Plinius CD-101 User manual

CD-101
COMPACT DISC PLAYER
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
www.pliniusaudio.nzld.com

Contents
Introduction ...............................................................................................................2
Design Philosophy ...............................................................................................3
Unpacking....................................................................................................................4
Placement & Ventilation....................................................................................4
Care & Maintenance............................................................................................5
Precautions ................................................................................................................6
Front Panel Functions........................................................................................7
Rear Panel Functions .........................................................................................8
Remote Control Functions.............................................................................9
Installation & Operation ....................................................................................11
Product Features ..................................................................................................13
Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................14
Specifications ..........................................................................................................15
Index ................................................................................................................................16
All operational, technical and descriptive material in this publication
is subject to change at any time without notice. For further product
information or queries, please contact your Plinius dealer.
Plinius products are designed and manufactured by
Plinius Audio Limited, New Zealand.

2 PLINIUS CD-101
Introduction
Congratulations on your decision to become the proud owner of this
Plinius CD-101 Compact Disc player.
This manual has been prepared to help you understand the operation of your CD
player, and to provide information about its design and the variety of ways it may
be used.
We have designed and manufactured this CD player to reproduce your favourite
music faithfully and accurately. With a little care and a full understanding of the
operating recommendations in this manual, your Plinius CD-101 Compact Disc player
will provide years of high-quality, trouble-free performance.
Please take the time to read this manual thoroughly before using your CD player.
SERIAL NUMBER
FINAL TEST CERTIFIED BY

3COMPACT DISC PLAYER
Design Philosophy
From a distance you can see that the design of the Plinius products is more than
an applied styling exercise to the front panel. We have started from the ground up
to produce a casing for our electronics that is unrivalled in its physical strength and
visual simplicity.
Wherever possible we have reduced the number of parts needed and then invested
massively in refining and producing the remaining parts to the highest quality
achievable with state of the art computer controlled machines allied with expert
craftsman. Examples of this approach include the hydraulically formed corners on
the amplifiers giving much greater strength and the one piece housing for the remote
control that looks, feels and genuinely is robust.
As with music that you are not familiar with, truly innovative new designs can take time
to understand and enjoy. How often have you heard music that you were first unsure
of, that over repeated listening, has become a firm favourite?
Our designs are fundamentally different to many other companies, and we hope that
you will take the time to explore their unique character and qualities because we have
not made them different simply to be different. We genuinely believe that their visual
and tactile qualities do improve the experience of listening to music and that is our
design goal!
Ross Stevens
DESIGN DIRECTOR

4 PLINIUS CD-101
Unpacking
Open the box from the top and remove the accessories from the foam end caps.
You may now proceed to lift the unit from the box, Once the unit is removed you can
proceed with the removal of the foam end caps. These caps are designed to fit on
the front and back of the unit for maximum protection. Retain the packaging for future
transportation of this unit.
Placement & Ventilation
Your Plinius CD-101 may operate at a moderately high temperature, especially during
extended listening sessions. The ideal location is upon a rigid stand, away from
direct contact with any temperature sensitive materials, furniture or deep pile carpets.
Ventilation through and around the unit should also be kept unimpeded. Please ensure
that the heat vents (slots in the base and lid) are not covered or restricted in any way.
The Plinius CD-101 design incorporates a very high level of mechanical decoupling
of the input and output. It can however still be influenced by acoustical feedback in
the operating environment. The use of acoustic cones or a suitably spiked amplifier
stand or table may further enhance the performance of this CD player. Consult your
Plinius dealer for further advice if required.

5COMPACT DISC PLAYER
Care & Maintenance
With simple care and maintenance your Plinius product can be kept looking and
operating like new for many years to come.
MAINTAINING THE CONNECTORS
Exposed connectors such as the RCA connectors will be subject to environmental
factors, and over time the surface may degrade. This can be greatly reduced by fitting
readily available ‘RCA caps’ to reduce the effects of environmental elements on the RCA
connectors. These RCA caps or RCA shorting caps can also provide sonic benefits.
Connector cleaning products are also available to clean the RCA and cable connectors
and frequent checks and cleaning will help maintain a good signal connection.
NOTE: DO NOT use RCA shorting caps on output connectors or power amplifier input
connectors. Use RCA shorting caps on unused preamplifier stage input connectors only.
Standard RCA shielding caps can be used on any unused input or output connectors.
MAINTAINING THE SWITCHES
Switches should be maintained by using each various switch setting periodically.
Even if a switch or a switch setting is not used, it is a good idea to toggle small
switches and turn rotary switches though the full range of the switch several times in
succession to keep the contacts active. Performing this simple action will promote
longevity of the switch contacts.
SURFACE CLEANING
From time to time you may wish to clean the surface of your Plinius equipment to
remove dust, or any material build up from the atmosphere or on commonly used
controls. Your Plinius product is made up of parts that have a hard anodised or a
powder coat finish and will clean easily without being damaged.
Cleaning should be carried out using a soft cleaning cloth, dry or with either a small
amount of water or a very mild surface cleaner while observing the following guidelines:
• As a safety precaution, always switch the equipment off before cleaning
• Always use a cloth that is soft and clean
• Never use abrasives or polishing compounds anywhere on the unit
• Never apply liquid directly to the surface of the unit
• Use the cloth dry or with mild surface cleaners of either liquid or foaming type
• Apply only small amounts of cleaner to the cloth
• DO NOT rub the surface but wipe clean only. Excessive rubbing may dull powder
coat or wear the screen printed text.

