Diezel Einstein User manual

Einstein 100W

Owner’s Manual

Diezel UK

LeaderCampbell Ltd.

120A Holloway Road.

London, N7 8JE.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Safety and Warranty

1.1 Safety Warnings

1.2 Warranty information

Chapter Two: Using your Einstein

2.1 Mains Connections, power and Standby

2.1.1 Mains/connect to power outlet

2.1.2 Power up, Warm up, Standby off

2.1.3 Power tube caution

2.1.4 Operating Temperature

2.1.5 Power Tube Information

Chapter Three: Peripheral Connections

3.1 Front Panel Connections

3.1.1 Signal In

3.1.2 Connection Information

3.1.3 Cable Selection

3.2 Rear Panel Connections

3.2.1 Send/Return Loop

3.2.2 Parallel and Serial Return

3.2.3 Reasons for Dynamic Losses in the Effects Loop

3.2.4 Compensated Out

3.2.5 Speaker Connections

Chapter Four: The Two Pre-Ampliﬁers

4.1 Pre-Ampliﬁer Duties

4.1.1 Channel One

4.1.2 Channel Two

4.2 Pre-Ampliﬁer Tubes

4.2.1 Noise and Micro-phonics

Chapter Five: Power Ampliﬁer

5.1 Tone and Volume of the Power Ampliﬁer

5.1.1 Master Volume

5.1.2 Presence

5.1.3 Deep

5.2 Power Ampliﬁer Tubes

5.2.1 Function

5.2.2 Selection

5.2.3 Life Span

Chapter Six: Functions and Switches

6.1 Channel Selection

6.2 Master 2 on/off

6.3 Channels

Chapter Seven: Maintenance and Cleaning

7.1 Cleaning

7.2 Care

7.3 Tube Change

Chapter One: Safety and Warranty

1.1 Safety warnings

We would like to stress the importance of the following points, for reasons of your personal safety,

product longevity and product liability.

!•Do not use the Ampliﬁer in or near wet locations

!•Do not store the Ampliﬁer in damp or wet locations

!•Do not operate the Ampliﬁer on voltages other than those designated on the rear panel of the

!ampliﬁer.

!•Do not open the panels of the ampliﬁer. No user serviceable parts inside.

!Your Einstein operates on very high internal voltages, which may still be

!present after the Ampliﬁer has been turned off and disconnected for a while.

!•Do not use the Ampliﬁer for anything other than its designed purpose: To Amplify Electric

!Guitar Signals

!•Do not use fuses other than those intended and speciﬁed for the Ampliﬁer

!•Do not use 2-conductor extension cords or anything other than 3-pole grounded outlets for this

!appliance. Your life may depend on it!

! ! Please observe the following points when transporting your Einstein:

!Einstein is a tube-powered ampliﬁer; therefore it is sensitive to shock especially after playing the

!ampliﬁer for a while. Please store and transport your ampliﬁer gently and try to avoid extreme

!temperatures, which might produce condensation, resulting in moisture on internal components.

!Usually a 60 Minute acclimatization period is sufﬁcient to ensure safe operation.

!The ampliﬁer should be stored in a controlled environment, and it should be transported in a

!suitable ﬂight case. Make sure the ampliﬁer gets transported in its normal operating position, not

!upside down or on its side.

! ! The Einstein’s design incorporates a very potent power ampliﬁer. It is conﬁgured to deliver

!satisfying guitar tones at most volume levels. In its normal operational volume level (75-80dB) it

!will provide beautiful tones with very little coloration. For reasons of your own safety, please do

!not run the ampliﬁer above these levels for extended periods of time without wearing a hearing

!protection. Hearing Loss is a long-term ailment, and is not normally curable.

1.2 Warranty

! ! Diezel GmbH. of Munich, Germany offers a 1-year transferable warranty on the Einstein

!100W Guitar Ampliﬁer. The product must be registered and a dated sales receipt must

!accompany the registration. Excluded from this warranty are all vacuum tubes and any abuse

!done to the ampliﬁer. Also excluded from this warranty are damages resulting from failing to

!follow the Safety Warnings mentioned in the section 1.1. Diezel UK is the local executor of this

!warranty. Customer is responsible for shipping charges to Diezel UK in London unless other

!arrangements were made in advance.

