Origin live Discovery 1 User manual

©2020 Origin Live –All rights reserved
Discovery 1 User Manual

©2020 Origin Live –All rights reserved
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Discovery 1 phono
stage. We trust that this high-end audio
component will give you many years of listening
enjoyment.
Before connecting the phono stage to your system
we highly recommend that you read the whole
manual in order to become familiar with the unit’s
controls and most importantly, specific warnings
and cautions that should be observed. Throughout
these manual handy tips have been included that
should help to ensure the phono stage is set up
optimally and gives you the most transparent and
engaging sound possible.
Run in time
The phono stage takes a while to run in. It needs a
minimum of 40 hours playing music (not just
powered up) before it really frees up and loses any
restrictionsin its sound. For low output moving coil
cartridges the run in time is more like 100 hours.
Leave powered on
The phono stage takes a few hours to warm up
properly from switch on.
Because it consumes very little power we suggest
leaving it permanently powered up (unless you are
going on Holiday).
Please read this first
WARNINGS :-
Do not open casework
Never disassemble the phono stage box. There are
no user serviceable parts inside but there is
potentially dangerous mains voltage in the power
supply that can cause serious injury or death.
Mains Lead
The Discovery 1 automatically adapts to regions
with mains supply of 240V, 230V and 100 –120V.
The Protective Earth connection to the mains
supply is required for safety reasons because mains
voltage is present in the module. The Earth wire in
the mains lead must never therefore be
disconnected or 'lifted'.
Do not connect directly to a Power Amplifier
Never connect the Discovery 1 phono stage
directly to a power amplifier. The unit has no direct
control over the output volume and the high gain
is extremely likely to cause an acoustic feedback
loop that can easily destroy the drive units in
speakers. Always connect the unit to a device with
a volume control and always power the system on
with the volume reduced to a low level.
Lower volume before turning on
Always mute the amplifier, completely turn down
the master volume control or better still turn off the
main power amplifier when performing any
operations that involve changes to the Discovery 1
phono stage cabling. Make sure that the tonearm
ground wire is in good contact with the ground
post and that it is mated squarely and cleanly.
Getting Started
Unpacking
The Discovery 1 phono stage is supplied with the
following items: -
1. MM/MC phono stage module
2. AC mains power cable with C5 input plug
(230V/115V suitable for regional use)
3. This owner manual
If any of these items is missing or if the mains cable
is not suitable for the intended country of use then
please contact the distributor or supplier from
where it was purchased for a suitable replacement.
Setting Up
It is recommended that other Hi-Fi system
components are powered off during setup as this
will avoid all kinds of potential mistakes causing
unwanted noise, hum or damage whilst cables are
being plugged in.

