Elliott Studio Arts 66-001b User manual

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Elliott Studio Arts Series Sixty-Six
Model 66-001b
Vacuum Tube Reference Stereo Preamplifier
Table of contents:
Introduction………………………………………………………………………….3
Placement and hookup……………………………………………………………..3
Things to consider…………………………………………………………….…….4
Maintenance…………………………………………………………………………6
Vacuum tube replacement………………………………………………………….6
Pictorial diagram……………………………………………………………………7
Specifications………………………………………………………………………..7
Warranty……………………………………………………………………………..8
Contact information and Registration form……………………………………..9

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Welcome to the wonderful world of vacuum tube audio!
Vacuum tube audio components can add a life to music that only the most
expensive solid-state gear can match. The Elliott Studio Arts 66-001p stereo
preamplifier was designed to give many years of musical satisfaction and add fun
to your listening experience. Although not inexpensive the 66-001b was designed
for the ‘real-world’ music lover and is a high value in performance and no-
nonsense design.
The 66-001b is custom designed and hand-built. It features point-to-point
circuitry, hand matched high-temperature components and wiring, and custom
wound input and output transformers. The casework is heavy gauge steel. The
aluminum circuit panel floats on nitrile dampeners to minimize microphonics. The
entire circuit panel provides a low-impedance ground plane for ultra low noise.
The input transformer is a 2:1 step-down unit wired in 'balanced to ground'
configuration, which is the absolute best way to cancel common mode noise
(induced AC hum and spuria, RF, etc) coming in from the interconnects.
Additionally, all unbalanced inputs are routed through the same transformers, but
at a 1:1 ratio. This will allow switching between balanced and unbalanced
sources without the usual 6dB increase in gain from balanced sources. It also
ensures that all signals have the same path through the circuit. The line stage
runs in ‘parallel feed’ mode and utilizes local feedback to stabilize gain and lower
distortion, and the output transformer lowers the overall gain and noise at the
same time lowering the output impedance. Extensive capacitive bypassing at
every amplification stage ensures powerful dynamic sound. The separate power
supply is overbuilt utilizing computer-grade filter capacitors and a choke for an
ultra-clean and ‘stiff’ reservoir. Both the high voltage for tubes and the filament
supply is regulated. The AC input has RFI filtering and surge limiting.
Functional features include balance control, mono and mute switch, along with
the volume and source select. There is a ¼” stereo headphone jack for private
listening, suitable for low to medium impedance headphones.
Please be aware that this is tube preamp, it gets hot and has high voltage
potentials inside that can be hazardous to your health. Please refer all service to
a qualified technician; we will gladly supply full schematic documentation and
replacement parts upon request.
You are qualified to replace the tubes and fuse. Please carefully follow the
procedures outlined below so you don’t cause harm to yourself or the preamp.
Placement and hookup of your shiny new preamp
Place the preamp on a level non-resonant surface with plenty of ventilation
above and below. The power supply umbilical is 6 feet long, make sure to locate
the power supply well away from the preamp and its sensitive input circuitry. It
also should live on a level non-resonant surface with plenty of ventilation.

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Using the provided power umbilical, connect the preamp to the power supply.
The cable has a male 4-pin XLR on one end and a female on the other. The male
plugs into the power supply and the female plugs into the preamp. The AC cable
is a shielded IEC type; plug into the IEC socket on the back panel of the power
supply. Since the preamp has built in RFI filtering it is not necessary to plug into
any additional filtered power strips or conditioners, but feel free to experiment.
WARNING! Do not power up supply before connecting power umbilical to
preamp; also, do not unhook preamp from power supply when powered. This
could cause damage to the regulator circuits. Always wait 1 minute for the
supplies to discharge before hooking up or disconnecting the units if previously
powered.
Figure 1 - Rear panel of Preamp
The preamp has four unbalanced stereo line inputs, two balanced inputs, one
unbalanced stereo outputs and one balanced stereo output. Also included is an
unbalanced stereo recording output. Connect your source components
accordingly with high quality RCA or XLR style cables.
Once you have your new preamp installed its time to fire it up! (The power switch
is located on the power supply). It takes a few minutes for the tubes to come up
to temperature. Though you will get music after about 1 minute it’s best to let the
preamp warm up for at least 20 minutes before any critical listening.
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Now some more things to consider as you’re enjoying the
music:
Currently only one manufacturer makes the ECC99 tube, so no tube swapping
opportunities exist. The circuit is optimized and voiced to the ECC99 tube and
swapping in different tube types is not recommended as it will change the overall
sound of the preamp and hinder its performance.
If you need to replace the tubes be careful to order them with matched sections
or have them tested (they’re dual triodes, two tubes in one bottle). Most reputable
suppliers can provide tubes with matched sections.

