Fine Audio Instruments ECI1 User manual

ECI1 DUAL MONO
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
Owner’s Manual
WARNING: To reduce risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this
appliance to rain or moisture. Verify line voltage before use.
Do not remove cover. No user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service
personnel. The warranty in void if the product is tampered with by non authorised
personnel. Use only authorised Electrocompaniet service station.

Welcome to the world of Electrocompaniet
We sincerely thank you for selecting an amplifier from Electrocompaniet. We hope
you will enjoy years of listening pleasure and true high end musical performance
from your audio system. Kindly read this owners manual to familiarise yourself with
the set before operation.
The Electrocompaniet Story
Electrocompaniet was founded in 1973 in Oslo, Norway, to manufacture an amplifier
designed by Per Abrahamsen. The design were based upon a new approach to
transistor amplifier design developed by Dr. Matti Otala and Jan Lohstro.
It had long been recognised that transistor amplifiers had a characteristic sound that
many audiophiles and music lovers found unnatural.
Dr. Otala and Mr. Lohstro analysed transistor amplifiers to determine what actually
created the “transistor sound” in general transistorised designs. The results of their
innovative design work were incorporated in the first Electrocompaniet design, the
legendary 25 watt amplifier.
This product were the first commercial transistor amplifier to use this new design
approach, and the amplifier was immediately recognised as dramatically more musi-
cal sounding than any other transistor amplifier. The same design philosophy, has
been constantly updated by additional research and development. This philosophy
form the basis of all the current Electrocompaniet Ampliwire and Preampliwire Dual
Mono Balanced designs.
Electrocompaniet have always given extensive listening test of all it’s designs the
highest priority. Every product designed by our engineers must meet the varied and
exacting standards of the listening panel, carefully selected to represent a cross
section of musical taste and experience. Electrocompaniet designs go back and
forth between the design laboratory and the listening panel until both engineers and
listeners are completely satisfied, and ensured the that the design has met it’s
technical and sonic objectives.
All Electrocompaniet products are handmade by highly skilled technicians, and
extensively tested for maximum performance and reliability.
Final adjustments are made only after an extended period of operation to insure the
best possible performance under conditions similar to those of actual use.
Electrocompaniet Ampliwire and Preampliwire are sold in more than 25 countries ,
providing the ultimate listening pleasure to dedicated music lovers world-wide.

The design features of Ampliwire ECI 1
After the Electrocompaniet 25 watt amplifier had established a new standard for
transistor amplifiers, research was undertaken to find ways to make the amplifier
even better, and to extend its highly musical sound quality to more powerful amplifier
designs. The engineers at Electrocompaniet were not satisfied by only reducing the
commonly recognised types of distortion to low levels. They recognised that distort-
ion appears in many forms, and that distortion was still audible in listening tests even
when conventional categories of distortion were at astonishingly low levels.
Traditionally, designers increased feedback to make a larger portion of the output
signal control the amplifiers response. Our listening tests showed us that simply
applying more feedback was not the answer. In fact, as one kind of distortion went
down, other parameters would be adversely affected, leading to an overall
degradation of sound quality. We knew that the other conventional design approach
of eliminating feedback completely was not the answer either, because this would
cause high distortion levels, and as a result would produce a “woolly” sound.
The answer to the dilemma was found in a novel approach to feedback theory. We
developed a feedback concept that allowed local feedback to be applied around
individual stages of the amplifier circuit. This approach allowed us to avoid the sonic
disadvantages of overall feedback from output to input. The concept was further
developed to reduce phase- and interphase distortion between stages of the
amplifier as well. We were able to concentrate the loop feedback on the stages of the
amplifier where it resulted in audible improvement.
Stability margins were also expanded because feedback no longer affected the fre-
quency response. The use of this concept of individual gain blocks - complex in
design but simple in function - allowed us to reduce distortion to minute values in all
the products.
The amplifier is divided into two separate sections or gain blocks. The input block is
a transconductance amplifier without overall feedback. This avoids large output
current being fed back to the input, and mixed with the minute input signal. The out-
put block is a transresistance amplifier with parallel feedback. This is done to prevent
higher frequencies than the feedback loop can handle, from entering the loop. An
approach like this will prevent Transient Inter modulation Distortion (TIM) and
Slewing Induced Distortion (SID), eliminating the need for an extremely wide
bandwidth.
All stages work in Class A with an efficiency of less than 0,1%. The power supply of
the ECI 1 consists of two 500 VA toroidal transformer. Furthermore, the power
supply consists of a 40.000 micro farad reservoir divided into four 10.000 micro farad
capacitors in parallel with 4,7 and 0,1 micro farad polycarbonate- and polypropylene
capacitors.

