Sphere MP-1 Mk.3.3 Manual de usuario

1742 Selby Av.

St. Paul, MN 55104

651-690-2246

atma-sphere.com

ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC PREAMPLIFIER

model MP-1 Mk.3.3

OWNER'S MANUAL

Please st dy this doc ment caref lly before sing eq ipment

RoHS

CONGRATULATIONS!

Yo have p rchased the world's finest preamplifier and certainly one of the

most niq e. It has seen over seventeen years of development and represents a

level of performance that others will be str ggling to achieve for years to

come if for no other reason than we control the patents. At the time of this

writing, it is the only f lly balanced differential all-vac m t be design in

the world that also s pports the 600 ohm standard.

Every part of the preamplifier has been extensively tested and engineered so

the prod ct will perform flawlessly for years to come, with little if any

service.

Please read the man al caref lly and follow the instr ctions closely. If yo

have any q estions, do not hesitate to contact yo r dealer and always feel

free to contact s at ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS. Here's to many years of

happy listening!

Sincerely,

Ralph Karsten

ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS, Inc., 1742 Selby Av., St. Pa l, MN 55104

651.690.2246 http://www.atma-sphere.com

LIMITED WARRANTY ON ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS PRODUCTS

This warranty on yo r ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS prod ct, which is distrib ted

and warranted by ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS, shall remain in effect for three

(3) years from the date of cons mer p rchase, provided the enclosed

registration form is completed and ret rned to ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS

within ten days of p rchase.

WHAT IS COVERED:

Except as specified below, this warranty covers all defects in materials and

workmanship. The following are NOT covered by the three year limited warranty:

* T bes are covered for 1 year, with the following excl sions, as per the rest

of the warranty:

* Damage occ rring d ring shipment (present claims to carrier).

* Damage res lting from fail re or inability to follow proper instr ctions.

* Damage res lting from the performance of repairs or modifications by other

than ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS.

WHAT WE WILL PAY FOR:

ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS will pay for all labor and material expenses for

repairs covered by this warranty.

HOW TO OBTAIN WARRANTY SERVICE:

If yo r nit req ires repairs covered by this warranty, yo MUST obtain a

ret rn a thorization n mber from ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS. Yo are

responsible for transporting the nit to ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS, 1742 Selby

Av., St. Pa l, Minn. 55104. Yo m st pay the initial shipping charges, b t

ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS will pay the ret rn charges, if the repairs are

covered by the warranty. All prod cts MUST be shipped in the original

carton(s) or in replacement cartons s pplied by ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS.

Contact ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS for replacement cartons and cost.

LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT, AT OUR OPTION, OF ANY

DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AND SHALL IN NO EVENT INCLUDE INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL

DAMAGE OF ANY KIND.

This warranty is transferable. Implied warranties of merchantability and

fitness for a partic lar p rpose are limited in d ration to the length of this

warranty. This warranty sets forth all expressed warranties made with regard

to the above referenced prod ct. We neither ass me nor a thorize any other

liability in connection with the sale or any shipment of prod cts. This

warranty gives yo specific legal rights and yo may also have other rights

which vary from state to state. We reserve the right to make changes and

improvements in o r prod cts witho t inc rring any obligation to similarly

alter prod cts previo sly p rchased.

MUSIC PREAMPLIFIER SETUP AND OPERATION

Unpack the preamplifier and its power s pply caref lly. Save the shipping

container for f t re shipment (replacements are $95.00). Warranty may be void

if the nit is shipped in a different container. If yo do not have a

container, contact ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS for a replacement.

Normally the t bes are installed; the types are marked on the boards.

D ring operation, the MP-1 gets warm. Adeq ate ventilation is mandatory. If

the preamplifier is to be placed in a shelf or rack mo nt system, allow for at

least 12 inches of open space between the power s pply and head nit to avoid

overheating and h m problems.

