Chapter Audio Preface Manual de usuario
C H A P T E R P R E F A C E
Chapter
Preface Line Stage
Pre amplifier
The exception, not the rule...
www.chapteraudio.com
Table of Contents
2
Important Safety Instructions................................... 3
Thank You from Chapter.......................................... 4
Introduction.............................................................. 5
Unpacking you Pre-Amplifier................................... 6
Break In Period........................................................ 6
Installation................................................................ 7
Ventilation................................................................ 7
Operating Voltage and Mains Conditions................ 8
Design Features...................................................... 9
Top Panel................................................................. 10
Front Panel............................................................... 11 & 12
Rear Panel................................................................ 13
Remote Control......................................................... 14
Specifications............................................................ 15
Conformity & Acknowledgements............................. 16
Warranty Information................................................ 17
Contact Information.................................................. 17
Important Safety Instructions
Please read all instructions and precautions carefully before operating your
Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier.
1 Please disconnect all items in your audio or AV system before connecting or
disconnecting any mains or interconnect cables, or when cleaning
your Chapter product.
2 Please ensure that your Chapter product is always terminated with a
three pin AC power cord. To prevent the possibility of shock all three
connections must be used.
3 To clean your Chapter product please use a soft damp cloth. Never use
flammable or combustible chemicals.
4 Never operate this product with any covers removed.
5 Never allow the inside of this unit to become wet, or pour / spill liquids
directly onto it .
6 Never block air flow through the vents on the top plate.
7 Never bypass any fuse.
8 Never replace a fuse with anything other than those specified.
9 There are no user serviceable parts within this product. If problems occur,
please contact your Chapter retailer.
10 Never expose this product to extremely high or low temperatures.
11 Unplug this product during lightening storms.
3
From all of us at Chapter...
Preface See through cover.
From dream to reality...
Thank you for choosing the Chapter Preface
Pre-Amplifier.
It has been designed and manufactured to the
highest possible standards in order
to give you many years of musical enjoyment.
4
The Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier is a new ‘state of the art’ audiophile two-channel
line stage pre-amplifier.
The Pre-amp features a number of new design features along with scrupulous
attention to technical detail.
Our objective is to provide a product capable of great musicality and realism whilst
boasting exemplary technical specifications. By bringing together engineers and
designers with a lifetimes experience in audio and power system design we believe
this objective has been more than achieved.
The Chapter Preface is able to handle all of today’s high-resolution sources, with the
fidelity that you would expect of any Chapter product.
Our goal, as always, is to produce a true reference quality line stage. A product that
can be held in the highest regard from both objective and subjective perspectives.
After several years of research and development, we believe that we have
succeeded in fulfilling the requirements of even the most discerning audiophile.
Introduction
5
Unpacking your Pre-Amplifier
The shipping weight of your Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier is 11 KG.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, one person should be able to unpack the
unit safely. If you are in any doubt, please obtain the assistance of a second person.
To avoid back injury whilst carrying your amplifier (or any other piece of heavy
equipment) please crouch with a straight back and use your leg muscles.
After unpacking your pre-amplifier, please retain all packaging for future transport. If
you move house or you need to ship your pre-amplifier, only the custom designed
flight case provided is acceptable. Any other method of shipping may result in
damage and such damage is not covered under warranty.
Please inspect your pre-amplifier for possible damage due to shipping. If you
discover any, contact your Chapter Audio dealer immediately.
Your Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier will deliver excellent performance straight out of
the box, however, you should expect to hear it improve as it reaches its normal
operating temperatures and its various components ‘break-in’. In our experience the
most significant changes occur within the first 30 - 50 hours use, but the unit
will continue to improve in sound quality for about 100 hours, after which time it
remains quite consistent.
If the power is removed and reconnected to the pre-amplifier, you must allow a brief
‘warm up’ period for the unit to give off its best.
However, it is not recommended to leave your Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier on
permanently.
Break In Period
6
Installation
Ventilation
Your Chapter Preface Preamplifier has been designed to fit into a good quality
equipment rack or amplifier stand. In most installations locating the pre amp near
the source components is best. By doing this you minimise the length of any
unbalanced interconnect cable that you may be using.
Where permitting, locate the power amplifier near the loudspeakers and use a long-
er pair of balanced interconnects to your Preface unit.
The advantage to this strategy lies in the fact that the interconnects carry low
current signals that are easily transmitted over distances with greater accuracy
than the high current signals required by loudspeakers.
Your Preface Pre-Amplifier will drive the most demanding of cable runs and amplifier
loads with ease.
