Samson VX2510 Guitar User Manual
Contents
1. 2 Remove fuse sled 3 Use a small pair of needlenose pliers to gently pull out the mains jumper 4 Use the needlenose pliers to reverse 5 Be sure that the proper the mains jumper so that the other voltage selection shows in voltage value is facing outwards then the Fuse Sled window reinsert the mains jumper Finally before use reinsert the fuse sled by gently pushing it back in until you hear a click Note that the fuse sled carries two fuses one for 115 volt operation actually 105 120 volts and another for 230 volt operation actually 220 240 volts The position of the two fuses in the sled as well as the fuse ratings must be maintained for adequate protection Fuse ratings for the Model 2500 are 5 amp for 115 VAC and 2 5 amp for 230 VAC 15 Specifications Input Sensitivity Passive Input Active Input Rated Output Power Total Harmonic Distortion Signal To Noise Ratio Equalizer Contour Low Pass Contour High Pass Ten Band Graphic Compression Ratio Send Output Level Return Input Level VX2510 Speaker System Impedance Ohms Low Frequency Drivers High Frequency Driver VX2515 Speaker System Impedance Ohms Low Frequency Drivers High Frequency Driver VX2510 Weight Dimensions VX2515 Weight Dimensi2. 8 Contour Low Pass control This acts as a broad band low frequency equalizer providing 18 dB of boost or attenuation at 100 Hz You should generally adjust this control and the Contour High Pass control described in 9 below prior to fine tuning the system with the graphic equalizer as described in 7 above For more information see the About Equalization section on pages 10 11 of this manual 9 Contour High Pass control This acts as a broad band high frequency equalizer providing 18 dB of boost or attenuation at 10 kHz You should generally adjust this control and the Contour Low Pass control described in 8 above prior to fine tuning the system with the graphic equalizer as described in 7 above For more information see the About Equalization section on pages 10 11 of this manual 10 Master Volume control This is the overall volume control For best signal to noise ratio keep the output of your bass at or near maximum and adjust the amp s Master Volume to the desired level 11 Power LED Lights whenever the Model 2500 is powered on 12 Power switch Use this to power the Model 2500 on or off Guided Tour VX2510 amp VX2515 Rear Panel Hartke Distributed Exclusively by amson Technologies Corp www samsontech com MODEL 2500 80 175 WATTS 40 250 WATTS RETURN SEND SPEAKER OUTPUTS o 4 1 Fuse sled This contains a fuse
3. but limited where the output remains virtually constant regardless of input The Model 2500 provides a front panel Compression LED which acts as a useful visual indicator of the continuous activity of the compression circuitry When lit steadily green for example when the Compression knob is set to Off no compression is being applied When unlit compression is being applied to the incoming signal at a ratio of approximately 2 1 When flashing red the compression ratio is approach ing infinity limiting is being applied When lit steadily red the signal is being limited This LED follows the incoming signal changing continuously as different amounts of compression and or limiting are being applied Compression has three main uses First as just described it evens out the notes played by your bass so that they all appear at virtually equal level Second it adds punch to a sound since all levels are nearly the same you can play with greater force without worrying about the loudest notes distorting Finally it serves to protect your loudspeakers from damage as a result of brief transient high output levels as might be caused by finger popping or other performance techniques Whether or not you need to use compression with your Model 2500 will be a matter of personal taste and playing style experiment and see if you like the effect If you usually play at low volume levels you ll find that even with the Compress
4. buzz while having very little effect on the bass guitar signal Similarly the Low Pass Contour control when set left of 0 can be used to eliminate rumble and woofiness The ten band graphic equalizer provides ten sliders each corresponding to a single narrow frequency band at 30 Hz 64 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1 kHz 2 kHz 3 kHz 5 kHz and 8 kHz This allows you to draw the desired tonal response of your system When a slider is in its center detented position 0 it is having no effect When it is moved above center towards 15 the particular frequency area is being boosted when it is moved below center towards 15 the frequency area is being attenu ated We carefully selected these frequency areas because they have maximum impact on bass signals For example the lowest slider 30 Hz affects the very lowest audible frequencies in fact most humans cannot hear below 20 Hz while the high est four sliders 2 3 5 and 8 kHz affects the twang of a bass string WARNING Use caution when raising the 30 Hz slider above 0 if you are operating at high volume levels especially if Compression is not being used since this can place undue stress on connected loudspeakers 10 About Equalization To find out how each graphic equalizer slider affects the sound of your particular bass start with all ten bands flat that is all ten sliders at their detented O center position Then one by one rai
