Version 5 VITUS AUDIO It s all about Music SL-101 Owner s Manual
SIGNATURE SERIES LINESTAGE SL-101 Owner s Manual Vitus Audio P.O. Box 2052 DK-7400 Herning, Denmark Phone: +45 96 26 80 46 Fax: +45 96 26 80 47 Email: info@vitusaudio.com Web: www.vitusaudio.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of Vitus Audio. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice, and whilst it is checked for accuracy, no liabilities can be accepted for errors. i
Table of Content Replacing a blown fuse 13 INTRODUCTION About this Manual 1 Foreword 2 Introduction to the Signature Series 2 WARRANTY Initial Warranty 14 Extended Warranty 14 Warranty Exclusions 14 GETTING STARTED Getting Service 14 What s Included 3 Unpacking from Crates 3 Connecting the SL-101 3 Overall gain in your SL-101 3 TECHNICAL DETAILS Specifications 15 Pictures 16 Rear Panel 4 OPERATION Normal Mode 5-6 Menu Mode 7 How it works, examples 8-11 Volume bypass mode 12 Safety Notice 12 Mains Supply Voltage 12 SERVICE Maintenance 13 Main Fuses 13 ii
INTRODUCTION About this Manual This is your SL-101 owner s manual. The following pages will describe, as succinctly as possible, how to get your SL-101 operating fast and simple. Although some operations are self explanatory, we strongly suggest you read this manual to avoid any damage to the unit. The manual is designed to be helpful. If there are points you feel we could cover better, or that we have missed out please tell us. Important Notice! Important information is presented like this ignoring this may cause you to damage the unit, or invalidate the warranty. 1
INTRODUCTION Foreword First of all, thank you for choosing the Vitus Audio SL-101 Linestage, we are sure you will enjoy it for many years to come. When purchasing a Vitus Audio product, you are guaranteed a musical performance, which exceeds the current musical standards. Vitus Audio is dedicated to musical performance rather than technical details and high performance measures. We believe that many manufactures are blinded by the current available theory, instead of looking for new answers. At Vitus Audio everything works until proven not to. This way we always try to push the limits and explore the unexplored. As a result of this, many of the solutions we use today are considered to be impossible to ever get working, however they have convinced many people and reviewers world wide of the opposite. Before any of our new topologies are implemented in our products, they are carefully reviewed by our dedicated listening panel. This way we can guarantee the correct level of musically performance and robustness. Generally we're after super neutral, super detailed and super dynamic reproduction without "loosing" the nerve in the music which often is a drawback of many high end amplifiers. Our real strongholds is complete silence, unbelievable depth and width in the soundstage resulting in a far more open sound with higher resolution - you could say, closer to the artist. As a result of above, our amps do not "focus" on any specific frequencies - i.e. no extension of top nor bas, which of coarse results in high clarity of the midrange since it's "naturally present"! Introduction to the Signature Series The Vitus Audio Signature Series is a true high-end series of products, which build on our true dedication to neutral music reproduction. Every detail is carefully thought through, and all choices made during development, where based purely on listening, and not measuring. Only the best available materials are used to ensure an overall quality which will last for many years, when treated right. 2
GETTING STARTED What s included SL-101 Linestage Owner s Manual Unpacking from Crate Firstly the top of the crate needs to be removed. This is done by simply cutting the tape on the sides and top very carefully. When the top has been removed, it s possible to remove the protective foam top which give you directly access to the amplifier. When the amplifier has been removed from its crate, store the crate for later usage. Connecting your SL-101 When placed on its shelf, connect all sources to the inputs of the SL-101, (labelled INPUT 1 to 5 on the rear panel.). Also connect the output of the SL-101, (labelled OUT PUT 1 to 2 on the rear panel), to your power amplifiers input. As the SL-101 is balanced from input to output, we recommend you use the balanced output only. We have only included the RCA output for compability reasons. Overall gain in your SL-101 The overall gain of the SL-101 has been optimised using our SP-100 Phonostage stage and SM-101 Mono Power Amplifiers. Should you find the gain inadequate it can easily be adjusted by your local dealer. 3
GETTING STARTED Rear Panel Figure 1 SL-101 Rear panel 4
OPERATION Normal mode Figure 2 SL-101 Left Front. Functions Left Front In normal mode there are 3 basic functions/buttons available on the left front: 1. INPUT Selects between the 5 different inputs. 2. MENU Switches to Menu Mode. 3. STANDBY Sets the unit into standby mode. 5
OPERATION Normal mode (Continued) Figure 3 SL-101 Right Front. Functions Right Front In normal mode there are 3 basic functions/buttons available on the right front: 4. Turns volume UP. 5. MUTE Mutes the output. 6. Turns the volume DOWN. The topology of the volume control used in the SL-101 is very different compared to the standard. It uses a series of fixed resistor networks which are changed via relays. Regardless of the level of the volume, only 1 fixed resistor is in series with the signal path, which give the best performance possible. As shifting relays will generate small clicks at certain points, the signal is muted during operation. It is almost inaudible. This volume control gives you superior sound quality over traditional digital and analogue potentiometers. 6
