Balanced Audio Technology VK-P10 User manual

VK-P10

WARRANTY REGISTRATION FORM

Unit Serial Number: _______________________________________

Customer Name: _______________________________________

Address: _______________________________________

_______________________________________

Date of Purchase: _______________________________________

Purchased From:

Dealer Name: _______________________________________

Address: _______________________________________

_______________________________________

IMPORTANT NOTE:

In order to receive the full five-year product warranty, please mail this

completed form together with a copy of your sales receipt to Balanced Audio

Technology at the address below, within thirty days of purchase.

Failure to do so will result in the product being warrantied for one year

from the date of manufacture.

1300 First State Blvd. Suite A Wilmington DE 19804 Tel: 302-999-8855 Fax: 302-999-8818

VK-P10

Balanced Phono Stage

Owner's Manual

1300 First State Blvd. Suite A Wilmington DE 19804 Tel: 302-999-8855 Fax: 302-999-8818

NOTE:

Your VK-P10 Phono Preamplifier was preset at the factory to the following

configuration:

Input Mode: Direct

Gain: High

Input Resistive Loading: 47kΩ

Input Capacitive Loading: None

Please refer to the chapter on configuration switch setting for information on

optimizing the unit parameters.

Introduction

Thank you for your purchase of the Balanced Audio Technology VK-P10 balanced phono

stage. Please read this owner's manual to obtain the full benefit of the VK-P10 in your system. It

will provide you with the needed safety information and operating procedures for this exceptional

unit.

WARNINGS

To prevent the possibility of serious injury, electrical shock or fire:

DO NOT operate with the cover removed.

DO NOT expose to rain or moisture.

DO NOT defeat the ground power-plug.

DO NOT replace fuse with anything other than the same type and rating as supplied by the factory.

Package Contents

Included in the box should be the following:

Description Quantity

VK-P10 Balanced phono stage 1

Power Cord 1

Male Connector Pins 10

Spare Fuse (See Fuse Protection) 1

XLR Input Shorting Plugs 2

Torx Wrench (T-10) 1

Spare Top Cover Screws 5

User’s Manual 1

Optional Accessories (as ordered)

Save all the packaging material in a safe dry area for the unlikely event that you need

to return the VK-P10 to the factory for service.

Reseating Tubes

Normally, reseating tubes upon delivery is not required. However, if any tubes have

noticeably drifted out of position due to unusually high transportation stress, it will be

advisable to reseat the tubes. Use the supplied Torx wrench to remove the top cover.

Reseat the tubes in their sockets and reinstall the top cover.

NOTE: When using the Torx wrench, make sure it is fully inserted so that the screw head is

not stripped.

Physical Placement

It is recommended that you provide for at least 6" of free space around the unit for proper

ventilation.

Mount the unit on a hard surface with proper ventilation underneath.

Do not stack the VK-P10 phono stage on top of other units, nor vice versa.

General Description of VK-P10 Phono Preamplifier

The VK-P10 balanced all-tube phono stage is designed to provide the maximum possible

performance while operating in conjunction with the wide verity of phono cartridges available

today. The unit offers unmatched versatility in system configuration by providing the

following features:

• Wide range of user-selectable gains from 44dB to 74dB (See Specifications

section for choices)

• Built-in high-quality step-up transformers that can be used with very low output

phono cartridges.

• Selectable cartridge loading for both resistance and capacitance

• Absolute polarity reversal switch

Please refer to the Configuration Switches section of this manual for information on how to

configure the VK-P10 phono stage for optimal performance in your system.

Connecting the VK-P10 to Your System

Cartridge Input

The back panel of the VK-P10 phono stage is equipped with two sets of input connectors:

RCA input connectors

XLR input connectors

Either set can be used for connection. This gives the user the flexibility in connecting the

phono cartridge cable to the VK-P10. Whenever possible, the balanced XLR inputs should be

used. They provide the best possible performance. Please contact the factory regarding the

best ways of connecting your tonearm to the VK-P10.

NOTE: Connecting to RCA Inputs:

When connecting your cartridge to the VK-P10 RCA inputs, it is necessary to install the

supplied shorting plugs into the unused XLR inputs.

Output Connection

The VK-P10 is equipped with XLR output connectors. Any high quality set of balanced

interconnects can be used to connect the VK-P10 to your balanced preamplifier.

Single-ended preamplifiers can be connected to the VK-P10 output through the use of XLR-

to-RCA adapters, available from BAT.

