Ambrosia 2000 User manual

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USERMANUAL
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WARNING:DONOTINSERTORREMOVEANYPLUGSINTOTHEPHONOINPUTSWHILETHEPOWERISON.
SEVEREDAMAGEMAYOCCURTOTHEINPUTSTAGE.
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What’sIncluded
●Ambrosia2000SecondEditionpreamplifier
●UserManual
●Detachablepowercable
●Remotecontrol(optional)
●One(1)pair“combojack”gold-platedRCAadapters
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Withphonostage:
●Eight(8)pairsRCAshortingplugs
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Nophonostage:
●Six(6)pairsRCAshortingplugs 
©SpreadSpectrumTechnologies.Allrightsreserved
Ambrosia2000SecondEditionManualV1
2

ImportantSafeguards
●Allthesafetyandoperatinginstructionsshouldbereadbeforethisproductisoperated.
●Thesafetyandoperatinginstructionsshouldberetainedforfuturereference.
●Allwarningsontheapplianceandintheoperatinginstructionsshouldbeadheredto.
●Followallinstructions.
●Theapplianceshouldnotbeusednearwaterormoisture–forexample,inawetbasementorneara
swimmingpool,andthelike.
●Cleanonlywithdrycloth.
●Donotblockanyventilationopenings.Installinaccordancewiththemanufacturer’sinstructions.
●Donotinstallnearanyheatsourcessuchasradiators,heatregisters,stoves,orotherapparatus(including
amplifiers)thatproduceheat.
●Donotdefeatthesafetypurposeofthepolarizedorgroundingplug.Apolarizedplughastwobladeswith
onewiderthantheother.Agroundingplughastwobladesandathirdgroundingprong.Thewidebladeor
thethirdprongisprovidedforyoursafety.Iftheprovidedplugdoesnotfityouroutlet,consultanelectrician
forreplacementoftheobsoleteoutlet.
●Protectthepowercordfrombeingwalkedonorpinchedparticularlyattheplugs,conveniencereceptacles,
andatthepointwheretheyexitfromtheapparatus.
●Unplugthisapparatusduringlightningstormsorwhenunusedforlongperiodsoftime.
●Referallservicingtoqualifiedpersonnel.Servicingisrequiredwhentheapparatushasbeendamagedinany
waysuchasthepowercordorplugisdamaged.Otherdamagemayoccurifliquidorobjectshavebeen
droppedorspilledintotheapparatus.Droppingtheapparatus,exposuretorain,andexcessivemoisture
maycauseadditionaldamage.
●Keeptheunitinawellventilatedenvironment.
●CAUTION:Theseservicinginstructionsareforusebyqualifiedservicepersonnelonly.Toreducetheriskof
electricshock,donotperformanyservicingotherthanthatcontainedintheoperatinginstructionsunless
youarequalifiedtodoso.
●WARNING:Toreducetheriskofelectricshock,donotexposethisapparatustorainormoisture.The
apparatusshallnotbeexposedtodrippingorsplashingandthatobjectsfilledwithliquids,suchasvases,
shallnotbeplacedonapparatus.
●WARNING:Themainsplug/appliancecouplerisusedasdisconnectdevice,thedisconnectdeviceshall
remainreadilyoperable.
©SpreadSpectrumTechnologies.Allrightsreserved
Ambrosia2000SecondEditionManualV1
3

●Thelightningflashwitharrowheadsymbolwithinanequilateraltriangleisintendedtoalerttheusertothe
presenceofnon-insulated“dangerousvoltage”withintheproduct'senclosurethatmaybeofsufficient
magnitudetoconstituteariskofelectricshock.
●Nonakedflamesources,suchaslightedcandles,should
beplacedontheapparatus.
●WARNING:Theterminalsmarkedwithsymbolof“+/-“
maybeofsufficientmagnitudetoconstituteariskof
electricshock.Theexternalwiringconnectedtothe
terminalsrequiresinstallationbyaninstructedpersonortheuseofreadymadeinsulated
leadsorcords.
●CorrectDisposalofthisproduct.Thismarkingindicatesthatthisproductshouldnotbe
disposedwithotherhouseholdwastesthroughouttheEU.Topreventpossibleharmtothe
environmentorhumanhealthfromuncontrolledwastedisposal,recycleitresponsiblyto
promotethesustainablereuseofmaterialresources.Toreturnyouruseddevice,pleaseusethereturnand
collectionsystemsorcontacttheretailerwheretheproductwaspurchased.Theycantakethisproductfor
environmentallysaferecycling.
●Keepyourpackaging!Itiscustommadeforyourunitandwilleffectivelyprotectitforpossiblefutureuse.
●Besuretoregisteryourproduct.Itisveryimportanttocompletethewarrantyregistrationformlocatedon
ourwebsite.Completeandsubmittheformwithin30daysofpurchasetoactivateyourwarranty.
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©SpreadSpectrumTechnologies.Allrightsreserved
Ambrosia2000SecondEditionManualV1
4

