Pass Labs X260.5 User's Manual
Contents
1. The amplifier has a thermal cutout that will disconnect AC power if the temperature exceeds 75 degrees Centigrade This should never occur in real life More things to know You can remotely operate the stand by mode by applying 12 volts DC to the single pair of binding post connectors on the rear of the ampli 6 Speaker Interface Interconnects and Speaker Cables X260 5 Owners Manual fier The positive of the 12 volts DC goes to the red connector This connection has an actual operating range of about 9 volts to 15 volts at a current draw of approximately 5 0mA This switching will over ride the front panel button so if you want the front panel button to operate leave the rear connection open So much for the most essential information The Pass Laboratories X260 5 is optimized for loads nominally rated at 4 ohms and above You can run the amplifiers into a lower nominal impedance without difficulty and we are not aware of a speaker on the market that presents unusual difficulty with these amplifiers The X 5 series amplifiers do not care particularly about the reactivity of the load Reactive loads typically will have slightly less distortion at a given voltage current level than resistive loads but will make the ampli fier run a little hotter The X 5 circuit was designed to be quite happy driving electrostatic and other difficult speakers When driving transformer coupled loads directly as in some electrostat2. ic and ribbon designs some attention must be paid to the DC character of the situation If the transformer primary is being driven raw with no protection from DC and your source has DC voltage or in cases where the small offset of the power amplifier is still too much you may cre ate distortion in the transformer and get less than optimal performance from it Generally this is not the case with transformer coupled loud speakers but it does occasionally surface In these cases take special care that the source does not contain a differential DC component and confirm the differential DC offset of the pre amplifier is sufficiently low This differential voltage is easily adjusted by a qualified technician armed with the appropriate service documents We have a general recommendation about interconnects which is that they should cost less than the amplifier and be flexible enough to work with We have tried a lot of products and most of them work well but as a practical matter we cannot make blanket recommendations The amplifier is not sensitive to source interconnects or ground loops It is also not sensitive to radio frequency pickup which allows some flex ibility in choosing source interconnects without shields though shields are always in good taste We prefer speaker cables that are thick and short Silver and copper are the preferred metals If you find any cable made of gold please gift us a couple hundred meters X260 5 Owne
3. require an audio signal ground reference and their makers may suggest that a black speaker terminal is where this voltage reference might be found On complementary designs which would be typical of all power amps produced by Pass Laborato ries this is an incorrect and unsafe assumption On all Pass Labo ratories power amplifiers a reference of 0 volts will be found only at pin 1 of the XLR input or at the shell of the RCA input Reference connections for these devices require special consideration when used with our product If you have such a device and wish to use it with our product please contact our Foresthill California fac tory for specific instructions you have been warned XLR input connector showing proper placement of jumper pin for use with single ended RCA input Note On X260 5 XLRs are upside down You are ready to play music X260 5 Owners Manual The amplifier can be driven single end or balanced if driving the am plifier single ended leave the supplied jumper in place between pins 1 amp 3 on the XLR Your amplifier will operate without the jumper in place but performance will be significantly diminished Now that the source component is connected make sure there is no signal coming from it probably by turning the volume all the way down With the speakers connected push the front panel button to activate the amplifier The Power LED will come on Do everybody a favor and try n
4. volts or 100 volts all with an appropriate rear mounted replaceable type 3AG slow blow fuse For units rated at either 220 or 240 volts the fuse will be a 2 1 2 amp type 3AG 250V slow blow and for units rated at either 100 or 120 volts the fuse will be a 5 amp type 3AG slow blow Do not substitute other types voltage amperage or time constant fuses for the specified replacement The frequency rating of the AC line source in all instances will be 50 to 60 Hz Please verify that the amplifiers indicated voltage requirements are consistent with the line voltage supplied at your location The Pass Laboratories X150 5 is provided with a conventional IEC detachable AC line cord which is rated at 15 amps The safety ground is attached to the chassis in the conventional approved manner The AC power input to the amplifier runs through a RF filter which re moves high frequency noise coming into and going out of the ampli fier power supply Under no circumstances should you defeat the ground connection of the power cord For your safety the chassis of the amplifier should be earth grounded Signal ground is isolated from chassis safety ground to reduce the incidence of ground loop noise The presence of a safety ground will not degrade the audio signal chain You may substitute an aftermarket detachable IEC 320 style power cord of your choosing provided it is rated for at least 15 amps and it meets all legal requirements and has been appr
5. PASS X260 5 Owner s Manual Sept 23 2009 1 Introduction X260 5 Owners Manual The Pass Laboratories X260 5 mono amplifier embodies the design technology and refinements of the X series amplifiers including exten sions of the patented Supersymmetry circuit The Supersymmetry circuit topology was granted a U S patent in 1994 and was the result of 19 years of effort by legendary analog designer and company founder Nelson Pass The amplifier uses highly matched com ponents in a classically simple single ended Class A circuit The amplifier contains only two simple stages the first is a balanced Class A gain stage Its output drives a bank of high power devices operated as followers These are inherently low distortion types of circuits but their perfor mance is improved when operated balanced Distortion and noise iden tical to both halves of a balanced circuit will disappear at the output and in a well matched symmetric circuit most of the distortion and noise is identical Supersymmetry enhances this effect by providing a connection be tween the two halves of the balanced circuit that further perfects this match Any distortion and noise not already identical to the two halves is made more identical by a factor of about 10 and the result is improved noise cancellation at the output of the amplifier Unlike feedback techniques where the goal is to correct for the distortion by feeding a gain st
