Chord Red Reference User manual

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Red Reference CD Player

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Contents
Red Reference CD Player .............................................................3
Product Description.......................................................................3
Inventory .......................................................................................3
When setting up.............................................................................4
Safety Warnings ............................................................................5
AC Power connection....................................................................6
AC Connector and Switch.............................................................6
Powering up...................................................................................6
Powering down - long-term...........................................................6
Powering down - short-term..........................................................6
Connecting your equipment ..........................................................7
Coaxial digital output....................................................................8
AES/EBU digital outputs ..............................................................9
Optical digital output...................................................................10
Wordclock input..........................................................................11
Digital inputs...............................................................................11
Balanced analogue outputs..........................................................11
Balanced analogue outputs..........................................................12
Unbalanced outputs.....................................................................12
Everyday use of your Red Reference..........................................13
Basic operation............................................................................14
Status display and function .........................................................15
CD Operation ..............................................................................17
Advanced functions.....................................................................18
Trigger Outputs ...........................................................................19
Product Specification ..................................................................20

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Red Reference CD Player
Thank you for buying a Chord Electronics product.
Before you start to enjoy your CD player, please take a couple of minutes to read how to
connect your audio equipment and loudspeakers and how to maximise your listening
experience.
Product Description
Building on the success of the Blu and the DAC64 the Red Reference CD player has been
designed as the ultimate source component. With stunning looks and state of the art design
the Red Reference utilises ground breaking technology to give the most accurate
reproduction of compact disc that can be obtained. With internal 176.4KHz upsampling data
transfer, selectable RAM buffer clock retiming and both 1024 and 4096 tap length filtering
the Red Reference earns its reference status in the Chord range.
The Red Reference is a truly unique product. As a standalone CD player it is able to deliver
the best reference CD playback. The addition of digital inputs and outputs also gives it the
ability to act as both a CD transport and DAC for other audio components making it
completely versatile.
Inventory
As well as your Red Reference and this user manual, you should also have received the
following items.
1. Red Reference remote control (or Chord touchscreen remote where specified*)
2. Power cord
3. Chord guarantee registration card
*for details please refer to your Authorised Chord Retailer or Distributor

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When setting up
To ensure that your Red Reference works efficiently and safely, please pay particular
attention to the following issues.
ventilation
Your Red Reference should have at least 5cm of clear space all around it to ensure a free
flow of air at all times. We do not recommend that you place Red Reference directly on a
carpet.
AC lead and plug
All Chord equipment comes supplied with the correct power lead and plug. This should be
used at all times.
if you need to fit a plug for UK/Europe
Connect the blue wire to the neutral terminal
Connect the brown wire to the live terminal
Connect the yellow/green wire to the earth terminal
if you need to fit a plug for US/Canada
Connect the white wire to the neutral terminal
Connect the black wire to the live terminal
Connect the green to the earth terminal
earthing issues in Europe
In some European countries a hum may occur if your Red Reference is connected to mains
sockets that do not have an earth. If this is the case please ensure that:
1. Your transport is connected via a multi-way mains block, which contains an earth point
at each socket outlet. This is to ensure that the chassis metalwork of each item is
connected together.
2. We recommend that an earthing method for your building be implemented.
3. Use the connecting points on your Chord unit and connect to an available earth point.

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Safety Warnings
It is important that your Red Reference is earthed at all times via its own mains lead. Failure
to do this may be hazardous. The power supply components within the transport are
designed to operate at lethal voltages and energy levels. Circuit designs that embody these
components conform to applicable safety requirements. Precautions must be taken to prevent
accidental contact with power-line potentials. Do not connect grounded test equipment.
Caution: This product employs a laser that emits both visible and invisible radiation.
Removal of the top cover or tampering with any of the enclosed electronics may result in
exposure to hazardous levels of laser radiation that could cause eye damage. To prevent
injury this product should be returned for qualified service to Chord Electronics Ltd.
There are no user serviceable parts within the Red Reference CD player.
Unauthorised tampering or dismantling of this product will invalidate the
warranty and could cause injury.

