Playback Designs SPA-8 User manual

Version 1.0
SPA-8
Stereo Power Amplifier
USER MANUAL

SPA-8 User Manual
3
THANK YOU
Congratulations and thank you for selecting the Playback Designs SPA-8 Stereo Power Amplifier for your
high-performance music system. We are certain it will provide you with years of listening pleasure. The SPA-8
represents years of our experience and innovation in analog audio designs that have helped establish the
reputation of Playback Designs as a premier audio manufacturer.
Please take a few minutes to read through this user manual prior to using the product. This will help you to
understand the basic functions and unique capabilities of the amplifier. It will also allow you to maximize the
exceptional performance for which it was designed.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Read and follow these instructions and keep this manual in a safe place.
Do not use this apparatus near water.
Do not block any ventilation openings.
Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heaters, or other apparatus (including pre-
amplifiers and amplifiers) that produce heat.
Do not install this apparatus in a confined space such as bookcases or closed cabinets.
Unplug this apparatus from the mains during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of
time.
!
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF
ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER.
NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE
PERSONNEL.
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert
the user to the presence of non-insulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s
enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to
persons.
!
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature
accompanying the appliance.
INFORMATION TO THE USER
Alteration or modification carried out without appropriate approval may invalidate the user’s right to operate
the equipment.

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WARRANTY
Playback Designs warrants the SPA-8 product against defects in material and workmanship under normal use
and service for a period of time specified by the product’s serial number from the date of first delivery to the
owner. The warranty time period is for 30 days. If within the first 30 days of ownership you register your
Playback Designs product, by sending us a copy of your sales receipt, your name, address, city, state, zip
code, phone number, email address and your dealer’s store name, we will extend the warranty 3 years. This
warranty is limited to the original owner.
Playback Designs will pay for return shipping charges (domestically) back to the owner when the product is
sent to Playback Designs within the first 30 days after purchase and the fault can be confirmed by Playback
Designs. Otherwise, owner will be responsible for all shipping charges to and from Playback Designs.
International customers must deal with their local dealer or distributor.
For all warranty claims, a copy of the original invoice must accompany the product. Opening the product or
modifying it in any way by the owner, including but not limited to cryogenic treatment, will void any warranty.
Please contact Playback Designs for a RA (Return Authorization) number and shipping instructions before
shipping any product to Playback Designs.
Playback Designs products are sold worldwide through authorized dealers with restricted territories. If any
Playback Designs product is purchased from non-authorized dealers or from a dealer selling outside his / her
authorized territory all warranties will be void.
If you purchased this product from a dealer please take a moment and send us an email to
[e-mail] so we can register you for the warranty. If this product has been shipped to you
directly from Playback Designs, you are automatically registered.
BEFORE USING THE PRODUCT
What is in the box: SPA-8 power amplifier
Power cord
User manual
Registration If you purchased this product from a dealer please take a moment and
send us an email to [e-mail] so we can register you for
the warranty.
Installation: The AC voltage supplied to the unit should match the voltage rating
indicated on the rear panel.
Do not place the player over an amplifier or any other equipment that
generates heat.
!
As this product may become warm during operation, always leave
sufficient space around the amplifier for ventilation. Always allow
adequate air circulation around the product.

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BACK PANEL CONNECTORS
50/60 Hz
3000 W max.
MODEL: SPA-8
MADE IN U.S.A.
LEFT CHANNELRIGHT CHANNEL REMOTEVOLTAGE
INPUTINPUT
+ -+ -
!
Analog inputs: XLR, Balanced
pin1: shield, pin2: hot, pin3: cold.
Speaker Terminals: Speaker output terminals, 2 pairs per channel
red: hot, black: cold.
!
Attention! The output terminals may carry high voltage!
Never change or touch cabling when device is switched
on! Always unplug the device from mains before re-
cabling!
System Control Ethernet, Remote control via tablet app (future expansion).
Voltage Selector Rotary switch for AC voltage selection.
Mains AC Input Mains connector for AC.
!
Before connecting the amplifier to the AC mains, please
make sure to set the voltage with the rotary selector on the
rear panel to match with the one of your AC line.
Operating the amplifier at the wrong voltage will
damage the unit.
Never change the rotary switch during operation!