5. independent inputs that accommodate both passive and active bass gui tars Protection relay circuitry that protects connected speakers from dangerous over loading and also prevents thumps when powering on or off Effect loop send and return jacks that allow you to connect to professional out board effects processors An effect Balance knob which enables you to adjust the relative amount of Send dry versus Return wet effect signal being routed to the speaker outputs Electronically balanced direct output that provides a means of routing signal to professional mixing consoles in both live performance and recording environ ments A ground loop switch helps prevent hum or buzz from entering the sig nal and a pre post switch allows the direct signal to be derived either before or after the amp EQ section Rugged construction makes the VX2510 amp VX2515 eminently road worthy Guided Tour VX2510 amp VX2515 Front Panel 4 7 8 9 10 11 N PASSIVE gt 2 LOW PASS HIGH PASS VOLUME 12 1 Passive Input jack If your bass guitar has passive circuitry connect it to the Model 2500 here This standard 1 4 unbalanced jack provides a high impedance 100 k Ohms input sensitivity of 20 millivolts 2 Active Input jack If your bass
6. low frequency signal MINIMUM IMPEDANCE 4 OHMS 3 Next connect the 3 pin AC plug into any grounded AC socket Don t turn the amplifier on just yet though 4 Use a standard music instrument cable to connect your bass to the appropri ate Input jack on the front panel if your bass has active circuitry connect it to the Active input if not connect it to the Passive input On the front panel of the Model VX2515 VX2510 set the Master volume control to 0 fully counterclockwise and set both Pre Amp A Tube and B Solid State knobs to 5 the twelve o clock position Set the Compression knob to its Off position fully counterclockwise you ll hear a click and set both Contour knobs to their center detented 0 position Finally set the graphic equalizer In Out switch to its Out position 5 Press the front panel Power switch in order to turn on the amplifier After approximately three seconds you ll hear a click indicating that the relay protection 5 circuitry has completed cycling and that power to the system has been provided ma 6 Set the output of your bass to maximum and then while playing slowly turn the Master volume control up until the desired level is achieved If you hear distortion POWER even at low amplifier Master volume settings back off the output of your bass or check for a faulty cable Bass guitars that have active circuitry normally require a battery for th
7. e circuitry to be functional Setting Up and Using The VX2510 amp VX2515 7 Experiment with altering the balance of the two Pre Amp knobs listening to the effect each has on the overall sound Depending upon the specific instru ment you are using and your personal taste you may prefer the sound of one over the other or you may prefer a particular blend of the two Note that when both are used at equal settings the amplifier will be twice as loud as when only one is used In step 4 on the previous page we recommended that you begin with both knobs at their midway 5 setting but the two Pre Amp knobs can in fact be set to any blend you like However you will usually want to avoid setting both to their maximum 10 position since this setting will almost always result in undesirable distortion 8 When you have settled on a Pre Amp balance the next step is to adjust the two Contour bass and treble equalizer controls to taste For more information see the About Equalization section on page 13 of this manual When you get a great setting that complements your instrument and playing style it s a good idea to write it down for future use 9 Next experiment with the Model VX2515 VX2510 graphic equalizer Begin by setting each of the ten sliders to their flat 0 center detented position Then press in the In Out switch to its In position so that the graphic equalizer is acti vated Finally move each slide
