Krell Industries SBP-64X User's Manual
Contents
1. o 5 KA e i 9 o l MAECEN l Z DIGITAL INC o BP 6 X SOFTWARE BASED PROCESSOR TABLE OF CONTENTS CRITICAL INFORMATION cccceccccccccecececcceccececee 2 INSTALLATION GUIDE ia aun INSTALLATION SITES REN 2 PLACEMENT sacos son cus esit ende TENE EDIT EP ed pene 3 CONNECTIONS e 3 4 POWER UP sn coded aa a ti dre SE 2 4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 4 5 SBP 64X DESIGN FEATURES 6 7 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GLOSSARY 7 9 SBP 64x SOFTWARE BASED PROCESSOR DATA Rear Cover Fold Out COMPONENT DIAGRAM amp DESCRIPTION Rear Cover Fold Out Welcome to the Krell Digital family of audio components You have joined a select group of discriminating listeners who enjoy the finest in music reproduction Krell Digital is dedicated to the design of technologically advanced components for the reproduction of digitally recorded music Our designs continue the Krell philosophy of uncompromising performance through leading edge technology Your SBP 64X is the flagship model in our digital playback component series It will provide you with a more faithful recreation of the musical experience than any other product of its type The people at Krell Digital are committed to an ongoing upgrade program designed to uphold your SBP 64X s posi2. Suggestion Check all connections IN and OUT from the processor Check all power connections Make certain that the power supply is switched into the ON or UP position Have you selected the correct source on your preamp Check the front panel LED s for power supply stability If you still have no sound turn off the power and contact your dealer I have some very fine audiophile interconnect cable which has superior sonic characteristics Can I use this for my coaxial digital input You may experiment with any high quality cable Do note however that most audio interconnect cable is not designed to carry the ultra high frequency infor mation of a digital bit stream Note For the SBP 64X we recommend non capacitive coaxial cable which has a bandwidth in excess of 10 MHZ and excellent shielding properties While listening to my SBP 64X I experience occasional periods of silence through my speakers Is my processor malfunctioning These drop outs are caused by bad data in the digital stream which is sensed by the SBP 64X This corruption in the data may be due to a poor input con nection damaged or dirty source material or interconnects which do not have a wide enough bandwidth This intermittent muting is caused by the SBP 64X It is sensing the bad data and muting the signal to prevent possible damage to your associated components Suggestion Try changing your source material and check your connections If these are not the causes sp
3. and Precision Dynamic Headroom The DSP 56001 uses a 24 bit data path which relates to a 48 dB increase in dynamic beadroom over components using different processors Precision Of critical importance to any processor is the size of its accumulator for this limits the size of the computational coefficients it can utilize If the coefficient is too large it will overflow the processor forcing it to scale the computation In audio processing this is especially damaging because the processors perform multiple com putations based on one data sample so each repetitive computation is based on a scaled figure which compounds the error on each computation Thus the size of the accumulator limits the potential precision of a processor s calculations The Motorola DSP 56001 gives your KDI SBP 64X substantially higher precision than other components based on different processors 28 MHZ clock speed The SBP 64X is run at over 28 000 000 cycles per second This high speed coupled with the DSP 56001 s ability to perform multiple operations during a single instruction cycle gives the SBP 64X greater computing power than other even higher speed processors DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERSION THE DACS The SBP 64X utilizes twin Burr Brown PCM 64 18 bit DACs for high speed and superb accuracy Parallel Data Into The DACs Unlike the majority of other processors in the industry the SBP 64X runs parallel data through the DSP s and into the DACs By using
4. musical integrity POWER SUPPLY The power supply for the SBP 64X housed in a separate outboard enclosure provides the five separate voltages required by the Digital circuitry DACs and Analog output stages In actuality there are three completely independent power supplies and ten cascaded discrete regulators to supply the five voltages NO OPTO COUPLING The sophistication of our designs provides a degree of stability and isolation that surpasses any need for opto coupling and their inherent bandwidth and linearity limitations The following glossary represents simplified explanations for key words or phrases encountered in the course of this manual 32kHz The sampling frequency of Satellite broadcast 44 1kHz The sampling frequency of Compact Discs 48kHz The sampling frequency of Digital Audio Tape ACCUMULATOR A work and storage area where data is held and computed in a Digital Signal Processor The accumulator must be large enough not only for the target data but also for the end product of the computation As the precision of computations increases the larger the resulting end data will be Therefore the size of the accumulator places a limit on the potential precision of a processor BALANCED OUTPUT A method of isolating the outputs from ground which offers increased gain superior imaging and isolation from external interference Balanced output operation on the SBP 64X requires a preamp with corresponding balanced
