Plinius Audio SB-301 User's Manual
Contents
1. 3 OD STAN OM auia ed buon 5 8 11 12 UD AL ANC EG 5 GN al 9 Pages 5 10 AB EISE UE vases OE OTT Pages 8 12 19 CONTACT DETAILS All operational technical and descriptive material published here is subject to change at any time without notice For further product information or queries please contact us at the address below PLINIUS products are designed and manufactured by Plinius Audio Ltd P O Box 1836 Palmerston North New Zealand Phone 64 6 354 8583 Facsimile 64 6 354 8586 Email info pliniusaudio com Internet www pliniusaudio com 2005 Plinius Audio Ltd 202. 9 SB WIA estas tee 12 41 01 4 0165 3 0 CU O e asic ERE MEE I M 14 giten Cel MEAN OUI E EUR ROS Ul OT TNT Page 14 101 0 1 ED o N Page 10 22555652 5028 2 5 10 ETE 5 8 11 LED 1 011 00 10 ET 15 Loudspeaker Pr rt v t dua Page 16 0 abr bere Co pu nbi en Page 16 Mans ble FUSE Peste onerat ipao Ende iom nA Page 15 COMMECHON tovt bati Soi br ev uon Page 13 SWE NEN Um 9 operating Temperate a Ono Eo ou Pr tetto onn cud a Pages 5 10 QUT UE 111 usate oct dni on CU Pages 9 12 Postes Grm Pe nM UN Page 13 MP Pages 5 10 esos coe bp UN Page 14 RCA Stereo NOU Pages 8 11 Ue 1 se PT Pages 10 14 Rear 18 41 7 BUY PRSE nb UR PE 5 S OT E Dv
3. 00 15 8 0 S tats 10 15101 80104010 00881015 11 1 8 81 451 00188085 8 ui B EUN o Sine Page 12 REDE PNIS ERE Page 12 125000 1 01 woes nem re OU Cerezo Page 13 E Uu 15 A 17 SSC caer 18 cr E 19 mrt 20 PRECAUTIONS Please take special note of the following precautions before operating your new amplifier The Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier may deliver in excess of 300 watts into 8 ohms This amplifier is also capable of a very large peak current delivery The Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier is capable of generating temperatures that could have an adverse effect on other equipment furniture DO NOT leave flammable material on the amplifier whilst running as this could pose a serious fire risk The Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier is of direct coupled design and offers no protection from preamplifiers that have a high DC component at their outputs This amplifier operates at hazardous voltage levels We recommend that any work requiring removal of the lid or base of this amplifier be referred to a suitably qualified and experienced service technician DO NOT attempt to connect any input of
4. large contact area MAINS SWITCH This heavy duty rocker switch on the rear panel turns the Mains Line Power to the amplifier ON or OFF An LED in the centre of the front panel indicates that the power is on When first switched on the power LED will vary in brightness for ten seconds this is an initialisation sequence after which the power LED remains lit The amplifier draws a moderately high current when switched on Despite the Soft Start Circuit within the amplifier reducing current demand on the mains as the amplifier is switched on it is not good practice to rapidly turn the Mains switch on and off repeatedly GROUND LIFT SWITCH This switch is located adjacent to the Mains Input Socket and allows the signal ground to be disconnected from the chassis In some installations a hum loop may exist due to duplicate ground paths from different equipment Use this switch to remove the connection from OV to ground thus allowing some flexibility in your particular set up MAINS POWER CORD IEC CONNECTOR This connector is where the mains supply cable from your wall connects to the amplifier You will notice that a fuse holder is mounted within this connection and it holds a mains fuse to provide surge and overload protection for your amplifier REMOTE TRIGGER TERMINALS In order to integrate more effectively into a home theatre system the Plinius SA 301 has remote trigger terminals fitted to the rear panel By connecting a processor with
5. our experience indicates that medium to low power loudspeakers 100 to 200 watt RMS are quite often suitable for use on this amplifier provided the volume is maintained at a level where no distortion is audible Impedance of the loudspeaker load is important to ensure the rated performance of this amplifier Any combination of loudspeakers may be used but the total average impedance load for each channel should be within a range of 4 to 8 ohms Again if you have doubts about the impedance of your loudspeaker configuration we recommend you speak to your PLINIUS dealer 17 SPECIFICATIONS 310 WATTS CONTINUOUS PER CHANNEL INTO 8 OHMS BOTH CHANNELS DRIVEN FROM 20Hz 20 7 FREQUENCY RESPONSE 20Hz to 20kHz 0 2dB 3dB at 1Hz and 3dB at 70 2 DISTORTION Typically lt 0 05 THD at rated power 0 1 THD and IM worst case prior to clipping CURRENT OUTPUT 50A short duration peak per channel Fuse protected RISE TIME Typically 5us PHASE RESPONSE 0 at 20Hz and 14 at 20 2 amp Noise 100dB below rated output 20Hz to 20kHz A weighted INPUT IMPEDANCE 47 GAIN ON INPUTS 32dB ON BALANCED INPUTS 38dB HEIGHT 220mm 8 3 4 WIDTH 500mm 19 3 4 DEPTH 455mm 18 WEIGHT 38kg 83105 18 ACS Amplifier Configuration Selector 8 84411250 111 At baee f acuta