8. ease call Samson Technologies at 516 932 1062 for a Return Authorization number prior to shipping your unit Please retain the original packing material and if possible return the unit in its original carton and packing materials Features The Hartke VX2510 amp VX2515 bass amplifier offers all the newest concepts in bass amplification Here are some of its main features Power to spare The VX2510 8 VX2515 a full 250 watts delivered to its internal 4 ohm speaker system Internal 2 way bass speaker system including two custom design 10 inch low frequency drivers plus 1 inch high frequency compression driver in the VX2510 and custom design 15 inch low frequency drivers plus 1 inch high frequency compression driver in the VX2515 Our unique Transient Attack circuitry which ensures that every nuance of your bass performance is reproduced faithfully Two Pre Amp input knobs allowing custom blending of tube emulation and solid state sounds Ten bands of high quality graphic equalization allowing you to create a broad range of tonal colors for your bass instrument A dedicated in out button allows you to preset an equalization curve e Two fully adjustable contour knobs high pass and low pass which provide fur ther control over shaping your bass sound A built in compressor which not only adds real punch to your bass sound but also allows you to smooth out volume differences between notes Two
9. ession driver in the VX2515 these bass combos are EXTREMELY loud and punchy In addition the VX2510 amp VX2515 offer a number of additional advanced features including front panel compression and graphic equalizer LED indicators effects send and return jacks an effects send return balance knob and a direct output with ground lift and pre or post EQ selection The VX2510 amp VX2515 are optimized for use with electric bass instruments and the front panel controls in both models are virtually identical You ll find either to be an excellent bass amplifier for live performance use in small and medium size venues in addition the VX2510 amp VX2515 s advanced pre amp features makes it ideal for use in recording environments In these pages you ll find a detailed description of the many features of the VX2510 amp VX2515 bass amplifier as well as a guided tour through their front and rear panels step by step instructions for setting up and using each product detailed discussions about equalization and compression and full specifications You ll also find a warranty card enclosed please don t forget to fill it out and mail it so that you can receive online technical support and so we can send you updated information about these and other Hartke and Samson products in the future SPECIAL NOTE Should your unit ever require servicing a Return Authorization num ber RA is necessary Without this number the unit will not be accepted Pl
10. guitar has active circuitry connect it to the Model 2500 here This standard 1 4 unbalanced jack provides a high impedance 100 k Ohms input sensitivity of 60 millivolts 3 Pre Amp A Tube Emulation control This determines the amount of preamplification being provided by special circuitry which delivers the sound of a classic tube amplifier Note that when both Pre Amp knobs are used at equal settings the amplifier will be twice as loud as when only one is used Avoid setting both Pre Amp knobs on maximum 10 since the result will almost always be undesirable distortion 4 Pre Amp B Solid State control This determines the amount of pream plification being provided by special circuitry which delivers the sound of a solid state amplifier Note that when both Pre Amp knobs are used at equal settings the amplifier will be twice as loud as when only one is used Avoid setting both Pre Amp knobs on maximum 10 since the result will almost always be undesirable distortion Bass guitars that have active circuitry normally require a battery for the cir cuitry to be functional Guided Tour VX2510 amp VX2515 Front Panel 5 Compression control This determines the amount of compression peak signal reduction by simultaneously adjusting both threshold and compres sion ratio which ranges from 2 1 to infinity limiting At the fully coun terclockwise Off position the circuitry is bypassed and no compressio
11. holder and shows the currently selected voltage rating for your Model 2500 Make sure the voltage rat ing is correctly set before powering up the amplifier Fuse ratings are 10 amp for 115 vac and 6 2 amp for 230 vac For information on how to change the voltage rating see Appendix B on page 14 2 AC input Connect the supplied standard 3 pin IEC plug here 3 Fan The fan provides vital cooling to your Model 2500 Make sure that it is kept free of all obstructions and that cool fresh air is accessible at all times Also try to ensure that the Model 2500 is used in a dust free environment 4 Effect Return jack Use this 1 4 unbalanced jack to return low impedance 600 ohm signal to the Model 2500 from a professional outboard effects processor Guided Tour VX 2500 Rear Panel 5 Effect Send jack Use this 1 4 unbalanced jack to send low imped ance 100 ohm signal from the Model 2500 to a professional outboard effects processor such as a reverb echo chorus flanger or harmonizer device Output level is approximately 0 dB to 4 dB and is post EQ and post compression but unaffected by the setting of the Master Volume control You can also use the Effect Send jack to route signal to an external mixing console or amplifier with an input sensitivity of 4 dB 6 Speaker outputs The VX2510 amp VX2515 internal speaker system is connected here In line effects such as footpedals intended for low signal levels
12. ion knob turned up the compression circuitry may have no audible effect so it might as well be off In general if you don t need compression leave it off 12 Appendix A CASTER INSTALLATION lt lt cs Locate one caster and four each of the supplied screws and lock washers Hold the caster in place and hand start the screws Be careful to ensure that the screws are on the proper thread chase DO NOT PUSHTEE NUT INTO ENCLOSURE Use a screw driver to tighten the four screws Be careful not to over tighten the screws Repeat the steps above for the remaining three casters Appendix B Block Diagram bi W Model 2500 MASTER SECTION FIXED EQ VR TUBE COMPRESSOR j IN OUT SWITCH RMS DETECTOR COMPRESS VCA 10 BAND EQ 10 BAND OUT o 10 BAND IN 14 0 SEND o 0 dB TO 4dB RETURN EE 2 BAND CONTOUR PRE O O IPOST Co 3 20 dB TO 30 dB GND LIFT NORMAL PROTECTION si Appendix C Changing the VX2510 amp VX2515 Voltage Following are step by step instructions for changing the mains voltage of the Model HA2500 WARNING Before carrying out this operation remove the power cord p 1 Insert a small screwdriv er into the slot beneath the fuse sled and gently press in and up The fuse sled will pop out approximately 3 8 inch
13. know that every naturally occurring sound consists of a broad range of pitches or frequencies combined together in a unique way This blend is what gives every sound its distinctive tonal color EQ controls allow you to alter a sound by boosting or attenuating specific frequency areas they operate much like the bass and treble controls on your hi fi amp but with much greater preci sion The Model 2500 provides you with two different means for equalizing your bass sound Low Pass and High Pass Contour controls provide 18 dB of cut or boost in two broad frequency bands A Graphic Equalizer provides 15 dB of cut or boost in ten narrow frequency bands Normally you will adjust the two Contour controls before fine tuning your EQ with the Graphic Equalizer The Low Pass Contour control affects a broad band of frequen cies with 100 Hz as the center point similarly the High Pass Contour control affects a broad band of frequencies with 10 kHz as the center point When either is in its cen ter detented position 0 it is having no effect When it is moved right of center the particular frequency area is being boosted when it is moved left of center the fre quency area is being cut attenuated Because there is very little bass guitar energy at 10 kHz the High Pass Contour control should be thought of as your overall noise control turning it down to the left of the 0 position will help to eradicate hiss and
14. lar instrument and personal taste and playing style However here are a few general suggestions For that super deep reggae or Motown sound boost low frequencies slightly while attenuating the highest ones leave mid range frequencies flat or slightly attenuated as shown in the illustration on the right GRAPHIC EQUALIZER He Gale 125He 250H2 500Hz KHZ 2KHz 36060 SKH BKHE To remove boxiness and make your instrument sound more hi fi try attenuating mid range frequencies while leaving low and high frequency settings flat as shown in the illustration on the right For a twangy cutting sound try boosting the high and high mid range frequencies as shown in the illustration on the right putting new round a FF GRAPHIC EQUALIZER nn wound strings on your bass will help a lot also Eur man Bie 2502 sohe KH Whenever you get a really good EQ setting for a particular instrument or song write it down you d be amazed how easy it is to forget these things Finally as you experiment with the EQ controls of the Model 2500 don t forget that your bass also provides EQ controls in the form of its tonal settings this can be particularly effective in instruments that have active circuitry Also t