Unpacking the amplifier:
Immediately upon receipt of the amplifier, inspect the carton for possible damage
during shipment. If the carton is visibly damaged, a claim must be filed with the car-
rier as soon as possible.
Unpack the unit carefully, and please do remember to save all packaging materials
for future shipment. The carton and packaging have been designed to offer the
safest possible protection when transporting your amplifier.
The content of the carton is as follows:
1 pcs Electrocompaniet Ampliwire ECI 1
1 pcs AC power cord
1 Owners Manual
1 pcs Spare fuse,5.0 AT slow-blow 5x20mm (120V AC)
2.5 AT slow-blow 5x20mm (220V AC)
The actual spare fuse is located inside the AC 3 pin receptacle.
Connecting the AW ECI 1
Connecting to mains
Check that the mains voltage printed on the rear panel of the amplifier corresponds
with the line voltage in the territory were you intend to use your amplifier.
How to avoid damages
A good operating practice is to turn off all equipment before any connections or
disconnection’s are made. Do not under any circumstances connect or disconnect
equipment when power is turned on. If you insist on connecting or disconnecting
while power is turned on, you should be aware that the design of the RCA plug
generates a large transient when inserting the plug. This could damage both the
speakers and the amplifier.
The rear panel
The rear panel of the Ampliwire ECI 1 contains all input and output connectors. The
printed rear panel clearly indicates the functions of each connector. The preamplifier
section of the ECI 1 is designed for line levels only, and a turntable can not be
connected to the unit. A separate phono stage must be connected between the
turntable and the ECI 1. Any input can be used.
A separate power amplifier may be connected to the connector marked OUT .
This output is controlled by the volume/ balance control.

Operating instructions:
How to turn on your system
You should always turn on your equipment in this order: Signal source devices (CD,
tuner, etc) are turned on first. Allow 30 seconds of preheating before you turn on your
amplifier.When turning your system off, you should start by switching off your
amplifier
and finally your signal source devices
After switching on the amplifier, there will be a 5 seconds delay before the speakers
are connected. This will prevent large turn on/off transients to reach the speakers.
Replacing a blown main fuse:
Always remove the AC cord from the Inlet
The main fuse is located inside a small drawer in the AC inlet of the unit. If, for some
reason the fuse blows, turn the unit off, and remove the AC cord from the inlet.
Open the drawer with a small screwdriver and remove the broken fuse. The spare
fuse is located in the hole in front of the main fuse. Push the new fuse gently out of
the hole, and place it in correct position (where the blown fuse was removed). Push
the drawer gently back to the closed position, connect the power cord and turn the
unit on.
Never replace a blown fuse with other values than printed on the unit.
Warning:
The amplifier will be warm.
Due to the high class A operating point used in the Electrocompaniet design, it is
normal that the amplifier feels warm. Proper ventilation will be needed, and the
amplifier should not be covered in. A good rule is to allow 1 - 2 inches of air
sidewise, and 2 - 3 inches above the amplifier.
If placing the amplifier on the floor, be aware of carpets that can obstruct the
ventilation underneath the amplifier.

Service Policy:
When service is needed
Your dealer will have all relevant information about the service centers in your area,
and will ensure that your unit is serviced without delay. It is our general policy to have
your amplifier returned to you within 5 working days. This is an average time, and
could vary locally, depending on the work load at the service center.
If, for some reason, there are no service facilities available in your country, please
ship the amplifier to the following address:
ELECTROCOMPANIET AS
BREIVIKVEIEN 7
N-4120 TAU, NORWAY
FAX [phone]
E-mail : [email protected]
You are responsible for all shipping charges, insurance, re-importation to your coun-
try, and duty arrangements. When shipping a product to the factory for service,
always include the following:
1) A sales slip or other proof of purchase if repair is claimed under
warranty.
2) A proforma invoice with value of the goods, stating that the amplifier
is returned to Norway for repair.
3) An accompanying letter describing faults, symptoms, or problems
with the amplifier.
4) Always ship the amplifier in its original carton and packaging material
to prevent damage in transit.
Electrocompaniet will not accept responsibility for any damage caused in transit, no
matter how ever caused.
If you require further information concerning the amplifier operation, or if you have
any questions related to service, please do not hesitate to contact your dealer or
national Electrocompaniet distributor.

Technical Specifications ECI 1 :
The following technical data were measured on randomised test objects and are
typical data. All measurements are made with the following equipment:
Distortion analyser: Tektronix AA501
Oscilloscope: Tektronix 468
Oscillator: Tektronix SG505
Frequency counter: Rascal 9838
Phase meter: Hewlett Packard 3575A
Preamplifier section
Input impedance 47 kOhm
THD (1kHz 1V input, 1V output) 0,001%
Max. input > 14 V RMS
Channel separation (1V output at 1kHz) > 90dB
Equivalent input noise < 3 µV
Output impedance 100 Ohm
Amplifier section
Main voltage 120 V / 240 V. Clipping point of the amplifier is set to a level where total
harmonic distortion (THD) is 0.2 %.
Output Impedance (20 Hz - 20 kHz) < 0,01 Ohm
Input sensitivity for rated output 0.4 V
Max. Peak current > 80 A
THD (measured at 1 kHz half power, 8 Ohm) < 0,001 %
THD (measured at 1 kHz -1 dB, 8 Ohm) < 0,001 %
Noise (measured with both inputs shorted)
400Hz - 30kHz : 150 µV
10 Hz - 30 kHz : 180 µV
Rated output power
10 % change in line voltage will give app. 20 % change in output power.
8 Ohm 2 x 100 W
4 Ohm 2 x 200 W
2 Ohm 2 x 350 W
Power consumption (no load or signal) 161 W
Dimensions
Width 432 mm / 17 inches
Depth 380mm / 15 inches
Height 125mm / 5 inches
Weight 16Kg / 35.2 lbs.
The manufacturer reserves the right to alter these specifications without further
notice.