6. this amplifier to it s own outputs DO NOT earth any output terminal or connect any of these terminals together without following the instructions in this manual or seeking qualified assistance DO NOT place this amplifier in any position where liquids or any foreign material may accidentally enter it DO NOT connect any voltage source short circuit earth ground or appliance other than suitable high fidelity loudspeakers to the amplifier output terminals Some preamplifiers processors CD players etc produce large switching pulses when switched on causing a loud click through the loudspeakers For this reason turn on all other equipment in your system before turning on your Plinius SB 301 or ensure that the amplifier is in MUTE You will not experience this phenomenon with Plinius Preamplifiers AMPLIFIER FEATURES FRONT PANEL STANDBY ERROR FRONT PANEL LAYOUT SHOWING STANDBY AND ERROR LEDs STANDBY LED The Standby LED indicates when the amplifier has been put into standby mode by an external processor connected to the remote trigger terminals described later When the Standby LED 15 on the external processor has muted the SB 301 and put the amplifier into power saving low bias mode ERROR LED This LED on the right of the panel will flash only when an error condition has been detected by the SB 301 microcontroller AMPLIFIER FEATURES REAR PANEL This panel incorporates all the terminals for connecting the in
7. Amplifier are easily accessible and fitted to the top centre area of the rear panel A brief summary of connection possibilities is listed below while a more detailed explanation follows later in this instruction manual RCA INPUTS LEFT amp RIGHT These standard RCA terminals are for use with unbalanced signals from most signal sources such as audio preamplifiers or home theatre processors XLR BALANCED INPUTS LEFT amp RIGHT XLR connectors fitted to this amplifier are for use with balanced line signals from audio preamplifiers or home theatre processors Balanced signals are carried via a three way cable that connects all three pins at each end of the interconnect cable The XLR pin configuration used in all Plinius product 15 PIN 1 to GND PIN 2 to Signal PIN 3 to Signal NOTE Because of the way our XLR and balanced inputs are configured it is not possible to connect both XLR and RCA at the same time AMPLIFIER CONFIGURATION SELECTOR ACS The Amplifier Configuration Selector ACS is a unique switching method that exploits all of the operational features of your Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier By using this switch it is possible to operate your amplifier with either balanced or unbalanced signals RCA STEREO XLR STEREO AM PLIFIER CONFIGURATION SELECTOR REFER TO OW NERS MANUAL FOR USAGE INSTRUCTIONS AMPLIFIER CONFIGURATION SELECTOR The ACS switch options are RCA STEREO This option provides a stereo output via bo
8. INSTRUCTION MANUAL NN CONGRATULATIONS on your decision to become proud owner of this Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier This manual has been prepared to help you understand the operation of your amplifier and to provide information about its design and the variety of ways it may be used We have designed and manufactured this amplifier to reproduce faithfully and accurately your favourite music With a little care and a full understanding of the operating recommendations in this manual your Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier will provide years of high quality trouble free performance Serial Number Flas ts PLEASE TAKE THE TIME READ THIS MANUAL THOROUGHLY BEFORE USING YOUR AMPLIFIER DESIGN PHILOSOPHY From a distance you can see that the design of the Plinius products is more than an applied styling exercise to the front panel We have started from the ground up to produce a casing for our electronics that 15 unrivalled in its physical strength and visual simplicity Wherever possible we have reduced the number of parts needed and then invested massively in refining and producing the remaining parts to the highest quality achievable with state of the art computer controlled machines allied with expert craftsman Examples of this approach include the hydraulically formed corners on the amplifiers giving much greater strength and the one piece housing for the remote co