15. n is applied the knob clicks when set to the Off position As the knob is raised clockwise at settings from 1 to co increasing amounts of compression are applied For more information see the About Compression section on page 12 of this manual 6 Graphic Equalizer In Out switch When pressed in the In position the Model 2500 s graphic equalizer circuitry as described in 7 below is opera tional When pressed out the Out position it is bypassed The provision of this switch allows you to set up a custom equalization curve an equalization preset with the graphic EQ sliders which can then be activated with the press of a single button 7 Graphic Equalizer These sliders allow you to draw the tonal response of the system by adding 15 dB of boost or attenuation to ten different narrow band frequency areas 30 Hz 64 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1 kHz 2 kHz 3 kHz 5 kHz and 8 kHz affecting the main output signal of the Model 2500 When 8 slider is at its center detented 0 position the selected frequency areais unaffected it is said to be flat When a slider is moved up above the 0 position towards the 15 position the selected frequency area is boosted and when it is moved down below the 0 position towards the 15 position the selected frequency area is attenuated For more informa tion see the About Equalization section on pages 10 11 of this manual
16. ons 100 k Ohms 20 mv 100 k Ohms 60 mv 250 watts 4 ohms less than 5 approx 78 dBm 18 dB 100 Hz 18 dB 10 kHz 15 dB center detented 30 Hz 64 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1 kHz 2 kHz 3 kHz 5 kHz 8 kHz 2 1 to infinity 0 dBM 0 dBM 4 Ohms Impedance 2 10 Special Design 8 ohm 150 watt Speakers 1 Throat Compression Driver 4 Ohms Impedance 1 15 Special Design 4 ohm 250 watt Speakers 1 Throat Compression Driver 75 Ibs 34 kg Height 29 73 3 cm Width 26 5 67 6 cm Depth 17 25 43 5 cm gt 76 5 lbs 34 8 kg Height 30 75 78 cm Width 26 5 67 6 cm Depth 17 25 43 5 cm Hartke 45 Gilpin Avenue Hauppauge New York 11788 8816 Phone 1 800 3 SAMSON 1 800 372 6766 Fax 631 784 2201 www hartke com
17. our effects processor output if required multiple effects processors can be daisy chained together output to input Then turn the amp back on and play your bass while adjusting the controls of your outboard effects processor s For best results set both the input and output gain of all connected effects processor s to 0 dB unity gain so that there is no increase or decrease in level whether the effects are switched in or out If you have followed all the steps above and are still experiencing difficulties call Samson Technical Support 516 932 1062 between 9 AM and 5 PM EST For more information on the use of the Hartke 2500 effect Balance control see page 10 in this manual rPRE AMP TUBE SOLID STATE CONTOUR LOW PASS HIGH PASS r GRAPHIC EQUALIZER rm Gohe Gate 1265 EFFECT Model 2500 Effect Send Return jacks About Equalization pe 10 10 15 15 15 18 LOW PASS HIGH PASS Contour controls GRAPHIC EOVALIZEA Gohe cahe 125 125He 250Hz 50Hz KHz 2KHz 3KHz SKHz BKHz Graphic equalizer The Hartke Systems Model 2500 Bass Amplifier gives you enormous control over shaping the sound of your bass using a process called equalization To understand how this works it s important to
18. r in turn as you play your bass For more informa tion see the About Equalization section on page 13 of this manual Again when you get a graphic equalization setting that complements your instrument and playing style it s a good idea to write it down for future use 10 Now try out the Model VX2515 VX2510 compression circuitry Activate it by turning the Compression knob clockwise from its Off position you ll hear a click when it is activated As you turn the knob clockwise the input signal from your bass becomes more and more severely compressed you ll hear peak signals such as string slaps and pulls begin to sound increasingly squashed relative to the lower level signals produced by standard playing The result will be a decreased dynamic range but an overall leveling of signal throughout the full pitch range of your instrument For more information see the About Compression section on page 15 In the Model 2500 the Compression LED will light steadily green when no compression is being applied will go out whenever small amounts of compression are being applied and will flash or light steadily red when limiting severe compression is being applied 11 If you re using an external signal processor turn your Hartke amplifier off momentarily and then connect a standard audio cable between the Effect Send jack and your effects processor input and another standard audio cable between the Effect Return jack and y
19. ry various EQ settings with different Pre Amp blends and with and without Compression For more information see the About Compression section on the following page 11 About Compression VX2510 amp VX2515 Compression control and LED The dynamic range of a sound is the difference between its loudest and softest points For example as you play your bass you ll probably find that some notes for example notes played on the upper frets of the lowest string are considerably louder than others The function of the Compression circuitry in the Model 2500 Bass Amplifier is to reduce overall dynamic range by automatically reducing the level of the loudest sounds you play so that they are closer in level to softer ones the end result is that the sound evens out and all notes played have pretty much the same level The front panel Compression control determines the amount of compression peak signal reduction by simultaneously adjusting both threshold and compression ratio which ranges from 2 1 to infinity limiting At the fully counterclockwise Off posi tion the circuitry is bypassed and no compression is applied the knob clicks when set to the Off position As the knob is raised clockwise at settings from 1 to co increasing amounts of compression is applied At the highest settings loud sounds will not just be compressed
