Auralic VEGA User manual

VEGA Digital Audio Processor
USER’S GUIDE
For Software Version 1.3 and Above
Revision 1.2
AURALIC LIMITED
RM 19C, LOCKHART CENTRE, 301-307 LOCKHART ROAD, HK
Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail] Website: www.auralic.com

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Copyright © 2008-2013 AURALIC LIMITED (AURALiC) and licensors.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication including but not limited to, graphics, text,
code or interactive features, may be reproduced without the express written permission
from AURALiC or its licensors. The content of this manual is provided for information use
only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by
AURALiC. AURALiC assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies
that may appear in this manual. AURALiC, inspire the music, ActiveUSB, AFN402, Alire,
Purer-Power, ORFEO and their graphic logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of
AURALiC in the Hong Kong and/or other countries. AURALiC's trademarks may not be
used in connection with any product or service that is not AURALiC's, in any manner that
is likely to cause confusion among customers or in any manner that disparages or dis-
credits AURALiC. All other trademarks not owned by AURALiC that appear on this site are
the property of their respective owners, who may or may not be affiliated with, connected
to, or sponsored by AURALiC.

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Welcome
Thank you for choosing AURALiC product. VEGA, the next generation Digital Audio Pro-
cessor, It is developed with the goal of “seeking for non-compromised sound”. With full I/O
ports and powerful functions, it will become the key component of your high-end stereo
system.
AURALiC Sanctuary Audio Processor
Sanctuary audio processor, the heart of VEGA, is based on multi-core ARM9 archi-
tecture with the calculating capability at 1000MIPS (millions of instructions per se-
cond), ideal for handling multi-channel high resolution music. VEGA supports DXD
format (352.8KS/s and 384KS/s PCM signals in 32bit) as well as DSD stream at
2.8224MHz and 5.6448MHz in native through 'DoP V1.1' transmission protocol.
Megahertz Upsampling
The internal megahertz upsampling algorithm can process and up-sample all incom-
ing PCM signals to 1.5MHz at 32bit, which not only improves the precision of the DAC,
but also creates a new Nyquist frequency for all PCM signals farther away from the
top end of audio frequency. As a result, our engineers are able to design a brand-new
analog circuit structure with larger bandwidth and faster slew rate.
Femto Master Clock
Femto master clock utilizes aerospace grade crystal oscillator, ultra-low noise linear
power supply and temperature compensation technology to generate the master
clock with extremely low jitter at 82 femtoseconds. More importantly, the phase noise
which affects sound quality a lot has been dramatically reduced to -168dBc/Hz.
Flexible Filter Mode
VEGA has six built-in filter modes and each contains several digital filters optimized
for corresponding sampling rate. These filters are developed using AURALiC's sub-
jective auditory sense and objective testing data relationship models with the goal of
optimizing the listening experience of different music in all formats.
AURALiC ORFEO Class-A Output Module
In order to drive various loads and to match with different power amplifiers, VEGA is
equipped with AURALiC's patented ORFEO Class-A module. The principle of this
module is to use a mass of small signal components with best linear characteristics.
By packing them through a thermal balance procedure and biasing the transistors
into Class-A, ORFEO achieves impressive performance with the open loop distortion
less than 0.001%.

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Table of Contents
Warranty .........................................................................................................6
Unpacking ......................................................................................................6
Placement and Cabling .................................................................................7
Placement..................................................................................................7
Check Your AC Mains Voltage...................................................................7
Cabling ......................................................................................................8
Operation......................................................................................................10
Power On/Off...........................................................................................10
Operation By RC-1 Remote Control ........................................................10
Operation By Rotary Switch.....................................................................13
USB Driver Installation.............................................................................13
Operation Menu............................................................................................17
INPUT......................................................................................................17
BALANCE................................................................................................17
PHASE ....................................................................................................17
FILTER ....................................................................................................18
SYSTEM..................................................................................................19
SYSTEM (PAGE 2)..................................................................................21
Maintenance & Service................................................................................22
Maintenance............................................................................................22
Service.....................................................................................................22
Contact....................................................................................................22
Troubleshooting...........................................................................................23
No Power.................................................................................................23
No Sound or Low Output.........................................................................23
Distorted or Partial Sound........................................................................23
Noise/Hum...............................................................................................23
Specifications...............................................................................................24
EC Declaration of Conformity.....................................................................25
AURALiC Product Registration Form ........................................................27