©2020 Origin Live –All rights reserved
Physical Placement
Firstly, find a good stable location to place the
phono stage box. Try and avoid close proximity
with units which emit a magnetic field (such as
ampliers etc) as these can induce hum. A high-
quality Hi-Fi stand or shelf as part of a dedicated
Hi-Fi installation is preferable.
Connect the earth
Connect the tonearm earth wire (if it has an earth
wire) to the binding post on the rear panel. It can
be difficult to turn the Earth nut with larger phono
cables already plugged in therefore this should be
done first.
If a bare earth wire is used, make sure it is wrapped
around the binding post thread in a clockwise
direction looking from the rear and that no
exposed wire is left hanging out that could make a
short to other connectors.
Only hand tighten the earth nut making sure the
wire is securely gripped. Do not use spanners or
other tools.
Avoid earth loops
Ideally there should be only one connection to
Earth from a common point. If multiple Earth
connections exist then earth loops can occur if
current flows around such loops. This sometimes
results is audible mains hum at 50/60Hz or even
harmonics of these frequencies. If mains hum is
heard when playing vinyl the best approach is to try
and identify the source of the ground loop and
break it at a sensible point that does not
compromise the safe operation of the entire system.
If in doubt, seek professional assistance.
Connect your Tonearm to the
Discovery 1
Plug the tonearm phono cables into the 2 phono
sockets marked “IN”.
Next plug in a pair of interconnect cables running
from the Discovery 1 outputs marked “OUT”.
Plug the other end of the interconnects into your
pre-amplifier / amplifier input RCA sockets.
Connect the power cable
Finally, connect the mains cable The blue LED on
the front panel will light up to indicate the unit is
powered up.
Front Panel Adjustments
The Discovery 1 phono stage has 2 front panel
controls which make adjustments to suit a wide
variety of MM and MC cartridges. These
adjustments have a significant influence on sound
quality so take time to explore them and not just
settle on the first combination, even if it sounds
great.
The best approach for making adjustments is to
first set the impedance to roughly the right value.
So for Moving magnet (MM) cartridges use the MM
setting and for Moving Coil (MC) cartridges set the
value at 400 ohms as a start point.
Once you have done this start experimenting with
the gain setting to achieve the best sound. Start
with the gain knob turned fully anti-clockwise
which is its lowest then increase gain it by turning
the knob clockwise. Compare for any sign of
‘shouting’ from voices or bass crescendos, for
example and stop increasing the gain once these
tell tale signs manifest themselves.
Next adjust the impedance. Listen to tonal
balance and bass tightness. If the impedance is
too low then the bass tends to become soft and
loose, lacking in punch and definition. If the
impedance gets too high then the mid-band
becomes a little hard / harsh and bass warmth
disappears along with it’s expansive, relaxed feel,
(wherever is should sound relaxed and warm
with proper slow decay).
Impedance Loading
The knob on the left has 5 positions to control the
electrical 'load' placed on the cartridge coils. For
moving magnet cartridges, the switch is usually set
at the MM location. This provides the normal
47Kohms loading used on most MM cartridges and

©2020 Origin Live –All rights reserved
high output moving coil cartridges (2 –5mV). For
low output moving coil cartridges (0.1 –0.9mV, the
load impedance is usually much lower with 400
ohms being quite typical.
Notes on cartridge variables
The manufacturers of moving coil cartridges may
specify a range of possible loading values that can
be quite wide, for example, from 100 ohms to 1000
ohms for a specific cartridge.
It is therefore recommended that the best value
should be determined by experimentation over a
number of hours once the phono stage has fully
warmed up (usually more than 1 hour). When a
manufacturer recommends a particular impedance
value which does not match any of those available
on the Discovery 1 it’s recommended to start with
the closest setting to the recommended value and
then experiment away from that value; increasing
the impedance initially.
The audible effects of different impedance values
can often be system dependent and subtle but can
also result in surprising discoveries. The key is to
take time when making the final selection, playing
a number of tracks to compare against each change
of input impedance. Then possibly repeat the same
test over a number of days.
Switch Positions
1. MM (47K ohms) - most moving magnet
cartridges
2. 100 (ohms) - very low impedance moving
coil cartridges
3. 240 (ohms) - low impedance moving coil
cartridges
4. 400 (ohms) - typical impedance moving
coil cartridges
5. 820 (ohms) - higher impedance moving
coil cartridges
Further guidance on impedance setting
Generally, the input impedance loading value
should be at least 10 times the output impedance
of the cartridge’s coil. This is not a hard and fast
rule as the effects of changing impedance may be
subtle and subjective suiting one system
combination more than another. It is however a
good starting point if there are no specific
recommendations from the manufacturer or their
recommended range is very wide.
Setup is complete
Congratulations, now that the Discovery 1 has
been connected and setup, all that is left to do is
to sit back, relax and enjoy your favourite music
whilst exploring new insights and depths
previously hidden.
Troubleshooting
No Sound is produced
If the blue LED on the left of the front panel is not
lit then check the cable has been fitted correctly
and the connectors have been pushed in fully.
Action to take in the event of a fault
In the unlikely event of a fault developing with the
phono stage contact your dealer or distributor
where you will receive expert advice.