Tenor phono1 User manual
Tenor
Phono1
Ultimate Reference
Phono Stage
Owner’s Manual
!
July 2015
Important Safety Instructions
1. Please read this Owner’s Manual for your own safety and the protection of your Tenor
equipment.
2. Once you have installed your Tenor equipment, store this Owner’s Manual in the travel
case or another safe place for future reference.
3. Please heed all warnings and cautions.
4. Please follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this equipment near water or where there might be a chance it could come
in contact with water.
6. Clean only with a clean dry cloth. See notes under Care and Maintenance.
7. Do not install near a heat source such as radiators, heat registers, stoves or any other
source of heat.
8. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized and/or grounding type plug. A po-
larized plug has two blades with one slightly wider than the other. A grounding plug
includes the third ground prong. In the event the plug provided does not fit your pow-
er outlet, consult an electrician for assistance. Failure to do this may result in dam-
age to the equipment and/or possible injury or death.
9. Please protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at the
wall and at the plug on the rear panel of the equipment.
10. The use of extension cords and/or convenience plugs is not advised due to the power
requirements of the equipment.
11. Please mount equipment as specified in User Manual.
12. Please unplug equipment during lightning storms. When not in use for long periods of
time unplug the equipment and have a technician remove the rechargeable battery
located inside the Phono 1 chassis. The battery must be installed and sufficient time
with Phono 1 plugged in to AC to charge the battery before system can be used again.
13. Refer all service of equipment to qualified Tenor personnel. In the event the equip-
ment has been damaged, dropped, exposed to water or foreign objects have entered
the cabinet, disconnect immediately from power source and consult a qualified service
technician.
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS
APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO
USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER ALL SERVICING TO QUALIFIED
PERSONNEL
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Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Congratulations 1..........................................................................................................
Safe Set-up Instructions 1................................................................................................
Design Principles 1........................................................................................................
Precision Crafted, Assembly and Delivery 1...........................................................................
Unpacking 2
Travel Case Lifting Caution! 2...........................................................................................
Travel Case Opening 2....................................................................................................
List of Items Included with Tenor Phono 1 2...........................................................................
Moving Your Phono Stage 2...............................................................................................
Installation 3
Considerations 3...........................................................................................................
3rd Party Isolation Stands 3..............................................................................................
Placement 3................................................................................................................
Ventilation 3................................................................................................................
Input Source Component Quality 4.....................................................................................
Preamplifiers 4.............................................................................................................
Remote Turn On Jack 4...................................................................................................
AC Power Requirements 5
AC Mains Voltage 5........................................................................................................
AC Power Conditioners 5.................................................................................................
Stabilizing & Initialization after Power On. 5.........................................................................
Break-in Period 6..........................................................................................................
Tu b e L i f e 6..................................................................................................................
Design Features 7
Summary of Phono 1 Design Features 7................................................................................
Front & Rear Panel 9......................................................................................................
Turning Power ON 10......................................................................................................
Initial Power ON/OFF Screens 11........................................................................................
Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD) Button Overview 12...............................................................
VFD Display Screens & Buttons 13.......................................................................................
SETUP Screens 13..........................................................................................................
INPUT Buttons 15..........................................................................................................
DISPLAY Button 16.........................................................................................................
MUTE Botton 16............................................................................................................
MONO Button 17...........................................................................................................
PHASE Button 17...........................................................................................................
ON/OFF Button 17.........................................................................................................
Phono 1 Programming Guide 18
OUTPUT Selection 18......................................................................................................
GAIN FACTOR Selection 20................................................................................................
EQ CURVES Selection 21..................................................................................................
<<Z>> LOAD COMP Selection 21.........................................................................................
AUDIO GROUND Selection 23.............................................................................................
INFO Selection 24.........................................................................................................
CLOCK Selection 24.......................................................................................................
FACTORY SET Selection 24................................................................................................
Troubleshooting Overview 25
Phono 1 Warnings/Cautions/Fuses/Triggers 25.......................................................................
Phono 1 – No Power 25....................................................................................................
Ground Hum 25............................................................................................................
Balanced Moving Coil Cartridge Cable Connection (Arm) 26........................................................
Care and Maintenance 27
Wood Faceplate and Top Rails 27.......................................................................................
Metal Chassis and Top Plate 27..........................................................................................
Electrical Connections on Rear Plate 27...............................................................................
Audio Board (Vacuum Tubes) 27.........................................................................................