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
All safety and operating instructions must be read before actual operation, and re-
tained for future reference.
This product should be connected only to the type of power source indicated on the
back of the unit. If you are not sure of the type of your mains power supply, please
consult your dealer or local power company.
To completely disconnect this product from the AC mains, disconnect the power
supply cord plug from the AC receptacle.
Do not use the product near water, i.e. near a bathtub, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a
wet basement, near a swimming pool etc.
Do not install the product near heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves,
or other apparatus that produce heat. See “Placement and Cabling” on page 7.
Do not let objects or liquids fall into the product. Do not expose the product to dripping
or splashing. Do not place a vessel containing liquid on top of the product.
Clean only with a soft, dry cloth.
Do not attempt to service this product yourself. Opening or removing covers may
expose you to dangerous voltage. Refer all servicing to authorized service personnel.
See “Service” on page 22.

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Warranty
AURALiC offers a 90-day factory warranty from the date of purchase that can be extended
to a 3-Year limited warranty. This non-transferable warranty is available to the original
owner by completing the product registration form including the original sales information
from your authorized AURALiC dealer within 30 days from purchase. You could either use
the online registration form on our website (www.auralic.com) or fill ‘AURALiC Product
Registration Form’ on page 27 and send it back to your dealer to finish the registration.
Warranty coverage includes all parts and labors. Warranty is void if damage is due to
abuse, neglect or unauthorized modifications. Costs associated with the return of this
product are the sole responsibility of the owner. All repair work must be done by AURALiC
or by an authorized AURALiC repair agency. Work done by unauthorized persons will
avoid any and all warranty coverage.
AURALiC products are uniquely identified with a serial number (S/N) on the back of the
unit. This number is required to validate your warranty. Please provide your serial number
if service is required.
Before the product can be returned for service, an RMA (Return Material Authorization)
number must be issued by AURALiC. Contact your dealer or AURALiC for further infor-
mation. Units without an RMA number will not be accepted for service.
Unpacking
Please check that the following items are in the box:
VEGA
AC Power Cord
Remote Control
User’s Guide
Product CD
Carefully unpack each piece, if there is any damage, or if anything is missing, please
contact your dealer or AURALiC.
ONLY SHIP THIS PRODUCT IN ITS ORIGINAL PACKING!
Please be sure to retain the original shipping carton and all packing materials as they are
specially designed to protect the unit during transportation or shipping.

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Placement and Cabling
Placement
VEGA should be placed on a solid and stable surface with good ventilation condition. Do
not install this product near any heat sources such as radiators or other products (such as
amplifiers) that produce heat. Site the product so that its location or position does not in-
terfere with its proper ventilation. For example, it should not be situated on a bed, sofa,
rug, or similar surface that may block the ventilation openings, or placed in a built in in-
stallation such as a bookcase or cabinet that may impede the flow of air through the ven-
tilation openings.
Ventilation Requirement
VEGA dissipates up to 15 Watts of power during normal operation. It
should be installed in a space with at least one inch of clearance above,
behind and on both sides of its enclosure to provide adequate ventilation.
Avoid placing it directly above other equipment that produces heat.
Check Your AC Mains Voltage
VEGA is shipped with its mains voltage preset for operations in the destination country.
The mains voltage setting is written on the back of the unit, besides the power cord socket.
Mains voltage setting is not intended to be changed by the user. If it needs to be changed,
contact your dealer or AURALiC.
The power cord has a three-wire grounding type plug (a plug having a third pin for
grounding). It will only fit into a grounding type power outlet. If you are unable to insert the
plug fully into the outlet, contact your dealer or AURALiC. Do not defeat the safety pur-
pose of the grounded type plug.
VEGA MUST BE USED WITH CORRECT
MAINS VOLTAGE AND PROPERLY EARTHED!