After the preamplifier and s pply are properly positioned, make s re that the

main power switch is in the OFF position. Connect the mbilical cable from the

power s pply to the head nit. The connector operates by lining p the correct

key channels and then p shing on it gently while t rning the kn rled threaded

locking ring. It is keyed so that insertion is possible only one way- The

lowest n mbers marked on the pins of the connector sho ld be aligned at the

top of the connector when inserted. Yo may now pl g in the power s pply. The

"POWER AVAILABLE" LED sho ld now light. Connect the cables for the vario s

components to be sed with the preamplifier.

To maximize performance the MP-1 does not se a m ting circ it! Allow the

preamplifier to warm up and stabilize before energizing your power amplifiers.

M ting circ its interfere with so nd q ality and the servo circ its in the

line stage section. Altho gh the DC offsets generated d ring warm p are low

level, this may be a problem for some amplifiers and speakers.

WARNING! DO NOT TURN ON THE AMPLIFIERS IN YOUR SYSTEM UNTIL THE PREAMPLIFIER

IS STABILIZED. DAMAGE TO SPEAKERS, AMPLIFIERS OR BOTH MAY RESULT!

It takes abo t 30 seconds from t rn on before the preamp is ready for se.

D ring the warm p, one or both of the "DC OFFSET" LEDs on the front panel may

light p. This indicates that the servo circ it has detected a DC voltage at

the o tp t of the preamp and is trying to correct it. If the indicator stays

lit for more than a minute, a fault is indicated (usually a bad 6SN tube)

which should be corrected to prevent possible damage to associated equipment.

The preamplifier will so nd significantly better after abo t 45 min tes of

operation.

OPERATING NOTES

The MP-1 takes abo t 1 or 2 ho rs to so nd its best altho gh it is q ite

m sical after only 15 min tes. There is no need to r n the nit 24 ho rs a

day, b t if yo do, test the t bes once every fo r months. Allow for a few

weeks of normal operation to break in the nit; s btle b t l cid improvements

will be noticed.

The MP-1 s pports the se of a low impedance (600 ohm) load at the inp t of

the power amplifier (altho gh it is by no means req ired). S ch practice can

red ce h m and b zz b t more importantly eliminate artifact from the

interconnect cables. An optional terminator is available from ATMA-SPHERE for

amplifiers witho t this provision.

Adj st the GAIN TRIM for proper channel balance. Some minor adj stment is

sometimes req ired as the MP-1 is a zero feedback design. The Gain Trim

controls are a vol me control system employing a sh nt-style control- the

controls themselves are not in series with the a dio signal. Set them so that

the Master control is easy to se.

D e to the low impedance operation of the MP-1, cable q ality between the

preamplifier and power amplifier is considerably less important. Yo may hear

differences in the cables, b t they will be minor compared to the differences

yo may be sed to hearing in single-ended cables. Th s we have no

recommendation for cables to be sed between the preamplifier and power

amplifier. On the other hand, the input cables may be very critical, depending

on the so rce. Atma-Sphere offers a variety of interconnect cables for this

p rpose. Contact yo r dealer or Atma-Sphere for details.

PHONOGRAPH HOOKUP

All phonograph cartridges with fo r signal pins are a balanced so rce. Th s

the MP-1 allows yo to set p yo r t rntable as a f lly balanced so rce, with

considerable sonic advantage. For best res lts, follow the connection scheme

o tlined below:

1) Use a cable that has two signal cond ctors PLUS a shield for each channel.

The two cond ctors are for the pl s and min s o tp ts of the cartridge, and

the shield connection becomes the tone arm/t rntable gro nd connection and is

common to BOTH channels.

2) Pin n mber one of any XLR connection sho ld always be gro nd as per

ind stry standard.

3) Pin two of the XLR phono inp t corresponds to the "+" or non-inverting

o tp t of the cartridge, and pin three is the "-" or inverting o tp t of the

cartridge (absol te system phase can be corrected from the front panel).

4) There is no need for an independent gro nd wire from the arm to the preamp.