9. There are essentially two different ways that you can connect your system components to the Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier 1 RCASTEREO 2 XLR STEREO RCA STEREO Connect your processor or input signal to the two RCA inputs at the top of the amplifier back panel Make sure you connect the red coded cable to the red RIGHT RCA input and the black or white cable to the black LEFT RCA input Also make sure the RCA connectors are a snug fit and are inserted all the way in Next connect your loudspeaker wires to the output posts on either side of the rear panel Connect your right loudspeaker ie the one on the right of you when seated in your normal listening position to the right output terminals ensuring that the red positive terminal is connected to the red terminal on your loudspeaker Do the same with the black or negative terminals Now turn the ACS switch clockwise so that it is in the RCA Stereo position It is now safe to switch on your amplifier 17 5 Connect your processor input signal to the two XLR inputs at the top of the amplifier back panel sure you connect the RIGHT XLR input and LEFT XLR inputs to the right and left outputs from your processor respectively Also make sure the XLR connectors click into place Next connect your loudspeaker wires to the output posts on either side of the rear panel Connect your right loudspeaker ie the one on the right of you when seated in your nor
10. a remote trigger signal to these terminals the 5 301 can be put in and out of Standby mute by the processor to which it is connected When in Standby mute the amplifier draws less current and will operate at minimum temperature The output relays are also open disconnecting the loudspeakers This may be of advantage in a multi amplifier and or remote installations The Standby mute mode can only be activated via the remote trigger terminals Polarity of the connections to the remote trigger is not important 10 INSTALLATION AND OPERATION PLACEMENT AND VENTILATION Your Plinius SB 301 is designed to operate at a moderately high temperature even more so when used in Class A The ideal location is on a rigid stand or floor mounted away from direct contact with any temperature sensitive materials or deep pile carpets The flow of air around the amplifier should also be kept unimpeded so ensure that the heat sinks cooling fins are not covered or restricted in any way to ensure adequate ventilation The Plinius SB 301 design incorporates a very high level of mechanical decoupling of the input and output It can however still be influenced by acoustical feedback in the operating environment The use of acoustic cones or a suitably spiked amplifier stand or table may further enhance the performance of this amplifier Consult your PLINIUS dealer for further advice if required MAINS VOLTAGE CONNECTION Firstly check that the mains supply voltag
11. ctly We recommend that you use one of the easily obtainable test discs to help you ensure both phasing and channel orientation are correct If in doubt consult your PLINIUS dealer for advice To achieve a sound performance that is correctly aligned to your room make sure all of the leads carrying signals for the RIGHT channel loudspeaker are connected to the RIGHT input to the amplifier from your processor or CD player etc Signals for the LEFT channel should be wired in a similar fashion 13 CONNECTING THE MAINS SUPPLY Now that your Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier is configured to your system correctly the mains cable can be plugged into the IEC connector on the back of the amplifier Once the power is connected flick the main power switch on the front panel to the right The power LED will pulse until the circuitry within the amplifier has stabilised Once the amplifier has stabilised the power LED will stay lit and the amplifier will be out of standby ready for you to enjoy your new Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier WARM UP PERIOD You will find that the Plinius SB 301 will sound its best after being on for a period of time We usually recommend waiting at least 24 hours before expecting the best quality of sound reproduction from your amplifier Also as the Plinius SB 301 uses very little power while on we suggest leaving the unit turned on so that it will always be at it s sonic best 14 SB 301 FEATURES ERROR DETECTION Th