Chapter Two: Using Your Einstein

2.1 Mains Connections, Power and Standby

2.1.1 Mains/Connection to Power Outlet

! ! Please make sure that both switches (Power and Standby) are in the off position before

!connecting to the mains circuit. Verify line voltage before connecting the power cord. Never start

!Einstein without connecting speakers to the proper terminals. (See 3.2.5)

2.1.2 Power up, Warm up, Standby off

! ! First, turn the Power switch to on (facing up). The indicator light will turn on. This starts the

!tube heating process. After about 40 seconds, the tubes should be sufﬁciently heated for normal

!operation. Your Einstein is then ready for operation and the standby switch can be turned to

!“run” (also facing up). Premature activation of the standby switch will lead to unnecessary tube

!stress and subsequent reduction of the power tube’s life span.

2.1.3 Power Tube Caution

! ! Tubes are electronic components that function only with vacuum intact and under very high

!operating temperatures. Each tube has one or more heating ﬁlaments, much like a light bulb.

!These ﬁlaments heat up the anode of the tube. If you switch the standby switch to the “run”

!position before these anodes have reached their operating temperature (when the anode surfaces

!are not heated evenly), this causes undue stress to the tubes and their related components inside

!the amp. Always give the amp its much needed warm-up time, even if musical inspiration hits

!you with a full force.

2.1.4 Operating Temperature

! ! It will take a little more time after warm-up until everything inside the amp is working in sync

!and to its fullest potential. A trained ear will notice a slightly warmer tone and better complexity

!in tone after playing the amp for a short while. It’s like stretching before exercising.

2.1.5 Power Tube Life

! ! The power tubes of your ampliﬁer are subjected to a certain aging process. Once signs of

!aging, such as unreliability or unusual noise, are detected, we suggest that you replace all power

!tubes at once. Matched tube sets age relatively evenly, so our experience suggests. This means

!that if one goes, the others are not far from meeting the same fate. The aging process manifests

!itself by a depletion of a thin layer of wolfram on the anodes. This can take anywhere from 6

!month to 3 years, depending on the amount of use of the ampliﬁer.

Chapter Three: Peripheral Connections

3.1 Front Panel Connections

3.1.1 The input jack (“IN”) receives your Electric Guitar signal by means of a shielded guitar cord

!with 1/4” mono style plug. Your guitar cord is an important part of your signal chain and its

!quality and construction type clearly affect the overall tone of your rig. Try and buy the best

!quality guitar cord that you can or want to afford. Call us if you have doubts and need

!recommendations. This is where the smart “weak link” comment comes in.

3.1.2 Cable ABC

! ! Some cords and cables sound very neutral; others color the sound spectrum and/or

!attenuate high frequencies due to capacitance inside the wire and the shield. What are we talking

!about? OK. A capacitor is used in electronic crossovers, amongst other things, to divide low and

!high frequencies. Capacitance in a cable cuts your guitar’s high end to a certain degree.

! ! Generally, the longer of a cord you use, the more of the cord’s inherent characteristics will be

!audible.

3.1.3 Cable Selection

! ! In certain circumstances, it is desirable to match a guitar cord to a speciﬁc instrument. One

!may use the otherwise undesirable qualities of a cord to one’s advantage, if one has the time and

!patience to experiment with different cords and guitars. This should be done while playing with

!your band, or while recording. Sometimes it is difﬁcult to tell a component’s true advantages

!until it is used in the right context.

! ! A guitar that has very piercing highs could theoretically be tamed down somewhat by using a

!long guitar cord that offers some high-end attenuation. The loops of your Einstein send signals at

!higher levels and impedances, which makes this section of wiring less sensitive. You should still

!use reliable and good quality wiring for all loops.