5. these 18 bit DACs in parallel we are able to maintain the incredible speed required for 64x oversampling without multiplexing and then summing the data NO BRICK WALL FILTERING The exacting nature of our digital information and the extraordinary technique by which our DACs perform their conversions enable us to avoid any type of steep slope cut off brick wall filtering in the SBP 64X Therefore you experience the benefit of absolute purity in the signal without any of the undesirable effects of those filters DISCRETE CURRENT TO VOLTAGE Current to Voltage 7 V conversion is performed in the analog domain directly after D A In most processors this occurs either in the DAC itself or in an external integrated circuit op amp At Krell Digital we feel that these methods are unaccept able Therefore we have engineered a 100 discrete Current to Voltage stage for E E KRELL DIGITAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GLOSSARY our processors giving a true recreation of the original music performance without the colorations normally associated with integrated circuits BALANCED OUTPUT The SBP 64X provides balanced outputs for those with the complimentary components which allow them to obtain still lower noise and distortion while pro viding more specific imaging CLASS A ANALOG DESIGN The analog section of the SBP 64X is based on classic Krell High bias Pure Class A design which has already set new standards for excellence in
6. two inches on either side will be sufficient Xy I LL M N e WOO n sdewwewe CD NUM EC RDR MCN CM UCK 8 CREE NEED OE nnm n Caution The blue Spanning Cables are proprietary in both their material design and their pin out connections Do not modify substitute or extend them in any way This would incur a high risk of damage to both the power supply and processor which will void all warranty coverage 2 Run the male end of the supplied AC cord from the power supply location to a nearby wall socket This will be easier to accomplish now as the component itself is not in the way DO NOT PLUG THE AC CORD INTO THE WALL SOCKET AT THIS TIME Caution While the SBP 64X s superb regulation will not require a dedi cated AC circuit we strongly advise against any connections through extension cords or multiple AC adaptors Caution Do not remove or bypass the grounding lug with an adaptor of the provided AC cord as it may induce severe RFI into your playback system Note As with any computer product you may wish to provide surge and spike protection for your SBP 64X The Processor 1 The processor itself is not particularly sensitive to placement It may be positioned PLACEMENT anywhere in your component stack so long as it is within reach of the power supply spanning cables 1 Place the power supply in its selected location inserting the female end of the AC cord into the socket on the rear of its chassi
7. your Krell Digital dealer immediately 4 You may now connect your amplifier to the AC mains and power up your compo nents remembering that the last component to be energized should be your amplifier 5 With your volume set low switch the source selector of your preamp to the position correlating to your chosen input connection for the SBP 64X i e AUX CD DAT 6 Begin playing your Compact Disk or Digital Audio Tape Note While your SBP 64X will perform beautifully from the moment you turn it on it requires a minimum warm up period of 8 hours before it will reach its full sonic potential Your installation is now complete Should you have any further questions which are not covered in the temainder of this reference contact your authorized KDI dealer We wish you many hours of listening fulfillment SBP 64X INSTALLATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q My CD player has both fiber optic and coaxial outputs Which one should I use A Given 4 choice we prefer the optical link due to its ability to completely isolate the grounds between two components This eliminates the possibility of ground loops in the digital components E gt gt gt o Town both a CD and DAT player Do I have to change my cables every time I listen to a different digital source No Your SBP 64X will accommodate both the fiber opt c and coaxial input Simply connect both sources using the separate inputs Note When the SBP 64X se
8. L Polynomials simply stated are long high order equations which can be used to specify exacting oversampled points which accurately follow the natural profile of a musical waveform QUANTIZATION The process by which analog music is converted into digital data SAMPLES digital sample is a quantized coordinate representing a specific amplitude at a specific time Thousands of samples per second are quantized during recording to digitally represent the original music SAMPLING RATE The frequency at which analog data is sampled in the recording process ex a Sampling Rate of 44 amp Hz which is used in recording CD s represents 44 100 quan tized samples per second SCALING In this application scaling is a term referring to the rounding off of computed numbers due to the overflowing of a processor s accumulator This results in a loss of accuracy in oversampled data points SUMMING Summing n the analog domain is a process by which sections of information are reconstructed summed after multiplexing and processing TIME DOMAIN In this application another way of stating the Digital Domain TRANSIENT A signal which travels from a low amplitude to high amplitude in an extremely short time WORD Used in the digital context a word is a group of bits and or bytes which combine to determine the size of a data path P AB E KRELL DIGITAL SBP 6 X COMPONENT DESCRIPTION PROCESSING UNIT a FIGURE 1 1 PROCESSING UNI