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Don’t handle the tubes too much- keep them clean and free from fingerprints;
they’ll stay cooler and last longer. It is good to swap tubes once a year (V1 to
V2). This insures that the DC filament current is reversed periodically which is
good for tube life. The filament current polarity is reversed between like tube
sockets to facilitate this process.
The tubes should last a very long time, however they do have a finite life span. It
is perfectly safe to leave the unit powered up constantly but this will shorten tube
life.
I believe that the quality of speaker, input and power cables affects the sound so
use good quality wire. I also believe there is a law of diminishing returns; one
could easily spend more on a set of interconnects than the cost of the entire
amplifier. Use your own judgment here; it’s subjective and a matter of personal
taste. If you’re into DIY there’s plenty of websites featuring homemade speaker
and interconnect cables you can try. That’s what I’ve done.
You can try different ‘feet’ under the preamp; some like the solid cones, some
like the squishy pods. The rubber feet provided will support the weight and
isolate the vibrations adequately. Cones will drain away vibrations into whatever
the preamp rests upon, and squishy pods will keep vibrations from getting out but
may help damp them in the process. I haven’t tried them.
The 66-001p has very low output impedance thanks to the use of output coupling
transformers. This enables you to use long runs of cable between the preamp
and your power amplifier without affecting the frequency response. You can then
locate your amplifier wherever is most convenient - closer to the loudspeakers for
shorter speaker runs perhaps. The gain is also on the low side by design. You
may have to turn the volume control higher than you are accustomed to. This is
OK, most amplifiers will clip with as little as 1.5 volts –the 66-001p will put out a
full 6 volts p –p without distortion. This gain structure was chosen to reduce
noise and put the volume pot in a more linear region of its travel for average
listening levels.
If you experience hum try dressing the input cables differently. You will find that
as you move them around behind the preamp the hum level will go up and down.
It is an EMI (electromagnetic) field from power transformers that causes the hum.
This is usually not a problem; a little experimentation should reduce or eliminate
the hum. Make sure to locate the power supply unit well away from the preamp
and input cables.
If there is a nasty buzz there may be a ground loop or an open ground between
your source and the 66-001p. Check your input cables for continuity. The use of
a high quality isolation transformer is recommended to remove ground loops,
especially from video sources that have cable TV connected.

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Do not float the AC ground on the 66-001p or any other grounded
component in your system in an attempt to isolate the hum! This is a safety
ground and is there to protect you if there is a fault that could energize the
chassis of the component and cause electrocution.
Maintenance of your amplifier
Tube equipment requires periodic maintenance to ensure optimum performance.
Cleaning –Keep the tubes clean and free of dust and oily deposits. Remove and
clean with a soft towel and a mild solvent if necessary (every couple of years). Be
careful not to spill the solvent on the painted surface of the casework! The
casework can be cleaned with a mild detergent and soft towel. In both instances,
apply the liquid to the towel, not directly to the amplifier! Always clean when the
preamp is off and has cooled down. The added benefit of this is that by removing
and re-inserting the tubes you are cleaning oxidation off of the tubes’ pins and
the socket.
Be sure to swap their positions when re-installing; V1 for V2; this reverses the
polarity on the filaments to prolong tube life. You may also want to blow out the
dust with compressed air while you’re in there.
Heat –Your preamp will create heat, that’s the nature of tubes. Keep it well
ventilated and away from other heat sources
Vacuum tube replacement:
With power off for more than 5 minutes, disconnect from the power supply and
remove the top cover of the preamp. Refer to figure 2 for tube locations- The
linestage tubes (V1 & V2) are ECC99’s. Be careful when handling tubes, they are
fragile. Carefully remove tubes from their sockets and replace with new ones,
observing the pin-orientation; they can only go in one way –do not force them!
Make sure the tubes are clean and replace the top cover. Hook up to the power
supply as described above and enjoy. New tubes will need to break in a bit and
will sound better progressively over the next 10 hours or so of music playback.