3.2 Rear Panel Connections

3.2.1 Send/Return Loop

! ! The system consists of 2 separate Loops. It allows creation of effects path in either serial or

!parallel conﬁgurations. The individual channel volume controls determine the signal strength at

!the send jacks. The range is ... to +10dB. The output impedance is 4.7 kΩ. To use the Send/

!Return Loops, connect the “Send” to the “return” or “input” or “in” of the effects unit. Be sure to

!adjust the input level of the effects unit to the ampliﬁers level. Most effects units have led bar or

!other level control devices. The Output of the effects unit must be connected to one of the return

!jacks, parallel,, or serial. If you use the parallel return, then the signal can be mixed to the

!original signal via the rear panel mounted “Volume” control.

3.2.2 Parallel or Serial

!Which is better for you? Read on.

! ! There are 2 ways to handle effects signals. The serial loop interrupts the signal path of the

!Einstein and the signal is sent to the processor, becomes processed, then sent back to the serial

!return into the power amp. Digital effects units often digitize this signal once received, then

!process the signal, convert it back to analog, then send it to the amp. This is called ADA (analog

!digital analog) conversion. It is necessary for digital effects units digitize your guitar signal so

!that the processor can read and understand signal. Your tubes, however, need an analog signal to

!operate, so the processor converts the signal back to analog before it goes back to the amp.

!Generally, even in highest quality effects processors, this causes a change in the original signal,

!typically a loss of tonality and warmth, also noticeable as a “harder” sound. When you use the

!serial loop for an effects unit like this, then your signal will have been ADA converted at least

!once. Tone junkies and vintage freaks alike will more than likely have hives developing by now.

!But - as always, there is a better way. Use the Parallel loop and the Volume control in the rear

!determines how much effect signal is being added to the original signal, which now still ﬂows

!through the ampliﬁer. There is always an analog connection between the send and return jacks; a

!parallel loop!

! ! Important: You must set the mix control on the effects unit to 100% wet when using the

!parallel loop. Otherwise there will be nasty phasing problems resulting in unsatisfactory tone.

!The signal portion that is unaffected by the mix control in the effects unit would reach the

!ampliﬁer at a different time due to the cabling, and cause phasing cancellations.

3.2.3 Top 5 Reasons for dynamic losses in the effects loop

! ! Many different factors can be responsible for loss of dynamics, aside from those mentioned in

!3.2.2 (ADA conversion). A vital point that often leads to frustration is a maladjusted output level

!of an effects unit. If the output level is too high, then it will cause unwanted distortion in the

!power amp. If it is too low, then the rig will not sound punchy and might get lost in the band

!sound. When used in the serial loop, the output of the effects unit determines the ultimate drive

!signal strength of the power amp. The output level should be matched to give the best possible

!sound with all channels without over driving the power amp section. (Unless this is desired for

!power amp distortion) Headroom adjustments of 10% are usually sufﬁcient.

3.2.4 Compensated Out

! ! A frequency corrected signal will leave this jack if you connect it to a mixer or recording

!device. Use it to quietly compose or send an auxiliary signal to a console etc. For quiet sessions,

!just turn the master volumes to “0”. Recording a loudspeaker through a microphone is the

!preferred choice of recording engineers. The compensated out was designed as an alternative for

!those that don’t have a studio at your ﬁngertips.

3.2.5 Speaker Connections

! ! Einstein has 5 speaker jacks. 1 for a 16 Ohm load, 2 for 2 16 Ohm loads or 1 8 Ohm load, and

!2 for 2 8 Ohm loads or 1 4 Ohm load. Confusing? Oh yes! Just do what it says on the jacks, and

!you’ll be ﬁne.

Chapter Four: Two Pre-Ampliﬁers

4.1 Pre-Ampliﬁers and their Jobs

! ! The Diezel Einstein comes equipped with 2 different and totally independent preamps.