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FRONT PANEL FUNCTIONS
Buttons:
Up / Down toggle buttons for display selection during normal operation and
setting selection in setup mode.
Press this button to enter setup mode and press it repeatedly to scroll through
all setup menu items. This mode is automatically exited when no button is
pressed for at least 10 seconds.
Some setup menu items can be changed with the Up / Down buttons on the
front panel. See setup menu chapter for more information.
Mute toggle on / off.
Standby power on / off: Press this button when the amplifier is in standby mode
to switch on the amplifier or when it is running to shut it down again.
The AC Power switch on the back panel must be in “on” position. During the
power-on and power-off sequence the amplifier goes through a special
sequence of internal checks. This takes a while and is indicated on the front
panel.
Between each power-off and power-on sequence there is a 10 second delay
i.e. you have to wait at least 10 seconds before the unit can be turned on again
after powering off.
NOTE: In order to power off the SPA-8 it is important to always first use the button on the front panel to set
the amplifier into standby mode and let it discharge its internal circuits. Do not turn power off with the rear
panel switch during normal operation or before the amplifier has not finished its internal power-down
sequence and the front panel display is turned off signaling standby mode!
front panel display
front panel push buttons

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DISPLAY MODES DURING NORMAL OPERATION
Dot in middle: This is the most discreet display and won’t change during playback.
Musical dynamics: The display shows musical dynamics e.g. pianissimo etc.
Level: A power level meter is displayed.
Playback Designs: “Playback Designs” is displayed and does not change during playback.
SETUP MENU
The SPA-8 has several options that can be displayed and set via the front panel buttons. Enter the settings
menu by pressing the Setting button and press it repeatedly to toggle through all settings. Some of them can
be changed with the up / down buttons. After no button press for 10 seconds the display with automatically go
back to normal operation. All settings are stored in memory.
Press the FUNCTION button to toggle through the following items:
1. Normal operation
Use the up / down buttons to change the display modes (see above
paragraph).
2. Display brightness
Use the up / down buttons to adjust the brightness.
3. Serial number
Cannot be changed. Use the up / down buttons to display firmware revision.
4. Time of operation
Cannot be changed.
5. Status
This shows any status and / or error code that can be used in case of any
malfunction.
BREAKING IN THE SPA-8
Breaking in the SPA-8 is time consuming but well worth the effort. During break-in when you do not listen to
music it is best to feed an external audio signal with the speakers disconnected.

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STATUS MESSAGES DURING NORMAL OPERATION
The amplifier has a complex safety and self checking system and can display various status information on
the front panel during normal operation:
Trafo switch-on / off
Big power transformers are switched on or off
Charging
Large reservoir of capacitors are being charged
Discharging
Large reservoir of capacitors are being discharged
Checking input
Audio inputs are being checked for signal presence and volume level
Checking DC
Outputs are being checked for any DC offset
Checking Speaker
The amplifier checks the impedance of your speakers and theirs cabling to
prevent the amplifier from turning on when there is a short in your speaker setup.
...muted...
Both speaker outputs are muted
Turn input down!
The level at the audio input is too high and the amplifier is waiting for you to turn it
down. This is for safety reasons and it is always best to turn on power with a
muted pre-amp.
Goodbye!
The amplifier is entering standby mode and is being polite about it.
ERROR MESSAGES
The amplifier performs an extensive self check at power up and also continuously monitors various
parameters during operation. If it finds any fault in the system whether inside the amplifier or outside in your
speaker and cabling system it will display various messages that will help you in identifying the issue:
High temperature
One of the supervised temperatures is too high. Shut down the amplifier and let it
cool down. Make sure all air vents are not obstructed.
Input signal hi
The input signal is too high to start safely without being too loud. Turn down the
volume on your pre-amp or stop your playback device.
Rail voltage low
The internal power rails are too low. Check for correct voltage setting and make
sure your AC outlet provides adequate power.
High output current
The output current at the speaker terminals is too high. Check your speaker
cables for any short or your speakers for any damage.
x.xR !RES! y.yR
The connected cable speaker combination is shorted. Check your speaker cables
for any short and your speakers for any damage. The x.x and y.y values are the
measured impedances in Ohm for left and right channels. The amplifier does not
start when it measures values below 0.5R.
Too many clips
The amplifier detected too many clips at the output and is muting to protect your
speakers. Turn down the volume.

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Power protect
The power stage was close to its power limit and to protect your speakers the
amplifier mutes the outputs.
Make sure the impedance of your cable speaker combination is not too low and
the connected speakers are not faulty.
Current protect
The power stage was close to its current limit and to protect your speakers the
amplifier mutes the outputs.
Make sure the impedance of your cable speaker combination is not too low and
the connected speakers are not faulty.
Power outage
The mains AC voltage had an outage or dropout. To protect your speakers the
amplifier mutes the outputs.
Check your AC cables.
DC protect
The output has too much DC voltage and to protect your speakers the amplifier
mutes the outputs.
Check your pre-amp for proper operation and does not have any DC offset at its
output.
BEEP CODES
When the power to the amplifier is turned on with the back panel switch it starts checking the mains voltage
and goes into standby mode. Normal operation and any malfunction at this point is indicated with a series of
beep codes:
1 short beep
The amplifier detected mains voltage.
3 short beeps
The mains voltage is not within its limits.
6 long beeps
The amplifier detected a mismatch between selected voltage (selector switch in
back panel) and actual mains voltage at its power inlet.
Make sure you selected the correct voltage.

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WIRING THE SPA-8
Connecting to the mains outlet
Connect the SPA-8 with the supplied mains power cable. It is constructed of large enough wire gauge and an
appropriate plug. Do not substitute with another power cable.
Connecting balanced sources
To fully realize the sonic potential of your SPA-8 Stereo Power Amplifier, use balanced connections at its
input. Balanced cables minimize interferences from magnetic and RF sources. Connect your preamplifier
output to the input provided on the rear panel of the SPA-8. The SPA-8 conforms to the standard of pin2 as
“hot” i.e. a positive voltage at pin2 will produce a positive voltage at the “+” speaker terminal.
Connecting unbalanced sources
If you should need to connect unbalanced equipment, use the following special cable wiring to get the best
performance.
Connecting your loudspeakers
Two sets of output terminals are provided for easy bi-wiring. Do not use tools on the speaker terminals but
rather tighten them by hand only.
!
This is a high-power amplifier, when driven there is
high voltage at the speaker terminals! Connections
should be only made with the mains disconnected!

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SPECIFICATIONS
Abbr.
Name
Value
Units
Condition
THD+N
Total Harmonic Distortion
plus noise
0.0004
%
20Vrms out, 1 kHz, no load
BW 22 Hz - 22 kHz, (A-weighted)
SNR
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
93
dB
2.83Vrms out,
BW 22 Hz - 22 kHz, (A-weighted)
DNR
Dynamic Range
119
dB
57.8 Vrms out, no load,
BW 22 Hz - 22 kHz (A-weighted)
BW
Frequency Response
0 / -3
dB
10 Hz / 100 kHz
2.83Vrms out, no load
X-Talk
Crosstalk
<-120
dB
26.5 Vrms out, 1 kHz
BW 22 Hz - 22 kHz (A-weighted)
Left-to-Right/Right-to-Left
Zout
Output Impedance
<0.2
Ω
Unbalanced (0Hz to 20kHz)
Maximum Output Power
per Channel
1600
W
Continuous Peak
into 4 Ohm
Maximum Output Level
37.4
57.8
163.4
dBu
Vrms
Vpp
Unbalanced, no load
BW 22 Hz - 22 kHz
THD+N 1%
Gain
30.7
dB
Balanced to Unbalanced
Standby Power
<1
W
switched to standby
Power Factor 45
Power Consumption
300
W
switched on, no load
Power Factor 61
Maximum Power Consumption
5750
W
switched on, 2 Ohm load
230VAC Mains, short term <1min
Dimensions
73 x 87 x 34
29 x 34 x 14
cm
inch
Width x length x height
Weight
137
292
kg
lbs
Shipping weight
182
400
kg
lbs
All specifications are taken at 230V AC mains.
CLEANING THE CHASSIS OF THE SPA-8
It is possible that the chassis can stain slightly from fingerprints or you may discover subtle stains on the
surface that can be caused by the packaging material during shipping. You can easily clean the chassis with
either window cleaning solution and a clean and soft cloth. The best way is with a micro fiber cloth that you
spray slightly with WD-40. Do not spray it directly on the chassis, but rather on the cloth. Then gently rub the
entire chassis until it is dry again.