Boulder 812 User manual

255 South Taylor Avenue Louisville, Co 80027 U.S.A Tel: 303-495-2260x116 E-mail: sales@boulderamp.com Web: www.boulderamp.com

Boulder Ampliers, Inc.

255 S. Taylor Avenue

Louisville, CO 80027

(303) 449-8220, x110

www.boulderamp.com

BoulderAmpliersInc

@boulderampliers

@BoulderAmps

812 DAC Preamplier

1-1



About Boulder Ampliers, Inc.

Boulder was founded in 1984 and is the last high-performance audio manufacturer operating

in North America to still perform all of its own design, engineering and manufacturing in-

house. While this form of production may be more costly than outsourcing, the resulting quality

control and reliability of the nished products are never compromised.

In 2016, Boulder moved into a new, purpose-built production facility to increase manufacturing

eciency and oer space for expansion to meet the needs of future growth.

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Congratulations and thank you for selecting the Boulder 812 DAC Pre-Amplier for your high-

performance sound system. We are certain it will provide you with many years of listening

pleasure.

e 812 represents the concerted eorts of numerous Boulder designers, engineers, and

technicians working to bring you the best audio playback components in the world. Please take a

few minutes to read through this instruction manual prior to using your 812. is will help you

understand the many functions and capabilities of the device. It will also allow you to maximize

the convenience and performance for which it was engineered.

Your Boulder 812 has undergone extensive laboratory tests for safety, functionality and technical

excellence. In addition, it has been individually subjected to rigorous listening trials in our

sound room utilizing a wide range of musical material. No product ever leaves our factory until

we are totally satised that it achieves its full potential.

 

3-3

About - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1-1

ank You - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -2-2

Introduction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -4-5

Analog features: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Digital features: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Operational features: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Unpacking and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Before You Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

How to Clean the Casework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Placement and Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Connections - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -5-9

Connecting the Analog Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

Connecting to an Unbalenced Analog Source. . . . . . . . . . 5-10

Connecting the Digital Inputs:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11

Connecting the 812 to a Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13

Connectiong the 812 to a Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14

Connecting a Mobile Device Directly to the 812’s Internal Network . . 5-15

Table of Contents

3-4

Table of Contents

About - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1-1

ank You - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2-2

Introduction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4-6

Analog Features: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Digital Features: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Unpacking and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Before You Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

How to Clean the Casework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Placement and Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Connecting the Digital Inputs:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Connections - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5-10

Connecting the Analog Inputs (Back Panel) . . . . . . . . . . 5-10

Connecting Headphone Outputs (Front Panel) . . . . . . . . . 5-11

Output Connections on the back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12

Connecting to an Unbalanced Analog Source. . . . . . . . . . 5-13

Connection to AC Mains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14

Connecting the 812 to Home Network Via Ethernet . . . . . . . 5-16

Connecting the 812 Internal WiFi to a Home Network . . . . . . 5-17

Connecting an Apple or Android Mobile Device to the 812 . . . . . 5-18

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Using the App on the 812 without WiFi or Ethernet . . . . . . . 5-19

Operation- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6-20

Front Panel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20

Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21

Preamplier and Headphone Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21

Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22

Standby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23

Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24

Air-Play Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24

What is Roon? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25

Connecting to Roon on 812. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25

Using Boulder Control App with Roon . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25

Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-26

Volume Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-26

Volume Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-26

Max Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-27

Default Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-27

Mute Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28

Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-29

Input Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30

Input Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30

Input Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30

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eater Mode/DAC Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-31

Output Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32

Headphone Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32

DAC Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32

Preamp Output Always On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32

System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33

Factory Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-35

Input Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-36

Programming - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7-37

HTML Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37

Appendix - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8-38

Technical Specications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38

Weights and Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40

812 DAC Preamplier Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-41

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-42

Notes: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-43

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

e 812 embodies years of development and is one of the most advanced audio components

available. Here are some of the features that set the 812 apart from the competition:

Analog Features:

• Boulder rotary volume control. (100 dB range)

• 1/8 inch, 1/4 inch, Pentaconn and 4 pin XLR headphone outputs.

• Low power-consumption Standby mode.

• Two pair Analog Inputs.

• One pair of balanced outputs XLR connectors for preamp out.

Digital Features:

• Boulder digital conversion system.

• Ethernet, USB Memory device, USB-B, Coaxial, 2 Toslink digital input connections.

• Bluetooth.

• Roon™ endpoint compatibility.

• Network streaming.

• UPnP renderer.

• AirPlay functionality.

Operational Features:

• Boulder Controller app control.

• Headphone sensitivity adjustments.

• Automatic soware updates when connected to the Internet.

• Comprehensive setup congurations.

• Control app for Android and Apple devices.

• IP control with two-way communication for external control systems.

• HTML Control and Setup page for access to additional customizable features.

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

Unpacking and Care

e 812 is somewhat heavy and features nely nished casework. Please use care when

unpacking, liing, and installing the 812 to avoid personal injury or damage to the casework and

furniture. e 812 weighs 18 lbs. (8.16 kg).

Be sure to save all packing materials! e 812 is shipped in a foam wrap to protect the units ne

nish. Try not to damage this wrap in the event that the unit must be transported elsewhere in

the future.

Before You Start

You should have received a large, heavy box. e pieces included inside the box are:

1. 812 DAC Preamplier

2. Quick Start Guide

3. Power Cord

4. Headphone Jack Cover

5. USB Wi Dongle

If any of these pieces are missing or damaged, please contact your authorized Boulder dealer

immediately before continuing with the installation.

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

How to Clean the Casework

If the 812 must be cleaned, use only a so, lint-free cloth moistened with plain water.

Never use any type of chemical cleaner unless recommended by your dealer or the Boulder

factory.

Do not use bleach! Bleach will remove the anodized surface of the casework.

Never use any type of abrasive to clean the casework.

If you have any questions, please contact your authorized Boulder dealer.

Placement and Installation

Your Boulder 812 is designed to reduce the eects that external magnetic elds and radio

frequencies (RF) have on its circuitry. While placement is not critical, known magnetic elds

should be avoided whenever possible.

Because it is somewhat heavy, the 812 must be placed on a sturdy, stable surface.

Be sure to leave access to the AC mains and interconnect cables when installing the 812.

Depending on how easy it is to access the back panel of the 812, it may be wise to pre-install the

power and interconnect cables before placement.

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