20. se and lower each slider listening carefully to the effect of each If you don t specifically need to utilize the ten band graphic equaliz er bypass it by setting the In Out switch to its Out position Alternatively you can preset a custom graphic equalization curve for example for a feature solo and acti vate it simply by pressing the switch when needed Note that turning all EQ con trols up the same amount will have virtually the same effect as simply turning up the Master Volume conversely turning them all down the same amount will have virtually the same effect as turning down the Master Volume Both approaches are pointless after all that s why we gave you a Master Volume control In many instances the best way to deal with equalization is to think in terms of which frequency areas you need to attenuate as opposed to which ones you need to boost Be aware that boosting a frequency area also has the effect of boosting the overall signal specifically too much low frequency EQ boost can actually cause overload distortion or even harm a connected speaker though the Model 2500 s compression circuitry if on will act to some extent to prevent this from occur ring In general if you re going to apply a fair amount of low frequency EQ boost it s a good idea to keep Compression on if only to protect your speakers from potential damage The specific EQ you will apply to your bass signal is very much dependent upon your particu
21. should be placed between the bass and the amplifier Input and not connected with the Effect Send and Return jacks Note that the settings of the ten band graphic equalizer will affect a Post Direct Out signal regardless of the position of the front panel In Out switch Setting Up and Using the VX2510 amp VX2515 Setting up your Hartke Systems VX2515 VX2510 Bass Amplifier is a simple procedure which takes only a few minutes 1 Remove all packing materials save them in case of need for future service and decide where the amplifier is to be physically placed To avoid potential overheating problems be sure that the rear panel is unobstructed and that there is good ventila tion around the entire unit particularly behind the rear panel fan 2 Locate the included casters which are packed separately in the shipping carton and follow the installation instructions outlined in Appendix A on page 13 of this manual WARNING Hartke amplifiers can deliver very high power levels Driven to full power they can damage connected loudspeakers regardless of brand size or SPEAKER OUTPUTS configuration Care should be taken not to strain connected loudspeakers as this can cause permanent damage and will degrade the performance of the entire system If you see connected loudspeakers moving excessively turn your sys O O tem down immediately or use the equalization and or compression controls to reduce the amount of subharmonic extremely
22. vx2515 vx251 e50 WATT 1X 15 BASS COMBO e50 WATT 2X 10 BASS COMBO Owners Manual Hartke Introduction Features Guided Tour Front Panel Rear Panel Setting Up and Using the VX2510 8 VX2515 About Equalization About Compression Appendix A Caster Installation Appendix B Block Diagram Appendix C Changing the VX2510 amp VX2515 Voltage Specifications Copyright 2005 2008 Samson Technologies Corp Printed June 2008 v1 1 Samson Technologies Corp 45 Gilpin Avenue Hauppauge New York 11788 8816 Phone 1 800 3 SAMSON 1 800 372 6766 Fax 631 784 2201 www samsontech com 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Introduction Congratulations on purchasing the Hartke VX2510 amp VX2515 Bass Amplifier Although this unit is designed for easy operation we suggest you first take some time to go through these pages so you can fully understand how we ve implemented a number of unique features The VX2510 amp VX2515 combos feature tH HA2500 amplifer providing 250 watts of power to the built in 2 way bass speaker system With that kind of power and Hartke s custom designed transducers including 2 x 10 inch low frequency working with a 1 inch high frequency compression driver in the VX2510 and a15 inch low frequency drive unit plus 1 inch high frequency compr
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