Audio Control Pantages User manual

©2001, AudioControl,
All rights reserved.
AudioControl is a
division of Electronic
Engineering and
Manufacturing.
AudioControl is a
registered trademark of
Electronic Engineering
and Manufacturing Inc.
Dolby is a registered
trademark of Dolby
Laboratories.
22410 70th Ave. West, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043
Phone [phone] • Fax [phone]
e-mail [email protected]om • www.audiocontrol.com
speakers —without adding dis-
tortion-inducing “crowbar”circuitry,
limiters or hard-to-change fuses. You
won’t blow the amplifier or your
tweeters due to signal clipping, even
at shock volume. Along with its Class H
design, LightDrive is another contrib-
uting factor in Pantages’ exceptional
reliability.
Backed by a 20-year reputation
and a Five Year Warranty.
AudioControl has been a part of
fine audio systems since 1978. We
build our products in a state-of-
the-art manufacturing facility in
Mountlake Terrace, Washington where
we can closely monitor component
and build quality. When you own an
AudioControl home theater component,
you’re assured of good sound, good
value and a lifetime of enjoyment.
PANTAGES™SPECIFICATIONS
Number of channels 5
Amplifier Power 200 watts x 5 (@8 ohms 20-20K)
Minimum Speaker Load 4 Ω
Damping Factor Greater than 250
Frequency Response 20Hz-20kHz±1 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion 0.05% (200 watts @ 8Ω20-20K)
S/N Ratio full output >100 dB A-weighted
Input Sensitivity 1.42 Vrms for full output
Input Impedance 30 Kilohms
Protection Clipping, Thermal, Short, DC Offset
Cooling Thermal Convection
Peak AC Power Consumption 1430 watts (full output into 8Ω)
Average AC Power Consumption 690 watts (full output into 8Ω)
Weight 46 lbs / 20.9 kgs
Dimensions (H x W x D) 5.25”x 17”x 15.75”
133.5mm x 432mm x 400mm
Inputs Balanced XLR & unbalanced RCA
Outputs Oversize 5-way binding posts
Remote Trigger 12-volt input switches AC
Optional 19-inch 3U rack mount available
All specifications are subject to change without notice.
If you’re really serious about your home
theater system, we invite you to con-
sider the very remarkable AudioControl
Diva™Programmable 24-Bit Digital Audio
Enhancement System for 5.1 and 7.1 Home
Theater Systems.
It’s the missing link between your
preamplifier/Dolby®surround decoder and
a high-performance 5-channel amplifier
such as Pantages™.
Diva is a sophisticated “toolkit”of
Diva™: a perfect match with Pantages™.
professional recording studio sound
processors that can dramatically
improve imaging, bass reproduc-
tion, midrange and treble detail as
well as overall system balance. It
includes five channels of digital time
delay, dynamics control and precise
parametric equalization. Yet, as a
Home Theater Magazine reviewer put
it, “
…despite Diva’s complexity, it’s
very very easy to use
.”
For more information on the Diva™
Programmable Enhancement System,
call us or visit our web site. Better
yet, contact your AudioControl dealer
or custom installer today.
*into eight ohms 20Hz to 20kHz

High-current power with abundant dynamic reserves.
Pristine sonics with fi nely- ocused
d e fi nition.
A 5.25-inch-high, cool-running
component that looks as good as it sounds.
Pantages™ combines AudioControl’s
expertise in audiophile electronic design
with their reputation or industrial-
strength build quality — a proven track
record that’s been long-established among
distributed sound contractors and design-
ers o high per ormance home theatres.
A dynamic LED display monitors output
o all fi ve channels during operation. The
display can also be turned o i you fi nd
that it competes with on-screen movie
action.
Input to Pantages™ can be provided
by either balanced XLR or unbalanced
RCA connections. Oversized, gold plated
speaker connection terminals are designed
to accommodate even the thickest audi-
ophile cables via banana, pin or ork termi-
nations.
A 12-volt trigger input enables remote
AC power activation o the amplifi er via
external processor or controller as part o
your overall system.
I you desire power ul, reliable and
musical amplifi cation at an extremely rea-
sonably price, you’ll want to audition Pan-
tages™, the home theater amp that sounds
warm but runs cool. We think that you’ll
be equally impressed with its precision
and with its ability to ully deliver the
demanding dynamics o today’s digital
video sources.
A
lthough capable of effortlessly
delivering a thousand watts
of continuous RMS power, the Audio-
Control Pantages™is a surprisingly
compact amplifier. It doesn’t require
a forklift to move or special ventila-
tion in your audio/video component
rack.
Brains versus brawn.
Conventional Class AB and
Class A power
amplifiers are like
internal combus-
tion engines that
must run at red-
line all of the time,
no matter what the
desired speed.
During all but the loudest parts
of a movie, they convert most of
their excess head-
room power into
heat (Fig. 1A &
B). Just as with
a constantly rev-
ed-up engine, an
inefficient power
amplifier requires
extreme cooling measures and can
still prematurely break down due to
heat build-up.
Pantages™uses a Class H ampli-
fier topology that can be likened to
an engine with an automatic trans-
mission. Program power require-
ments are constantly monitored by
internal circuitry. During quiet pas-
sages, Pantages’amplifier “idles”
without drawing
large amounts of
current from the
wall socket. It runs
cool because it’s
not forced to dissi-
pate large amounts
of excess energy
(figure 2A). During momentary or
sustained dynamic passages such as
thunderous movie
special effects,
Pantages™instan-
taneously “shifts
gears,”tapping
extra voltage rails
to deliver massive
current on demand
(Figure 2B). In other words, it’s
smart enough to “step on the gas”
when it needs to —drawing power
directly from the wall socket instead
of from bulky internal storage.
The result is an incredibly robust
(and reliable) power amplifier that
doesn’t require barbecue-grille-
sized cooling fins.
High-definition BiMOS output
devices. While Class A
bi-polar transistors are popular
for their sonic purity, they
bring with them the inher-
ent high-heat and low effi-
ciency of Class A operation.
Conventional MOSFETs
with the high current drive capa-
bilities of MOSFETs –precision and
high power in one amplifier! Your
speaker system’s treble and mid-
range transducers get the delicate
details that create total realism and
accurate sound staging; the system’s
woofers receive tightly controlled
brute force for thunderous cinema
sound effects.
Exclusive LightDrive protec-
tion system. The power
amplifier is truly the “engine”in your
Efficient Class H operation and high-definition BiMOS outputs for accuracy and reliability.
are capable of higher current output
and better efficiency, but are consid-
ered by many to obscure fine audio
details (the infamous “MOSFET Mist”).
Pantages™employs a new gen-
eration of BiMOS output design
that combine the
precision of bi-
polar transistors
home cinema system. It must not
only be exceptionally reliable, but
also be designed not to overdrive the
components to which it is connected.
Pantages™LightDrive electro-
optical system protects both the
internal amplifier modules and your
continued on back page
Available
with black or silver
anodized front panel.
Available with black or silver anodized front panel.
Fig 1A. Class A/B amp current draw @ average levels.
Fig 1B. Class A/B amp current draw @ peak levels.
Fig 2A. Pantages current draw @ average levels.
Fig 2B. Pantages current draw @ peak levels.