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AC Power connection
The AC power connector of Red Reference is at the back of the unit. Plug the female end
(socket) of the power cord into the power connector of the transport, and the male end(plug)
of the power cord into AC wall socket or AC extension socket. The Red Reference CD
player features a universal voltage high frequency power supply and will operate
automatically from 65V to 260V AC, 50 or 60Hz.
For optimum operation it is recommended that the Red Reference is connected directly
to the wall socket via the power cord provided.
AC Connector and Switch
Powering up
Press the top of the power switch labelled ‘I’. Red Reference will now power up.
The Red Reference features a dual display system showing both system status and disc
information.
The red multi function display will read ‘CHORD’ followed by the status information
showing input, buffer, frequency settings and lock information.
If Red Reference has no disc loaded, the top panel display with read “NO DISC”; if a disc
has been loaded then the number of tracks and length of the CD will be shown. Please allow
a short time for Red Reference to read the disc’s Table of Contents (TOC). During this time
the display will indicate “-- ----“
Powering down - long-term
1. Press the STANDBY button on the remote to put Red Reference into STANDBY.
2. Press the right-hand side of the power switch labelled ‘O’.
Powering down - short-term
For everyday use there is no need to power Red Reference down completely.
Press the STANDBY button on remote to put Red Reference into its Standby mode. The
audio circuits remain active in this mode.
AC
Connector
IEC 10A
AC Power
Switch
EARTH

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Connecting your equipment
Red Reference - rear panel connections
All the input and output connections of Red Reference are situated on the rear panel of the
transport.
Red Reference has three types of digital output; Optical, Coaxial and AES/EBU, two types
of digital input optical and AES/EBU and both balanced and unbalanced analogue outputs.
In addition to the standard digital outputs, a special Dual Data output provides an upsampled
digital output at 176.4KHz. Connection to both AES/EBU is required for this mode. Please
note:- When using Dual Data mode with two cables please set the operating frequency to
176KHz via the front panel.
S/DIF2
OUTPUT
WORDCLOCK
INPUT
OPTICAL
OUTPUT
AES/EBU
OUTPUT 1
AES/EBU
OUTPUT 2
XLR
Left
output
AES/EBU
Input
Optical
Input
Right output
RCA–phono
XLR
Right
output
Left output
RCA-phono

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Coaxial digital output
Red Reference - coaxial connection
Red Reference has one SPDIF output as shown above. This outputs digital audio data from
any CD playing.
All coaxial connections use BNC connectors with 75ohm impedance. Although less
common than RCA-phono digital connectors, BNC connectors exhibit consistent impedance
behaviour and are essential for the correct transfer of digital audio data.
If your digital-analog converter only has RCA-phono coaxial digital inputs, it is worth
having a cable made by a specialist manufacturer. Please avoid RCA-BNC adaptors as they
will undoubtedly impair the sound quality. In all cases a correctly screened cable should be
used.
Frequency Settings
The output frequency can be set via the front panel to 44KHz or 88KHz. If you select the
176K option the output will remain at 88KHz.
SPDIF
OUTPUT

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AES/EBU digital outputs
For installations that require a long run of cable between the transport and digital-analog
converter we would recommend using a balanced AES/EBU connection. The AES/EBU will
output digital audio data from any CD playing and can either be used as two identical
outputs or combined as one 176.4KHz dual data output.
Frequency settings
When the front panel frequency switch is set to 176K, the AES/EBU outputs send the Dual
Data output as outlined in the previous section. This may be useful when using Red
Reference with certain high-resolution D-A converters.
When the frequency switch is in the 88K position, each AES/EBU output sends data at
88.2kHz; when in the 44K each output sends at 44.1kHz.
Frequency switch 44K 88K 176K
AES/EBU 1 44.1kHz 88.2kHz 176.4kHz right
AES/EBU 2 44.1kHz 88.2kHz 176.4kHz left
AES/EBU
OUTPUT 1
AES/EBU
OUTPUT 2

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Optical digital output
The optical digital output uses a standard TOSlink connection and can be used with DAC64
and several other digital to analogue converters. This outputs digital audio data from any CD
playing.
In particular an optical connection can be very useful in the prevention of earth loops, as
there is no electrical connection between two products in a system. This may be required
when combining Red Reference with products from other manufacturers.
Frequency settings
Frequency switch 44K 88K 176K
Optical output 44.1kHz 88.2kHz 88.2KHz
Red Reference has one optical digital output so it is not possible to use the Dual Data facility
over optical.
OPTICAL
OUTPUT

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Wordclock input
A dedicated wordclock input may be required in professional recording and broadcast
applications, generally wordclock outputs are not found in domestic audio products.
As Red Reference is a reference-grade CD player, it is very likely that our Professional
Audio customers will use it as a CD source and so may need to synchronise it within a larger
digital system.
The wordclock input operates at 44KHz only and automatically switches when a signal is
connected.
Digital inputs
The Red Reference comes equipped with two different types of digital inputs, allowing
compatibility with virtually any digital audio source equipment. Digital audio source
equipment includes CD transports, DVD players and Mini Disc players. The digital inputs
consist of one AES balanced XLR input (XLR) and one Plastic Fibre Optical TOSLink input
(OPT). These inputs can be selected via the I/P button on the front panel and will output
analogue audio from both the balanced and unbalanced connections.
WORDCLOCK
INPUT
AES/EBU
Input
Optical
Input