9. T FRONT A SAMPLING FREQUENCY INDICATORS The SBP 64X will process digital information in three frequencies in order to decode Satellite Transmission 32kHz Compact Disc 44 1 amp Hz and Digital Audio Tape 48kHz The processor will switch to the correct frequency according to the input signal B POWER READINESS INDICATORS The five double regulated power supplies in the SBP 64X are isolated into three groups DIGITAL POWER ANALOG POWER DAC POWER The indicators represent stable power conditions in their respective groups O O OOD er o Jor GO LH FIGURE 1 2 PROCESSOR UNIT REAR C Balanced Outputs L R D Single Ended Outputs L R E Analog DAC Power Input F Digital Power Input G Digital Signal Input Coaxial H Digital Signal Irput Fiber Optic POWER SUPPLY O FIGURE 2 1 POWER SUPPLY FRONT A Power ON OFF Indicator FIGURE 2 2 POWER SUPPLY REAR B Analog Power Spanning Cable C Digital Power Spanning Cable D AC input E Fuse Holder 6 AMP F Power ON OFF switch wow Onn 7 S o 4 Q 9 I 9 pum x d DIGITAL INC sa ol SS e Eo di Krell Digital Inc 20 No Plains Industrial Rd Suite 12 Wallingford CT 06492
10. age of this booklet for a visual reference during installation UNPACKING Save all packing materials While unpacking your SBP 64X take note of the following items A 1 SBP 64X Software Based Processor B 1 Power Supply complete with 2 blue spanning cables C 1 AC power cord D 1 Packet with owners manual and warranty materials Note If any of these items are not included contact your authorized dealer immediately for assistance PRECAUTIONS Disconnect your amplifier s AC cord from the wall receptacle Turn off all other components SHIPPING If you must ship your SBP 64X repack the unit in its original packaging to prevent transit damage PREPARATION OF INSTALLATION SITES Before you physically install your SBP 64X we recommend that you follow these guidelines in choosing the locations for the processor and power supply This will facilitate a clean trouble free installation Power Supply 1 Choose a suitable location for the power supply following three guidelines Although well shielded the power supply should not be placed in close proximity to hum sensitive components i e PREAMPS TURNTABLES B You are provided two 6 foot power supply cables to span the distance between the power supply and the processor You must therefore plan their respective positioning within a 6 foot radius C Allow ample air space for heat dissipation on the top and sides of the power supply Five inches on top and
11. ary CD DAT INPUT FILTERING A filter used in the input to correct an unwanted signal characteristic from an anticipated source INSTRUCTION CYCLE A period of time in which a processor completes a single or series of operations _SBP 64X SOFTWARE BASED PROCESSOR DATA HARDWARE DIGITAL DESIGN INPUTS Krell Digital Proprietary Digital inputs for both coaxial and optical DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSORS Four Motorola DSP 56001 24 bit processors with DACs Two Burr Brown 18 bit PCM 64 s running one per channel with parallel input HARDWARE ANALOG DESIGN Proprietary 100 discrete High bias Class A Krell design CURRENT TO VOLTAGE Proprietary 100 discrete OUTPUTS Proprietary 100 discrete Balanced and Single Ended POWER SUPPLY Proprietary High bias Class A Krell design Completely independent power supplies for Analog Digital and DAG power in separate housing Ten 100 discrete cascaded stages of regulation to provide the five necessary voltages SOFTWARE DATA Krell Digital Inc proprietary Waveform Replicator software which include high order algorithms PROCESSING DATA OVERSAMPLING 64 times SAMPLING RATE SBP 64X vs INDUSTRY STANDARD Compact Disc 2 8224 MHZ 2 822 400 sec 44 1kHz 44 100 sec DAT 3 072 MHZ 3 072 000 sec 4SkHz 48 000 sec Satellite 2 048 MHZ 2 048 000 sec 32hHz 32 000 sec 56 bit accumulator operating two per
12. channel in parallel RE J G A Rd kHz The letters used to represent Kilo Hertz a measure of frequency referenced in thousands per second ex 1kHz 1000 times sec LED Light Emitting Diodes MHz The letters used to represent Mega Hertz a measure of frequency referenced in millions per second ex IMHz 1 000 000 times sec MULTIPLEX In digital audio processors multiplexing divides source signals between mul tiple processing circuits i e DACs Processors It allows processing at higher speed than the individual circuits can do alone The trade off to multiplexing in the analog domain is the requirement to reconstruct the complete signal through summing OP AMP Integrated circuits used as OPerational AMPlifiers Despite their significant sonic colorations OP AMPs are often used in audio components due to their cost effectiveness OPTO COUPLING Optically transferring information from one circuit to another in CD s DAT s and Digital to Analog processors Opto coupling does add colorations to music but itis much less expensive than designing more advanced quiet circuits Opto coupling is often used to isolate digital noise from analog circuits OVERSAMPLING A method by which additional samples are plotted in between the original recorded samples in order to increase the time domain resolution of the playback waveform POLYNOMIA
