground loops
that cause undesirable 50/60 Hz ground loop hum. Special grounding options exist in
the Tenor Phono 1 as well as other Tenor amplifiers to mitigate ground loop hum in the
event that ground hum poses a problem. See details if necessary.
Ventilation
Ventilation of the Tenor phono stages occurs by natural convection without the need
for electric cooling fans. Ventilation slots in the bottom of the chassis and top cover
plate allow sufficient cooling under normal operating conditions. It is imperative that
these vents be kept clean and unobstructed. Please note, never stack equipment on
top of each other as the phono stage should have its own shelf with ample ventilation
above and below the chassis to operate properly.
It is normal for the top cover panel to get warm especially over the tube audio board
of the Phono 1. It is necessary to keep this top cover installed at all times for safety
from high voltages. Keep top cover clear at all times to ensure maximum ventilation to
allow the proper cooling of internal components including the vacuum tubes. The
phono stage sides act as a natural heat sink which provides cooling for the internal
output devices. The heat sinks run reasonably cool as long as they are kept clean and
unobstructed. Do not operate the Phono 1 in bottom half of their travel cases as this
will overheat the unit and void the warranty!
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Input Source Component Quality
The reference quality of the Phono 1 phono stage requires your source components to
be of similar reference quality in order to achieve maximum fidelity. Any imperfections in the audio signal at the input source will most definitely be noticeable. Alternatively, the best source equipment will allow the Tenor Phono 1 to reproduce sound
so real that you will believe that you are really at the concert!
In practice, Tenor phono stages allow most source components to sound their very
best, however, the ultimate in sound reproduction is only achieved with the use of the
finest digital and/or analogue audio source equipment and cables. Either unbalanced
or balanced inputs can be used. The use of sufficiently long interconnect cables allow
convenient location of the source equipment away from the amplifiers/speakers and in
close proximity to the user for easy access. To achieve maximum fidelity, it is our recommendation that reference quality balanced cables be used however unbalanced cables up to 50ft/15m can be used as well. If the installation has excessive RF and EMI
pollution you should always consider balanced cables regardless of length. Over 50ft/
15m, balanced cables are necessary.
Generally all source equipment can be powered using a single AC mains circuit thereby
minimizing the possibility of ground loop hum. It is recommended that this be a separate circuit from the amplifier(s) but have similar overall grounding topology. In cases
where the grounding is not identical and ground loop hum exists, various grounding
options in the Phono 1 Programming Setup can mitigate this problem. For severe cases, a balanced interconnect between the amplifier(s) and source equipment will separate the metallic grounds of the two different circuits and minimize any ground loop
hum issues not resolvable by the Tenor programmable grounding options.
Preamplifiers
The Tenor Phono 1 is capable of driving virtually any preamplifier with 50 feet (15m)
unbalanced RCA or balanced XLR interconnects at lengths up to 200 feet (61 m) with
unchanged distortion and noise characteristics! The reproduction of the recorded musical event requires substantial current so we recommend the use of either a Tenor
Line 1/Power 1 with 175S stereo or 350M mono block amplifiers with reference quality
speakers. Other manufacturers’ reference quality equipment will also integrate with
the Tenor Phono 1 and benefit from the Tenor Ultimate Reference Phono stage and HSI
technology!
Remote Turn On Jack
The Tenor Phono 1 has a 3.5 mm stereo mini phone plug for a 12V communication cable from the Tenor Line 1/Power 1 (or similarly equipped preamplifier) which allows
the Tenor Phono 1 to turn on automatically in sequence with other equipment when
the Tenor Line 1/Power 1 is powered on. Similarly, turning off the Line 1/Power 1 will
turn off the Phono 1 automatically.
Please be mindful of the volume level of the preamplifier when it comes on line especially if you have an automated volume on level. Failure to do so could cause ampli-
fiers and/or speakers to be overdriven and damaged - which would not be covered by
the Tenor Warranty.
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AC Power Requirements
AC Mains Voltage
Tenor phono stages can be powered using conventional Power Company voltages ranging from 100 Volts to 250 Volts at either 50 or 60 Hz. The voltage for your installation
must be specified at the time of ordering so the universal transformer voltage bus can
be configured to the correct AC mains cable for your Phono 1 installation.
AC Power Conditioners
The use of power conditioners on the AC power mains feeding the Tenor Phono 1 combination is not normally necessary since the Phono 1 is a complex power supply optimized to meet the needs of the Phono 1 in regard to voltage, current and noise. If a
power conditioner is being used it is recommended that it not be shared with the
power amplifier(s) as the current requirements of most amplifiers will negatively affect the current available to the Phono 1 and thereby diminish the available power being supplied reduce the fidelity of the overall signal.
Appropriate regional electrical codes and professionals should be consulted regarding
any custom electrical configuration beyond the regular domestic wiring of your installation. Damage caused to the Tenor Phono 1 as a result of incorrect wiring is not covered by Warranty.
Stabilizing & Initialization after Power On.
The AC Mains Power switch of your Tenor Phono 1 is located at the left (looking at back
directly) rear back plate of the Phono 1 chassis. This switch powers the Tenor Phono 1
so the front top right push button on the Phono 1 display panel can be used to turn the
phono stage on or off. The AC Mains Power switch is intended to be left on except
when the unit is being stored.
