Tenor Phono1 User manual

Tenor

Phono1

Ultimate Reference

Phono Stage

Owner’s Manual

July 2015

Important Safety Instructions

1. Please read this Owner’s Manual for your own safety and the protection of your Tenor

equipment.

2. Once you have installed your Tenor equipment, store this Owner’s Manual in the travel

case or another safe place for future reference.

3. Please heed all warnings and cautions.

4. Please follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this equipment near water or where there might be a chance it could come

in contact with water.

6. Clean only with a clean dry cloth. See notes under Care and Maintenance.

7. Do not install near a heat source such as radiators, heat registers, stoves or any other

source of heat.

8. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized and/or grounding type plug. A po-

larized plug has two blades with one slightly wider than the other. A grounding plug

includes the third ground prong. In the event the plug provided does not fit your pow-

er outlet, consult an electrician for assistance. Failure to do this may result in dam-

age to the equipment and/or possible injury or death.

9. Please protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at the

wall and at the plug on the rear panel of the equipment.

10. The use of extension cords and/or convenience plugs is not advised due to the power

requirements of the equipment.

11. Please mount equipment as specified in User Manual.

12. Please unplug equipment during lightning storms. When not in use for long periods of

time unplug the equipment and have a technician remove the rechargeable battery

located inside the Phono 1 chassis. The battery must be installed and sufficient time

with Phono 1 plugged in to AC to charge the battery before system can be used again.

13. Refer all service of equipment to qualified Tenor personnel. In the event the equip-

ment has been damaged, dropped, exposed to water or foreign objects have entered

the cabinet, disconnect immediately from power source and consult a qualified service

technician.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS

APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO

USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER ALL SERVICING TO QUALIFIED

PERSONNEL

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Congratulations 1..........................................................................................................

Safe Set-up Instructions 1................................................................................................

Design Principles 1........................................................................................................

Precision Crafted, Assembly and Delivery 1...........................................................................

Unpacking 2

Travel Case Lifting Caution! 2...........................................................................................

Travel Case Opening 2....................................................................................................

List of Items Included with Tenor Phono 1 2...........................................................................

Moving Your Phono Stage 2...............................................................................................

Installation 3

Considerations 3...........................................................................................................

3rd Party Isolation Stands 3..............................................................................................

Placement 3................................................................................................................

Ventilation 3................................................................................................................

Input Source Component Quality 4.....................................................................................

Preamplifiers 4.............................................................................................................

Remote Turn On Jack 4...................................................................................................

AC Power Requirements 5

AC Mains Voltage 5........................................................................................................

AC Power Conditioners 5.................................................................................................

Stabilizing & Initialization after Power On. 5.........................................................................

Break-in Period 6..........................................................................................................

Tu b e L i f e 6..................................................................................................................

Design Features 7

Summary of Phono 1 Design Features 7................................................................................

Front & Rear Panel 9......................................................................................................

Turning Power ON 10......................................................................................................

Initial Power ON/OFF Screens 11........................................................................................

Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD) Button Overview 12...............................................................

VFD Display Screens & Buttons 13.......................................................................................

SETUP Screens 13..........................................................................................................

INPUT Buttons 15..........................................................................................................

DISPLAY Button 16.........................................................................................................

MUTE Botton 16............................................................................................................

MONO Button 17...........................................................................................................

PHASE Button 17...........................................................................................................

ON/OFF Button 17.........................................................................................................

Phono 1 Programming Guide 18

OUTPUT Selection 18......................................................................................................

GAIN FACTOR Selection 20................................................................................................

EQ CURVES Selection 21..................................................................................................

<<Z>> LOAD COMP Selection 21.........................................................................................

AUDIO GROUND Selection 23.............................................................................................

INFO Selection 24.........................................................................................................

CLOCK Selection 24.......................................................................................................

FACTORY SET Selection 24................................................................................................

Troubleshooting Overview 25

Phono 1 Warnings/Cautions/Fuses/Triggers 25.......................................................................

Phono 1 – No Power 25....................................................................................................

Ground Hum 25............................................................................................................

Balanced Moving Coil Cartridge Cable Connection (Arm) 26........................................................

Care and Maintenance 27

Wood Faceplate and Top Rails 27.......................................................................................