12. e Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier has in built error detection This will function under the following conditions e When the amplifier is overdriven clipped e internal fuse is damaged Should either of these circumstances arise the amplifier will disconnect both channels and mute the input This condition will remain until the input signal level is reduced or the damaged fuse replaced When error detection 15 triggered the error LED will flash and the power LED will go out FUSE PROTECTION When any internal fuse 15 damaged one or more fuse warning LEDs will light These LEDs are under the amplifier lid located near the centre of the main circuit board with the rail fuse holders If any of the internal fuse LEDs are glowing the lid of the amplifier will need to be removed and the fuse adjacent to the lit LED should be replaced Replace them with the same type 15 amp normal blow IMPORTANT DO NOT FIT A FUSE WITH A HIGHER RATING Please note that fuse failure may indicate a severe problem Check all speakers and speaker cables for damage short circuit Should the amplifier continue to exhibit rail fuse failure contact your PLINIUS dealer LED BRIGHTNESS CONTROL Your Plinius SB 301 has an internal LED brightness control that will adjust all three front panel LEDs A small flat bladed screwdriver can be used to adjust the brightness The LED brightness control is a small multi turn potentiometer and is located on the front o
13. e printed on the rear of this amplifier is similar to the mains supply voltage in your area If in doubt please consult your PLINIUS dealer Mains supply power connection is via the supplied plug in lead A standard socket connects the mains power at the amplifier end while a local mains plug is required at the wall end The wiring code used inside all Plinius product is Green to Earth Ground Blue to Neutral Brown to Phase Live Should local plug need fitting to the wall end of the lead ensure that a suitably qualified or experienced service technician wires the plug correctly IM PORTANT DO NOT POWER UP YOUR AMPLIFIER UNTIL YOU HAVE CONNECTED YOUR INPUT OUTPUTS CORRECTLY FOR YOUR SYSTEM AS EXPLAINED IN THE NEXT SECTION 11 INPUT OUTPUT CONNECTION RIGHT OUTPUTS LEFT OUTPUTS RCA STEREO STEREO AMPLIFIER CONFIGURATION SELECTOR REFER TO OW NERS MANUAL FOR USAGE INSTRUCTIONS REAR PANEL SHOWING LOCATION OF INPUT OUTPUT TERMINALS It is important that you connect your loudspeakers outputs and preamplifier or processor inputs to the Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier correctly to ensure the amplifier is not damaged and sounds it s best with your system Now that you have read and familiarised yourself with the connections on the back of the amplifier as covered in the previous section we will describe in detail the different ways in which you can connect the amplifier to your system
14. f the main circuit board within the top cavity of the amplifier and is labelled VR7 Make sure you adjust the correct potentiometer and remember to remove the mains supply from the amplifier before making any adjustments 15 MAINS LINE FUSE A Mains Line fuse Is fitted within the IEC Mains Line socket on the rear of the amplifier A small drawer at the bottom of this socket may be removed after the IEC plug is removed by levering it out with a flat blade screwdriver The fuse fitted should be rated as specified on the rear panel In the unusual event that this fuse should blow you must first establish the cause of this failure Such as power surges damaged mains cable etc before replacing the fuse with one of the same rating and type IMPORTANT DO NOT FIT A FUSE WITH A HIGHER RATING 16 LOUDSPEAKER SELECTION Your Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier is designed for use with high fidelity loudspeakers It should not be used to operate any other type of appliance or equipment Choice of loudspeakers 15 one of personal taste providing the chosen loudspeakers are suitable for use with your amplifier Be certain that your loudspeakers can handle most of the rated outout power of this amplifier You may find loudspeaker specifications confusing or misleading so you should discuss this with your audio dealer prior to purchase As a general rule the use of high power 200 watt RMS or greater loudspeakers is recommended and desirable However
15. mal listening position to the right output terminals ensuring that the red positive terminal is connected to the red terminal on your loudspeaker Do the same with the black or negative terminals Now turn the ACS switch anti clockwise so that it is in the XLR Stereo position It is now safe to switch on your amplifier TERMINATION QUALITY Quality of the connections must be examined to ensure that high performance trouble free operation is enjoyed Check that the connections are tight but do not over tighten If bare wires are used make sure that no loose strands of wire short across the other terminals or the amplifier chassis When using plugs such as bananas be sure to use good quality plugs with a firm fit bI WIRING Bi wiring uses two pairs of loudspeaker cables for each channel loudspeaker You will notice that the rear panel of your Plinius SB 301 has two pairs of output terminals for this purpose When using bi wires connect each wire pair to a corresponding pair of binding posts one cable to the top pair one cable to the bottom paying special attention to positive red and negative black polarity PHASING OR POLARITY It is important to achieve good stereo imaging in your listening room By observing the wiring instructions above each Power Amplifier loudspeaker combination should be in phase If you experience poor stereo image and or a lack of bass check that the loudspeaker wiring has been connected corre