If yo set p the cable correctly, there will be NO h m whatsoever. Many tone

arms se a five pin connector that pl gs into the tonearm. If yo have s ch an

arm, yo may order a tone arm cable with the right connections from almost any

cable man fact rer. Sometimes a copy of this page sent to the cable

man fact rer is helpf l. If yo r arm has RCA connectors at the o tp t, an

adapter cable can be made that will work. The shield connection of the RCA

becomes the connection to pin 3 of the XLR connector, and the tone arm gro nd

connection sho ld be made as described above. ON NO ACCOUNT sho ld yo allow

the shield connection of the RCA to become the shield for the cable, as this

will res lt in a lo d h m.

The cartridge loading is accomplished by installing resistors on the loading

terminal above the phono connectors on the rear panel. A screwdriver is all

that is needed for attachment. Yo will find that the MP-1 is relatively

insensitive to loading of low o tp t moving coil cartridges. This is beca se

the MP-1 is very RFI imm ne and loading of low o tp t moving coil cartridges

has most of its effect at Radio Freq encies. If sing a high o tp t cartridge,

things are different and loading can be q ite critical as the load affects the

cartridge directly at a dio freq encies.

For best res lts, the phono cable sho ld be shielded.

Note: To avoid noise, avoid New Old Stock (NOS) 12AT7 t bes in the phono

section. Most are far too noisy to be of any real se. The t bes closest to

the rear panel have the most affect on the noise floor.

A step- p transformer is available for very low o tp t cartridges (0.1mv or

less).

High Level Hookup

The a xiliary inp ts are high impedance. Th s yo may se any inp t as a

so rce for the MP-1. A single-ended so rce can also be sed, by applying the

signal between pin 2 of the inp t XLR and pin 1 (gro nd). The n sed pin three

may have to be shorted to pin 1 to prevent noise. Pin 2 of all the XLR inp ts

is the non-inverting inp t, per ind stry standard.

The tape o tp ts are high impedance. Use a high q ality cable for best

res lts, and keep the cable as short as possible. The minim m drive impedance

is 10Kohms.

The tape monitors are a single-ended, non-inverting, high impedance inp t and

may be sed with any single-ended line so rce.

A note on t bes: As mentioned previo sly, avoid NOS 12AT7s. Older 6SN7s, on

the other hand, can often provide some improved performance. Only b y from a

rep table vendor, with proper ass rance that the t bes can be ret rned if they

are nsatisfactory! We advise that yo do not go overboard with NOS t be

types, as the prices paid for the res lts can be high compared to other

changes yo can make, fleeting, or both. Especially in the case of the phono

t bes, the investment is often not worthwhile.

NOTES ON TUBES

1) The 12AT7s in the rear left of each board are the most critical for low

noise phono operation. DO NOT se NOS t bes: noise will be nacceptable.

2) The constant c rrent so rces (6SN7s in the center of the boards) sho ld be

chosen for low noise.

3) The 6SN7 in the front right hand location of each circ it board is the most

important to the so nd of the line stage.

4) T be damping rings are recommended.

5) Do not remove t bes while nit is operating. Hazardo s or lethal voltages

are present!

6) *NEVER* se Tweek or other contact enhancers on vac m t bes, their

sockets or the vol me control! Such use voids the warranty.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

Front panel LEDs on the power s pply don't light p: Check the rear panel f se

and verify that the power cord is pl gged in.

B zz, h m: Make s re that the power cord is pl gged into a properly gro nded

o tlet. The MP-1 s pports the AES file 48 (balanced line standard) however a

lot of other high end a dio prod cts do not. This can res lt in gro nd loops.

If yo are trying to operate the o tp t of the preamp with single-ended

eq ipment, b zz may occ r if the conversion from balanced to single-ended is

not handled properly. Contact Atma-Sphere for assistance. In some sit ations

an isolation transformer can be helpf l.

Distortion: Check the o tp t t bes (6SN7, pper right in diagram) and the

associated 6SN7 in front for defects. If any of the o tp t pins of the main

o tp t XLR connectors other than pin one is at gro nd potential, distortion

may res lt. Also check the circ it board f ses in the power s pply:

One or both channels o t: Check all t bes. If OK, there are two f ses located

on the right side of the power s pply circ it board (as yo face the front of

the nit), one for each channel. Replace with the same type slow blow f se (1

Amp for 117 Volt nits, 0.5 Amp for 230 Volt nits). If yo are not q alified,

do not remove the cover. Hazardo s or lethal voltages are present with the

cover removed. Refer service to q alified service personnel.