Contents 
Section
Page
Introduction
6
NoteworthyFeatures
7
FrontPanelButtonandControlDefinitions
8
RemoteControl
9
FirstTimeOperationandMakingMenuAdjustments
10-11
MenuSelections
12
Connections
13
Specifications
14
WarrantyCoverage
15-17
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©SpreadSpectrumTechnologies.Allrightsreserved
Ambrosia2000SecondEditionManualV1
5

Introduction
am·bro·sia \am-ˈbrō-zh(ē-)ə\ ThefoodoftheGreekandRomangods.Somethingextremelypleasingtotasteor
smellor,inthiscase,tohear.
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TheAmbrosia2000SecondEditionpreamplifierisabrilliantexampleofwhatareference,full-featured,stereo
preamplifiercanbe.Thisfully-balancedsystemnucleusfeaturesgiantpowersupplies,anoptionalMM/MCphono
stage,headphoneamplifier,toneandbalancecontrolsandaningeniousremotecontrol.Somerecentimprovements
includeredesignedinternalsforimprovedstability,lowernoiseandanewhometheaterbypassfunction.
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Therearenophysicalswitchesorcontrolsofanykindinthesignalpath;theuserinterfaceisallelectronicand
galvanicallyisolatedfromtheaudiocircuit.Allfunctionsare100%microprocessorcontrolledandcanbecontrolled
fromboththefrontpanelaswellastheoptionalremotecontrol.
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At50pounds,theAmbrosiaoutweighsmanypoweramplifiers!Mostoftheweightisduetothehugelow-EMI
powertransformer.Itfeaturesfoursecondarywindingsthatpowereachcircuitsectionindependently,andinthe
process,eliminategroundloops.Inaddition,15independentpowersupplyregulatorsareemployedthroughoutfor
immunityagainstACmainsfluctuations.Everyattentiontodetailandfunctioncontributestothefinal,undeniable
conclusion:TheAmbrosiaisasonictour-de-forcebefittingthefinestaudiosystems.
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 
©SpreadSpectrumTechnologies.Allrightsreserved
Ambrosia2000SecondEditionManualV1
6

NoteworthyFeatures
TheAmbrosia2000SecondEditionisarevolutionarypreamplifierinmanyways.Belowaresomehighlights.
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●Fourcompletelyseparatesetsoftransformerwindingstopowerthefourmainpreampsections:moving
coil,movingmagnet,line,anddisplaycontrol.Anadditional15independentpowersupplyregulatorsworkin
concerttoeliminategroundloopsandpowersupplynoise.
●Optionalphonostage:RIAAequalized,completelyseparatecircuitsforbothMCandMMcartridgesources.
Eachcircuithasitsownsetofdirectoutputswhichbypasstheinternalswitchingandeachhasadedicated
user-selectablelowcutfilter.
●Highlyconfigurable,sophisticatedMenusystemtotailorvirtuallyeveryparameterofAmbrosia’srobust
featuresettoyoursatisfaction.
●Atotalofninepairsofinputs:
○Threemaininputs(CD,TUN,AUX)
○Twotapeloopinputs
○(Optional)phonostageinputs,oneeachforMMandMC
○OnecombinationXLRjackthatcanbeusedbalancedorunbalanced
○HomeTheaterBypassinput
●Outputs:twopairsunbalancedandtwopairsbalanced.
●Twoheadphoneoutputjacksonthefrontpanelpoweredbyaunique,balancedpowerbufferidlingat4.5
wattsperchannel,capableofdrivingvirtuallyanypairofheadphones.Thetopoutputisa“switched”output:
whileinuse,theAmbrosiawillmutethelineoutputtotheconnectedamplifier.
●Fullybalanceddesignwithasophisticatedcircuitthatgeneratesalmostnodistortion.Moreover,allofthe
distortionby-productsintheAmbrosiacomeonlyfromthepassiveswitchesandvolumecontrol,whichare
virtuallyinaudible.
●Highlycustomizablebassandtreblecontrols.
●Internallyadjustablegainsettings.
●14gaugerobustpowdercoatedsteelchassisandanodizedaluminumfrontpanel.
●Large,easy-to-readfrontLEDdisplay.
●Optionalall-aluminum,customremotecontrol
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 
©SpreadSpectrumTechnologies.Allrightsreserved
Ambrosia2000SecondEditionManualV1
7