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Balanced analogue outputs
You need to connect the analogue outputs on the back of the Red Reference to a pre-amplifier,
which in turn will feed a signal to a power amplifier in order to drive your loudspeakers. There is
a pair of balanced XLR outputs, which will drive a 68Ω load.
connecting to your pre-amplifier
Use the XLR style output connectors to connect the Red Reference to the XLR style input
connectors of any model of Chord pre-amplifier. Ensure that you connect the left output on the
Red Reference to the left input on the pre-amplifier. Also the right output should be connected to
the right input on the pre-amplifier.
R I G H T L E F T
Unbalanced outputs
You need to connect the outputs on the back of your Red Reference to a
pre-amplifier, which in turn will feed a signal to a power amplifier in
order to drive your loudspeakers. All Chord equipment is designed to
be used with balanced connections to maximise audio signal quality.
However there is also a pair of unbalanced outputs as well in case
your pre-amplifier does not have balanced inputs.
connecting to your pre-amplifier
Use the phono style output connectors to connect the Red Reference to
the phono style input connectors of your pre-amplifier. Ensure that you
connect the left output on the Red Reference to your left input on your
pre-amplifier. Also the right output on the Red Reference should be
connected to the right input on your pre-amplifier.
RIGHT
LEFT

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Everyday use of your Red
Reference
Loading and removing discs
Loading the disc
Firstly open the lid using the OPEN button on the front panel.
Placing the disc
Place the disc gently but firmly in the CD housing so that the centre of the disc sits right on
the spindle. Now close the lid . Wait a short time for Red Reference to read the disc Table
of Contents before you press Play.
Removing discs
Using your forefingers, push the disc towards the back of the transport as shown by the
arrow above, so that the disc rises gently over the CD spindle. You should now be able to
lift the disc out with your thumb.
Red Reference – cross-section
(lid not shown)
CD SPINDLE
OPEN

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Basic operation
TRACK TOTAL REM TIME
PROGRAM SCAN SHUFFLE A – B REPEAT 1 PAUSE
Red Reference – dual display
For your convenience the main CD functions can be accessed from the top panel and on the
supplied remote control. For the purposes of the instructions below it does not matter which
set of controls are being used. The Red Reference uses a dual display. The left hand side
indicates functional status and indicates input, frequency, buffer and lock information. The
right hand display shows CD information.
STBY 1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
0
SCAN PROG TIME
FAST
A/B SHUF
REP PAUSE STOP PLAY
FREQ
OPEN
PROG
BUFF
I/P
Red Reference
–
front panel
176K
CD operation
Status

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Status display and function
Using the BUFF, I/P and FREQ buttons on the front panel the Red Reference function can
be selected. The status of these functions is indicated on the left hand display. On initial
switch on and from standby the display will indicate the current settings.
Pressing the input button will change between CD, OPT and XLR functions.
When playing a CD select the CD input to output the signal to the analogue connections.
If you wish to output a source connected via the XLR or optical digital inputs select XLR or
OPT as appropriate. This uses the high quality internal DAC64 decoder to reproduce the
analogue signal.
Lock Indication
When the internal DAC circuitry receives a valid digital signal from any of the digital inputs
CD, OPT or XLR, the display will show LOCK. This will revert back to the frequency
setting after a few seconds.
Pressing the frequency button changes the CD and digital output upsampling frequency
between 44.1, 88.2 and 176.4KHz.
Please note:- On CD mode when listening to a CD or when using the dual data AES
output 176K should always be selected.
I/P
FREQ
CD OPT XLR
44K 88K 176K
LOCK

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Pressing the BUFF button changes the RAMbuffer settings. Buffering is a processing operation where
the digital input signal is stored in RAM (random access memory) for a period of time before it is
passed through the Red Reference DAC circuitry. This period of time allows the Red Reference to
analyse the input signal for any errors and to correct them.
There are three buffer settings to choose from. These are no buffering, (0BUF), minimum
buffering (MIN) and maximum buffering (MAX). The three buffer settings are chosen using
the BUFF switch. Onthe front panel. When using the buffer on minimum or maximum settings there
will be a delay to process the digital signal before music is heard. Whenever switching between the
different buffer settings there is a delay of approximately 4 seconds before play resumes.
BUFF
0BUF MIN MAX

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CD Operation
PLAY
To play the disc from the beginning, press “Play” ( ).
To select a particular track, press the track number eg. 6, followed by the “Play” button.
STOP
To stop the disc, press “Stop” ( ).
PAUSE
To pause the disc at a particular time, press “Pause” ( ). Play can be resumed by pressing
either “Play” or “Pause”.
To select the next or previous track, press Next Track ( ) or Previous Track ( ).
To search through the disc in either direction, hold down Search Back ( ) or Search
Forward ( )
To speed up the search, press the “FAST” key once while Search Back or Search Forward
are held down. The FAST key has no effect if pressed on its own.
STANDBY
Press the STANDBY button to put Red Reference into Standby and to wake it up again.
TIME
Normally the transport will display the time elapsed on the track you are playing.
Press ‘TIME’ once and it will now show total time elapsed on the disc and display
TOTAL; press ‘TIME’ again and the transport will show the time remaining on the disc
and display TOTAL REM. Press TIME once again to return the display to normal.

