Musical Fidelity A308 CR User manual

A308 CR Pre Instructions for Use Page 1of 9

Issue 3: July 2002

A308 CR

DUAL MONO PREAMPLIFIER

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

Thank you for purchasing the Musical Fidelity

A308 CR remote control preamplifier.

Used properly and carefully, it should give you many

years of outstanding musical reproduction.

Æsthetically, the A308 CR Preamplifier is a perfect match for the

A308 CR power amplifier and A308 CR CD player.

Together, they form one of the finest hi-fi systems available today.

Dust regularly with a soft duster or soft brush but be

careful when using cleaning or polishing agents - they may

harm the surface finish.

If you have any questions about your audio system,

please consult your dealer who is there to help and advise.

A308 CR Pre Instructions for Use Page 2of 9

Issue 3: July 2002

SAFETY INFORMATION

IMPORTANT! (U.K. only)

This unit is supplied in the U.K. with a mains lead fitted with a moulded 13 amp plug.

If, for any reason, you need to cut off this 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 accordance

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 correspond with the

coloured markings identifying the terminals in your 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 Musical Fidelity who

is the party responsible for standards compliance could void the user’s authority to

operate this equipment.

A308 CR Pre Instructions for Use Page 3of 9

Issue 3: July 2002

GENERAL ADVICE

INSTALLATION PRECAUTIONS and USER INFORMATION

Your new A308 CR Pre-amplifier is designed and built to provide trouble-free performance, but

as with all electronic devices it is necessary to observe a few precautions:

Heed all warnings shown on the back of the product.

Only connect the A308 CR Pre-amplifier to a mains outlet having the same voltage as marked

at the back of the unit.

Always ensure that when disconnecting and reconnecting your audio equipment the mains

supply is switched off.

Position the mains lead and signal interconnects where they are not likely to be walked on or

trapped by items placed on them.

Do not use near water, or place water-filled containers on the pre-amplifier, for example,

flower vases or potted plants. If water does spill inside, immediately pull out the mains plug

from the wall socket and inform your dealer, who should then check the unit before further

use. Entry of liquid into the pre-amplifier is dangerous, and may cause electric shock or fire

hazard.

Do not place the unit near heat sources such as radiators, direct sunlight or other equipment.

The case of this amplifier can run at high temperatures - operate the unit in a well ventilated

area, and do not touch the side heatsink fins after periods of use at high output power.

Do not remove covers or try to gain access to the inside. There are no internal user adjust-

ments. Refer all service work to an authorised Musical Fidelity agent.

NOTE: Unauthorised opening of the equipment will invalidate any warranty claims.

There are fuses inside the A308 CR Pre-amplifier. In the unlikely event that one blows, refer the

unit to your audio dealer. Do NOT try to replace the fuse yourself as this will invalidate the

warranty.

Dust regularly with a soft duster or soft brush, but be careful when using cleaning or polishing

agents - they may harm the surface finish.

The electronics in modern hi-fi equipment is complex and may, therefore, be adversely affected

or damaged by lightning. For protection of your audio system during electrical storms, remove

the mains plugs and disconnect any aerial lead.

If after-sales service is required, to help your dealer identify the A308 CR Pre, please quote the

serial number located on the rear panel of the unit.

RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE (R.F.I)

This product has been tested to ensure that its operation is not adversely affected by normal

background levels of R.F.I., and that it does not itself generate excessive amounts of interfer-

ence. However, if a problem persists, please contact your Musical Fidelity agent.

A308 CR Pre Instructions for Use Page 4of 9

Issue 3: July 2002

CONNECTIONS AND FACILITIES

MUSICAL FIDELITY

A308 DUAL MONO PREAMPLIFIER

C R

MANUFACTURED IN ENGLAND BY MUSICAL FIDELITY

POWER

CONSUMPTION

20W

THIS APPLIANCE

MUST BE

EARTHED

IMPORTANT

50/60Hz

CAUTION

MOUNT UNIT ON SOLID SURFACE.

DO NOT REMOVE SCREWS OR COVERS

UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

NO USER SERVICEABLE COMPONENTS INSIDE.

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED ENGINEER.

SEE OWNERS MANUAL FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

MM MC

RIGHT OUTPUT LEFT OUTPUT

PHONO CD TUNER AUX 1 AUX 2 TAPE TAPE REC

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Front panel layout

1Power on indicator LED (blue)

2POWER on/off switch

3TAPE input select button and LED

4Mute LED

5CD input select button and LED

6PHONO input select button and LED

7TUNER input select button and LED

8AUXILIARY 1 input select button

and LED

9Volume control knob and LEDs

10 AUXILIARY 2 input select button

and LED

11 Infra-Red Receiver

12 TAPE MONITOR button and LED

Back panel layout

13 RIGHT output

14 Phono MM/MC selection switch

15 Phono earth connection

16 PHONO input

17 CD input

18 TUNER input

19 AUXILIARY 1 input

20 AUXILIARY 2 input

21 TAPE input

22 TAPE RECORD output

23 LEFT output

24 IEC mains inlet

1234 910 11 12

5 6 7 8

A308 CR Pre Instructions for Use Page 5of 9

REMOTE CONTROL

The blue buttons on the remote control enable main functions of the preamplifier to be operated

from a convenient distance. Remaining buttons on this universal handset are for use with other

Musical Fidelity products, and have no effect on the A308 CR Pre-amplifier.

Equivalent buttons on the remote handset have the same functions as the those on the front

panel of the unit. Some operations are only available via the handset.

As the remote control uses an invisible infra-red light beam, the transmitter must be pointed

directly towards the receiver window on the front of the pre-amplifier, without visual obstruc-

tion between them.

Pressing the volume-up or -down buttons on the remote handset will advance the motorised

volume control in the required direction.

Pressing the MUTE button mutes the audio output sockets, but has no effect on the TAPE OUT

sockets for recording. To show that the pre-amplifier is muted, the red LED on the front panel

will light. Press the MUTE button again to cancel this function, and the red LED will go off.

If the range of the remote control greatly decreases, replace the batteries with new ones.

Do not mix old and new batteries - two are required, type SUM-4, AAA or LR03.

Issue 3: July 2002

VOLUME (UP)

VOLUME (DOWN)

MUTE button

TUNER input select

PHONO pickup

input select

AUXILIARY 1

input select

CD input select

TAPE input select

AUXILIARY 2

input select

A308 CR Pre Instructions for Use Page 6of 9

Issue 3: July 2002

CONNECTIONS

All input and output connections should be

made with the mains power switched OFF.

INPUT CONNECTIONS

The A308 CR Pre-amplifier has one pair of

phono inputs, which can be used either for

moving magnet (MM) or moving coil

(MC) pickups.

The phono input sensitivity requirement

can be changed from MM to MC by press-

ing the push-button switch located on the

rear panel.

Important - Do not operate the MM/MC

switch with the volume control turned up.

Some turntable/pickup arm combinations

are fitted with an extra wire for chassis

earthing. This should be connected to the

earth terminal on the back panel.

The A308 CR Pre also has five “line level”

inputs which are electrically identical, and

therefore suitable for use with any source

component having an output of at least

300mV.

The sockets on the rear panel are marked

CD, TUNER, AUXILIARY 1, AUXIL-

IARY 2, and TAPE, to correspond with

function buttons on the front panel.

Connect the left and right outputs from

your CD player, tuner, tape deck or phono/

record deck to the appropriate RCA input

sockets on the back panel.

For the best results we recommend using

either Musical Fidelity X-LINX "no-non-

sense" cables for this connection or the

highly rated Nu-Vista leads with integral

RFI suppression. Various lengths are

available in the Nu-Vista interconnect

range. Please contact your local dealer for

more information.

PRE-AMPLIFIER OUTPUT

The A308 CR Pre has a pair of audio out-

puts from RCA sockets on the back panel,

which are controlled by the volume adjust-

ment.

TAPE RECORDER CONNECTION

The A308 CR Pre has a single tape circuit

with facilities for off-tape monitoring with

3-head tape decks (see page 7).

Connection of your tape recorder to the

A308 CR Pre should be as follows:

The tape deck's left and right line outputs

are routed to the pre-amplifier's TAPE

(input) sockets, and the tape deck's line

inputs are connected to the A308 CR's

TAPE RECORD (output) sockets.

BEFORE SWITCHING ON . . . . .

Plug the accessory IEC mains lead into the

rear panel socket, then the other end into a

convenient wall outlet.

Turn the volume control on the front panel

to minimum (anticlockwise).

STARTING . . . .

Press the power button on the A308 Pre-

amplifier - the blue LED on the front panel

will light indicating that the unit is ready

for use. However, for about five seconds

no sound will be heard from your speakers,

and the red mute LED will light to confirm

initial mute action.

Unless using your pre-amplifier for off-tape

monitoring (see paragraph opposite )

ensure that the TAPE MONITOR button

has not been pressed accidently, as other-

wise no sound will be heard through the

speakers.

Select the required audio input source by

pressing an appropriate function button on

the front panel or the remote control, and

adjust the volume control to obtain the pre-

ferred sound level.

TAPE RECORDING

To record, simply select the required source

with the input selector button on the front

panel. This source will now be routed to

the A308 CR Pre’s TAPE RECORD output

sockets for recording by the external tape

deck.

You will also be able to hear the selected

source through the loudspeakers.

Note - adjustment of the volume control has

no effect on the recording level.

A308 CR Pre Instructions for Use Page 7of 9

Issue 3: July 2002

OPERATION

OFF TAPE MONITORING

In conjunction with a 3-head cassette deck,

off-tape monitoring allows the user to com-

pare the recorded sound with the original

whilst a recording is being made. To do

this, first select the required source in the

normal way and start recording. The

TAPE MONITOR button on the front

panel can now be used to switch between

the source sound and its recorded version.

The red LED just above the tape monitor

button indicates that the tape monitor func-

tion is operating.

Note that the recorded sound is selected

when this LED is lit. On some 3-head tape

decks there is an additional 'tape/source'

switch which must be in the 'tape' position

for the above arrangement to work.

If in doubt, please refer to your tape deck

operating manual.

A308 CR Pre Instructions for Use Page 8of 9

Issue 3: July 2002

PROBLEMS ?

Basic problem solving with a pre-amplifier is similar to troubleshooting any other electrical or

electronic equipment. Always check the most obvious possible causes first. To give you a few

ideas of what to look for, check the following:

If none of these actions effect a cure, please contact your dealer, or an authorised Musical

Fidelity service agent. Remember, never open the case of the A308 CR pre-amplifier yourself,

as this will invalidate the guarantee.

Problem Possible Cause Remedy

No power when MAINS Mains plug not inserted Plug in securely

POWER switch is operated fully into the rear socket

No sound Tape monitor function has Cancel tape monitor

been selected (see page 7) function by pressing the

MONITOR button again

Mute function is selected Press mute button on the

remote control

Wrong connections between Check audio lead inter-

the A308 CR Pre and ampli- connections between the

fier pre-amplifier and amplifier

Remote control unit does POWER switch is set to OFF Press POWER button

not operate Batteries not inserted in remote Insert batteries

control unit

Batteries are flat Replace batteries - do not

mix old and new ones

Range of remote control has Batteries are running out Replace batteries - do not

greatly reduced mix old and new ones

A308 CR Pre Instructions for Use Page 9of 9

Issue 3: July 2002

Musical Fidelity reserves the right to make improvements which may result in specification or feature changes without notice.

A308 CR

Dual Mono Preamplifier

Output: Voltage RMS, maximum > 30 Volts

Power, maximum > 5 Watts

Peak-to-peak output current 0.5 Amps

Impedance 50 Ohms

Frequency response 20Hz to 20kHz ±0dB

10Hz to 100kHz +0, -1.5dB,

Line inputs:

Total harmonic distortion + noise, 20Hz to 20kHz > 0.0035% (5 Volts output, maximum volume)

Signal / noise reference 1 Volt RMS output 104dB (“A”-weighted, at half volume)

Input sensitivity for 1 Volt RMS output 240mV

Input impedance 47k Ohms

Gain at maximum volume 12.5dB (4.2 times)

Overload margin 31dB

Channel separation > 88dB typical at 1kHz, maximum volume

Phono input:

Frequency response reference

IEC RIAA - see graph ....

Signal / noise ref. 1Volt RMS output > 95dB Moving Magnet (“A”-weighted, at half volume)

> 85dB Moving Coil (“A”-weighted, at half volume)

Input sensitivity for 1 Volt RMS output 2.5mV Moving Magnet,

350µV Moving Coil

Input impedance 47k Ohms

Overload margin 31dB

Inputs: 5 pairs line level via RCA connectors

1 pair phono MM / MC switchable via RCA connectors

Outputs: 1 pair RCA connectors main output controlled by volume

1 pair RCA connectors tape record line level output

Power requirements: 100 / 115 / 230V AC 50 / 60Hz (factory preset)

20 watts maximum

Weight: 20 kg, 44.2 lbs unit only, un-boxed Dimensions: 440mm, 17.3 inches wide

23 kg, 50.8 lbs in shipping carton 143mm, 5.6 inches high including feet

410mm, 16.1 inches deep including terminals

Standard accessories: IEC type mains lead

Remote control handset (universal type)

2 batteries (AAA, MN2400, LR03)

SPECIFICATIONS :

RIAA RESPONSE

-20

-15

-10

-5

16 32 63 125 250 500 1.2K 2.5K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY

RIAA

A308

RIAA/IEC

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