6. age an inversely distorted signal Supersymmetry seeks merely to create perfect matching Matched balanced power circuitry typically sees a distortion and noise reduction of about 90 20 dB through a balanced connection without any additional effort The Supersymmetry circuit delivers another 90 reduction so that the X series has about 1 100 of the distortion of a conventionally simple amplifier Distortion and noise can still be seen at the output of one half of the circuit but since it is virtually identical on the other half it goes away at the speaker terminals This gives good measured performance which because a simple citcuit produces it also sounds excellent Previously these kinds of simple Class A circuits have been popular for their sound quality in low power amplifiers but have not found applica tion at high power levels due to excessive distortion and low efficiency Supersymmetry overcomes this barrier delivering the sweetness stag ing and detail of very simple circuitry up to kilowatt power levels and beyond The X 5 Series amplifiers have the tremendous dynamic range gt 140 dB to do justice to the high resolution digital recordings of the 21st X260 5 Owners Manual Century and the elegance to retrieve the micro dynamics offered by the most sensitive loudspeakers The simple but powerful circuitry moves easily from total silence to explosive transient and back to silence without a trace and without infor
7. inter national markets either to authorized Pass Labs dealers or to third parties located in the United States or Canada 10 For your protection please read the following X260 5 Owners Manual Water and moisture Electrical devices should not be used near water as per example near a bathtub washbasin kitchen sink laundry tub wet basement or swimming pool Care should be taken such that objects do not have the opportunity to fall and that liquid is never spilled onto or into the device enclosure through openings Power Sources An electrical device must be connected to a mains power source in strict accordance with the supplied product owner s manual Please verify that the AC mains voltage specified in the product manual matches those requirements indicated on the unit and the AC voltage provided to your location by the power company Grounding Adequate precautions should be taken so that the grounding provisions built into an electrical product are never defeated Power Cords Pass Laboratories provides a power supply cord that meets all legislated requirements for the market in which the product was originally sold If you choose to substitute an after market product we urge you to choose one that is fully safety rated by the necessary local authority Power Cord Protection Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on abraded or pinched by items placed on or against them paying
8. mation loss Very unlike conventional high power amplifiers they provide this level of power with a subtlety befitting some of the better tube amplifiers This per formance is consistence across the audio spectrum and the amplifiers are unconditionally stable into all speaker loads So relax and enjoy your amplifier Call us if you ever have a problem or question You are welcome to ask questions or offer comments Thank you for buying our product Setup X260 5 Owners Manual You can position this amplifier most anywhere you wish but it re quires adequate ventilation We do not recommend placing it in enclosed cabinets or small closets without means for air to circulate freely Stacking these power amplifiers directly upon each other is not recommended for the same reason This amplifier typically idles at slightly more than 250 watts most of which dissipates as heat across the heatsinks As a point of reference these heatsinks should never become too hot to touch for several seconds Let s talk about AC power requirements This amplifier draws about 2 amps continuous rms at 120 volts out of the wall during normal operation and this power draw reflects mostly the idle current that we run through the output stage If you are driving a low impedance load you will draw more power than this but this will not be typical The amplifier s voltage and current rating are indicated on the rear panel It will be 240 volts 220 volts 120
9. nformation please contact Pass Laboratories Inc PO Box 219 24449 Foresthill Rd Foresthill CA 95631 Tel 530 367 3690 Fax 530 369 2193 www passlabs com 2009 Pass Laboratories Inc Pass PASS Pass Labs Pass Laboratories Supersymmetery Aleph and Zen and are all registered trademarks of Pass Laboratories Inc and all rights thereto are protected by law X260 5 Owners Manual 9 Warranty Information X260 5 Owners Manual Please check with the factory authorized distributor in the country you are purchasing this product for specific warranty information All Pass Laboratories products purchased from an authorized Pass Labora tories dealer in North America are covered by a transferable limited 3 year warranty This warrantee includes all parts and labor charges incurred at the repair facility in addition to return shipping to the domestic customer exclu sive of subsequent damages Damage due to physical abuse is specifically not covered under this warranty Por this warranty to apply the customer is responsible for returning the product unmodified to the factory within the warranty period The customer assumes all responsibility for shipping and insurance to the factory or a fac tory specified repair facility The conditions and stipulations of this Pass Laboratories warranty only applies to units sold new in North America Non North America customers should consult with
