Chapter Audio Couplet 500M Audiophile User manual
C H A P T E R C O U P L E T 5 0 0 M
Chapter
Couplet 500M Audiophile
Power Amplifier
The exception, not the rule...
www.chapterelectronics.co.uk
Table of Contents
2
Important Safety Instructions................................... 3
Thank You from Chapter.......................................... 4
Introduction.............................................................. 5
Unpacking your Power Amplifier.............................. 6
Break In Period........................................................ 6
Installation................................................................ 7
Ventilation................................................................ 7
Operating Voltage and Mains Conditions................ 8
Power Supply Topology............................................ 8
Design Features...................................................... 9
Front Panel............................................................... 10,11,12,13
Top Panel................................................................. 14
Rear Panel................................................................ 15,16
Specifications............................................................ 17
Conformity & Acknowledgements............................. 18
Warranty Information................................................ 19
Contact Information.................................................. 19
Important Safety Instructions
Please read all instructions and precautions carefully before operating your
Chapter Couplet 500M Power Amplifier.
1 Please disconnect all items in your audio or AV system before connecting or
disconnecting any mains or interconnect cables, or when cleaning
your Chapter product.
2 Please ensure that your Chapter product is always terminated with a
three pin AC power cord. To prevent the possibility of shock all three
connections must be used.
3 To clean your Chapter product please use a soft damp cloth. Never use
flammable or combustible chemicals.
4 Never operate this product with any covers removed.
5 Never allow the inside of this unit to become wet, or pour / spill liquids
directly onto it .
6 Never block air flow through the vents on the side panels.
7 Never bypass any fuse.
8 Never replace a fuse with anything other than those specified.
9 There are no user serviceable parts within this product. If problems occur,
please contact your Chapter retailer.
10 Never expose this product to extremely high or low temperatures.
11 Unplug this product during lightning storms.
3
From all of us at Chapter...
Couplet 500M from dream to reality...
Thank you for choosing the Chapter Couplet
500M Audiophile Power Amplifier.
It has been designed and manufactured to the
highest possible standards in order
to give you many years of musical enjoyment.
4
The Chapter Couplet 500M is a ‘State Of The Art’ audiophile two-channel Power
Amplifier, that incorporates years of Research and Development in power supply
and D Class Audio circuits.
The Couplet 500M features a number of new design features along with scrupulous
attention to technical detail.
Our objective is to provide a product capable of great musicality and realism whilst
boasting exemplary technical specifications. By bringing together engineers and
designers with a lifetimes experience in audio and power system design we believe
this objective has been more than achieved.
The Chapter Couplet 500M can handle all of today’s high-resolution sources, with-
out compromising fidelity, as you would expect of any Chapter product.
Our goal, as always, is to produce a true reference quality power amplifier.
A product that can be held in the highest regard from both objective and subjective
perspectives.
After several years of research and development, we believe that we have
succeeded in fulfilling the requirements of even the most discerning audiophile.
Introduction
5
Unpacking your Power Amplifier
The shipping weight of your Chapter Couplet 500M is 25 KG.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, one person should be able to unpack the
unit safely. If you are in any doubt, please obtain the assistance of a second person.
To avoid back injury whilst carrying your amplifier (or any other piece of heavy
equipment) please crouch with a straight back and use your leg muscles.
After unpacking your power amplifier, please retain all packaging for future
transport. If you move house or you need to ship your power amplifier, only the
custom designed shipping carton is acceptable. Any other method of shipping may
result in damage and such damage is not covered under warranty.
Please inspect your power amplifier for possible damage due to shipping. If you
discover any, contact your Chapter dealer immediately.
Your Chapter Couplet 500M power amplifier will deliver excellent performance
straight out of the box, however, you should expect to hear it improve as it reaches
its normal operating temperatures and its various components ‘break-in’. In our
experience the most significant changes occur within the first 30 - 50 hours use, but
the unit will continue to improve in sound quality for about 100 hours, after which
time it remains quite consistent.
If the power is removed and reconnected to the unit, you must allow a brief ‘warm
up’ period for the unit to give off its best.
However, it is not recommended to leave your Chapter Couplet 500M power
amplifier on permanently.
Break In Period
6
Installation
Ventilation
Your Chapter Couplet 500M has been designed to fit into a good quality equipment
rack or amplifier stand. In most installations locating the power amplifier near the
loudspeakers is best.
Where permitting, locate the power amplifier near the loudspeakers and use a
longer pair of balanced interconnects to a quality pre amplifier such as a Chapter
Preface unit.
The advantage to this strategy lies in the fact that the interconnects carry low
current signals that are easily transmitted over distances with greater accuracy
than the high current signals required by loudspeakers.