Noisy phono section: Replace the 12AT7s in the phono section. AVOID 'NOS' (New

Old Stock) TYPES AT ALL COST! Despite claims to the contrary by NOS t be

s ppliers, all NOS 12AT7s are j st too noisy if yo intend to se low o tp t

moving coil cartridges. M llard- Telef nken- don't care. They are too noisy.

The q iet ones were p rchased decades ago.

Low o tp t from one channel: Check t bes.

DC Offset LED lit p contin o sly: Check the 6SN7s (rear right two on circ it

board) in the channel associated with the LED.

NEVER, EVER, USE TWEEK OR ANY CONTACT ENHANCER ON TUBE SOCKETS! Tweek is

resistive at vac m-t be voltages. This will destroy the t be sockets and

possibly the circ it boards!

If none of these s ggestions help, contact yo r dealer or ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC

SYSTEMS.

MORE TIPS AND TWEAKS

For se with s bwoofer and other bi-amplified systems: Have yo r crossover

pdated with correctly balanced inp ts. If this is not possible, a specialized

balanced-to- nbalanced s bwoofer-optimized line transformer is available from

Atma-Sphere and works q ite well. If yo do not se one of these techniq es,

it is likely that yo will enco nter a b zz.

When ordering from any so rce, specify t bes for a differential circ it

(matched t be sections). The 12AT7s at the inp t of the phonograph section and

the 6SN7 at the inp t of the high level section (right front on circ it board)

are perhaps the most a dible. We find NOS 12AT7 t bes to be too noisy.

Harmonics of the power line freq ency have been shown to be far more

problematic for good so nd then all other types of power line problems (RF,

spikes, etc.) p t together. Be s re that the conditioner yo se can filter

line freq ency harmonics, partic larly the fifth (300 Hz on 60Hz line). A

prono nced 5th harmonic can ca se any power transformer to become mechanically

noisy! Beware that any line conditioner with a transformer in it can add

harmonics if operated at more than 50% of its capacity.

The power cord can have a dible effects! A good cable is recommended.

The So nd Anchors eq ipment stand and the Silent R nning stands are the finest

we have seen. They are highly recommended. Use them in conj nction with the

Ultra Resol tion Technologies vibration damping platform. NavCom Silencers or

other anti-vibration pads can be helpf l as are t be damping rings.

Most cartridges with more than 0.15mv seem to work fine. The higher the o tp t

the better, tempered with a m sical presentation. Some recommended choices:

The Grado Statement and Master Reference, Lyra series, Dynavector and Micro

Benz. There are of co rse many others.

If a high o tp t cartridge is sed, a j mper pl g that replaces one of the

phono t bes can be installed to red ce gain. Contact Atma-Sphere for details.

A moving coil step- p transformer option is also available for cartridges of

less than 0.1mV. It can be sed to red ce noise, even with higher o tp t

cartridges, at a slight cost of m sicality. The techniq e is to se the

aforementioned j mper pl g as well. The gain tends to be similar to the normal

phono section witho t the transformer, only with abo t 15 db less noise. If

yo can, avoid the transformer option, it is likely that the so nd will be

better; all transformers ca se signal degradation.

NOTES

WARRANTY REGISTRATION FORM

IMPORTANT: This form m st be filled o t and ret rned to ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC

SYSTEMS within 10 days of p rchase to validate the warranty! Please type or

print clearly.

NAME__________________________________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________________________________

City or town ____________________________________State______zip code__________

Co ntry_______________________________________________________________________

Name of dealership____________________________________________________________

MP-1 Mk. 3.3 Date of p rchase_____________serial #___________price paid_________

Optional section for o r records and information:

Comments concerning yo r dealer_______________________________________________

Comments concerning this prod ct _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

list the components in yo r system____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

comments, s ggestions_________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

MAIL TO: ATMA-SPHERE MUSIC SYSTEMS, 1742 Selby Av., St. Pa l, MN 55104 USA

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