Ayre V-5x User manual
Ayre V-5x
Owner’s Manual
Power Amplifier
A y r e
V-5x
Table of
Contents
Welcome to Ayre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Connections and Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Controls and Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Numbers and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
In Case of Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Statement of Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
A Place for Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Welcome to
Ayre
Please send in your warranty
registration card so we can
stay in contact with you.
Your Ayre V-5x offers a significant advance in the
musical performance of high-fidelity equipment.
The warmth and immediacy of a live performance
are apparent from the first listening. The
combination of superb resolution and a natural,
relaxed quality will draw you into the music, time
and time again.
This level of performance has been implemented
using the highest level of workmanship and
materials. You can be assured that the Ayre V-5x
will provide you a lifetime of musical enjoyment.
2
Connections and
Installation
The Ayre V-5x is easy to hook up and use. The
following guidelines will ensure that the installation
goes smoothly.
Location
Do not stack the Ayre V-5x
directly with other components,
as this may restrict the air
flow or induce hum into the
audio circuitry.
A good location for your power amplifier is on the
floor between your loudspeakers, or in an
open-backed cabinet, or on a shelf. The Ayre V-5x
produces a moderate amount of heat during
operation. Be sure to provide at least three inches
(75 mm) of air space above the amplifier.
It is important to maintain an adequate
supply of air flow to avoid overheating
the amplifier.
AC Power
The best sound quality is normally achieved when
the V-5x is plugged directly into an unswitched
wall outlet, without using any power strips or power
line conditioners.
3
Inputs
When you have a choice, a
balanced connection will
usually offer slightly higher
sound quality.
The power amplifier can be driven by a preamplifier
or directly from a line-level source (e.g., tuner or CD
player) that has a level control. There are two sets of
input connectors on the rear panel of the Ayre V-5x.
The RCA connectors accept signals from unbalanced
sources, while the XLR connectors are for balanced
sources.
Only one set of inputs
(balanced or unbalanced) may
be connected at a time.
A small toggle switch near the input connectors
selects either the balanced or unbalanced inputs.
Note that the input selector switch for one channel
will be in the “up” position, while the other
channel’s input selector switch will be in the
“down” position.
Using the incorrect position on
the input selector switches will
not harm the equipment, and
the amplifier may even seem to
operate normally. However,
some sonic degradation occurs
in this situation.
Selecting “Unbal” connects the inverting input to
ground through an isolation resistor. Therefore, the
incorrect setting of this switch forces a balanced
source to operate in unbalanced mode. Conversely, if
the selector is set to “Bal” while using an
unbalanced source, the unused inverting input is
susceptible to hum pick up and radio-frequency
interference.
Pass-Through Outputs
The pass-through output
connector is wired in parallel
with the input connector.
Each channel features a pass-through output,
supplied via an XLR connector. This allows
multiple channels to be driven with a single source
and is especially useful for subwoofers, passive bi- or
tri-amplification, or distributed sound systems.
Simply use a balanced cable to connect the
4
pass-through output of one channel to the XLR
input of another channel on the same amplifier, or of
another amplifier with true balanced inputs.
The pass-through output does
not convert unbalanced sources
to a true balanced signal.
If you wish to drive an unbalanced amplifier from
the pass-through outputs, you will need to use
XLR-to-RCA adapters. These should be configured
so that pin 1 of the XLR is connected to the shell of
the RCA connector, and pin 2 of the XLR is
connected to the center pin of the RCA connector.
Loudspeaker Outputs
The heavy-duty output
terminals of the Ayre V-5x
work best with speaker cables
using spade lugs.
The Ayre V-5x drives the loudspeakers with
balanced outputs. Since none of the output
terminals are grounded, connecting any of them to
ground may result in damage to the amplifier.
Do not connect the loudspeaker
outputs to any speaker switch-box,
accessory, or test equipment that has a
common ground connection.
5
Trigger In/Out
Input Sel
Unbal
Bal
Pass-Through
Output
Fuse + - Fuse
Input Sel
Unbal
BalPass-Through
Output
+ FuseFuse -
¡Attention! — Balanced Outputs
Do Not Connect Output Terminals to Ground
Volts
50/60 Hertz
700 W Max
V-5 Power Amplifier
S.N.
A y r e Boulder, Colorado USA
Controls and
Operation
The Ayre V-5x has a front panel control for normal
stand-alone operation. The amplifier may also be
controlled via a “trigger” input in a home-theater.
Power Switches
The master power switch on
the rear panel also
incorporates a circuit breaker.
There are two power switches on the Ayre V-5x.
The master power switch on the rear panel is
normally intended to be left on at all times. The
front-panel switch selects between the “Standby”
and “Operate” modes.
When the master power switch is first turned on,
the front panel indicator light will glow red for
approximately one second. During this time, the
unit is in “Warm-Up” mode and the front-panel
switch is inoperable.
Red = Warm-Up
Green = Standby
Blue = Operate
After the circuitry has stabilized, the indicator light
will change to green, indicating that the unit is in
“Standby” mode and is ready for operation. When
the listener presses the front-panel switch, the unit
is in “Operate” mode and the indicator light glows
blue.
6
In the green “Standby” mode the output stage is
turned off, while the input circuitry remains
powered. This allows the unit to warm up quickly
for optimal sonic performance, while reducing the
power consumption from 120 watts to 10 watts.
Trigger Input
Use a 1/8" mini-phone plug
with a positive voltage of
between +5 and +12 VDC
at the tip to operate the trigger
input.
A trigger input is provided on the rear panel of the
V-5x to allow for remote switching between the
green “Standby” and blue “Operate” modes. The
two trigger input jacks are wired in parallel. Either
jack can act as an input or a pass-through output to
allow for “daisy-chaining” of multiple devices.
The unit is shipped from the factory in the
level-sensitive mode, which is compatible with most
equipment. During level-sensitive operation,
applying a voltage to the trigger input will force the
amplifier to the “Operate” mode. In this state, the
front panel switch is inoperative. When the applied
voltage drops to zero, the unit reverts to “Standby”
7
A y r e
V-5x
and the front panel switch may be used to manually
control the unit.
Some equipment instead utilizes pulses as a trigger
signal. The V-5x can also accommodate these units.
To change trigger modes, turn the rear panel switch
“Off” for about 30 seconds to discharge the internal
voltages. Then press and hold the front panel switch
while turning the rear panel switch “On”. The status
LED will rapidly flash red (about 10 Hz) to indicate
that the pulse-sensitive mode has been selected.
Repeating this procedure will revert the unit back
to the level-sensitive mode, as indicated by the
status LED slowly flashing red (about 1 Hz).
In the pulse-sensitive mode, a positive-going pulse
edge will toggle the amplifier between the
“Standby” and “Operate” states, duplicating the
action of the front-panel switch. In this mode the
front panel switch is always operative. However,
operating the unit with the front panel switch may
put the unit out of “synch” with the control device.
If this should occur, simply press the front panel
switch to restore “synch”.
Break-In
100 to 500 hours of music played through the
system will ensure full break-in.
Due to the manufacturing processes used for the
wires and capacitors, a break-in period is necessary
for the amplifier to reach its full sonic potential.
8
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