Parasound D/AC-800 User manual

D/AC-800 Digital/Analog Converter
Congratulations onthepurchaseof your newParasoundD/AC-800 Digital-to-Analog
Converter. It hasbeendesignedto extractgreatermusicaldetail from anydigital source. If you
are using it to upgrade your CD player, you will find the D/AC-800 makes a world of
improvement. You will enjoy more of the warmth and depth that has previously been associated
only with the finest analog sources.
Your D/AC-800 setsnewperformancestandardsatits modestprice. Its high quality parts,double
power supply, high currentdrive analogstages,plushookupandoperatingflexibility aresuperior
to evenmanyfar moreexpensiveD-A converters. To assurefullest musicalenjoyment,pleasetake
afew momentsto readtheseinstructionscompletely.
Unpacking
Openthecartonof your D/AC-800 carefully andinspecttheunit for possibleshippingdamage.
Now is thetime to reportanydamageto your dealer. You will find thedetachableAC line cord
packedseparatelyinsidethe carton. We do not recommenduseof any otherline cord.
Savetheplasticbag,styrofoaminsertsandcarton. You mayneedtheselater for transportingthe
D/AC-800 or for shipmentin theeventit everrequiresfactory servicing. Recordtheserialnumber
(on rearpanel)herefor referencein caseyour unit is stolen: .
Placement
You shouldlocateyour D/AC-800 ascloseaspossibleto your digital source. Keepyour unit out
of direct sunlight, away from heatsourcessuchasahot air registeror radiatorandaway from
windows which might beleft opentolet in rain.
If you arestackingyour components,you shouldavoid placing your D/AC-800 on top of heat-
producing components, such as power amplifiers or tube-type preamps. You should keep it as far
aspossible from your tuner or receiver to avoid interference from its RF local oscillator circuits.
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Whenyou makeconnections,becarefulto avoidtensiononeitherwires or fiber optic cableswhich
might causedamageto theconnectorsor causethemto pull looselateron. Do notattemptto bend
eithercoaxialor optical digital cablesat asharpangle,asthis maypermanentlydamagethem. It is
safestto turn ofTthepower of your preampandpowerampwhile making connections,not only
for theconnectionsyouaremaking,but to avoid thechanceof disturbing adjacentconnections.As
anadditionalsafeguard,turn your preamp'svolume control to minimum beforemakingnew
connections.
Digital Inputs
TheD/AC-800offersyouthreedigitalinputswithtwodifferentinterfaceoptions: ~
. Coaxial I: RCAjack - 7SOstandard
. Coaxial 2: RCAjack - 7S0standard
. Optical: FiberOptic-TOSlink
. Coaxial output connectionsareprovided on mosthigh quality CD players. You shoulduse
only agoodquality cablewhich hasbeendesignedfor digital datatransmission. Cablesdesigned
for audio frequenciesarenot suitableandwill not give you satisfactoryresults.
. TOSlink fiber optic connectionsarealsopopularandarefound onmosthigh quality video
laserdiscplayersaswell asmany CD playersandCD transports. Your dealercanassistyou to
selectanappropriateopticalcablewith TOSlink connectors.According to theTOSlink standard,
you arerestrictedto TOSlink cablelengthsfrom 0.2m (-8") to 10m(-30').
Formostseriousmusic,we believeyou will obtainsuperiorresultswith ahigh quality coaxial
digital input cable,ratherthantheopticalTOSlink input. Yau may fmd carefulextendedlistening
requiredin orderto hearthesubtledifferencesbetweenthetwo different interfacetechnologies
accomodatedby theD/AC-800.
Outputs
ConnecttheAnalog Output jacks to anyline-level input onyour preamplifier or evenyour
poweramplifier if it is equippedwith level controls. Useonly high quality hookupsto preserve
detailandclarity. Make sureyour preampis eitherturnedofTor its volume setto minimum when
makingtheseconnections.
If youhaveadigital recorder(DAT, MiniDisc, DCC, CD-R), you mayconnectits recordinput to
theDIAC-800's Digital Output Record jack. This RCA-type connectorisaconduit for the
digital datastreamfrom your selecteddigital source,souseonly digital quality cable.
AC Power
Your D/AC-800 hasanIEC standarddetachablepowercordwhich hasbeenspeciallyselectedfor
its contributionto thesoundquality of thisunit. Try to connectonly this corddirectly to anearby
AC wall outlet andavoid extensioncordsor connectionto accessoryoutletsonyour preamp.
If youareconsidering anAC line conditioner,beadvisedthatit maynothaveapositiveinfluence
onthesoundof your D/AC-800.
Connecting Your D/AC-800

Operating your D/AC-800
Power On/Off
Pushtheuppersectionof thebutton to turn on; lower sectionfor off.
Sampling Frequency LEDs
Your DIAC-800will recognizethedigital signalof whatevertypeof digital sourceyou connectand
will switch to thecorrectsamplingrateautomatically. The44.1kHzsamplingrateis standardfor
compactdiscs,while 32kHz is for future FM digital broadcastsand48kHz is for DAT.
ErrorIDataLED
In casethereisaninteruptionof datafrom thedigital sourceoramalfunction of thedigital source
or connection,theErrorIDataLED will illuminate. This showsyou thatyour DIAC-800 is not
receivingcorrectdigital datato processandconvertto analog. In this case,a muting circuit will
preventanunwanted"garbage"signalpassedtoAnalog Out or theDigital Out Recordjacks.
Input Select and LEDs
ThethreeInput SelectLEDs correspondto thedifferent input connectorsontherearpanel:
Coaxial 1,Coaxial2andOptical. Your DIAC-800will automaticallyselectinputswith first
priority toOptical, secondselectionpriority to Coaxial 1,third selectionpriority to Coaxial 3.
Sinceinput switching for listening andrecordingis detenninedby this orderof priorities, you must
turn off any digital sourcesyou don't want to hearor record. Thereis anothervery good reasonto
switch off otherdigital sources:
RF radiationsfrom unselecteeddigital sourcesmay"contaminate"thedatastreamof theselected
input sourceyouwish to hear. If youhavemorethanonedigital sourcep,makesureyou turn off
thepower of eachunusedsourceuntil you arereadyto listento it.
Polarity Invert Button and LED
This buttonallows youto selectbetween00normaloperationand 1800invertedpolarity. Evenif
you know if yourpreamplifier andpoweramplifier areinverting or non-inverting designs,you
havenoway to know which of your CD'smayhavebeenrecordedwith invertedabsolutepolarity.
. Absolutepolarity is not thesameasLeft-Right loudspeakerphasing. Absolutepolarity meansthe
+and- of bothchannelsarereproducedsothecompressionwaveof aninitial musicalattack
correlatesto thecompressionwave(+) from outgoingspeakerdiaphragmmotion ratherthan
rarefraction(-) of ingoing speakerdiaphragmmotion.
Your choiceof 00or 1800polarity will bestrictly amatterof taste. It maybeeasierto detect
differencesbetween00and 1800polarity with somerecordingsthanwith others. Don't be
discouragedif you cannothearthedifference- not everyonecanidentify absolutepolarity.
De-Emphasis LED
Somedigital recordingsareencodedwith pre-emphasiscontouring. Your D/AC-800 automatic-
ally recognizesandprocessesthem. An LED illuminatesasabeaconfor visual confinnation.

Like mostothergreataudio components,your D/AC-800 needsto operatefor atleast72hours
beforeit will startsoundingits best. This allows thematerialsof variousinternalpartsto "form"
sothey canbetterprocessthecomplexitiesof musicalwaveforms. While your unit will sound
spectacularright out of its carton,you11find it worthwhile to listen againafter a few days. You11
discoverdetailsin your musicyou wouldn't haveguessedwerethere.
Your D/AC-800 needsno routinemaintenance.We do recommendthatyou removeandtwist the
variousRCA connectionsonceayearto removeanycorrosionbuildup on plugsandjacks. Make
surethepower is turnedoff beforeattemptingthis. It is nota badideato do this for eachof your
othercomponentswhile you'reat it.
Neveruseanycommercialcleanersor abrasivesonthe front panelor top cover- theywill likely
scratchor disfigure them. Useonly asoft cloth, if necessaryslightly dampto removefingerprints.
If you suspectaproblem with your unit, first recheckall your connections. If onechannelis
inoperative,thetrouble maybe causedby anothercomponentor evenadefectivehookup cable. If
only onechannelremainsinoperative,try reversingtheLeft andRight cablesto your preamplifier
(turn it off beforemoving wires). If thesamechannelstaysout,it indicatestrouble couldbeother
thanyour D/A converteritself. We suggestyou contactyour authorizedParasounddealeror call
ParasoundTechnical Serviceif you suspectaproblem. We will suggestotherdiagnostictestsyou
caneasilyperform andwhich will saveyou alot of trouble.
Ifwe detenninethat your D/AC-800 shouldbe returnedto Parasoundfor inspectionandpossible
servicing,you mustfirst obtainaReturnAuthorization numberfrom Parasound.You will be
askedto re-packtheunit in its original cartonandcardboardpackingplus anadditionalouterbox
overits ownbox for properprotectionin transit. TheReturnAuthorization numbermustbeclearly
markedontheoutercartononly. You shouldshiptheunit by UPSwith adequateinsurance
specified. You must include acopyof your purchasereceiptto validate your ownership.
Units thatarrive without your specificReturnAuthorization number,without asuitableshipping
cartonor evidenceof improperinternalpackingor collectwill berefused. We do not acceptcollect
shipments. After repairunderwarranty, theunit will bereturnedto you via prepaidUPSor RPS.
If we found noproblem with theunit, we will shiptheunit by UPSor RPScollect for return
shipping charges. In thecaseof anout of warranty repair,we will adviseyou repair charges
beforeyou shiptheunit. Thesamepacking requirementsandRA requirementapply.
-Burning-in- your D/AC-800
Maintaining your D/AC-800
In Case of Trouble

Frequency Response:
Signal to Noise Ratio:
Dynamic Range:
Channel Separation:
Total HarmonicDistortion:
Amplitude Linearity:
Phase Linearity:
MaximumJitter (HF):
D-A Converter:
O"ersampling Rate:
Digital Input:
Filters:
Absolute Polarity:
Digital Inputs:
Outputs:
Pclwer
Power
Supplies:
Requirement:
Dimensions:
NetWeight:
D/AC-800 Specifications
5Hz-20kHz, :i:0.5dB
> 100dB, 105dBtypical
> 108dB
> 100dB@1kHz
< 0.005%@1kHz
> 92dB,95dBtypical
0.20@20kHz
< 200pico3econdsRMS
BurrBrownPCM67, 1bit-18bit hybrid
8x (352.8kHz)
32kHz,44kHz,48kHz;Consumerstandard
SPDIF
NPC8xinterpolatingdigitalfilter
two1I3-orderlow-passanti-imagingfilters
00 or 1800switchable
.TwoCoaxial:75{} RCAeach
.TOSlinkfiberoptic: EIAJStandard
660nmtypicalwavelength CP-340/RC-5720,
.AnalogLineOut: 2.5V nominal,600.0,suitableload
shouldbe~ 10ill
.Digital:75.0RCAcoaxial,0.5V peak-to-peak
2 separatetransfonnersfordigitalandeachanalogcircuit
120V,60Hz, 15W; maybere-wiredfor 220-240V, 50Hz
19"W x 3318"H x 12"D
II lb.
Specifications subjectto changeor improvement without notice.

Rewiring for 220-240V 50Hz Operation
Your D/AC-800 canberewired for operationabroad. Pleaserefer this conversionto askilled
electronicstechnicianto avoid personalinjury orpossiblehanDto theunit. Therearehigh voltages
prc:sentinsidethe chassisevenafter thepoweris turnedofT.
Themain power supply printed circuit boardhastwo separatepower transformers. Nearbythe
transformersyou will find jumper wires which correspondto thevariousprimary windings of each
power transformer.
For 120Voperation, atotal of fourjumper wires areconnectedto thecircuit board:twojumpers
areconnectedneareachtransformer,eachjumper has "120V" printedalongsideofit onthecircuit
board.
Folr 220-240Voperation,only 2jumpersareconnectedto thecircuit board;onejumper is
colmectedneareachtmnsfonner,eachjumper has"220V" printedalongsideof it onthecircuit
board.
For220-240Voperation,youmustalsodisconnectthefour 120Vjumpers.

Parasound Limited Warranty (USA only)
YourParasoundD/AC-800iscoveredbyalimitedwarrantyagainstdefectsin materialsand
workmanshipforaperiodof twoyearsfromdateof purchase.Thiswarrantyisprovidedbythe
Parasounddealerwheretheunitwaspurchased.Warrantyrepairwill beperformedonlywhen
yourpurchasereceiptispresentedtovalidateyourownership,dateof purchaseandauthorized
statusofthesellingdealer.Defectivepartswill berepairedorreplacedwithoutchargebyyour
authorizeddealer'sstoreorthelocationdesignatedbyyourdealerthatisauthorizedtoservice
Parasoundequipment.AdditionalinfonnationisavailablebycallingorwritingtotheService
Manager,ParasoundProducts,Inc.attheaddressbelow. Chargesforunauthorizedserviceand
transportationcostsarenotreimbursableunderthiswarranty.
Thiswarrantybecomesvoid if theproducthasbeendamagedby alteration,misuse,accidentor
neglect. Alteration includesany removal,obscurationor defacementof its serialnumber. This
warrantybecomesvoid if unit hasbeenconnectedor operatedcontraryto printed instructions.
Thewarrantorassumesno liability for property damageor anyotherincidentalor consequential
damagewhatsoeverwhich may resultfrom the failure of this product. Any andall warrantiesof
merchantabilityandfitnessimplied by law arelimited to thedurationof this expressedwarranty.
Somestatesdo not allow limitations onhow long animplied warranty lasts,sotheabove
limitations maynot apply to you. Somestatesdo notallow theexclusionor limitation of incidental
or consequentialdamages,sotheabovelimitation or exclusionmay notapply to you.
This warrantygives you specific legal rightsandyou mayalsohaveotherrightswhich vary state
by state.
We'd like to hearfrom you aboutyour experiencewith your ParasoundD/AC-800. Of coursewe
want to assistyou with any questionsyou may have,but we'd alsobethrilled to know how much
you areenjoying theunit. You don'tneedto haveaproblemasanexcuseto call.
ReviewsonParasoundarecoming in from allover theworld andwe continually haveexciting new
productsin development. If you'd like usto keepyou advised,just dropaline andaskto receive
updates.We welcome your suggestionsandlook forward to hearingfrom you.
Please Stay in Touch

ParasoundProdu~, Inc.950 Battny Strut, SanFrancisco,C4 94111
800-822-8802/415-397-7100/ FAX[phone]
PARAS
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C 1993ParasoundProducts,Inc.