Metal Chassis and Top Plate 27..........................................................................................

Electrical Connections on Rear Plate 27...............................................................................

Audio Board (Vacuum Tubes) 27.........................................................................................

Ten or P ho no 1 S pe ci fi ca ti on s 28

Warranty 29

Product Registration 30

Ten or Co nt ac t I nf or ma ti on 3 1

Owner’s Notes 32

iii

Introduction

Congratulations

Congratulations on the purchase of your new Tenor Phono 1 single chassis/dual mono

Ultimate Reference Phono Stage. We are very proud of the extensive engineering, de-

sign and craftsmanship in our equipment and are confident that our Phono 1 phono

stage will deliver the musical experience of your lifetime.

Safe Set-up Instructions

This Owner’s Manual is provided to assist in the unpacking, installation and ongoing

care of your Phono 1 phono stage. It is recommended that you take a few minutes to

acquaint yourself with the contents of this manual before unpacking.

Design Principles

The passion and desire to attain the most realistic and live musical reproduction of

recorded material is a lifetime goal of Tenor. Building on Tenor classics including the

internationally acclaimed:

•OTL 15 & 75 Wp & Wi (Output Transformer-Less) amplifiers

• hp150/hp300 first generation Hybrid amplifiers

• 175S Ultimate Reference Stereo Amplifier

•350M Ultimate Reference Mono Block Amplifier

• 175S Haute Puissance

•350M Haute Puissance

•Line 1/Phono 1 Ultimate Reference Line Stage Preamplifier

The Phono 1 delivers musicality and transparency beyond all other phono stages.

Tenor’s proprietary research in the field of Harmonic Structural Integrity (HSI) is the

essence behind each of Tenor’s Zero Perceived Distortion products. The Phono 1 is the

finest single chassis/dual mono phono stage in the world and is designed to be the per-

fect match with any of Tenor’s amplifiers or preamplifiers.

Precision Crafted, Assembly and Delivery

Each Tenor phono stage is precision crafted in our facility in Montreal, Canada, by

master technicians dedicated to exacting standards using only the finest of materials.

Rigorous testing, matching and selection of electronic components precedes each cus-

tom build, following which, hundreds of hours of burn in ensures complete musical

equilibrium prior to calibration and delivery so your purchase will stay within calibra-

tion for most of your life. Each Phono 1 is outfitted with a custom travel case which is

specially designed to protect the unit during transit. Great care goes into every step

to ensure that the Tenor experience is nothing short of magnificent!

Page of1 32

Unpacking

Each Phono 1 has been transported to you in its custom travel case which has been

specially designed to protect the units during transit anywhere in the world. Given

the substantial weight and size of the phono stage, it is suggested that careful atten-

tion be given to the following:

Travel Case Lifting Caution!

The phono stage including carrying case has a combined weight of 102.5 lb/46.5 kg.

Travel Case Opening

The travel cases have been custom designed to provide the utmost in protection dur-

ing transit and storage of the phono stage. An empty case weighs approximately 44

lb/20 Kg. When not in use they should be stored away in a safe and dry location.

The weight of the Tenor Phono 1 is not evenly distributed about the centre axis from

front to back which creates a very awkward load, therefore careful attention is re-

quired!

Caution should be used in lifting the phono stage out of the lower portion of the travel

case to make sure that nothing scratches the beautiful Tenor wood and metal finish.

Position the travel case close to the final location by rolling on the travel case wheels.

Clear the space of the final location in advance and have two reasonably strong people

lift the phono stage upwards out of the travel case until the phono stage is clear of the

travel case sides. Special care is needed when installing in a shelving unit due to re-

strictive access. When sliding the Tenor Phono 1 on a shelf, do not drag on rubber feet

but lift enough weight so that rubber feet do not bind when sliding.

List of Items Included with Tenor Phono 1

•1 Owner’s Manual

•1 Protective Cover

•1 Kubala-Sosna Emotion Power Cord with country specific AC mains plug

•Package of User Accessible Fuses

Moving Your Phono Stage

Once the Phono 1 has been turned off using the top right button in the display,

turn the power off at the rear and let sit for about 10 minutes - to dissipate high volt-

ages. Disconnect all cables and power cords then put them underneath the phono

stage in the travel case with connector ends wrapped in a protective material so they

do not come in direct contact with the wood or metal finish which can be scratched or

marred if care is not taken.

