TL Audio Fatman Carbon Trinity User Manual

USER MANUAL

ENGLISH

Carbon Trinity

Hybrid Valve Ampli er

Market-leading, award-winning Fatman system
with added USB input and sub-woofer output.

Fatman by tL audio

2

Carbon Trinity Hybrid Valve Amplier

In the box .................................................................3

Safety instructions

.................................................4

Amplifier connections

.........................................5

Speaker connections

...........................................6

Connecting other devices

..................................7

Front and back controls

...................................... 8

Remote control

......................................................9

Dr Feelgood - symptoms and cures

............10

Specifications

...................................................... 12

Service

.................................................................... 12

From us, to you…

We’d like to congratulate you on your excellent taste in choosing the Fatman Carbon
Trinity by TL Audio. We’ve put many, many years of audio engineering experience
and a whole lot of love into bringing you a marvel of modern engineering that will
enhance your listening experience, and in its own small way, your life.

To make sure you get the best performance from your system please read this
owner’s manual thoroughly and use your Carbon Trinity only in accordance with its
instructions. Treat it well, and it should reward you with many years of loyal service
and excellent sound quality.

Contents

Fatman by tL audio

USER MANUAL

ENGLISH

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3

Here’s what you’ll find inside

• Carbon Trinity Vacuum Tube Amplifier with iPod Dock.

• High quality, directional Speaker Cables.

• Aux Audio Cable - connects another source like a phone, MP3 player, CD player or computer.

• Video Cable - connects your Carbon Trinity to your television

• Remote Control - Use the Fatman Remote Control to play, pause, forward, rewind, shuffle and more.

In the box

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Carbon Trinity Hybrid Valve Amplier

They’re Important, So Please Read Carefully!

Please DO...

• Keep these instructions in a safe place for future
reference - you may need ‘em.

• The Carbon Trinity works best on a clean, dry and
flat surface. Try it, you’ll see.

• The Carbon Trinity needs room to breathe, so make
sure its new home has adequate ventilation. Don’t
put it on beds, sofas, rugs, enclosed bookcases /
cabinets or anywhere else where its ventilation
may be obstructed and it can overheat.

• Make sure that your Carbon Trinity is connected to
the correct power supply as indicated on the unit.

• Unplug your Carbon Trinity when it’s not in use for
a long period (we’re talking days, not hours).

• Always make sure power cables are placed safely
and not obstructing a walkway.

• If you move your Carbon Trinity from a cool to
a warm place, condensation may form on the
surface of the vacuum tube. It’s nothing to worry
about, but allow 1 hour before you switch it on
again. This will avoid leakage or a blow-out of the
vacuum tube due to too much sudden heat.

• You really should get your Carbon Trinity serviced
by an authorised service engineer if:

1. The power supply or cord is damaged

2. It drops or is struck by a falling object

3. It’s exposed to rain or moisture

4. Liquid is spilt on it

5. It’s not operating normally or shows a sudden

change in performance

Please DON’T...

• Don’t put your Carbon Trinity anywhere near water
– it hates it. So avoid placing it near bathtubs,
sinks, washing machines, swimming pools, saunas,
jacuzzis, kettles, precariously balanced pints of beer
etc.

• Expose it to direct sunlight or to extremes of
temperature or humidity.

• Don’t leave it near direct heat sources such as
radiators, stoves, gas fires, naked flames or candles.

• Never drop the unit. It’s delicate, so don’t apply
excessive force to the controls or place heavy
objects on top of it either.

• Don’t let too much dust gather on your iTube
– give it a regular wipe with a soft dry cloth. If
necessary, use a slightly damp cloth but DO NOT
use solvents.

• The Carbon Trinity has valves, and they can get hot.
Don’t touch the tubes and keep away from babies
and children.

• Don’t try to remove the cover or the back - there
are no user-serviceable parts, and you don’t want
to risk an electric shock.

NOTE: Any unauthorised changes or modifications
to this equipment render the manufacturer’s warranty
null and void.

Safety Instructions

USER MANUAL

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• Before connecting anything to or from your
Carbon Trinity, switch OFF the power to the
Carbon Trinity and to the components you want to
connect.

• Make sure that all connections between the iTube
and other components are made correctly, so
L(left) goes to L, R(Right) to R, + to + and - to -.
Don’t forget to refer to the owner’s manual of each
component that you want to connect.

• Always turn OFF the power switches when you’re
connecting or disconnecting from the mains.

• Disconnect the power supply from the mains if
you’re not planning to use your Carbon Trinity for a
while eg holidays.

• Any speakers you connect should have an
impedance of 4-8 ohms – if it’s not written on the
back of the speaker, check with the manufacturer.

Amplifier Connections

6

Carbon Trinity Hybrid Valve Ampli er

• Connect to your speakers using high quality, bare
(stripped) speaker wire. If your speaker wires are
not connected properly you may hear no sound at
all, or if the wires are mixed up, it will sound weird
with a disturbing loss of bass.

• When using bare speaker wires, fit at least 1.6mm
of insulation inside the speaker terminals so that
there’s no bare wire showing.

•

Make sure the wire holders are firmly screwed in to
stop the wires from becoming loose. If wires touch, the
speakers or the unit could be damaged. That’s bad.

Speaker Connections

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Video Output

Connect the video cable (yellow) from the video
output connector (yellow) of the Carbon Trinity to the
video input (you guessed it, probably yellow) of your
TV.

Audio Output

Connect the audio cable from the twin audio outputs
of your CD player or other source to the audio inputs
of the Carbon Trinity. You can also connect an MP3
player or mobile phone via the 3.5mm aux input.

S-Video Output

Use an S-Video cable (not included, sorry) to connect
the S-Video output of your Carbon Trinity to the
S-Video input of your TV.

Mini USB Output

Connect your computer for direct digital streaming or
an external DAC.

Subwoofer Out

You can connect to a powered subwoofer using a

3.5mm aux cable.

Power input

Connect the supplied power cable between your
Carbon Trinity and the mains supply.

Connecting other devices

8

Carbon Trinity Hybrid Valve Amplier

• Power switch

Press to on for power - the
indicator will light up while
the power is on. Later on, try
pressing it off to give it a rest.

• Source

For switching between
different sound sources –
iPod dock, CD player, pre-amp,
external DAC, whatever.

• Volume control
Full control - you can turn it
up… or you can turn it down.

The Front

Note: Before you switch on, set the volume control to the lowest
setting to avoid damage to the speakers. Just in case you don’t, the
speaker-protection circuit will mute the volume for a few seconds
after the power is switched on.

Speaker Outputs

AC Power

Input

S-Video/TV

Outputs

Voltage switch

Source Volume

Power Switch

Sub

Output

USB

Input

5 MINUTE RULE!

Your Carbon
Trinity should
only be re-started
5 minutes after
switching off to
avoid damaging
the tubes.

The Back

Line Inputs

Red is right channel, White is left channel

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• iPod control

Some iPod functions can be controlled using the Carbon Trinity’s remote.

Play/pause song Press play/pause
Turn off iPod Press and hold ‘Play’
Skip to next song Press ‘Next/fast forward’
Start a song again Press ‘Previous/rewind’ once
Play previous song Press ‘Previous/rewind’ twice
Fast forward song Press and hold ‘Next/fast forward’
Rewind a song Press and hold ‘Previous/rewind’

The Remote Control

Power On/Off

Stop

SelectMenu

Menu Down

Mute

Backlight

Previous

Play/Pause

Shuffle

RepeatMenu Up

Volume

Bass Treble

Next

10

Carbon Trinity Hybrid Valve Amplier

Your Carbon Trinity should give you years of trouble­free audio fitness, but if it isn’t performing as it should, it
could be due to one of these simple problems. If you’re
still having trouble, please contact your authorised
dealer or service centre.

Dr Feelgood

SYMPTOM DIAGNOSIS CURE

Won’t turn on when the
POWER switch is pressed

Power adaptor isn’t connected properly Mains supply is off Make sure the power cable is firmly plugged in and mains

is switched on

No sound The volume control is turned all the way to the left

The connection wires are not connected securely to the
INPUT terminals.
Speakers are not connected properly

Turn the control to the right to crank up the volume
Make sure the cords are fully inserted at both ends
Check that the speaker cables are connected correctly (pg4)

No sound from left or right
speaker

One or both speakers are not properly connec ted Check both speaker cables and ensure they ’re connected

securely
Check the connections between your source and amplifier
are correctly and firmly connected

The acoustic image is unsta­ble (sounds unnatural or
weirdly bass light)

The positive and negative polarities of the unit and speak­ers aren’t matched

Remove the speaker cables and re-connec t them correctly
(pg4)

iPod volume doesn’t effect
audio volume

iPod volume is already at maximum output Use your Carbon Trinity’s amplifier volume control when

your iPod is docked

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SYMPTOM DIAGNOSIS CURE

Crackling sound from
speakers

Bad connection
A problem with your audio source

Check docking station connection (or the 3.5mm cable con­nection if using). Make sure it’s using ‘line out’ ‘audio out’ or
‘headphone out’ from your source, NOT ‘speaker out’
Test the 3.5mm cable with another audio source eg CD
player, MP3 player

Sound is distorted Volume level on iTube is too high

Sound source is distorted

Turn it down a bit (well, if it makes it sound better…)
WAV and MIDI files are often poor quality and distortion
sounds worse through a quality system – try a different
audio source eg CD

Radio interference You may be too close to a radio tower Try moving the speakers to different positions

Remote control doesn’t
work

Low battery
Remote’s not in range or pointing the wrong way

Replace battery
Point the remote at the dock from no more than 20ft
distance

TV cannot display Bad connection

iPod video set up is incorrect

Check dock connection.
Check iPod video set up

12

Carbon Trinity Hybrid Valve Amplier

In accordance with our policy of continuous development, we reserve the right to change specifications without notice. Photographs are

for illustration only and actual product may vary. E&OE.

iPod / iPhone not included. iPod is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc.

Compatible with: iPod Nano (3rd, 4th, 5th Gen), iPod Touch, iPod Classic

Fatman by tL audio

[e-mail] www.fat-man.co.uk

Max output power: 25Wx2

Frequency response: 20Hz-20KHz (±1.5dB)

Distortion: ≤0.5%

Signal to noise ratio: ≥86dB

Input sensitivity: 200mV

Input impedance: 10KΩ

Output impedance: 4Ω /8Ω

Size (WxHxD): 374mm x 205mm x 155mm

Weight: Amp/dock 5.8kg, single speaker 2.4kg

Tubes: 6N2 x 2, 6E2 x 1

Sub out: Yes

Type of amp: Hybrid

Inputs: RCA pair x 1, 3.5mm Aux x 1, USB x 1

Specification

Please contact your local authorised dealer or reseller.

Service