16. ntro unit that eliminates large joints and potential creaks The very process of holding the remote tells you that you are controlling both a powerful and precise product It is designed specifically for the act of listening to music not channel surfing on a television or changing the room temperature The distinction is important because we believe that listening to music is a highly selective and emotional experience that requires a much greater level of concentration and precision to fully appreciate and enjoy As with music that you are not familiar with truly innovative new designs can take time to understand and enjoy How often have you heard music that you were first unsure of that over repeated listening has become a firm favourite Our designs are fundamentally different to many other companies and we hope that you will take the time to explore their unique character and qualities because we have not made them different simply to be different We genuinely believe that their visual and tactile qualities do improve the experience of listening to music and that is our design goal Ross Stevens Design Director ee CONTENTS 2 DESI GAP ANOSODN Y 3 misc dfe cmm Page 5 Amplifier Features FRONT Page 6 Features PANE ssa m mt ti b ntt T ir et hia Page 8 Amolimerc onnguraton Selector ACS Opt raid c ta andit b YE Page 9 Balanced
17. put signals from your processor and output to the loudspeakers and mains supply A reasonable understanding of this amplifier and a logical approach should ensure that you are listening to this amplifier without any difficulties at all Please remember that your Plinius SB 301 Power Amplifier is a high quality electronic instrument capable of an exceptional level of performance Be sure that you understand your system s requirements fully before you make any connection to this amplifier or adjust the ACS Amplifier Configuration Selector RIGHT OUTPUTS 0 1 9 7 CAUTION ENSURE ADEQUATE VENTILATION RIGHT INPUTS LEFT INPUTS RCA STEREO XLR STEREO AMPLIFIER CONFIGURATION SELECTOR REFER TO OW NERS MANUAL FOR USAGE INSTRUCTIONS DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN NEW ZEALAND BY PLINIUS AUDIO LTI PO BOX 1836 PALMERSTON NORTH G c PLINIUS SB 301 STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER MAINS FUS WITH SPECIFIED FUSE LEFT OUTPUTS CHASSIS OPEN LIFT REAR PANEL OF THE PLINIUS SB 301 SHOWING ALL OF THE AVAILABLE FACILITIES INCLUDING INPUT AND OUTPUT TERMINALS ACS AMPLIFIER CONFIGURATION SELECTOR MAINS INPUT REMOTE TRIGGER AND GROUND LIFT INPUT TERMINALS Input terminals for your Plinius SB 301 Power
18. th left and right output channels from a stereo signal connected to both left and right input RCA inputs XLR STEREO This option provides a stereo output signal from a balanced stereo input signal connected to both the left and right XLR inputs All the advantages of balanced line transmission will be realised with good rejection of noise and some freedom from earth or ground loops hum BALANCED UNBALANCED SIGNALS Balanced or unbalanced input options will depend on the type of signal available from your processor or other equipment The Plinius SB 301 provides both options to allow you to choose the most suitable processor for your purposes BALANCED LINE is normally used to transmit signals in a professional environment Because balanced line effectively reduces or eliminates noise pick up by the system cabling it has become increasingly more important in high quality domestic high fidelity systems UNBALANCED leads such as single ended RCA or coaxial are common and are used in the majority of audio signal systems The terminal plug and socket are most commonly called RCA and can be found on your Plinius SB 301 for use as the standard input terminals for both left and right inputs OUTPUT TERMINALS Output connections for the loudspeakers are provided on the left and right hand side of the rear panel Two parallel pairs of binding posts for each channel are fitted these provide ease of use with bi wiring and multiple cables requiring a
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