!This allows the artist to play through nearly all musical-styles without having to make major

!changes to his/her ampliﬁer. The preamps are voiced to deliver the most wanted guitar tone

!ﬂavors: Clean, Crunch, Heavy, Lead. This design concept delivers stellar guitar sounds with

!excellent playability, warm dynamics and razor sharp equalization possibilities. The tone

!controls work in an unusually wide range, so a little adjustment does quite a lot. As with so many

!things, less is often more. We suggest you start exploring the channels with all controls set to

!12:00 o’clock, and the master volume just slightly cracked open. (To avoid hearing damage)

4.1.1 Channel One (low to medium gain)

! ! Clean Tone is a very sensitive subject, because there are so many different ideas on how a

!clean amp should sound like. Clean tonal textures require much higher dynamic range than

!distorted sounds. From hard and percussive sounds to soft, warm, and blossoming tone. Einstein

!was designed to offer as many of the clean varieties as possible. Your choice of guitars and

!pickups will have a large part in this equation.

! ! Channel one has three modes, selectable by a toggle switch near the channel one gain

!knob. The modes pre-select different gain stages in the pre-amp, allowing this channel to span

!the range from extreme clean to a heavy crunch. A player that does not require a clean channel

!can use these modes for alternate distortion sounds.

4.1.2 Channel Two (high gain)

! ! This channel is voiced for single notes, or for very heavy and massive rhythm guitar. Due to

!its slight midrange accent and very high gain, it possesses a good punch, will play with ease, and

!gain authority to rule any stage, or studio. The “less is often more” rule applies here also.

4.2 Pre-ampliﬁer Tubes

! ! The pre-amps are equipped with 12AX7 tubes in all positions. The pre-amp tubes are not

!designed to produce high power output. Therefore, their life expectancy is much higher than that

!of the power ampliﬁer tubes. This is not to undermine their utter importance in overall sound and

!response of the ampliﬁer. Also, annoying defects like crackling noises and low dynamics are

!directly related to defective pre-amp tubes. Like all other tubes, 12AX7 tubes come in many

!different gain stages, and offer a wide variety of tonal behavior. Our choice for production was

!made to ensure a wide variety of tones, with low!noise and good reliability.

4.2.1 Micro-phonics and Bad Noises

! ! The overall performance of pre-amp tubes is easily inﬂuenced by external mechanical

!factors. Malfunction in these external components will manifest themselves by a sudden,

!high-pitched feedback sound. The input stage is especially suspect to these phenomena. If one

!encounters microphonic tube behavior, then the ﬁrst tube should be checked as a rule. Pre-

!Ampliﬁer tubes can also cause a hum or other bad noises, like crackling or ticking.

Chapter Five: Power Ampliﬁer

5.1 Tone and Volume of the Power Ampliﬁer

5.1.1 Master Volume

! ! As the name suggests, this controls the overall, volume of the ampliﬁer. There is also a

!second, selectable master volume control, which allows volume adjustments via remote

!control device while playing.

5.1.2 Presence

! ! The presence knob controls frequencies over 3kHz. Treble is produced and dispersed in a very

!small beam from the speaker, so be sure to position yourself in the projection area of the speaker

!when making adjustments.

5.1.3 Deep

! ! The Deep Control is an active bass control contrary to conventional bass controls. It

!controls the frequencies around 120Hz without inﬂuencing the overall dynamic range of the

!power ampliﬁer. Diezel GmbH. is not responsible for disintegrating speaker cabinets.

5.2 Power Ampliﬁer Tubes

5.2.1 Function

! ! As the name suggests, the power amp section is the part of the ampliﬁer that produces

!output power, measured in watts. Preamp signals are sent to the power amp(s), which ampliﬁes

!this signal to a level that is acceptable for loudspeakers. Guitar ampliﬁers utilize several different

!types of power amps, which differ in output power and tone. We chose the tube type power

!ampliﬁer for its tried and true performance and familiar tonal behavior.

5.2.2 Selection

! ! Diezel GmbH. installs the most reliable and best sounding tubes that are currently available in

!sufﬁcient quantities. So it is possible that tube brand and tube type will change during

!production. You can ﬁne-tune your Einstein by having different type and brands of tubes

!installed, however, it is imperative that the amp is biased properly. Einstein utilizes 4 power

!tubes, organized in 2 pairs with dual bias possibility. This allows use of 2 different pairs of

!power tubes, either the same or the different types. Yes, this means that in a 4 - tube Einstein,

!you can mix 6550’s with EL34’s, or 6L6’s with KT88’s etc. Cool!