13. eak with your dealer about obtaining different cabling If you are using fiber optics and source material and connections are not the problem speak with your authorized dealer I am getting hum in my system only when I have the SBP 64X turned ON Is there something wrong with my processor You must have placed the power supply in close proximity to a hum sensitive component such as your preamp or phono turntable Suggestion Relocate the power supply in accordance with the installation guidelines KRELL DIGITAL SBP 64X DESIGN FEATURES Software Based Processing requires a perfect blend of exacting multifaceted technologies from high tech digital innovation to an ultimate refinement of analog circuit design On the next two pages we will briefly point out our methods of addressing these requirements in the Krell Digital SBP 64X INPUT The SBP 64X will accommodate both Coaxial and Fiber Optical input to insure compatibility with any digital source with digital outputs PROCESSING The Waveform Replicator The KDI SBP 64X uses proprietary Waveform Replicator software which enables our four Motorola processors to perform polynomial computations for cal culating the 63 additional data points to fill our 64 times oversampling requirements The Motorola DSP 56001 We have chosen the Motorola DSP 56001 for two reasons which make this pro cessor clearly superior to any other for a similar application Dynamic Headroom
14. inputs BIAS A current or voltage applied to a transistor to control the linearity of its operation Generally speaking so long as the transistor is SEDES within its tolerance range higher bias will improve transistor operation BIT The fundamental building block of digital information The term expressing the smallest part of a digital word is derived from the words BInary DigiT BOOT Booting is a term loosely referring to initializing the startup sequence in a computer BYTE A group of 8 bits The primary component in a digital word CLASS A In audio components Class A represents an operating state for power supplies and circuitry which is widely acknowledged as having superior sonic characteristics to other forms of operation CLOCK SPEED The speed at which a processor operates usually expressed in MHZ COAXIAL A type of cable design where a center conductor is surrounded by an insulator which is then wrapped with a metallic shield COEFFICIENTS Numbers used in high order mathematical computations In general terms the length of a coefficient is directly related to the accuracy of the computation D A Digital to Analog conversion DAC Digital to Analog Converter The circuit which converts the digital information in this case from the DSP 56000 into an analog signal for playback in your audio system DAT Digital Audio Tape DDD The symbol SPARS code which appears on most CD s representi
15. ng Pure Digital Recording Digital Recording Digital Mixing and Digital Mastering DISCRETE In this text Discrete circuit design utilizes individual components i e FETs Transistors not Integrated Circuits It is generally accepted that correctly executed discrete circuits are superior in performance than the less expensive IC s DITHERING Dithering is a process by which random noise is mixed in with low amplitude signals created as a by product of guantization errors This dither masks the unwanted signals partially through random cancellation and partially by raising the noise floor to envelop these signals Dithering is commonly performed in digital recording to counter the guantization errors which commonly occur during Analog to Digital processing DROP OUT In this usage drop out is a term referring to periods of silence during digital audio playback DYNAMIC HEADROOM The ability of a component to correctly duplicate high speed high level transient signals in excess of those normally encountered in audio playback If a component does not have sufficient Dynamic Headroom it will either fall short of the actual intensity and accuracy of the transient or it may distort it FIBER OPTICS An interconnecting link through which digital data is transmitted via a beam HIGH LEVEL INPUT An input which does not require extraordinary amplification in the preamp as do the Phono MC MM inputs High level inputs include Tape Tuner Auxili
16. nses two live inputs simultaneously it will default to the fiber optic link Therefore when you wish to listen to the source linked with coaxial cable you must turn the other optically linked source off Will I damage my SBP 64X if I leave the power ON all the time No These Class A analog circuits are most accurate and stable if left to idle when not in use and the circuitry ages fastest when cycling ON and OFF The fact is your Krell Digital processor will sound better and probably last longer if left ON Note For the protection of your processor we recommend disconnecting the power supply from the wall outlet before any electrical storms or if you plan on being away from your home for prolonged periods of time Do I have to switch the Sampling Frequency when I go between my CD and DAT No Your SBP 64X automatically senses the input frequency and does all necessary switching Sometimes while listening to my DAT the 44 1 kHz LED is illuminated I thought DAT used 48 kHz Is my processor malfunctioning Some Digital Audio Tape recorders can record and playback in either 44 1 kHz or 48 kHz depending on the source the tape was recorded from The SBP 64X s LED s are informing you of the frequency it is receiving and as a consequence the sampling frequency at which the tape was recorded in I m not getting any sound through the processor Most likely there has been a simple mistake in installation