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Cabling
The I/O ports on the rear of the unit are shown as following:
1 Right Balanced Analog Output 7 S/PDIF Coaxial #2 Digital Input
2 Right Single-Ended Analog Output 8 S/PDIF TOSLINK Digital Input
3 Left Single-Ended Analog Output 9 USB 2.0 High Speed Input
4 Left Balanced Analog Output 10 Power Cord Socket
5 AES/EBU Balanced Digital Input 11 Power Switch
6 S/PDIF Coaxial #1 Digital Input
Please make sure to power off all units in your system before any cabling job, failed to
follow this instruction may result in permanent damage to the device and avoid any war-
ranty.
ALWAYS POWER OFF VEGA BEFORE CABLING!
Analog Outputs
The balanced and single-ended analog outputs of VEGA are individually buffered so
as to be used simultaneously, however, it is still strongly recommended to disconnect
unused ports to avoid any potential electromagnetic interference induced by cables.
The amplitude of analog outputs is adjustable with maximum level at about 4Vrms on
both XLR and RCA outputs. The output impedance of XLR output is very low at
4.7ohm so it can be used to drive almost all kinds of power amplifiers. Please pay

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double caution NOT to short any pin of any analog output to ground.
NEVER SHORT ANY OUTPUTS OF VEGA TO GROUND!
FAILED TO DO THAT WILL DAMANGE THE UNIT
PERMANENTLY AND WILL AVOID ANY WARRANTY!
AES/EBU and S/PDIF Digital Inputs
The AES/EBU balanced digital input and three sets of S/PDIF coaxial inputs are de-
signed with individual input buffer circuit. The balanced and coaxial digital input
channels are transformer coupled to eliminate the EMI. The maximum sampling rate
supported by these ports is 24 Bit / 192 KHz.
USB 2.0 High Speed Input
The USB 2.0 Input uses asynchronous transmission mode and is buffered by
AURALiC's ActiveUSB technology to future reduce jitter effects. The USB input sup-
ports PCM signals up to 32 Bit / 384KHz as well as DSD streams at 2.8224 MHz and
5.6448 MHz through DoP V1.1 protocol. The specific driver is required for proper
functioning under Windows PC system, please refer to ‘USB Driver Installation’ on
page 13.
Power Cord Socket
We suggest you using a standalone power supply for VEGA to isolate it from other
digital source components using switching power supply for best sound quality. The
power consumption of VEGA is less than 20W, so a heavy gauge power cord is not
recommended as the weight of the power cord connector may damage the power
cord socket on the back of the unit. Please double check the AC mains voltage on the
back of the unit before connecting to the power.

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Operation
The front panel of VEGA and the display of main screen are shown as following:
1 Operation Indicator 5 Special Function Indicators
2 Input Channel Indicator 6 Power LED
3 Input Stream Format 7 Rotary Switch
4 Output Volume
Power On/Off
VEGA will power on when the power switch (11 on the rear of the unit) is toggled to ‘I’
position and will power off when the power switch is at ‘O’ position.
As soon as VEGA is powered on, it will go to standby or sleep mode based on different
settings. In standby mode, VEGA will turn off most of its circuits to save energy. If sleep
mode is enabled, VEGA will only shut-down part of digital circuits, keep all analog on and
the Femto clock active. In sleep mode, you don't need to warm-up the unit every time you
use it as VEGA will stay in the best sounding condition. The Operation Indicator (1) will
display at low brightness in sleep mode to remind you the sleep mode.
Operation by RC-1 Remote Control
The layout of buttons and key numbers of RC-1 remote control are shown as following: