Parasound D/AC-1000 User manual

D/A C- 1
Congratulations onthepurchaseof your newParasoundD/AC-I 000Digital toAnalog
Converter. It hasbeendesignedto extmctgreatermusicaldetail from anydigital source. If you
areusingit to upgmdeyour CD player, youwill find theD/AC-IOOOmakesaworld of
improvement.You will enjoy moreof thewarmth anddepththathaspreviously beenassociated
only with thefinestanalogsources.
Your D/AC-I 000setsnewperformancestandardsatits modestprice. Its high quality parts,triple
powersupply,high currentdrive analogstages,plushookupandoperatingflexibility aresuperior
to evenmanyfar moreexpensiveD-A converters.To assurefullest musicalenjoyment,pleasetake
afew momentsto readtheseinstructionscompletely.
Unpacking
Openthecartonof yourD/AC-l 000carefully andinspecttheunit for possibleshippingdamage.
Now is thetime to rep011anydamageto your dealer. You will find thedetachableAC line cord
packedsepamtelyinsidethecarton. We donot recommenduseof anyotherline cord.
Savetheplasticbag,styrofoaminsertsandcarton. You mayneedtheselater for transportingthe
D/AC-l 000or for shipmentin theeventit everrequiresfactoryservicing. Recordtheserial
number(on rearpanel)herefor referencein caseyour unit is stolen: .
Placement
You shouldlocateyour D/AC-I 000ascloseaspossibleto your digital source. Keepyour unit out
of directsunlight, awayfrom heatsourcessuchasahot air registeror mdiator andawayfrom
windowswhich might beleft opento let in min.
.. If youarestackingyour components,you shouldavoidplacing your D/AC-l 000on top of heat-
producingcomponents,suchaspower amplifiers or tube-typepreamps. You shouldkeepit asfar
aspossiblefrom your tuneror receivertoavoid intelferencefrom their RF local oscillator circuits.
PARA SOUND
affirdablt audiofor tht criticallisttntr
Dig i t' a I / A n a log Convertor
000

Whenyou makeconnections,becareful to avoid tensionon eitherwires or fiber optic cableswhich
might causedamageto thecormectorsor causethemto pull looselateron. Do not attemptto bend
eithercoaxialor optical digital cablesatasharpangle,asthis maypermanentlydamagethem. It is
safestto turn ofTthepowerof your preampandpowerampwhile making connections,not only
for the connections you are making, but to avoid the chance of disturbing adjacent connections. As
an additional safeguard, turn your preamp's volume control to minimum before making new
cormections.
. Optical 1:
. Optical 2:
. Coaxial output connectionsareprovided on mosthigh quality CD players. You shoulduse
only agoodquality cablewhich hasbeendesignedfor digital datatransmission. Cablesdesigned
for audio frequenciesarenotsuitableandwill not give you satisfactoryresults.
. TOSlink fiber optic connectionsarealsopopular andarefound onmosthigh quality video
laserdiscplayersaswell asCD playersandCD transports. Your dealercanassistyou to selectan
appropriateoptical cablewith TOSlink connectors.According to theTOSlink standard,youare
restrictedtoTOSlinkcablelengthsfrom0.2m(A<8")to10m(-30').
. 81 module fiber optics areconsideredstate-of-the-art.Theyaresuperiortoeithercoaxialor
TO5linkconnectorsfordatatransmission.The5TmoduleemploystheAT&T standard;both
plasticandglassfiberopticconnectorsareavailablefor5Tmodulesconnectors.
You shouldexperimentamongtheconnectoroptionsto detenninewhich soundsthebestin your
system. You may find carefulextendedlistening requiredin orderto hearthesubtledifferences
betweenthedifferent interfacetechnologiesaccomodatedby-theD/AC-IOOO.
It ispossibleto connectthreeseparatedigital sourcesto your D/AC-l 000andselectamongthem
from thefront panel,howeverRF radiationsfrom theunuseddigital inputsmay "contaminate"the
soundof theselectedinput source. If you havemorethanonedigital sourceconnected,makesure
you turn off thepowerof theunusedsource(s)until you arereadyto listen to it.
Outputs
ConnecttheAnalog Output jacks toanyline-level input onyour preamplifier or evenyour
poweramplifier if it is equippedwith level controls. Useonly high quality hookupstopreserve
detailandclarity. Make sureyour preampis eitherturnedoff or its volumesetto minimum when
making theseconnections.
If you haveadigital recorder(DAT, MD, DCC, CD-R), you may connectits recordinput to the
D/AC-IOOO'sDigital Output Record jack. This is anRCA type connector;useonly digital
quality cable.
Connecting Your D/AC-1000

AC Power
Your D/AC-l 000hasanIEC standarddetachablepowercordwhich hasbeenspeciallyselectedfor
its contribution to thesoundquality of thisunit. Try to connectonly this cord directly to anearby
AC wall outlet andavoid extensioncordsor connectionto accessoryoutletson your preamp.
If you areconsidering anAC line conditioner,beadvisedthatit maynot haveapositiveinfluence
on thesoundofyourD/AC-lOOO.
Power Oo/Off
Pushtheuppersectionof theb~ttonto turn on; lower sectionfor off.
Sampling Frequency LEDs
Your D/AC-l 000will recognizethedigital signalof whatevertypeof digital sourceyou connect
andwill switch to thecorrectsamplingrateautomatically. The44.1kHz samplingrateis standard
for compactdiscs. .
ErrorlData LED
In casethereisaninteruption of datafrom thedigital sourceor amalfunction of thedigital source
or connection,theErrorIData LED will illuminate. This showsyou thatyour D/AC-l 000is not
receivingcorrectdigital datato processandconvertto analog. In thiscase,a muting circuit will
preventa"garbage"signalpassedto Analog Out or theDigital Out Recordjacks.
Input Select Buttons and LEDs
ThethreeInput Selectbuttonscorrespondto thethreedifferent typesof input cormectorson the
rearpane1:Coaxial,Optical!, Optical 2.
Polarity Invert Button and LED
This buttonallows you to selectbetween00normal opemtionand 1800 invertedpolarity. Evenif
you know if your preamplifier andpoweramplifier areinverting or non-inverting designs,you
havenoway to know which of your CD's mayhavebeenrecordedwith inverted absolutepolarity.
. Absolutepolarity is not thesameasLeft-Right loudspeakerphasing. Absolute polarity meansthe
+ and - of bothchannelsarereproducedsothecompressionwaveof aninitial musicalattack
correlatesto thecompressionwave(+) from outgoingspeakerdiaphragmmotion ratherthan
rarefraction(-) of ingoing speakerdiaphragmmotion.
Your choiceof 0° or 180°polarity will bestrictly amatterof taste. It maybeeasierto detect
differencesbetween0° and 1800polarity with somerecordingsthanwith others. Don't be
discouragedif you cannothearthedifference- noteveryonecanidentify absolutepolarity.
De-EmphasisLED
Somedigital recordingsareencodedwith pre-emphasiscontouring. Your D/AC-l 000automatic-
ally recognizesandprocessesthem. An LED illuminatesasabeaconfor visual confirmation.
Operating your D/AC-1000

-Burning-in- your 01AC-1000
Like mostothergreataudiocomponents,your D/AC-l 000needstooperatefor at least72hours
beforeit will startsoundingits best. This allows thematerialsof various internalpartsto "form"
sotheycanbetterprocessthecomplexitiesof musicalwaveforms. While your unit will sound
spectacularright out of its carton,you'n find it worthwhile to listen againafter a few days. You11
discoverdetailsin your musicyou wouldn't haveguessedwere there.
Maintaining your D/AC-1000
Your D/AC-IOOOneedsno routinemaintenance.We do recommendthatyou removeandtwist the
variousRCA connectionsOnceayearto removeanycorrosionbuildup onplugsandjacks. Make
surethepower is turnedoffbefore attemptingthis. It is notabadideato do this for eachof your
othercomponentswhileyou'reatit. .
Neveruseany commercialcleanersor abrasiveson thefront panelor top cover - theywill likely
scratchor disfigure them. Useonly asoft cloth, if necessaryslightly dampto removefingerprints.

TheD/AC-I 000hasanexternalfusewhich mayblow asaresultof aninternal fault condition.
This protectstheunit from possibledamageto internal parts. Never replacethisor any internal
fusewith alargervalue. Substitutionof anylarger fusemaycreateseriousstressor damageto
internalpartsandwi1l void your warranty.
If you suspectaproblem with this unit, first recheckall your connections. If onechannelis
inoperative,thetrouble maybecausedby anothercomponentor evenadefectivehookupcable. If
only onechannelis outfor al1sources,try reversingtheLeft andRight cablesto your preamplifier
(turn it off beforemoving wires). If thesamechannelstaysout, it indicatestroubleotherthanwith
theD/AC-IOOO. We suggestyou contactyour authorizedParasounddealeror cal1Parasound
TechnicalServiceif you suspectaproblem. We will suggestotherdiagnostictestsyou caneasily
perform yourself andwhich will saveyou alot of trouble. '
Ifit is determinedthatyour D/AC-lOOOshouldbereturnedfor inspectionandpossibleservicing,
youmust first obtainaReturnAuthorization number. You areexpectedto re-packtheunit in its
oliginal styrofoam packingandboth its original cardboardcartonplusa slightly largeroutercarton
for properprotection in transit. You shouldsendtheunit by UPSwith adequateinsurance
soecifled.
Units thatarrive without the correctReturnAuthorizationnumber,without a suitableouter
shippingcartonor evidenceof improperinternalpackingor collectwill berefused.Wecannot
acceptcollectshipments.After repairunderwarranty,theunitwill bereturnedtoyouviaprepaid
UPSorRPS. Ifwe canfind noproblemwith theunit, wewill shipit collectfor returnshipping'
charges.
In Case of Trouble

Frequency Response:
Signal to Noise Ratio:
Channel Separation:
Total Harmonic Distortion:
Amplitude Linearity:
PhaseLinearity:
Maximum Jitter (HF):
D-A Converters:
Oversampling Rate:
Digital Input:
Filters:
Absolute Polarity:
Digital Inputs:
Outputs:
Power Supplies:
Power Requirement:
Dimensions:
Net Weight:
Specificationssubjectto changewithoutnotice. "ST" isaregisteredtrademarkof AT&T Corporation.
D/AC-1000 Specifications
+O.25dB
2.5Hz-20kHz, -O.50dB
> 110dB, 115dB typical
> 100dB @20kHz
< 0.0025% @ 1kHz
>95dB; 98dBtypical
fO.lo @20kHz
<150picosecondsRMS
20bit,push-pull,independentfor eachchannel
8x (352.8kHz)
32kHz - 48kHz, ConsumerstandardSPDIF
8xinterpolatingdigitalfilter
two2I3-orderlow-passanti-imagingfilters
00 or 1800switchable
.Coaxial:750,RCA
. TOSlink fiber optic: EIAJ Standard CP-340/RC-5720,
660nm typical wavelength
.STmodulefiberoptic: AT&T Standard,820nmtypical
wavelength . ~
.Analog Line Out: 2V nominal, 600.0,suitableloadC!:10k.o
.Digital: 75.0RCA coaxial,0.5V peak-to-peak
3 separatetransformersfordigital;eachanalogchannel
120V,60Hz,15W;maybere-wiredfor 220-240V,50Hz
19"W x 33/8" H x 12"D
15.41b.

Rewiring for 220-240V 50Hz Operation
TheD/AC-l 000 canberewired for operationabroad. Pleasereferthis conversiontoaskilled
electronicstechnicianto avoidpersonalinjury orpossibleharmto theunit. Therearehigh voltages
presentinsidethe chassisevenafter thepoweris turnedoff.
The main power supplyprinted circuit boardhasthreeseparatepowertransformers. Nearbythe
transformersyou will findjumper wires which correspondto thevariousprimary windings of each
power transformer.
For 120Voperation, a totalof sixjumper wires areconnectedto thecircuit board:twojumpersare
connectedneareachtransfonner,eachjumper has "120V" printedalongsideof it on thecircuit
board. .
For 220-240V operation,only 3jumpers areconnectedto thecircuit board;onejumper is
connectedneareachtransformer,eachjumper has"220V" printed alongsideof it onthecircuit
board.
For 220-240V operation,you mustalsodisconnectthesix 120Vjumpers.

Parasound Limited Warranty
YourParasoundHCA-2200IIiscoveredbyalimitedwarrantyagainstdefectsinmaterialsand
workmanshipfor aperiodof twoyearsfromdateof purchase.Thiswarrantyisprovidedbythe
Parasounddealerwheretheunitwaspurchased.Warrantyrepairwill beperfonnedonlywhen
your purchasereceiptis presentedtovalidateyour ownership,dateof purchaseandauthorized
statusof theselling dealer. Defective partswill berepairedor replacedwithout chargeby your
authorizeddealer'sstoreor thelocation designatedby your dealerthatis authorizedto service
Parasoundequipment.AdditionalinfonnationisavailablebycallingorwritingtotheService
Manager,ParasoundProducts,Inc.attheaddressbelow. Chargesforunauthorizedserviceand
transportationcostsarenotreimbursableunderthiswarmnty.
This warranty becomesvoid if theproducthasbeendamagedby alteration,misuse,accidentor
neglect. Alteration includesremoval,obscurationor defacementof its serialnumber. This
warrantybecomesvoid if unit hasbeenburnedoutby abusiveextendedtestingor operationwith
load impedancescontrary to printed instructions. This warranty appliesonly to units usedin
residential,non-commercialsituations. Thewarrantorassumesno liability for property damageor
anyotherincidentalor consequentialdamagewhatsoeverwhich may resultfrom the failure of this
product. Any andall warrantiesof merchantabilityandfitnessimplied by law arelimited to the
duration of this expressedwarranty.
Somestatesdonot allow limitations onhow long animplied warranty lasts,sotheabove
limitations maynot apply to you. Somestatesdonot allow theexclusionorlimitation of incidental
or consequentialdamages,sotheabovelimitation or exclusionmaynot apply to you.
This warranty givesyou specific legal rightsandyoumayalsohaveotherrightswhich vary state
by state.
Please Stay in Touch
We'dlike tohearfromyouaboutyourexperiencewithyourParasoundHCA-2200II. Of course
wewanttoassistyouwith anyquestionsyoumayhave,butwe'dalsobethrilledtoknowhow
muchyouareenjoyingtheunit. Youdon'tneedtohaveaproblemasanexcusetocall.
ReviewsonParasoundarecoming in from all overtheworld andwe continually haveexciting new
productsin development. If you'd like usto keepyou advised,just dropa line andaskto receive
updates. We welcome your suggestionsandlook forward to hearingfrom you.
ParasoundProduct&,Inc. 950 BatteryStreet,San FranciJco,CA 94111
8oo..IJ22..IJ8~2/415-397-7100/FAX [phone]
(USA only)
PARASOUND
affordable audio for the critical listener