Description of Controls

Power Switch

The power switch has two positions: OFF and ON. Putting the switch in the OFF position

(even for a short period of time) will reset the soft start and mute circuits. The VK-P10 will

then require about 45 seconds to return back to normal operation.

When you turn the unit ON, the VK-P10 will automatically go through a gentle power-on

sequence. At the end of this sequence the unit will automatically unmute. However, since the

source volume may be unknown at this time, it is advisable to turn the volume control on your

preamplifier fully counterclockwise and place the mute switch in "Mute" position before

turning the VK-P10 ON.

Phase Switch

The Phase switch on the front panel of the VK-P10 allows the user to compensate for

recordings made in inverted polarity. It has two positions: 0

and 180

. With this switch in its

position, the VK-P10 performs as a non-inverting amplifier. Switching into the 180

position will invert the absolute phase of the signal.

It is important to note, however, that in both 0

and 180

positions of the Polarity switch

the signal passes through exactly the same signal path elements and components.

Output Muting

The output of the VK-P10 phono stage has a mute relay that disables it for about 45 seconds

every time the unit is turned ON.

When the unit is powered up it automatically self-mutes until the proper operating points of

the circuitry are reached. It will then go into normal play mode.

Changing the power switch position from ON to OFF even for short time, will make the unit

reset its power sequencing circuit and mute its output. It will then require about 45 seconds

for the unit to become operational again.

Configuration Switches

WARNINGS:

Please make sure that the VK-P10 is turned OFF and your preamplifier is in MUTE

before changing the state of any internal configuration switches in VK-P10.

Hazardous voltages are present on the unit’s printed circuit board. DO NOT operate

the VK-P10 with its top cover removed.

This section describes the setting of internal configuration switches that are located inside the

VK-P10 phono preamplifier. In order to access these switches, do the following:

1. Turn the VK-P10 OFF and disconnect the power cord from the power line receptacle.

2. Remove the top cover, using the supplied Torx T-10 wrench.

Figure 1 depicts the locations of the VK-P10 internal configuration switches. These include:

1. Left and right channel cartridge loading switches S101 and S201

2. Direct/Step-Up input mode switches S102 and S202

3. Gain switch S2

The following section describes the operation of these controls.

Cartridge loading switches S101 and S201

Resistance:

The 47K load resistor is permanently connected to the cartridge input. If a different loading

value is desired, it can be obtained by switching in additional resistors, installed on the

VK-P10 PC board. This is accomplished by using the two DIP switches, S101 and S201, that

allow multiple choices for resistive and capacitive cartridge loading. Four positions are

reserved for the choice of resistance and four for capacitance. Out of each group of four, one

position is loaded with female pins and allows the user to install any desired value component

(this position is marked “USER”). Gold-plated solderable pins are supplied with the VK-P10

accessory kit, that should be attached to either resistors or capacitors supplied by the user.

This allows for easy installation and upgrade of user-supplied components.

The following resistors can be added in parallel with the 47K load:

Switch position Resistor Value

1 100 Ohm

2 1K

3 10K

4 User-Defined

Any parallel combination of these values is also allowable.

Capacitance:

Various values of capacitors can be connected in parallel to the input via switches S101 and

S201. With these switches in the OFF position, there is no capacitive loading to the cartridge.

The capacitance choices include:

Switch Position Capacitor Value

5 100pF

6 470pF

7 1000pF

8 User-Defined

Any possible parallel combination of these values is also allowable.

Input Mode (Direct or Step-Up) Switch

The VK-P10 comes equipped with internal step-up transformers, which allow the user to

achieve the best possible signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range in any system configuration,

including systems with very low output moving coil cartridges (down to .1mV or less).

By changing the position of the S102 and S202 switches, user may choose between Direct and

Step-Up input modes. In Direct mode the cartridge is connected directly to the vacuum tube

amplification stage. In the Step-Up mode the cartridge signal is routed through the

step-up transformer, in order to boost it before it reaches the amplification stage. This allows

for an additional gain of 20dB.

It is recommended that for phono cartridges with the output of more than .25mV, the Direct

mode be used. For sources with lower output voltage, the user should experiment in order to

find the combination, providing the best performance. Using the Step-Up transformers will

usually provide a lower noise floor (see the Specifications chapter).

Gain Switch

By moving the switch S2 from High to Low position, the amplifier’s gain is reduced by about

10dB. While the High gain position provides the most universal setting, it may be desired to

reduce the overall system gain when using some high output phono cartridges.

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