17. ongly recommend fiber opt cs for their ability to completely isolate all grounding between components thereby preventing any player processor ground loop interferences Analog Outputs 1 Using either the single ended or balanced output on the SBP 64X make the connections between the processor and any high level input on your preamplifier Be certain to maintain L R consistency between the cables or you will accidentally reverse your stereo image Note The SBP 64X outputs should be run directly to a high level stage of your preamp without any input filtering INITIAL POWER UP 1 Plug the power supply AC cord into the wall socket DO NOT PLUG YOUR AMPLIFIER IN YET 2 Turn your digital source CD DAT Satellite ON 3 Turn the power supply switch to the ON UP position and turn ON your digital signal source Whether it is CD DAT or Satellite is not important The following results should occur in this particular sequence A The three ZED s designating Digital Analog and DAC power will iak simultaneously This is your assurance that the five individual power supplies are operating and stable B After a period of 5 to 20 seconds the DACs will stabilize and the LED corresponding to the Sampling Frequency of your digital source will illuminate Caution Should you have any major deviation from this sequence do not attempt to play the unit Disconnect it prior to powering up any other components and contact
18. s THE MALE END IS STILL NOT PLUGGED INTO THE WALL 2 AT THIS TIME VERIFY THAT THE ON OFF SWITCH ON THE POWER SUPPLY IS IN THE OFF DOWN POSITION 3 Run the blue spanning cables to the selected processor location 4 Position the processor in its appointed location in such a way that the unit will not CONNECTIONS fall if not held yet leaving access to all rear panel connections Power l Insert the two power supply Spanning Cable connectors into their appropriate Analog and Digital sockets and firmly tighten the thumb screws Caution Do not use any tool other than your fingers for tightening the connectors It is unnecessary and may physically damage your component Note The spanning cables are terminated in computer industry standard gold plated D connectors Their different sizes and keyed profiles eliminate any pos sibility of an incorrect connection Digital Inputs 1 Connect the Digital Output from the Krell Digital MD 1 CD Turntable or your CD DAT player to the Digital Input on the rear of your processor Your SBP 64X will accommodate input from either the coaxial or optical outputs from any CD DAT or Satellite broadcast source Note Care should be taken in selecting the type of cable used to link the digital source to your processor If coaxial cable is to be used it should be non capacitive and have a bandwidth in excess of 10 MHZ to prevent drop out errors If available we str
19. tion as an industry leader Our modular designs will enable us to offer revisions to both the software and hardware as we continue to redefine the state of the art in digital music playback Therefore along with the remarkable improvement this KDI processor has rendered to your system comes the firm knowledge that you will be able to increase its capability and value as time goes by In the unlikely event that your SBP 64X should require service you will be pleased to note that your component is backed by a comprehensive Customer Satis faction Policy and one of the most advanced service facilities in the industry If upon reading this Owner s Reference you should have any questions or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact your authorized dealer or Krell Digital Inc This Owner s Reference is divided into several sections each designed to perform a different function The sections cover critical installation material a Q amp A section where we provide answers to questions which may arise a Technical Assistance Glossary for technical explanations and an insight into the unmatched capabilities of your SBP 64X While reading this guide you may encounter some key words or phrases which are unfamiliar to you We have tried to anticipate these potential unknowns in order to assist you in understanding the exacting technologies developed for this component by KDI You will notice that these phrases are italicized This special
20. type face indi cates that an explanation is included in the Glossary We may not have anticipated all the terms for which you would like further clarification In this event please feel free to contact your authorized dealer or the KDI staff for further assistance For detailed information on the terms and conditions of service please consult your warranty registration card CRITICAL INFORMATION We understand that the desire to listen to your favorite music through this fine component may take precedence over reading this document However your SBP 64X is a very sophisticated multi computer system as well as a state of the art audiophile component It should always be connected with great care For this reason we have compiled this installation guide to enable you to boot your processor quickly and correctly without the possibility of damage through haste It provides the procedures which will allow you to listen and enjoy your SBP 64X When you have completed your installation may we suggest you return to the design features section of this manual for more information on the performance characteristics of your processor If you experience operational difficulties with your SBP 64X do not attempt any repairs on your own THERE ARE NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS WITHIN THE SBP 64X Contact your authorized Krell Digital dealer for assistance INSTALLATION GUIDE Fold out the Component Recognition drawings located on the last p
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