FrontPanelButtonandControlDefinitions
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1. On/OffSwitch
2. HeadphoneOutputs
Thetopoutputisa“switched”output:whileinuse,theAmbrosiawillmutethelineoutputtotheconnected
amplifier.
3. LEDMainDisplay
4. RemoteControlSensor
5. “SEL”:MenuSelect
ThesebuttonsareusedtocyclethroughtheUSERandMAINMenus.Itisacontinuousscrollfunctioninthat
uponreachingtheendofeitherMenu,thenextstepstartsbackatthebeginning.
6. “ENT”:Enter
AfterdecidingonaMenuoptionsetting,youmustpushtheENTbuttontosavethatsettingtomemory.The
onlyfunctionthatdoesnotrequirethisactionisthevolumecontrol.Afteryouhaveenteredasetting,the
Ambrosiadisplaywillreverttomastervolume.
7. “MEM”:Memory
ThisbuttonallowsyoutogetbacktothelastMenuoptionyouwereon,eliminatinghavingtoscrollthrough
theMenutogetthere.Ex:YousavedanoptionfortheBASL(BassLeft)positionandtheAmbrosiadisplay
hasrevertedtothemastervolume.PushingtheMEMbuttonwillnowcalluptheBASLposition.TheMEM
buttonrecallsthelastMenupositionforwhichENTwaspressed.
8. “MUTE”:Mute
Mutesthevolume.
9. “ADJUST”:ShaftEncoder
Thisisamulti-functioncontrol.UseittoscrollthroughthevariousoptionswithinaMenuposition.Italso
controlsthemastervolume,balance,bassandtreble.
©SpreadSpectrumTechnologies.Allrightsreserved
Ambrosia2000SecondEditionManualV1
8

RemoteControl
Theoptionalall-aluminumremotecontrolunitislaidoutsimilarly,andfunctionsidentically,tothefrontpanel.
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Ifyoudonothavearemotecontrolandwishtoobtainone,pleasecontactyourSSTdealerorSSTdirectly.



©SpreadSpectrumTechnologies.Allrightsreserved
Ambrosia2000SecondEditionManualV1
9

FirstTimeOperationandMakingMenuAdjustments
BeforeyouturnontheAmbrosiaforthefirsttime,itisimportantthatyouread,understandandfamiliarizeyourself
withthefollowingforoptimaloperationandenjoyment.Refertothesection“FrontPanelButtonandControl
Definitions”fordescriptions.
FirstTimeOperation
●IMPORTANT:InsertthesuppliedRCAshortingplugsintoalloftheunusedinputjacks,includingthetape
inputs .ThiswillpreventaudibleclicksandpopswhilecyclingthroughtheMenuandopeninputs.Noneof
theinputsareinternallyshortedwhennotselected.Ifyoudonotusetheshortingplugs,thereisachance
thatclicksandpopsmaycausespeakerdamage. SSTwillnotberesponsibleforanyspeakerdamagedueto
negligenceinthisregard.
●EnsuretheAmbrosiaisPOWEREDOFFbeforemakingorchanginganyinputconnections. Onceconnections
aresecurelymade,pushtheOn/OffrockerswitchtoOn.Youwillnoticethatthedisplayshowsthe
Initializationmode(“INIT”).Itmaytake30to40secondsfortheAmbrosiatoinitialize.Afterthisfirst
initializationperiodisfinished,thedisplaywillread“VOL-69.0”(thelowestvolumesetting).TheAmbrosia
willrecallthelastusedvolumelevelforeachsubsequenttimeitisturnedon,or“-15.0”,whichevervolume
levelislower.
MakingMenuAdjustments
ThereareactuallytwoMenusystemsintheAmbrosia:USERandMAIN.USERissimplyacondensedsubsetofthe
MAINMenu,showingonlythemostoft-usedpositions.ThefollowingwillhelpfamiliarizeyouwithMenuoperation
andsettings.ForinstructionalpurposeswewillconcentrateontheMAINMenu,sinceitcontainsallthepositionsin
theUSERMenu.Refertothenextsection,“MenuSelections”,foracompletelistoftheUSERandMAINMenu
positions.

●PushthebottomSELbuttontoarriveattheSEL(Source)position.TurningtheShaftEncodertotheright,you
canmovethroughthevarioussourceoptionsasfollows:TUN,AUX,CD,BAL*,HT(HomeTheaterbypass),
MC**,MM**.PushENTtoselectyourdesiredinput.Themaindisplaywillthenreverttoshowingthe
volume.
*BALreferstotheXLR“combojack”input,whichcanbeusedasanadditionalbalanced(or
unbalancedviathesuppliedadapter)input.NotetheMenuwillalwaysrefertothisinputas“BAL”
evenifusedasunbalanced.
**Ifnophonostageisinstalled,theseoptionswillnotappearintheMenu.
●Next,pushthebottomSELbuttonuntilyouarriveatMODE.UsetheShaftEncodertochooseoneofthree
options:Stereo,MonoorStereoReverse.NotethatMODEisaglobalsetting,notuniquetoeachSource
position.SaveyourdesiredoptionintomemorybypushingENT.
●TakeadvantageoftheMEMbuttonnow.InsteadofusingtheSELbuttonsandstartingatthetopoftheMain
Menu,pushtheMEMbuttontogobacktotheModeposition.NowpushthebottomSELbuttontodisplay
thenextpositioninsequence,BASL(BassLeft).Thedisplaywillread“Flat”.YoucanusetheShaftEncoderto
changethebassupordown,ifdesired.PushtheENTbuttontoenteradesiredoption.Youcancontinueto
©SpreadSpectrumTechnologies.Allrightsreserved
Ambrosia2000SecondEditionManualV1
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