Apex Hi-Fi P2X User manual

Tube hybrid pre-amp and headphone amp
With IR remote control
Instructions
www.apexhifi.com

Connections
Power
Audio Inputs
The P2X is powered by the dedicated Apex PS40 power
supply. Your P2X is shipped with the power supply, and
a cable to connect the two.
Simply plug one end of the cable into the PS40, and the
other into the P2X. Then, connect a standard IEC
power cable from the inlet on the PS40, and plug it into
an outlet. The PS40 automatically works from 85-
265VAC, 50 or 60Hz.
There are two RCA line inputs located on the back of
the P2X, labeled “In 1” and In 2”. There is also a third
input, using a 1/8” phone jack, on the left-hand side of
the front panel. This is “In 3”, and can be used to
connect a phone or music player.
Audio Outputs
Installing the Tube
RCA jacks for the line output are located on the rear
panel. A 1/8” stereo headphone jack is on the right-
hand side of the front panel.
Before turning the P2X on, plug the tube into the tube
socket, through the hole on the top of the P2X.
The P2X is supplied with a JJ Electronic ECC803S
tube. You can also use any type of 12AU7 or ECC83
tube, or their variants. 12BH7 tubes also work.
Tubes tested and verified to work include the 12AU7 (all
types), ECC82 (all types), 5814, 6211, 5963, 6680,
7057, and 12BH7.

Operation
Power-on and off
Input Selection
The P2X is powered on or off by pressing the control in
and holding it for 5 seconds.
When the unit powers on, it enters a 30-second warm-
up period for the tube to heat up and electronics to
stabilize. During warm-up, the LEDs will illuminate red,
starting with the first LED (all the way
counterclockwise), and advance in a clockwise
direction. When all of the LEDs are on, the 30-second
warmup period is complete.
After warmup, the volume will be ramped from zero to
the setting it was at when the unit was last powered off.
If, during this ramp-up, the knob is rotated, the volume
will stop increasing at the current level.
When powered off, the inverse of this happens, and the
volume is ramped from it’s current level to zero.
The P2X has three inputs. Pressing the control and
releasing it will advance the input selection to the next
input. For example, if you are currently on input 1,
pressing the control will advance to input 2. If you are
on input 3, pressing it will return back to input one.
The LED color will change when you change inputs,
indicating (via color) which input is selected.
When input 1 is selected, the LEDs are green. Input 2
makes the LEDs blue, and input 3 (the one on the front)
light the LEDs Magenta (pinkish).
Once powered on, rotating the control will change the
volume.
Volume is adjusted in 1dB steps, with fully clockwise
corresponding to maximum gain, and fully
counterclockwise muted. The first step up from mute is
-62dB.
Even though there are 64 volume steps, there are only
16 LEDs. So the LED will only advance with every 4
steps of volume change.
You can set the display brightness, as well as change
the appearance of the display from “bar” mode to “dot”
mode, in setup mode.
Adjusting the Volume
Push & Hold
Push & Release
Down Up
Volume
(Bar Mode)
Down Up
Volume
(Dot Mode)
In 1
In 2
In 3

Remote Control Operation
The volume control unit uses Philips RC05 remote
control encoding. It is supplied with a small remote that
can control all the functions of the unit. If desired, any
remote control that supports RC05 codes can be used.
The “standby” button of the remote is analogous to
pressing and holding the control. It is used to power the
unit on or off.
The “channel” buttons are used to change the selected
input. “CH+” advances to the next input, “CH-” moves
to the previous. Alternatively, the “1”, “2”, and “3”
buttons can directly select an input.
The “volume” buttons are used to raise or lower the
volume.
Power-on and off
nput SelectionI
Adjusting the Volume
Mute
Remote Address
Implemented Codes
The “mute” buttons immediately lowers the volume to
the muted state. The “volume” buttons must be used to
unmute and turn the volume back up.
The default state of the unit is that it will respond to any
remote control address. The address is used to select
different pieces of equipment that may be in a system -
for example, a TV, preamp, Blue-Ray player, etc.
The address that the unit responds to can be changed
in setup mode.
To program a universal remote control, you may need to
know what codes the unit responds to for various
functions. The unit implements the following remote
codes:
12 - Standby (power on and off)
16 - Volume Up
17 - Volume Down
13 - Mute
32 - Channel Up (next input up)
33 - Channel Down (next input down)
01 - Input 1
02 - Input 2
03 - Input 3

LED 1 LED 16
Red
Green
Blue
Cyan
Magenta
Yellow
Setup Mode
Setup mode uses the control knob and LEDs to allow
you to set various operating modes of the P2X. Once
you complete setup mode, your choices are saved in
non-volatile flash memory, so they will remain until you
change them again.
Setup mode is entered by holding the knob in for 5
seconds at the end of the warmup cycle, after the
volume ramps up.
The first setup step is to set the brightness. In
brightness setup, all the LEDs will be illuminated yellow.
Turn the knob
counterclockwise to dim. Then, press the control to
move to the next setup step.
Setup Step 1 - Brightness
Setup Step 2 -
clockwise to make the display brighter, or
In setup step 2, LED 1 will be illuminated. The color of
the LED corresponds to either “dot” mode, where only
one LED is illuminated to indicate the current volume, or
“bar” mode, where all LEDs up to the selected volume
are illuminated. Rotate the knob until the LED color
corresponds to the desired mode, as shown to the right.
Press the control to move to the next setup step.
In setup step 3, LED 2 will be illuminated. The color of
the LED indicates if the volume should be muted when
you change inputs, or if the volume should remain as
currently set. Rotate the knob until the LED color
corresponds to the desired mode, as shown to the right.
Press the control to move to the next setup step.
In setup step 4, LED 3 will be illuminated. The color of
the LED indicates if the volume should be muted at
power on, or if the volume should be restored to the
level it was set the last time the unit was powered off.
Rotate the knob until the LED color corresponds to the
desired mode, as shown to the right.
Press the control to move to the next setup step.
Dot or Bar Mode
Setup Step 3 - Mute on Input Change
Setup Step 4 - Mute at Power On
Dim Bright
Bar
Dot
Dot / Bar mode
Mute
No mute
Mute on Input Change
Mute
No mute
Mute on Power On

Setup Step 5 - Power-up to On or Off
In setup step 5, LED 4 will be illuminated. The color of
the LED indicates if the unit should initialize to the
power-on state when AC power is applied to the unit, or
if it should come up in the off state. Rotate the knob
until the LED color corresponds to the desired mode, as
shown to the right.
Press the control to move to the next setup step.
In setup step 6, LED 5 will be illuminated. The color of
the LED corresponds to the remote control address that
you want the unit to respond to. Rotate the knob until
the color of the LED corresponds to the desired
address.
Press the control to exit setup. A new warmup cycle will
begin.
Setup Step 6 - Remote Address
Power-Up Mode
Power-up Off
Power-up On
Any Address
0 (TV)
16 (Preamp 1)
19 (Preamp 2)
21 (Combi)
27 (Reserved)
Remote Address