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Figure 2 –Vacuum tube layout
Specifications:
*Non-inverting design
*2 Balanced and 4 unbalanced inputs / balanced outputs
*Input transformer configured in true 'balanced to ground' mode
*Input impedance = 50K balanced, 20K unbalanced
*Fully point to point construction with high temp wiring and silver solder
*Hand-matched high quality parts used throughout
*Line stage gain = 14dB (can be wired for 20dB on request)
-S/N ratio: 100dB, reference 1V p-p out, no weighting
*2 ea. ECC99 - line stage
*High-quality Alps Blue volume pot
*Balance control out of direct signal path
*Volume and balance controls nested between amplifier stages providing constant load on line
inputs for consistent frequency response
*Mono (true summing) and Mute switches for added convenience
*Record output jacks
*Dual main output jacks, 1 balanced XLR 1 unbalanced RCA
*Optional HT bypass function
*Transformer coupled output - headphones and main outs
*8 ohm output impedance - will drive 8 ohm speaker to 1 watt!
*Fully regulated external solid state power supply for low noise
*35lb shipping weight

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5 Year Limited Warranty on Parts and Labor
Owner must register product within 30 days of purchase by sending in the
registration form below. You will be contacted if any upgrades or modifications
become available. We will not sell your information.
Elliott Studio Arts will cover under warranty any repair of our products due to
defective parts or workmanship, this includes shipping damage from factory to
customer. If a defect is discovered Elliott Studio Arts will, at its discretion, repair
or replace the product at no charge to you provided it is returned within the
warranty period. The customer must pay shipping fees to Elliott Studio Arts for
warranty service.
Elliott Studio Arts will not cover under warranty any repairs of our products due to
neglect, abuse, accident or misapplication. Elliott Studio Arts reserves the right to
determine what constitutes neglect, abuse, accident or misapplication. This
includes damage caused by improper connection to other equipment and
modifications carried out by any entity other than Elliott Studio Arts. Elliott Studio
Arts is not liable for any damage to associated equipment or property due to
neglect, abuse or accidental damage to Elliott Studio Arts products.
Any applicable implied warranties, including warranty of merchantability, are
limited in duration to a period of the express warranty as provided herein
beginning with the original date of purchase and no warranties, whether express
or implied shall apply to the product thereafter. Under no circumstances shall
Elliott Studio Arts be liable for any loss, direct, indirect, incidental, special, or
consequential damage arising out of or in connection with the use of this product.
Elliott Studio Arts warranty will cover for the first 5 years of ownership the
following:
*All parts replaced under the warranty agreement except tubes and transformers,
*All labor for said repairs,
*Return shipping to registered owner.
All products must be shipped to factory for warranty repairs. Customer must
contact Elliott Studio Arts for Return Authorization Number before shipping
product to factory.
Please save original shipping carton for this purpose.
**Tubes are not covered under this warranty**

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Contact Information:
Elliott Studio Arts
412 NE 80th St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-351-7248
[email protected]
Feel free to contact us for questions regarding repairs, service information, set up
instructions or praise..
-Specifications, parts and design subject to change without notice-
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Elliott Studio Arts Product Registration Form
Model #
Serial #
Purchase Date
Dealer / Direct
Name
Address
email
Please fill out and mail to:
Elliott Studio Arts
Product Registration
412 NE 80th St
Seattle, WA 98115