10. ot to have shorted output cables It happens accidentally all the time and the amplifier is designed to sur vive mostly Of course it s always possible that something could go wrong If so don t get excited just relax It s really aggravating when something like this doesn t work we understand but it will get fixed We go to a lot of trouble to make products reliable and the failure rate of our ampli fiers is very low This is small comfort to the few but take it easy and give us a call if you have problems People are often interested in how long it takes for these amplifiers to break in Perhaps a more salient question is how long does it take them to reach their sonic best after turn on It takes about an hour for them to fully warm up and this is where we adjust them first Then we adjust them again and again over a couple of days keeping the bias and offset in the sweet spot Our environment is about 23 degrees Centigrade and the heat sinks will rise approximately 25 degrees C above that for an average on heat sink temperature of 48 degrees C Sonically they are at their best when the heatsinks are approximately 50 degrees C In your setup the temperature may vary a bit due to line voltage varia tions and ventilation but this is not a big deal You should be able to put your hands on the heat sinks without discomfort for 10 seconds or so It is normal for the heasink temperature to vary side to side and front to back
11. oved by the local testing authority for such things X260 5 Owners Manual Looking at the rear panel you will see the IEC 320 AC power cord receptacle a mains power switch two pairs of output connectors a pair of binding post connectors for remote turn on one RCA input connector and one XLR balanced input connector Make sure that the mains power switch is off down Plug the AC cord into the back of the amplifier and then into the wall Then turn the breaker switch on up The lights in your house may blink when the power supply charges the capacitors this is normal This mains power switch is not to be used as a safety disconnect during servicing and is not a substitute for unplugging the power cord On the front panel the Standby LED indicator should be glowing blue indicating that the power is on The Power LED should not be on If the Power LED is on don t get excited just use the front panel stand by button to go into stand by mode with the Standby LED on and the Power LED off OK so the amplifier is sitting there in stand by mode with just the single blue LED lit No speaker connected as yet You can go ahead and connect the source and speakers Some speaker cables are very difficult to work with due to physical size and construction make sure the speaker connections do not short together It is recommended that you connect the speaker ends of these cables first Some powered subwoofers
12. particular attention to cords where they enter plugs or exit from a device Never under any circumstance insert a cut or damaged power cord into a mains power socket Power and Signal Cables should never be connected disconnected with equipment powered up Failure to heed this warning may damage or destroy equipment Ventilation Power amplifiers run hot but you should be able to place your hands on them without discomfort You must allow for this heat in installation by providing for free air circulation around the product Electronics should not be subjected to sources of excessive radiant heat Excessive heat can shorten the life of the product and may cause the electronics to self protect and shut down Servicing To reduce the risk of fire electrical shock or other injuries the user should not attempt to service the device beyond that which is described in the operating instructions All other servicing must be referred to qualified service personnel For Units With Externally Accessible Fuse Receptacle Unplug the device from all sources of power before changing or inspecting any fuse Replace fuse with one of same physical size type and rating as that specified by the manufacturer for that product 11
13. rs Manual Fortunately the amplifier is not sensitive to the capacitive inductive character of some of the specialty speaker cables so feel free to experi ment We have found that about 90 per cent of bad sounding cables are in reality bad sounding connections and we recommend that special at tention be paid to cleanliness of contact surfaces and proper fit Speaker cables should be firmly tightened down at the speaker output terminals but do not use a wrench These connectors will not with stand unrealistic foot lbs of torque Hand tightening without exces sive force is plenty Hardware Facts So how long will this hardware last It is our experience that barring abuse or the odd failure of a component the first things to go will be the power supply capacitors and from experience they will last 15 to 20 years before needing replacement Fortunately these components die gracefully typically with years of warning and are easily replaced After that the longevity will depend on the number of operating ther mal cycles but we can attest to having had amplifiers operating in the field in excess of 20 years with no particular mortality except capaci tors We don t have good information beyond that More to the point we would suggest that you not worry about it This is a conservatively built industrial design not a tweaky tube circuit run on the brink of failure If it breaks we will simply get it fixed so sleep well For more i
14. their original Pass Labs dealer or distributor for warrantee repair instruction prior to contacting the factory or shipping product for repair Non North American product must be returned to the country of origin for warrantee service Foreign distributors are only required to offer warranty service on Pass Laboratories product that they have imported Please note Conditions of warranty service and customer rights for product purchased outside the United States may vary depending upon the distribu tor and local laws Please check with your local distributor for specific rights and details Any modifications to Pass Laboratories products that have not received written factory approval nullify all claims and void the warrantee Should a modified product be returned to the factory for repair the owner will be re quired to pay all necessary charges for the repair in addition to those charges required to return the product to it s original configuration In the case of safety issues no product shall be returned to the customer without those safety issues being corrected to the most recent accepted standards Removal or alteration of original Pass Labs serial numbers voids the factory warranty Product with altered or missing serial numbers will be suspected as counterfeit product Pass Laboratories will not repair or in any way indemnify any counterfeit or cloned product Pass Laboratories does not offer products in voltages intended for
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search