Herron Audio VTSP-3A User manual
Owner’s Manual
VTSP-3A
Vacuum Tube
Stereo Preamplifier
VTSP-3A
Table of Contents
General Safety, Installation, 1
and Operation Instructions
Important Safety Instructions 4
Warning 4
Important (UK only) Instructions 5
Introduction 6
Features 8
Design Considerations 10
Front Panel Features 11
Rear Panel Features 13
Remote Control 15
Installation and Operation 16
Changing Tubes 18
Technical Specifications 19
FCC Notice 20
Re-cycling 21
RoHS Compliance 21
©2013 Herron Audio
Division of Herron Engineering, Inc.
12685 Dorsett Road
# 138
Maryland Heights, MO 63043 (St. Louis area)
314.434.5416
www.herronaudio.com
VTSP-3A Owner’s Manual
Please read the Owner’s Manual Completely BEFORE operating the unit
1
General Safety, Installation,
and Operation Instructions
It is important to read this document before attempting to use this product.
Pay close attention to safety instructions.
Appears on the component to indicate the presence of
uninsulated, dangerous voltages inside the enclosure – volt-
ages that may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock.
Appears on the component to indicate important operation
and maintenance instructions included in the accompany-
ing documentation.
Appears on the component to indicate compliance of with
the EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) and LVD (Low-
voltage Directive) standards of the European Community.
WARNING Calls attention to a procedure, practice, condi-
tion, or the like that, if not correctly performed or adhered
to, could result in personal injuries or death.
CAUTION Calls attention to a procedure, practice, condi-
tion, or the like that, if not correctly performed or adhered
to, could result in damage or destruction to part or all of
the component.
Note Calls attention to information that is essential to
highlight.
WARNING
CAUTION
Note
VTSP-3A Owner’s Manual
2
Important Safety Instructions
1. Read these instructions
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
6. Clean only with a dry cloth. Great care and attention has gone
into the materials chosen to produce the product. A gentle wipe with
a dry, clean cloth is all that is required to remove any dust. Treat it as
you would a fine piece of furniture because that is how they have been
designed.
7. Do not block ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions.
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat regis-
ters, stoves, or another apparatus that produces heat.
9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or ground-
ing-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than
the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding
prong. The wide blade or third prong is provided for safety. If the pro-
vided plug does not fit into the outlet, consult an electrician for replace-
ment of the obsolete outlet.
10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched,
particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, or the point where it exits
from the apparatus.
11. Only use attachments and accessories specified by the
manufacturer.
VTSP-3A Owner’s Manual
Please read the Owner’s Manual Completely BEFORE operating the unit
3
12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table
specified by the manufacturer or sold with the apparatus.
When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/
apparatus combination to avoid injury or tip over.
13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused
for long periods of time.
14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is re-
quired when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as when
the power cord or plug has been damaged; liquid has been spilled or ob-
jects have fallen into the apparatus; or the apparatus has been exposed
to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
15. No naked flame sources, such as candles, should be placed on the
apparatus.
16. The appliance coupler is used as the disconnect
device, the disconnect device shall remain readily oper-
able.
17. Terminals marked with this symbol may be considered HAZARDOUS
LIVE and the external wiring connected to these terminals requires in-
stallation by an INSTRUCTED PERSON or the use of ready-made
leads or cords.
18. This exclamation point within an equilateral
triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of
important maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.
Warning! To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not
expose the apparatus to rain or moisture. Do not place objects
containing liquid, such as vases, on this apparatus.
VTSP-3A Owner’s Manual
4
Warning
• TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT USE THIS PLUG WITH
AN EXTENSION CORD, RECEPTACLE OR OTHER OUTLET UNLESS THE
BLADES CAN BE FULLY INSERTED TO PREVENT BLADE EXPOSURE
• TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS
APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE
• TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH WIDE BLADE PLUG TO WIDE
SLOT AND FULLY INSERT
This lightning flash with an arrow head symbol, within
an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the
presence of un-insulated “dangerous voltage” within the
product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude
to constitute a risk of electric shock to the persons.
Warning: To reduce the risk of
electric shock, do not remove
cover (or back), no user-service-
able parts inside. Refer servicing
to qualified service personnel.
This exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert the user to presence of important mainte-
nance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompany-
ing the appliance.
VTSP-3A Owner’s Manual
Please read the Owner’s Manual Completely BEFORE operating the unit
5
IMPORTANT! (U.K. only)
This unit is supplied in the U.K. with mains lead fitted with a moulded 13
amp plug. If, for any reason, it is necessary to remove the plug, please remove
the fuse holder and dispose of the plug safely, out of reach of children.
It must not be plugged into a mains outlet.
The wires in the mains lead supplied with this appliance are coloured in ac-
cordance with the following code:
Green and yellow..............Earth
Blue................................Neutral
Brown.................................Live
WARNING - This appliance MUST be earthed
As the colours of the wires of the mains lead of this appliance may not cor-
respond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in the plug,
proceed as follows:
The wire which is coloured green-and-yellow must be connected to the
terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter E or coloured green or
green-and-yellow, or by the earth symbol :
The wire which is coloured brown must be connected to the terminal
which is marked with the letter L or coloured red.
The wire which is coloured blue must be connected to the terminal
which is marked with the letter N or coloured black.
If connecting to a BS1363 plug, a 13 amp fuse must be used.
WARNING:
ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THIS PRODUCT NOT EXPRESSLY
APPROVED BY HERRON AUDIO WHO IS THE PARTY RESPON-
SIBLE FOR STANDARDS COMPLIANCE COULD VOID THE USER'S
AUTHORITY TO OPERATE THIS EQUIPMENT.
VTSP-3A Owner’s Manual
6
Thank you for your investment in the Herron Audio VTSP-3A Vacuum Tube
Stereo Preamplifier, a milestone in high-precision audio playback equipment.
The VTSP-3A is a new design, benefiting from insights gained during con-
tinuous refinement of the highly-praised and award-winning VTSP-2. The
care in engineering and manufacturing of this product anticipates a lifetime
of musical enjoyment. Years of research into circuit design and component
performance were applied to the development of the VTSP-3A and new
implementations of components have led to a breakthrough in performance
while maintaining conservative operation for extended tube life. As with all
Herron Audio products, the VTSP-3A is engineered to be reliable and user
friendly.
Manufacturing of the VTSP-3A is performed under the tightest of quality
controls. Its limited production permits hand matching of components to
the most exacting standards in the industry. Tubes are burned in, bench
tested, and matched to extremely tight tolerances, both as sets within a
given unit and to the original design to ensure unprecedented performance
and lack of unit-to-unit variation.
Welcome!
VTSP-3A Owner’s Manual
Please read the Owner’s Manual Completely BEFORE operating the unit
7
The VTSP-3A incorporates an infra-
red remote control for convenient
operation of many of the preampli-
fier’s front-panel functions. This
remote uses 38kHz modulation and
detection of this signal initiates the
VTSP-3A’s decoder circuitry, which
is otherwise dormant in order to
prevent the unwanted noise usu-
ally associated with remote control
circuitry. A flashing red light in the
display window indicates the initia-
tion of the remote control decoding
process in the VTSP-3A. When the
red light is off, this circuitry goes to
“sleep” mode.
The VTSP-3A utilizes two extremely
low distortion precision electronic
stepped attenuators (one for each
channel) in a fashion similar to
the VTSP-1A/166, and VTSP-2. The
VTSP-3A has a total of 100 vol-
ume steps, and the precise volume
level is shown as three digits in the
front-panel display window. The use
of electronic stepped attenuators
ensures continued high-quality per-
formance without any of the oxida-
tion and corrosion that degrades
conventional mechanical stepped
attenuators and volume control
potentiometer wiper contacts.
At startup, the display on the
VTSP-3A goes through a lamp test,
and then successively displays the
model of the unit “SP3A” and the
time in seconds from 60 (while the
filaments and high voltage are slowly
brought on) until the unit automati-
cally un-mutes. The input display will
show the last input in use from the
last time the unit was on. When the
countdown is complete the mute will
be disengaged (if it was not on the
last time the unit was shut down),
the function displays will indicate the
last state of use, and the volume will
be ramped up to a relatively low level
of 10. At this point the user will be
able to change the settings.
The VTSP-3A incorporates circuitry to
switch the phase of the audio signal
by 180 degrees for absolute polarity
control. The amber “Invert” light
on the front panel will indicate if the
phase is being inverted. The phase
switching circuitry of the VTSP-3A is
designed so that no coloration is add-
ed in either mode and the true effects
Features
VTSP-3A Owner’s Manual
8
of recorded phase polarity are audible
in either mode. The invert mode can
be controlled from both the front
panel and the remote control.
Note: When the invert mode of
the VTSP-3A is switched, the unit
automatically mutes before chang-
ing modes in order to prevent any
unwanted “pops” during switching.
The unit unmutes after the invert
mode is changed. The process takes
less than a second.
The display brightness of the VTSP-
3A can be dimmed from both the
remote and the front panel by push-
ing the “Display” button. Operat-
ing the “Display” button again will
return the brightness to its previous
setting. The blue “Display” indicator
on the front panel indicates dim-
display mode.
Source input selection in the VTSP-
3A incorporates gold-contact sealed
relays located at the input connec-
tors, keeping the signal path length
to an absolute minimum. This
innovative configuration eliminates
the distortion-generating wipers
of conventional selectors and long
runs of wire from the rear panel to
the switch. An additional benefit of
using sealed relays, the contacts are
not prone to corrosion, dirt, or the
same kind of wear as conventional
selector switches.
The VTSP-3A has a power-polarity
switch on the back panel for revers-
ing the power line polarity connec-
tion to the primary of the power
transformer. This can be used to
minimize the capacitive reactance
effects from the power line on the
audio quality of the unit and system.
This switch should be operated with
the unit muted and comparison after
unmuting can be made in order to
determine the best-sounding power
polarity switch setting.
The “Video” input of the VTSP-3A
can be placed in unity-gain mode
by pressing and holding the “Video”
button on the front panel for a few
seconds. The volume display will
indicate “PAS” on the display when
the pass-through mode is initiated;
only the video input will be at unity
gain. Selecting any other input will
shut off the pass-through mode, and
the volume will return to 10.
Note: The pass-through mode
cannot be selected from the
remote control.
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1
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