Consult Owner’s Manual for reconnecting cables and power cords following a move to

ensure nothing is taken for granted. To protect the beautiful metal and woodwork, it

is always recommended to use the protective cover and travel case when moving the

Tenor Phono 1. The weight of the Phono 1 is not distributed evenly about the centre

axis making for a difficult load. It is recommended to have two people to move the

Phono 1 safely.

Page of2 32

Installation

Considerations

The Tenor Phono 1 needs to be located in a clean, safe and dry environment within

close proximity to the AC power mains for the provided 2m AC power cord to connect

to the wall and also be close enough for the user supplied interconnects to connect to

your preamplifier and turntable/arm combination. Placement on a ventilated open

shelf built for audio equipment is of course ideal.

3rd Party Isolation Stands

Mechanical isolation of the main Tenor Phono 1 audio board is achieved with a custom

made tuned suspension. All Tenor amplifiers use custom rubber/wood feet combina-

tions to isolate the chassis from externally generated acoustic vibrations transmitted

from shelves. Although not necessary, 3rd party isolation stands can be used but do

ensure that the units support a 58.5 lb/26.5 kg weight of the Phono 1. Please note

that the weight is not evenly distributed about the centre axis from front to back of

the Tenor Phono 1 as the balance point is forward of centre - this sometimes affects

the stand performance and should be discussed with the stand manufacturer.

Placement

AC power mains should be within reasonable access of the Tenor Phono 1. The Tenor

Phono 1 can be ideally installed on an isolated 15 amp circuit @ 1xx Volts (8 Amps @

2xx Volts) with other source equipment. Sharing common AC power mains for source

equipment is recommended as that generally simplifies any potential for ground loops

that cause undesirable 50/60 Hz ground loop hum. Special grounding options exist in

the Tenor Phono 1 as well as other Tenor amplifiers to mitigate ground loop hum in the

event that ground hum poses a problem. See details if necessary.

Ventilation

Ventilation of the Tenor phono stages occurs by natural convection without the need

for electric cooling fans. Ventilation slots in the bottom of the chassis and top cover

plate allow sufficient cooling under normal operating conditions. It is imperative that

these vents be kept clean and unobstructed. Please note, never stack equipment on

top of each other as the phono stage should have its own shelf with ample ventilation

above and below the chassis to operate properly.

It is normal for the top cover panel to get warm especially over the tube audio board

of the Phono 1. It is necessary to keep this top cover installed at all times for safety

from high voltages. Keep top cover clear at all times to ensure maximum ventilation to

allow the proper cooling of internal components including the vacuum tubes. The

phono stage sides act as a natural heat sink which provides cooling for the internal

output devices. The heat sinks run reasonably cool as long as they are kept clean and

unobstructed. Do not operate the Phono 1 in bottom half of their travel cases as this

will overheat the unit and void the warranty!

Page of3 32

Input Source Component Quality

The reference quality of the Phono 1 phono stage requires your source components to

be of similar reference quality in order to achieve maximum fidelity. Any imperfec-

tions in the audio signal at the input source will most definitely be noticeable. Alter-

natively, the best source equipment will allow the Tenor Phono 1 to reproduce sound

so real that you will believe that you are really at the concert!

In practice, Tenor phono stages allow most source components to sound their very

best, however, the ultimate in sound reproduction is only achieved with the use of the

finest digital and/or analogue audio source equipment and cables. Either unbalanced

or balanced inputs can be used. The use of sufficiently long interconnect cables allow

convenient location of the source equipment away from the amplifiers/speakers and in

close proximity to the user for easy access. To achieve maximum fidelity, it is our rec-

ommendation that reference quality balanced cables be used however unbalanced ca-

bles up to 50ft/15m can be used as well. If the installation has excessive RF and EMI

pollution you should always consider balanced cables regardless of length. Over 50ft/

15m, balanced cables are necessary.