Ten or P ho no 1 S pe ci fi ca ti on s 28
Warranty 29
Product Registration 30
Ten or Co nt ac t I nf or ma ti on 3 1
Owner’s Notes 32
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Introduction
Congratulations
Congratulations on the purchase of your new Tenor Phono 1 single chassis/dual mono
Ultimate Reference Phono Stage. We are very proud of the extensive engineering, de-
sign and craftsmanship in our equipment and are confident that our Phono 1 phono
stage will deliver the musical experience of your lifetime.
Safe Set-up Instructions
This Owner’s Manual is provided to assist in the unpacking, installation and ongoing
care of your Phono 1 phono stage. It is recommended that you take a few minutes to
acquaint yourself with the contents of this manual before unpacking.
Design Principles
The passion and desire to attain the most realistic and live musical reproduction of
recorded material is a lifetime goal of Tenor. Building on Tenor classics including the
internationally acclaimed:
•OTL 15 & 75 Wp & Wi (Output Transformer-Less) amplifiers
• hp150/hp300 first generation Hybrid amplifiers
• 175S Ultimate Reference Stereo Amplifier
•350M Ultimate Reference Mono Block Amplifier
• 175S Haute Puissance
•350M Haute Puissance
•Line 1/Phono 1 Ultimate Reference Line Stage Preamplifier
The Phono 1 delivers musicality and transparency beyond all other phono stages.
Tenor’s proprietary research in the field of Harmonic Structural Integrity (HSI) is the
essence behind each of Tenor’s Zero Perceived Distortion products. The Phono 1 is the
finest single chassis/dual mono phono stage in the world and is designed to be the per-
fect match with any of Tenor’s amplifiers or preamplifiers.
Precision Crafted, Assembly and Delivery
Each Tenor phono stage is precision crafted in our facility in Montreal, Canada, by
master technicians dedicated to exacting standards using only the finest of materials.
Rigorous testing, matching and selection of electronic components precedes each cus-
tom build, following which, hundreds of hours of burn in ensures complete musical
equilibrium prior to calibration and delivery so your purchase will stay within calibra-
tion for most of your life. Each Phono 1 is outfitted with a custom travel case which is
specially designed to protect the unit during transit. Great care goes into every step
to ensure that the Tenor experience is nothing short of magnificent!
Page of1 32
Unpacking
Each Phono 1 has been transported to you in its custom travel case which has been
specially designed to protect the units during transit anywhere in the world. Given
the substantial weight and size of the phono stage, it is suggested that careful atten-
tion be given to the following:
Travel Case Lifting Caution!
The phono stage including carrying case has a combined weight of 102.5 lb/46.5 kg.
Travel Case Opening
The travel cases have been custom designed to provide the utmost in protection dur-
ing transit and storage of the phono stage. An empty case weighs approximately 44
lb/20 Kg. When not in use they should be stored away in a safe and dry location.
The weight of the Tenor Phono 1 is not evenly distributed about the centre axis from
front to back which creates a very awkward load, therefore careful attention is re-
quired!
Caution should be used in lifting the phono stage out of the lower portion of the travel
case to make sure that nothing scratches the beautiful Tenor wood and metal finish.
Position the travel case close to the final location by rolling on the travel case wheels.
Clear the space of the final location in advance and have two reasonably strong people
lift the phono stage upwards out of the travel case until the phono stage is clear of the
travel case sides. Special care is needed when installing in a shelving unit due to re-
strictive access. When sliding the Tenor Phono 1 on a shelf, do not drag on rubber feet
but lift enough weight so that rubber feet do not bind when sliding.
List of Items Included with Tenor Phono 1
•1 Owner’s Manual
•1 Protective Cover
•1 Kubala-Sosna Emotion Power Cord with country specific AC mains plug
•Package of User Accessible Fuses
Moving Your Phono Stage
Once the Phono 1 has been turned off using the top right button in the display,
turn the power off at the rear and let sit for about 10 minutes - to dissipate high volt-
ages. Disconnect all cables and power cords then put them underneath the phono
stage in the travel case with connector ends wrapped in a protective material so they
do not come in direct contact with the wood or metal finish which can be scratched or
marred if care is not taken.
Consult Owner’s Manual for reconnecting cables and power cords following a move to
ensure nothing is taken for granted. To protect the beautiful metal and woodwork, it
is always recommended to use the protective cover and travel case when moving the
Tenor Phono 1. The weight of the Phono 1 is not distributed evenly about the centre
axis making for a difficult load. It is recommended to have two people to move the
Phono 1 safely.
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Table of contents