6 PLINIUS CD-101
Precautions
PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING PRECAUTIONS
BEFORE OPERATING YOUR NEW COMPACT DISC PLAYER.
• This Compact Disc player operates at hazardous voltage levels. We recommend
that any work requiring removal of the lid be referred to a suitably qualified and
experienced service technician.
• DO NOT earth any output terminals or connect any of these terminals together
without following the instructions in this manual or seeking qualified assistance.
• DO NOT place this Compact Disc player in any position where liquids or any
foreign material may accidentally enter it.
• DO NOT connect any voltage source, short circuit, earth/ground or appliance
(other than suitable audio preamplifiers) to the Compact Disc player output
terminals.
• DO NOT use discs that are scratched or damaged. This may lead to unintended
operation or malfunction.

7COMPACT DISC PLAYER
Front Panel Functions
1. POWER LED
A blue LED on the centre front panel indicates that the power is on. When first
switched on, the LED will vary in brightness until the initialisation sequence is
completed, after which the LED remains lit.
2. COMPACT DISC DRAWER
The CD is inserted in this drawer, which is controlled by the Stop/Eject button.
3. STOP/EJECT BUTTON
Used to open and close the Compact Disc drawer and to stop a CD from playing.
4. DISPLAY LED’S
These small white LED’s communicate the activities of the Compact Disc player.
• When the Compact Disc drawer is empty all display LED’s will be off.
• After inserting a CD and closing the drawer, LED 1 will illuminate and flash
showing that the CD is being read.
• To identify the number of tracks on a CD, a series of LED’s will illuminate to display
the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th and/or 20+ tracks. Illuminating every fifth track assists for
easy identification of track numbers from a distance.
• A CD with less than 20 tracks will illuminate the first & every fifth LED leading up to
& including the final track number. E.g. a 13 track CD will light LED’s 1, 5, 10 and 13.
• A CD with more than 20 tracks will illuminate the first and every fifth LED up to
and including the 20+ LED. The final track number of the additional tracks past
20+ is also illuminated. E.g. a 32 track CD will light LED’s 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20+. Past
track 20, LED’s 1, 5, 10 and 12 will illuminate to indicate tracks 21, 25, 30 and 32.
• To identify the track number playing on a CD, the corresponding LED number will
illuminate and be brighter in comparison to other LED’s and will vary in brightness
while the track is playing.
• When a track number higher than 20 is being played, the 20+ LED will vary in
brightness as well as an additional LED to indicate the track number. Eg for
track 23, the 20+ LED will light as well as the 3 LED (20+ and 3 = 23).
• When a track higher than 40 plays, all display LED’s will go out except for 20+,
which will flash on and off.
• When the Repeat function is activated the Repeat LED will illuminate.
• When a CD track is paused the corresponding track number LED will flash.
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8 PLINIUS CD-101
Rear Panel Functions
The rear panel incorporates all the terminals for connecting the output signal to your
preamplifier, AV receiver or integrated amplifier and mains supply.
Please remember that your Plinius CD-101 Compact Disc player is a high quality
electronic instrument capable of an exceptional level of performance. Be sure that
you understand your system’s requirements fully before you make any connection to
this Compact Disc player.
1. OUTPUT TERMINALS
Connections for preamplifiers or integrated amplifiers are provided on the rear panel.
Connections are available for analog single ended RCA, and balanced XLR cables,
as well as SPDIF digital output. Note that the only time the analog outputs are ‘live’ is
when the Compact Disc player is playing a track. The SPDIF output is live any time
the Compact Disc player is switched on.
The XLR output pin configuration used in all Plinius products is:
PIN 1 to GND
PIN 2 to +Signal
PIN 3 to –Signal
NOTE: Because of the way balanced XLR outputs are configured it is not
recommended to connect both XLR and RCA at the same time.
2. GROUND LIFT SWITCH
This switch allows the signal ground to be disconnected from the chassis. In some
installations a hum loop may exist due to duplicate ground paths from different
equipment. Use this switch to remove the connection from 0V to ground thus
allowing some flexibility in your particular set-up.
3. MAINS SWITCH
The heavy-duty rocker switch turns the Mains/Line Power to the amplifier ON or OFF.
The amplifier draws a moderately high current when switched on, so it is not good
practice to rapidly turn the Mains switch on and off repeatedly.
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9COMPACT DISC PLAYER
4. MAINS POWER CORD IEC SOCKET
This connector is where the mains supply cable from your wall connects to the
Compact Disc player. A fuse holder is mounted within this connection, and it holds a
mains fuse to provide surge and overload protection for your Compact Disc player.
5. REMOTE IR SOCKET
This socket is for connecting to an external remote control sender. Some companies
manufacture these devices to enable multi-room remote control. Please see your
Plinius dealer for further advice.
Remote Control Functions
The CD-101 features a full function remote to control all actions of the unit. This section
details the buttons of the CD-101 remote and how they are used.
1. REPEAT
Press this button and the repeat light on the front panel will light
up. The CD-101 will now play all tracks on the CD as normal, and
then repeat all tracks from track 1 in an endless loop. It does not
repeat one track only, it repeats the entire contents of the CD.
2. DISPLAY
The display button on the remote enables you to quickly adjust the
display brightness. Use this button to toggle between high, low, and
off settings. Note that whenever the Compact Disc drawer is ejected
to change a CD, the display will automatically revert to full brightness.
3. CUE BUTTONS
Use these two buttons to cue through the track you are listening
to. Press and hold the right side button to cue forward through
the track, or press and hold the left side button to cue backwards
through the track. Once the start or end of the track is reached,
Cue will continue into the next track.
4. TRACK BUTTONS
Use these two buttons to go forward (right side button) or back
(left side button) through the tracks on the CD. Press the button
once to skip to the next track on the CD, or hold down to skip
through multiple tracks. The track currently selected will be
brightly lit. When playing a CD, press the back button once to
revert to the start of the current track. Pressing the back button
again will skip back to the previous track.
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