With the rear AC Mains Power ON, a push of the front top right button will initiate a
controlled start of the Tenor Phono 1. The Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD) on the
front panel will show STABILIZING for 1 minute 40 seconds during which no other control knob or button should be pushed.
Once 1 minute 40 seconds has expired, the VFD will show INITIALIZING followed by the
preset configuration of the Phono 1 - which is now on line and ready for use.
The Tenor line 1/Power 1 stabilizing timer is set to 1 minute 45 seconds so the Phono 1
intentionally comes on 5 seconds before the Tenor preamplifier comes on.
The Tenor 175S/350M models of amplifiers come on at just over 2 minutes of warmup.
In summary, the phono stage comes on first, the Line 1/Power 1 follows by 5 seconds
and finally the 175S/350M amplifiers follows by 20 seconds.
Please Note: It is advisable for the protection of your amplifier & speakers that the
Te nor L i ne 1 / Po we r 1 ’s O N V OL UME b e s et t o 0 ( de fault ) u nt il t h e a mp lifie rs a r e o n
line. Damage caused by the ON VOLUME being set too high is not covered by the Tenor
Warranty.
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Break-in Period
Vari ous co mponent s o f t he Tenor Phono 1 are burned -in fo r a period up to 20 0 hours
prior to being assembled. Each Phono 1 is further burned-in at the Tenor factory following assembly for a period of no less than 100 hours thereby allowing each electronic component to stabilize and achieve its optimum electrical and musical equilibrium
as a system. Each phono stage is then calibrated to the factory specification and is
designed to remain within tolerance for a period up to 10 years or more depending on
use and care.
Tube Life
The Tenor Phono 1 is designed to operate within design specifications for a period
close to 10,000 hours.
As a typical example, a Tenor Phono 1 used each and every day for 3 hours under normal use will last almost 10 years before it will need a tube refit and calibration. Each
time one turns the Phono 1 on an elapsed hours clock is located on the Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD), as shown below, during the startup sequence which exhibits the
owner’s hours total enjoyment to date. Most owners will experience a lifetime of listening pleasure without ever reaching the 10,000-hour maximum. When the 10,000
hours of use has been achieved, the phono stage should be returned to the factory for
re-tubing and calibration.
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STABILIZING
0:19
ELAPSED HOURS 00117.3
Design Features
Summary of Phono 1 Design Features
1. Custom extruded & machined aluminum chassis provides a stable, rigid
base plus the beautiful solid cherry wood face plate, rails and feet enhance
the aesthetics and improve vibration control of the system.
2. Microprocessor controlled Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD) & Logic
3. Internal USB software upgrade port
4. High quality polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE) insulation and rhodium plated
unbalanced connectors for maximum reliability and low Elector-magnetic
Interference (EMI)
5. High quality pro-audio grade gold plated balanced connectors for maximum
reliability and low Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI)
6. 2 unbalanced RCA selectable line level inputs
7. 1 balanced XLR line level input
8. 2 unbalanced RCA selectable outputs
9. 1 balanced XLR selectable outputs
10. Balanced inputs/outputs are transformer coupled giving high Common
Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) for low noise operation with optional pin 1
ground lift to suppress inter-chassis ground loops
11. Individual ground path for left/right channels to increase immunity to
ground loops and inter-channel crosstalk
12. 3 position ground selector per channel to equalize ground potentials and
minimize system residual noise
13. Input/output audio signal switched concurrently to avoid audio ground mixing/noise summing thereby maximizing signal to noise performance
14. Audio amplification circuits employ New Old Stock (NOS) 2 x 8416 (10,000
hour) & 2 x 6n6p (5,000 hour - optimized for 10,000 hours) high grade select vacuum tubes in pure class A with zero negative feedback delivering
ultra-low distortion - thereby maintaining the natural harmonic structure
of the audio signal
15. Software selectable Gain levels of 55db to 70 db in 5 db increments
16. <<Z>> Load Compensation of 100Ω to 500Ω in 100Ω increments plus HIGH
as well as a Custom Factory setting - available at time of order
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17. High current pure class A ultra-low distortion unity gain solid state buffer
stages provide isolation from the vacuum tube circuit using discrete transistors rather than ICs - for maximum sonic performance
18. Low output impedance can drive hundreds of feet of interconnect with unchanged distortion and noise characteristics
19. High bandwidth double shielded balancing custom made transformers with
ultra-low distortion for balanced inputs/outputs
20. Medical grade low leakage AC inlet module with integrated EMI filter
21. Dual mono independent ground path for left/right channels
22. Oversized custom made ultra-low noise, low-stray magnetic field, dual
electrostatic shield power transformers potted in special epoxy resin for
noise reduction
23. In-rush current limiters used in conjunction with slow start circuitry to op-
timize long term reliability of vacuum tubes and electronic components
24. Silver plated copper wires with 600V PTFE insulation used extensively with
high quality crimped connectors for long term stability
25. DC supplies individually choke filtered and independently regulated for
each channel with oversize low noise DC supplies for amplification stages
26. 12V Control for automatic power on/off controlled by preamplifier.
27. High quality DC interconnects with military grade aluminum connectors
provides safe secure power and long term stability
28. Relatively low operating temperature and premium quality printed circuit
boards ensure long term reliability and fidelity
29. Power supplies are custom made, hand assembled and intensively tested
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