Generally all source equipment can be powered using a single AC mains circuit thereby

minimizing the possibility of ground loop hum. It is recommended that this be a sepa-

rate circuit from the amplifier(s) but have similar overall grounding topology. In cases

where the grounding is not identical and ground loop hum exists, various grounding

options in the Phono 1 Programming Setup can mitigate this problem. For severe cas-

es, a balanced interconnect between the amplifier(s) and source equipment will sepa-

rate the metallic grounds of the two different circuits and minimize any ground loop

hum issues not resolvable by the Tenor programmable grounding options.

Preamplifiers

The Tenor Phono 1 is capable of driving virtually any preamplifier with 50 feet (15m)

unbalanced RCA or balanced XLR interconnects at lengths up to 200 feet (61 m) with

unchanged distortion and noise characteristics! The reproduction of the recorded mu-

sical event requires substantial current so we recommend the use of either a Tenor

Line 1/Power 1 with 175S stereo or 350M mono block amplifiers with reference quality

speakers. Other manufacturers’ reference quality equipment will also integrate with

the Tenor Phono 1 and benefit from the Tenor Ultimate Reference Phono stage and HSI

technology!

Remote Turn On Jack

The Tenor Phono 1 has a 3.5 mm stereo mini phone plug for a 12V communication ca-

ble from the Tenor Line 1/Power 1 (or similarly equipped preamplifier) which allows

the Tenor Phono 1 to turn on automatically in sequence with other equipment when

the Tenor Line 1/Power 1 is powered on. Similarly, turning off the Line 1/Power 1 will

turn off the Phono 1 automatically.

Please be mindful of the volume level of the preamplifier when it comes on line espe-

cially if you have an automated volume on level. Failure to do so could cause ampli-

fiers and/or speakers to be overdriven and damaged - which would not be covered by

the Tenor Warranty.

Page of4 32

AC Power Requirements

AC Mains Voltage

Tenor phono stages can be powered using conventional Power Company voltages rang-

ing from 100 Volts to 250 Volts at either 50 or 60 Hz. The voltage for your installation

must be specified at the time of ordering so the universal transformer voltage bus can

be configured to the correct AC mains cable for your Phono 1 installation.

AC Power Conditioners

The use of power conditioners on the AC power mains feeding the Tenor Phono 1 com-

bination is not normally necessary since the Phono 1 is a complex power supply opti-

mized to meet the needs of the Phono 1 in regard to voltage, current and noise. If a

power conditioner is being used it is recommended that it not be shared with the

power amplifier(s) as the current requirements of most amplifiers will negatively af-

fect the current available to the Phono 1 and thereby diminish the available power be-

ing supplied reduce the fidelity of the overall signal.

Appropriate regional electrical codes and professionals should be consulted regarding

any custom electrical configuration beyond the regular domestic wiring of your instal-

lation. Damage caused to the Tenor Phono 1 as a result of incorrect wiring is not cov-

ered by Warranty.

Stabilizing & Initialization after Power On.

The AC Mains Power switch of your Tenor Phono 1 is located at the left (looking at back

directly) rear back plate of the Phono 1 chassis. This switch powers the Tenor Phono 1

so the front top right push button on the Phono 1 display panel can be used to turn the

phono stage on or off. The AC Mains Power switch is intended to be left on except

when the unit is being stored.

With the rear AC Mains Power ON, a push of the front top right button will initiate a

controlled start of the Tenor Phono 1. The Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD) on the

front panel will show STABILIZING for 1 minute 40 seconds during which no other con-

trol knob or button should be pushed.

Once 1 minute 40 seconds has expired, the VFD will show INITIALIZING followed by the

preset configuration of the Phono 1 - which is now on line and ready for use.

The Tenor line 1/Power 1 stabilizing timer is set to 1 minute 45 seconds so the Phono 1

intentionally comes on 5 seconds before the Tenor preamplifier comes on.

The Tenor 175S/350M models of amplifiers come on at just over 2 minutes of warmup.

In summary, the phono stage comes on first, the Line 1/Power 1 follows by 5 seconds

and finally the 175S/350M amplifiers follows by 20 seconds.

Please Note: It is advisable for the protection of your amplifier & speakers that the

Tenor Line 1/Power 1’s ON VOLUME be set to 0 (default) until the amplifiers are on

line. Damage caused by the ON VOLUME being set too high is not covered by the Tenor

Warranty.