Your Couplet 500M power amplifier has been designed to drive the most demanding
of loudspeakers systems which have an impedance of down to 2 ohms.
The back of your Couplet 500M power amplifier has been laid out to keep every
connection accessible. We recommend that you leave some clearance behind the
unit to fit cables without having to bend them excessively.
In order to conform with CE regulations your power amplifier is fitted with a rocker
style power switch on the rear of the unit as well as a multifunction ‘standby’ touch
sensor on the front of the unit. This rear mounted rocker switch disconnects power
from the power supply, resulting in effective disconnection of the amplifier from the
AC mains.
Please allow your power amplifier to have at least five centimetres between the top
cover and the next shelf up on an equipment rack.
The slotted vents on the side of the unit must not be obstructed, as this would
reduce the free flow of air through the unit.
7
Operating Voltage and Mains Conditions
A good quality three pin, 13 ampere IEC standard, detachable mains lead is
provided for use with your power Amplifier. It is recommended that you use this
lead. Please contact us for advice if replacement is required.
The power supply is set at the factory to work at either 110 / 110 VAC or 220/240
VAC at 50/60Hz. Please use your amplifier in regions that have the same voltage
conditions as those detailed on the back of your unit.
If you move to a country that uses a different mains voltage please consult your
distributor to arrange for your amplifier to be adjusted accordingly.
Thus total audio performance is assured anywhere in the world.
8
Power Supply Topology
Our New ‘Balanced Zero Ripple’ power supply provides the amplifier sections with
a rock steady Ppower supply rails, essential for deep articulate bass, as well as a
grain free treble performance. You will notice that even when pushed very hard the
Couplet 500M will not change is sonic presentation due to the huge demands on the
power supply.
This regulated characteristic is achieved without the use of feedback and is thus able
to react as quickly as the amplifier demands, no lag, no compensation, just an almost
limitless reserve of power that would only normally be available on a power supply
around four times the size of that found in the Couplet 500M.
Great care is take to ensure that mains bourne noise (including DC components) do
not enter the amplifier and thus compromise the amplifier performance - this filtering
and in some cases blocking ensures that the Couplet 500M is essentially silent.
Regulation and filtration are only part of the picture - a power supply must also be
low noise, and not interfer with the other delicate parts of the circuit electrically or
magnetically. It will take you only a few moments to hear that we have created an
amplifier that can deliver a deftness of touch combined with tremendous punch.
Design Features
Finest Part Selection: The Couplet 500M uses the best sounding OPAMPS from
Burr Brown. All electrolytic capacitors, are a considered combination of Samwha
and ultra low ESR Panasonic Gold series. All components used without our
power supply and amplifier design have been auditioned for both performance,
consistency and durability. At Chapter we also use the finest ‘Melf’ surface mount
precision resistors.
Balanced Zero Ripple Power Supply: This technology allows the benefits of a
regulated supply without the size, heat and wasted energy of a conventional design
The demands on the power supply rails are balanced between positive and negative
in real time to ensure lowest levels of ripple and noise to feed the amplifier circuits.
Massive Energy Storage: By combining the benefits of the Balanced Zero Ripple
supply with a large number of ultrafast high voltage capacitors we can ensure that
even the most demanding of musical passages do not peturb the voltage rails of the
amplifier, allowing for effortless reproduction of audio.
This energy storage is necessary for providing sustained deep and controlled bass.
Balanced ground layout: Cancels the ground currents that can cause
Inter-modulation distortion and crosstalk in a conventional stereo design.
Full Immersion Gold Printed Circuit Boards: Audio signals travel on gold track.
As you would imaging, compared to copper and gold plate this is a very expensive
to manufacture, but the sonic benefits are hugely tangible in terms of space, air and
dynamics.
Unique D Class amplifier circuit: Our amplifier circuitry is elegant and simple. It
employs post filter feedback and has a flat harmonic distortion characteristic across
the entire audio bandwidth. The circuit combines the best virtues of both valve and
solid state designs with unparalled dynamic range.
Touch Sensor operation: In order to give the user full control over the amplifier, a
series of touch sensors have been implemented into the unit that are subtle on the
eye, and yet easy to use. These sensors can be used to change inputs, mute the
amplifier, or change the lighting conditions on the unit.
9
Front Panel
‘Touch sensor’ style
standby switch
1. Left touch sensor options
a. Front LED brightness control
b. Internal LED brightness control
2. Right touch sensor options
a. Input display
b. Input toggle
c. Input Earth Select
3. Standby button options
a. Mute
b. Standby
10
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