The back of your Preface Pre amplifier has been laid out to keep every
connection accessible. We recommend that you leave some clearance behind the
unit to fit cables without having to bend them excessively.
In order to conform with CE regulations your pre-amp is fitted with a rocker
style power switch on the rear of the unit as well as a ‘standby’ switch on the top
plate. This rear mounted rocker switch disconnects power from the power supply,
resulting in effective disconnection of the amplifier from the AC mains.
Please allow your pre-amplifier to have at least five centimetres between the top
cover and the next shelf up on an equipment rack.
The circular vents on top of the pre-amp must not be obstructed, as this would
reduce the free flow of air through the unit.
7
Operating Voltage and Mains Conditions
A good quality three pin, 5 ampere IEC standard, detachable mains lead is
provided for use with your pre-amplifier. It is recommended that you use this lead.
Please contact us for advice if replacement is required.
The Chapter Preface uses several very low noise, double regulated, linear power
supplies to control digital, analogue and control circuitry. Using large custom made
screened transformers and a fastidious attention to circuit layout gives the unit
staggering noise performance, whilst an advanced mains monitoring system allows
the unit to ride through the most unsettled of mains conditions.
Unlike the award winning Chapter Two power amp, the input voltage from which the
Preface will operate is factory set to either 110V or 230V.
As the transformers in the Chapter Preface are custom made to our specification,
there is no difference in unit performance if operated at 230V 50Hz or 110V 60Hz.
Total audio performance is thus assured anywhere in the world.
8
Design Features
Finest Part Selection: The Preface uses the best sounding OPAMPS from Burr
Brown and Linear Technology. All electrolytic capacitors, are all ultra low ESR
Panasonic Gold series. On the power supply we use the finest sounding regulators
from LT and our own custom screened mains transformers. At Chapter we also use
the finest full emersion gold Printed Circuit Boards and ‘Melf’ surface mount
precision resistors.
Wide bandwidth: This is important in preserving the vital H.F. phase information
essential to stereo sound staging and realism. The output stage was designed spe-
cifically for its speed of response, further improved by a high-speed
input stage. Frequency compensation of the pre-amplifier is achieved in such a way
as to allow excellent phase and gain margin into complex amplifier loads without
compromising high frequency phase or power bandwidth.
Balanced ground layout: Cancels the ground currents that can cause
Inter-modulation distortion and crosstalk in a conventional stereo design.
Full Emersion Gold Printed Circuit Boards: Audio signals travel on gold track. As
you would imaging, compared to copper and gold plate this is a very expensive to
manufacture, but the sonic benefits are hugely tangible in terms of space, air and
dynamics.
Custom Designed Volume Control: At Chapter we auditioned many different
volume pots, all of which had their own traits. Instead of designing electronics to
counter the sonic signature of any particular pot, we have designed our own, using
a series of precision resistors and relays. This gives us unprecedented levels of
resolution with complete volume repeatability.
Large Very Low Noise PSU’s: The heart of the pre-amplifier, where digital,
analogue and control power supplies are derived from separate custom made 50VA
transformers, the finest Linear Technology regulators and Panasonic gold series
capacitors.
Acousteel Vibration Control System: In the Chapter Preface, vibrational energy
is reduced by up to 80%, effectively isolating the pre-amp from 15Hz upwards. By
using three sheets of aluminium bonded together with a special viscose-elastic
polymer and using this as the pre-amp base plate, vibrational energy
transmitted to the components within the unit are kept to a minimum.
9
Top Panel
Air Vents
‘Tact’ style standby
switch
When applying power to your Chapter Preface Pre-Amplifier for the first time please
ensure to operate the rear panel AC mains switch. This allows the pre-amp to
enter standby mode. Whilst in Standby mode the sensitive voltage gain stages are
still powered up to ensure that the unit will sound at its best after only a
short period of time. Whilst in standby mode the pre-amplifier draws around 3 watts.
Once the pre-amp is in standby mode the Perspex / Metal dome located on the top
of the amplifier will light red, and the knobs on the front panel will not be lit.
To fully activate the unit, touch the metal section of the dome located on the top of
the pre-amplifier, the disc will turn blue and the output relays will engage around 2
seconds later. The knobs on the front of the unit will both illuminate blue.
Alternatively, you can press either of the left or right hand knobs, as this will also
fully activate the unit.
To return the unit to standby mode, again touch the illuminated dome on
the top plate. If you wish to isolate the unit from the mains supply you must turn off
the amplifier using the rear panel mains AC switch.
If you will not be using the unit for long periods of time, for example going on
holiday, it is best to totally disconnect the amplifier from the AC mains by removing
the moulded plug from the wall socket.
10
Right Hand Knob
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