!A quick and a general overview of the most common tube types for the Einstein:

!EL34/6CA7: aggressive, slender low end, higher total harmonic distortion Recommended bias:

!30-35mA

!5881/6L6: great tube for clean sounds, good blues tone, also strong bass and excellent clarity.

!Recommended bias: 25-35mA

!6550: very loud, very good dynamics, strong low end, amazingly percussive. Recommended

!bias: 40-60mA

!KT88/KT100: similar to 6550, but very punchy with great clarity and warmth. Expensive.

!Recommended bias: 35-50m

5.2.3 Life Span

! ! Power tubes last 1 to 3 years, depending on care, volume and frequency of use of the

!ampliﬁer. If you use your amp only once a month, then the tubes will last much longer. Really.

! ! We have heard tubes that are over 10 years old, but it was not a good thing. Tubes age very

!slowly; slow enough for the artist to get used to the changing tone. To keep things fresh, and to

!keep your tube dealer in business, we recommend re-tubing, cleaning and biasing once a year if

!the amp is used frequently.

Chapter Six: Layout of Controls

6.1 Manual Channel Selection

! ! The 2 channels of the Einstein can be selected manually by activating the select switch for

!either channel. Alternatively, a foot switch can be connected to remotely control the channel

!selection.

6.2 Master 2 On/Off

! ! Master 2 can be used for all channels, and can also be remotely controlled via the included

!foot switch. This allows instant volume boost, or cut, without ﬁddling with the amp. Once

!adjusted to suit your needs for the gig, it’s a thing of pure beauty. You can select the Master 2

!function via the Diezel 2-button foot switch. Actually, you can also use a readily available

!single button foot switch with a 1/4” connector.

6.3 Channels

!•Channel One

!Control perimeters include Gain, Volume, Treble, Mid, and Bass. A 3-position toggle switch

!selects preset gain modes.

!•Channel Two

!Control perimeters include Gain, Volume, Treble, Mid, and Bass. This channel can be selected

!via the toggle switch, or via the Diezel 2-button foot switch.

6.4 Effects Mix control Rear panel

!This control determines the amount of effect signal in the parallel loop

Chapter Seven: Maintenance and Cleaning

7.1 Cleaning

! ! Never use anything wet to clean the ampliﬁer, any ampliﬁer. Usually, it is sufﬁcient to wipe

!down the outside of the amp with a slightly moist cleaning rag. Do not use abrasive cleaning

!chemicals. Sometimes a vacuum cleaner can be used to remove dust and dirt from nooks and

!crevices. Do not remove the chassis from the housing to clean the amp; the inside of your amp

!carries dangerous Voltages.

7.2 Care

! ! Be gentle with this Ampliﬁer. Any mechanical shocks, extreme temperature changes,

!damp environments, and other extreme conditions (dust, wind) can substantially shorten tube

!life. In some cases, even the ampliﬁer life. Do not block the air circulation grilles in the front

!and in the back of the amp. Do not push the amp right up against objects that would interfere

!with its normal airﬂow. The top of the ampliﬁer might get warm after a prolonged use; this is

!normal, but will melt your ice cream and deﬁnitely ruin your beer. Never put beverages on top of

!the amp where they could spill and ﬂow inside the ampliﬁer. Will you rue the loss of your

!beverage ﬁrst or the loss of your ampliﬁer?

7.3 Tube Change

! ! Tube changes are only to be performed by authorized service personnel. If power tubes with

!different values than the stock tubes are to be installed, then the ampliﬁer must be re-biased

!before operation can be resumed. The ampliﬁer uses a two circuit bias system. It is quick and

!easy to accomplish biasing but we recommend that you refer to trained professionals to attempt

!this procedure.

Leader Campbell Ltd and Diezel Ampliﬁcation GmbH wish to express their gratitude

and congratulate you for your decision to purchase the

Diezel Einstein Ampliﬁer.

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