Page of5 32

Break-in Period

Various components of the Tenor Phono 1 are burned-in for a period up to 200 hours

prior to being assembled. Each Phono 1 is further burned-in at the Tenor factory fol-

lowing assembly for a period of no less than 100 hours thereby allowing each electron-

ic component to stabilize and achieve its optimum electrical and musical equilibrium

as a system. Each phono stage is then calibrated to the factory specification and is

designed to remain within tolerance for a period up to 10 years or more depending on

use and care.

Tube Life

The Tenor Phono 1 is designed to operate within design specifications for a period

close to 10,000 hours.

As a typical example, a Tenor Phono 1 used each and every day for 3 hours under nor-

mal use will last almost 10 years before it will need a tube refit and calibration. Each

time one turns the Phono 1 on an elapsed hours clock is located on the Vacuum Flores-

cent Display (VFD), as shown below, during the startup sequence which exhibits the

owner’s hours total enjoyment to date. Most owners will experience a lifetime of lis-

tening pleasure without ever reaching the 10,000-hour maximum. When the 10,000

hours of use has been achieved, the phono stage should be returned to the factory for

re-tubing and calibration.

Page of6 32

STABILIZING

0:19

ELAPSED HOURS 00117.3

Design Features

Summary of Phono 1 Design Features

1. Custom extruded & machined aluminum chassis provides a stable, rigid

base plus the beautiful solid cherry wood face plate, rails and feet enhance

the aesthetics and improve vibration control of the system.

2. Microprocessor controlled Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD) & Logic

3. Internal USB software upgrade port

4. High quality polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE) insulation and rhodium plated

unbalanced connectors for maximum reliability and low Elector-magnetic

Interference (EMI)

5. High quality pro-audio grade gold plated balanced connectors for maximum

reliability and low Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI)

6. 2 unbalanced RCA selectable line level inputs

7. 1 balanced XLR line level input

8. 2 unbalanced RCA selectable outputs

9. 1 balanced XLR selectable outputs

10. Balanced inputs/outputs are transformer coupled giving high Common

Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) for low noise operation with optional pin 1

ground lift to suppress inter-chassis ground loops

11. Individual ground path for left/right channels to increase immunity to

ground loops and inter-channel crosstalk

12. 3 position ground selector per channel to equalize ground potentials and

minimize system residual noise

13. Input/output audio signal switched concurrently to avoid audio ground mix-

ing/noise summing thereby maximizing signal to noise performance

14. Audio amplification circuits employ New Old Stock (NOS) 2 x 8416 (10,000

hour) & 2 x 6n6p (5,000 hour - optimized for 10,000 hours) high grade se-

lect vacuum tubes in pure class A with zero negative feedback delivering

ultra-low distortion - thereby maintaining the natural harmonic structure

of the audio signal

15. Software selectable Gain levels of 55db to 70 db in 5 db increments

16. <<Z>> Load Compensation of 100Ωto 500Ωin 100Ωincrements plus HIGH

as well as a Custom Factory setting - available at time of order

Page of7 32

Table of contents

Popular Recording Equipment manuals by other brands

KV2 Audio

KV2 Audio 500 Series user guide

Robotics Technologies

Robotics Technologies microBus-Cam II installation manual

Seca

Seca 460 quick start guide

Cognex

Cognex MVS-8000 Series Hardware manual

Mect

Mect MPNC006 Series user manual

Bad Caf

Bad Caf THE LEASH operating manual

Strymon

Strymon NIGHTSKY user manual

Mitsubishi Electric

Mitsubishi Electric 16CH DIGITAL RECORDER DX-TL5000U user manual

Tews Technologies

Tews Technologies TPMC465 user manual

Honeywell

Honeywell Excel 50 user guide

SeaLevel

SeaLevel COMM+8.LPCI user manual

Arturia

Arturia AUDIOFUSE STUDIO user manual

Rukra

Rukra RK-1240 quick start guide

Samson

Samson SCOM owner's manual

Dynacord

Dynacord DPS260 owner's manual

Nice

Nice Core user manual

Pyle Pro

Pyle Pro PSS8 manual

RF-System

RF-System TinyGate Assembly and user's manual

Tenor phono1 User manual

Popular Recording Equipment manuals by other brands