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Advanced functions
Program Mode - Programming a track selection –
Press the track number (eg. 7) followed by the ‘PROG’ button, then the next track (eg. 4)
followed by PROG, and so on until all tracks have been programmed. To play your
selection, press PLAY.
If you press the PROG button before entering a track number, an error message “ERR” will
appear on the top panel display.
When in program mode, PROGRAM will be shown on the display. The Previous Track,
Next Track and Search functions will all work as normal, but will move around between
the tracks you have programmed.
The STOP button, if pressed once, returns the transport to the beginning of the
programmed selection. If you press STOP a second time then you will exit program mode
and your track selection will be lost.
REPEAT
While the disc is playing, press “REPEAT’ once to repeat the whole disc. REPEAT will
be shown on the front panel display. Previous Track, Next Track and Search will work as
normal in this mode.
Press ‘REPEAT’ again to repeat a particular track; REPEAT1 will now be shown on the
display. If you press Previous or Next track; if you Search past the beginning or end of the
track; or if you press STOP, you will exit repeat mode.
Pressing ‘REPEAT’ for a third time will exit repeat mode.
RANDOM
Press ‘RANDOM’ and the transport will play tracks in random order until all tracks have
been played. RANDOM will be shown on the top panel display.
If you want random play to continue indefinitely, press ‘RANDOM’ and then ‘REPEAT’.
Play will now continue until you press STOP.
Note that the Random control on the Red Reference remote is marked “SHUF”.

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SCAN
Press ‘SCAN’ to enable the scanning facility – this plays the first few seconds of each track
on the disc, and could be useful when searching for a particular piece of music if you don’t
know the right track number.
To exit this mode, press STOP.
A-B
This function plays a particular section of your choosing in a loop between points A and B.
The selected section can be any length from a few seconds to several tracks.
When the disc is playing, press ‘A-B’ to set the start point A, then let the disc continue to
your chosen end point and press ‘A-B’ again to set point B. The transport will now play
only the information between points A and B, then back to A and so on. A-B will also
appear on the top panel display.
To exit this mode, press ‘A-B’ for a third time and the disc will continue playing as
normal, or press STOP to stop the disc.
Trigger Outputs
The Red Reference features two trigger outputs that can be used to remotely trigger other
Chord equipment. The external trigger should be connected via a standard 1/8th inch /
3.5mm (mono or stereo) jack plug to the socket fitted to the rear of the unit.
The Red Reference should be switched off, the trigger lead inserted, then the unit switched
back on.
The connections are as follows:
The tip of the plug is the +5V to +12V dc connection, the centre and rear connection are
the 0V or ground connection.
+5V to +12V
c.
0V / Ground

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Product Specification
HARMONIC DISTORTION < -98 dB (1kHz, 24-Bit @ 44.1KHz Sample Frequency)
SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO > 110dB
CHANNEL SEPARATION > 110dB @ 1KHz (> 100dB @ 22KHz)
DYNAMIC RANGE 120dB
SWITCHABLE DIGITAL INPUTS 1 x AES Balanced XLR Input
1 x Plastic Optical Fibre (TOSLink)
DIGITAL OUTPUTS 1 x BNC coax
1 x Plastic Optical Fibre (TOSLink)
2 x AES Balanced XLR (Can be configured for dual data
176.4KHz)
ANALOGUE OUTPUTS 2 X RCA Phono
2 X BALANCED XLR
SWITCHABLE RAM BUFFER Position 1 – No Buffering
Position 2 – Minimum Buffering
Position 3 – Maximum Buffering
WORD CLOCK INPUT 44.1KHz Word Clock Synchronisation via BNC input
SAMPLE FREQUENCIES 32KHz – 176.4KHz
OUTPUT MAX 6V rms. Balanced. 3V rms. unbalanced
OUTPUT IMPEDANCE 75(short circuit protected)
POWER SUPPLY Universal Input High Frequency Supply operates from 65V to
265V AC
DIMENSIONS IN MM 420 x 140 x 325mm (Width x Height x Depth)
WEIGHT 14Kg
Chord Electronics Limited
The Pumphouse
Farleigh Bridge
Farleigh Lane
East Farleigh
Kent ME16 9NB
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk