PS Audio GCP Stereo Quick start guide

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com Introduction i

®Owner’s Reference

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

Instructions for use

GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

Document 15-043-11-1

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com Introduction ii

Introduction

Read these instructions

Heed all warnings

Follow all instructions

WARNING. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS

APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

Clean only with a dry cloth.

Do not place ﬂammable material on top of or beneath the component.

All PS Audio components require adequate ventilation at all times during operation. Rack

mounting is acceptable where appropriate.

Do not remove or bypass the ground pin on the end of the AC cord unless absolutely necessary

to reduce hum from ground loops of connected equipment. This may cause RFI (radio frequency

interference) to be induced into your playback setup. All PS products ship with a grounding type

plug. If the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the

obsolete outlet.

Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience

receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. Unplug this apparatus during

lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

When making connections to this or any other component, make sure all components are off. Turn

off all systems’ power before connecting the PS Audio component to any other component. Make

sure all cable terminations are of the highest quality.

There are no user serviceable fuses inside this product.

THERE ARE NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE ANY PS AUDIO PRODUCT. REFER ALL

SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL

Please contact your authorized dealer, distributor, or PS Audio if you have any questions not

addressed in this reference manual.

This product is manufactured in the United States of America. PS Audio® is a registered trademark of PS Audio International Inc., and is

restricted for use by PS Audio International, Inc., its subsidiaries, and authorized agents.

Important Safety

Instructions

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com

®Table Of Contents

Table Of Contens iii

Introduction

Getting Started

Quick Start Guide

Setup Instructions

Operation

Questions and

Answers

Troubleshooting

Warranty

Service

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

4 - 6

7 - 8

11 - 13

15 - 16

17 - 18

2 - 3

9 - 10

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com Introduction iv

Introduction

Thank you for your purchase of the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer.

The GCP-200 is a full function, state of the art stereo preampliﬁer. Its internal circuitry is based on PS

Audio’s exclusive Gain Cell™ technology. Gain Cells™ provide complete control over the gain of the

incoming audio signals. Gain Cells are capable of 130dB of variable gain with little to no noise and

distortion.

Inside the GCP-200 preampliﬁer there are no typical volume controls or attenuators of any kind. The

Gain Cell will provide the perfect gain for each audio source and allows the user to adjust the gain

of the preampliﬁer, rather than attenuating the signal. In a typical preampliﬁer, there are mechanical

or electrical attenuators that take the high level input signal from a source (such as a CD player) and

attenuate the signal before amplifying it once again within the preamp. This classic preampliﬁer control

method has been replaced by the Gain Cell™. Gain Cells do not attenuate the signal. Rather, each

Gain Cell is instructed to provide a speciﬁc amount of either negative, unity or positive gain in response

to either the GCP-200’s front panel volume control or the included remote control.

By varying the actual gain of the GCP-200’s internal circuitry, rather than attenuating the signal and the

re-amplifying it again, the PS Audio GCP-200 provides the shortest, cleanest audio path of any active

preampliﬁer in the world.

The GCP-200 offers complete control over input gain, input naming, balance and even provides a

Home Theater bypass function that can be assigned to any input selected.

The GCP-200 should provide many years of trouble free operation and musical enjoyment for its

owners.

You should expect state of the art performance and sonics from GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer. Years

of research, listening and loving attention have gone into the design and perfection of this musical

instrument.

Thank you

There are no

attenuators

Full control

What you can

expect

Inside the GCP-

200

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com

®Getting Started

Getting Started 1

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

Once your new GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer is unpacked, you’ll need to ﬁnd a convenient place to set

it. Placing the preampliﬁer nearest to your source equipment is probably the best idea since you will

want to have as short an interconnect between the source and the preampliﬁer as you can.

There are several ways to mount the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer: on a rack shelf or on a shelf near

your sources.

If the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer is to be placed on the ﬂoor or carpet, make sure the unit is not

going to come in contact with water or cleaning solvents.

The GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer can beneﬁt from aftermarket isolation devices such as cones, spikes

and Sorbothane pads.

Once you have chosen the location for the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer you can use the supplied

AC power cord to connect it to the AC wall receptacle or you can use an aftermarket power cord and

receptacle.

We strongly recommend the use of a PS Audio xStream Power™ AC cable and a PS Power Port™

AC receptacle to feed the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer. While the supplied power cable is adequate

for the task, it is not going to provide the best performance. Choosing any xStream Power cable will

make a signiﬁcant performance improvement over the stock power cable.

We recommend the use of power conditioning equipment, such as a PS Audio Power Plant, UPC-

200 or any of the Ultimate Outlet or Power Director series from PS. We do not recommend the use of

simple AC ﬁlter power conditioners, not made by PS Audio, as most of these will ”bleach” the sound

and rob the music or video soundtrack of some measure of life and dynamics. If you do not use PS

Audio power conditioning equipment, you would be advised to plug the GCP-200 directly into the AC

wall receptacle.

Isolation

Power Cables

Location

Cautions

Conditioners

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com Quick Start Guide 2

®Quick Start Guide

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

RCA inputs

Once you have decided on the location and chosen the appropriate power cables, you are ready to

install the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer.

We recommend that you power the entire system down before installing the GCP-200 Stereo

Preampliﬁer.

Insert the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer into the system.

Connect the inputs of the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer to the outputs of your source equipment such

as CD players, phono preampliﬁers, tuner, etc. There are two choices of inputs: balanced or single

ended. There is one balanced input and ﬁve single ended RCA inputs.

Balanced inputs require

a source that has a

balanced output. These

outputs are the preferred

method of connection

as a balanced XLR type

of output allows the

lowest noise connection,

and allow owners to

take advantage of the

high common mode

rejection characteristics

found in the Gain Cell

of the GCP-200 Stereo

Preampliﬁer. Be sure to

use a high quality well

shielded and well regarded interconnect for this critical link. PS Audio makes an entire line of excellent

choices for interconnects, perfectly matched to your equipment’s needs.

RCA or single ended inputs will be the typical inputs as many sources have only this standard type of

input. Be sure to use a high quality well shielded and well regarded interconnect for this critical link.

Connect the output of the GCP-200 to your power ampliﬁer. The preferred method of connection is

balanced through the XLR connectors on the rear of the GCP-200. There are two sets of XLR outputs

and two sets of single ended RCA outputs. If you wish to bi-amp or feed two power ampliﬁers, it is

important to note that you should use the same connection method for each ampliﬁer. i.e. if you are

using balanced for one ampliﬁer use balanced for the second ampliﬁer as well. Using balanced for one

power ampliﬁer and single ended for the second power ampliﬁer can potentially result in mismatched

gain as there is 6dB more level on the balanced outputs relative to the RCA outputs.

Use the Aux Out RCA connectors on the rear of the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer to feed your

subwoofer’s low level inputs. Some subwoofers have high level inputs where the output of the ampliﬁer

can be connected as an input to the subwoofer. Generally there is no problem. In a few rare instances

Power down ﬁrst

Balanced inputs

Connect the

inputs

Subwoofer

connections

Connect the

outputs

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com Quick Start Guide 3

®Quick Start Guide

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

there may be a problem, which will show itself as problematic if the amp’s protection comes on after

hooking up the sub. REL subwoofers and some Sunﬁre subwoofers can be problematic. Please

check with the factory or your dealer if you encounter these subwoofers or any problems.

Plug the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer into the power source using the AC power cable you selected

unless you are using a GCPS High Current Power Supply.

If you have purchased the optional GCPS High Current Power Supply, connect it to the single Nuetrik

connector marked GCPS. This supply will now provide everything the GCP-200 will require for power.

If you have the GCPS connected, DO NOT plug in the line cord for AC power into the GCP-200

preampliﬁer.

Use a high quality power cable to power the GCPS High Current Power Supply only.

It is advisable to use as short a power cable as possible to the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer. We do

not recommend plugging the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer into an extension strip or plug extender

unless it is of the highest quality and heavy duty design, such as the PS Audio Juice Bar or device with

similar properties.

Make sure the source equipment, like a CD player or tuner, are turned on. Then, press the front panel

PS logo on the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer to power up the GCP-200.

At this point you should be ready to enjoy the beneﬁts of the GCP-200 Stereo Preampliﬁer!

GCPS High

Current Power

Supply

Plug it into a

power source

Push the front

panel logo to turn

it on

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com Setup Instructions 4

®Setup instructions

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

The GCP-200 Preampliﬁer Setup menu allows you to adjust the following controls:

• Input Name

• Input Gain

• Home Theater Bypass Input

The setup menu allows

you to view the following

information:

• Software

Version

To enter the setup menu,

turn the GCP off from

the front panel power

button. Then, hold down

the Input Up and Input

Down buttons and press

the Power Button while

holding the other buttons.

The display will then read:

(Setup) Input 1 Name

To scroll through the

options, use the Input Up

or Input Down buttons.

The list of options are:

Input 1 Name

Input 1 Gain

Input 2 Name

Input 2 Gain

Input 3 Name

Input 3 Gain

Input 4 Name

Input 4 Gain

Input 5 Name

Input 5 Gain

Home Theater Bypass

Software Version

Once you have selected the option that you want, press the Mute button to enter that mode. You

should see the current setting on the 2nd line of the display (below the option name).

At any time, you may press the Power button to exit to Setup Menu.

Front panel setup

How to enter into

the setup menu

Press the Mute

button to accept

Press the power

button to exit

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com Setup Instructions 5

®Setup instructions

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

Input Name Editing:

This mode allows you to edit the name of the Input on the Display.

The character with an underscore is the character that you are currently editing.

To edit the Input Name, you will use the following controls:

Mute Button –

This button allows you to move to the next character. When you press it, you will see the

underscore move to the next character. When you reach the end of the line, the underscore will start

again at the beginning of the line.

Volume Control Knob –

Turn the volume control knob to edit the current character. For your reference, here is a list of the

possible characters:

0123456789:-#. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

When you are ﬁnished editing the name, hit either Input Up or Input Down to go to the next option,

or hit the Power button to exit the Setup Menu.

Input Gain Editing:

This mode allows you to adjust the gain of each individual input relative to the other inputs. You can

use this control to Gain match each of your components so that they are all at the same level on the

volume control.

To edit the Input Gain, you will use the following controls:

Volume Control Knob –

Turn the volume control knob to edit the gain. You can go down to a minimum of -5dB or up to a

maximum of +5dB in 0.1dB steps.

When you are ﬁnished editing the gain, hit either Input Up or Input Down to go to the next option, or

hit the Power button to exit the Setup Menu.

Home Theater Bypass Mode:

This mode permits you to assign one of the Inputs as a Home Theater Bypass. This allows you to

use your 2-channel preamp in your multichannel home theater system. Normally, your Surround

Sound Processor or Receiver would be plugged into this input.

Name the inputs

whatever you

want

Home Theater

bypass

Input naming

Adjust the gain of

each input

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301

PH: 720.406.8946 [email protected] www.psaudio.com Setup Instructions 6

®Setup instructions

Owner’s Reference GCP Stereo Preampliﬁer

To edit the Home Theater Bypass Input, you will use the following controls:

Volume Control Knob –

Turn the volume control knob to edit the theater bypass input. Turn the knob until it reaches the

desired Input. You may also turn the knob all the way down to turn this feature off.

When you are ﬁnished editing the home theater bypass input, hit either Input Up or Input Down to go

to the next option, or hit the Power button to exit the Setup Menu.

Software Version:

This mode allows you to view the current software version.

Software version

This manual suits for next models

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