OPERATION Menu mode Figure 4 SL-101 Left Front. Functions When the MENU button is pushed once in Normal mode, one enters the Menu Mode. In the Menu mode there are 3 basic functions/buttons: 1. Scrolls forward in the menu. 2. SELECT Enters & Exits submenus and selects wanted settings. 3. Scroll backward in the menu. In one of the sub-menus it is possible to change the text in the display. This is done by using the following buttons: 1. Increase the selected character. 2. MUTE Go to the next character in the display. 3. Decrease the selected character. 7
OPERATION How it works: (Menu mode continued) In Menu mode there are 7 different menus: 1. INPUT Enable/disable different inputs. 2. OFFSET Select a offset-gain for different inputs. 3. TEXT Change the text for different inputs. 4. DB Selects between Level and db readout of the volume. 5. SW ver. Show the software version. 6. Bright. Selects brightness level on the display from 0-3. 7. LOGO Turns Logo on and off. When the menu button is pressed once, the display will show MENU in the display. Use the or button to shuffle up or downwards through the different sub menus. To select one of the sub menus press the Select button again. When in one of the sub menus again use the or button to select between the different options and press, Select to activate your choice. Example 1: (Changing Brightness, default setting is level 1) Press Menu once. Press twice. (Display will show MENU ) (Display will show Bright ) Press Select. (Display will show Bright 1 ) Press twice. (Display will show Bright 3 ) Press Select once. Press twice. (Display will show Bright ) (Display will show MENU ) Press Select once. (Display will show Line 1 ) 8
OPERATION How it works: (Menu mode continued) Example 2: (Changing text for input 3) Press Menu once. Press three times. (Display will show MENU ) (Display will show Text ) Press Select. (Display will show Line 1 ) Press twice (Display will show Line 3 ) Press Mute once (Display will show _Line 3, and _ will start to blink.) Press and hold or (Right front) (The first character in the display will cycle through the alphabet from A-Z to 0-9 to a-z. When the correct character is found release or.) Press Mute a number of times (For each press, the selected character will move one place to the right, which makes it possible to change the other characters of the selected input-text.) To accept the change of the input text, press Mutes a number of times until you have moved through all the characters in the display, or press Select once. Display will show Line 3. Press three times. Press Select once. Press three times. (Display will show Back ) (Display will show Text ) (Display will show MENU ) Press Select once. (Display will show Line 1 ) Press Input twice (Display will show the new text of Line 3 in the display) 9
OPERATION How it works: (Menu mode continued) Example 3: (Changing offset-gain of the inputs) If the inputs have different gains, it is possible to set different offset-values for the different inputs. The offset-value can be set to -6.0, -4.5, -3.0, -1.5, 0.0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0 db or BYPASS. If there is a higher gain of one input than another, ones can set the offset value to a negative value, the volume will then automatically turn down. When BYPASS is selected, the volume control of the selected input is bypassed, and the gain is set to 0.0 db. The following example illustrates how to change the offset-values: The volume of Line 2 is 3 db higher than the volume of Line 1 and the volume of Line 3 is 1.5 db lower than the volume of Line 1. For this example to be accurate, all the offset-values are 0.0 db and Line 1 is selected before starting. Press Menu once. Press twice. (Display will show MENU ) (Display will show Offset ) Press Select. (Display will show Line 1 ) Press once. (Display will show Line 2 ) Press Select once. Press twice. (Display will show 0.0 db ) (Display will show -3.0 db ) Press Select once. (Display will show Line 2 ) Press once. (Display will show Line 3 ) Press Select once. Press once. (Display will show 0.0 db ) (Display will show 1.5 db ) Press Select once. (Display will show Line 3 ) Press three times. Press Select once. Press twice. (Display will show Back ) (Display will show Offset ) (Display will show MENU ) Press Menu once. (Display will show Line 1 ) 10
OPERATION How it works: (Menu mode continued) Press Input once (Change to Line 2, the volume changes to -3.0 db) Press Input once (Change to Line 3, the volume changes to 1.5 db) When changing between the three inputs; Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3, the output will be at the same level. Example 4: (disabling inputs) If only some of the inputs is used, it is possible to disable the other inputs. By doing this, the system will skip the disabled inputs, and jump to the next input. when pressing Input. The following example illustrates how to disable Line 4 and Line 5. Press Menu once. Press once. (Display will show MENU ) (Display will show Input ) Press Select. (Display will show Line 1 ) Press twice. (Display will show Line 5 ) Press Select once. Press once. (Display will show L 5 ON ) (Display will show -L 5 OFF ) Press Select once. (Display will show Line 5 ) Press once. (Display will show Line 4 ) Press Select once. Press once. (Display will show L 4 ON ) (Display will show L 4 OFF ) Press Select once. (Display will show Line 4 ) Press twice. Press Select once. Press once. (Display will show Back ) (Display will show Input ) (Display will show MENU ) Press Menu once. (Display will show Line 1 ) By doing this it will only be possible to change between Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3. 11
OPERATION Volume bypass mode The Vitus Audio SL-101 internal volume control can be bypassed independently for each input. In case you have a source with an internal volume control, such as a surround-preamp. This can be done from the Offset submenu. When shifting one of the inputs into bypass mode WARNING is flashing in the display, followed by a rolling text: Read Manual Enter Code. The reason for this is the much higher gain once the damping of the volume is removed which is equal to volume 0 db this can easily damage both the amplifier and speakers connected to the amplifier if you don t have a Preamplifier or equal device connected. Important Notice! Should any such damage occur, Vitus Audio A/S cannot be held responsible for these. The Code needed for changing to bypass mode is simply: Pushing the following buttons at the same time: 1. Class A / AB 2. MENU 3. Standby 4. MUTE If this code is not entered, the software will automatically jump back to the VOL Menu Switching back to normal mode (bypass off) does not require the code. Safety Notice The Vitus Audio SL-101 contains no user serviceable parts. Do not attempt to open the case as there are potentially dangerous voltages present inside. In the event of the unit developing a fault, please consult your dealer. Mains Supply Voltage Any unit may be set for operation on either 100V, 115V or 230V A.C. Units are shipped set for the mains supply voltage according to the destination. The voltage setting can be updated later by your dealer, if necessary. 12
SERVICE Maintenance Vitus Audio products are designed to run for many years without the need for regular maintenance. Our products contain no user serviceable part except from the mains fuse. Should your SL-101 show signs of miss function, pls. contact your dealer or Vitus Audio. Mains Fuse Accessible from the outside of the amplifier, just above the power inlet, you will find the mains fuse. Should the fuse blow, it can easily be replaced by the user. The fuse would only blow if power surges occur, or if there is a fault in the unit. Normally power surges cause no other damage, but if the fuse blows repeatedly on replacement, the unit must have a malfunction. In this situation the unit must be returned to Vitus Audio for repair. Fuse Type: 20 x 5mm 500mA F HRC fuse (two is needed) Important Notice! Should the fuse blow, it s very important that it s replaced with same type and rating. Failure to do so could result in damage to the unit, risk of dire or electric shock and will invalidate the guarantee. Replacing a blown fuse Remove the power cable, use a small flat bladed screwdriver to pry up the tap on the fuse carrier and pull it out. Pull the blown fuses out of the carrier and dispose of them. Fit the new fuses in the clip and push the carrier back into the unit so that it clicks home. 13
WARRANTY Initial Warranty Vitus Audio warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 1 year from receipt by the first owner. During the warranty period, Vitus Audio will repair or, at our absolute discretion replace, a faulty product. Warranty repairs must only be carried out by Vitus Audio. For details please contact Vitus Audio. Extended Warranty The period of the warranty cover can be extended to 3 years from the original shipping date at no extra cost, by registering your products with Vitus Audio through our web at www.vitusaudio.com. Should you sell the unit within the extended warranty period, the remaining period of the extended warranty can be transferred to the new owner, by completing an Owner Registration Transfer form which also will be available through our web during 2007. Warranty Exclusions The Warranty on this SL-101 shall be void if: The product is misused in any way. Any unauthorised modifications or repairs are carried out. The product is serviced or repaired by others than Vitus Audio. The unit is returned inadequately packed. The product is not used in accordance with the Operating Conditions stated in this owner s manual. Getting Service Should it be necessary to return a unit for service or repair pls. provide model, serial number and a detailed description of the problem? When returning a unit, the original crates should be used. Replacement crates can be purchased from Vitus Audio. During the Warranty period, there will normally be no charges for parts or labour. 14
SPECIFICATIONS Specifications INPUTS 2 RCA Unbalanced 3 XLR Balanced INPUT IMPEDANCE RCA 10KΩ XLR 300KΩ + 300KΩ OUTPUTS 1 RCA Unbalanced 2 XLR Balanced OUTPUT IMPEDANCE RCA 75Ω XLR 75Ω GAIN RCA -40dB to +6dB XLR -40dB to +12dB NOISE SNR > 110dB DISTORTION THD+N < 0,01% POWER CONSUMPTION Standby < 30 W Operation < 40 W DIMENTIONS Width 435mm Depth 402mm Height 130mm (Including feet) Weight 24kg 15
16 PICTURES