Trafomatic Audio GLENN User manual

www.trafomaticaudio.com
GLENN
PARALLEL SINGLE-ENDED MONO POWER AMPLIFIER
WITH EXTREME FLEXIBILITY

Table of Contents
Section Page No.
Safety Precautions 03
Getting Started 06
 AboutYourAmplier     06
Packaging/Preparationforuse   07
Controls and Their Functions 09
 FrontPanel      09
 RearPanel      11
Servicing13
Technical Specications    14

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
ALL THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS THAT
ARE APPLICABLE TO YOUR EQUIPMENT.
CAUTION! NEVER REMOVE PROTECTIVE TUBE COVER. PROTECTIVE GLASS
MUST BE INSTALLED AT ALL TIMES. NO USER SERVICE ABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
SAFETY
Read the User’s Manual and refer to it frequently during use of this product.Allthesafetyandop-
eratinginstructionsshouldbereadbeforetheproductisoperated.
Retain the User’s Manual.Thesafetyandoperatinginstructionsshouldberetainedforfuturereference.
Follow Instructions.Alloperatingandinstructionsforuseshouldbecloselyfollowed.
Power Sources.Thisproductshouldbeoperatedusingonlythetypeofpowersourceindicatedonthe
markinglabel.Ifyouarenotsureofthetypeofpowersupplyinyourhome,consultyourproductdealer
orlocalpowercompany.
Grounding.ThisproductisequippedwithathreeprongIECconnector.Alwaysusepowercordwithad-
equatewirecrosssectionandanelectricaloutletthatisgrounded.Ifyoudonotknowwhethertheoutlet
isgrounded,consultyourelectricianorlocalpowercompany.
Power Cord Protection.Powersupplycordsshouldberoutedsothattheyarenotlikelytobewalked
onorpinched.Payparticularattentiontocordsatplugs,conveniencereceptaclesandwheretheyexit
fromtheproduct.Alwaysusepowercordswithadequatecurrentratingsandsafetycertications(UL,
CE,TÜV,CSA,etc.)
Fuses.Forcontinuedprotectionagainstrehazard,replacefuseswiththesametypeandratingofthe
fusesspecied.Whenchangingfuses,completelyunplugtheACcordfromthewalloutlet.Ifindoubt
whatfusestouse,contactfactoryorauthorizeddistributor.
Tubes.Duringoperation,thevacuumtubesgetveryhot.Allowatleast60minutesafterremovingpower
fortubestocooldown.Onlyafter60minutesyoucanremovetheprotectivetubecover,iftubereplace-
mentisrequired.
Cooling.Toensureproperventilation,thereshouldbenothingplacedontopoftheunit.Ventilationholes
shouldbeunobstructedwithatleast12”(300mm)ofemptyspaceaboveandaroundtheunit.
Turn-off when not using for prolonged periods of time.Theampliershouldbeturnedoffwhennot
attended.Thatextendstubelife,savespowerandpreventsanypotentialhazardousconditions.
03 GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

ENVIRONMENT
Water and Moisture.Donotusethisproductnearwater-i.e.nearabathtub,ashbowl,kitchen
sinkorlaundrytub;inawetbasement;ornearaswimmingpoolorthelike.Dampbasements
shouldbeavoided.
Heat.The productshould besituated awayfrom heatsources suchasradiators,heatregisters,
stovesorotherappliancesthatproduceheat.Alsoavoidputtingtheunitinthedirectraysofthesun.
For indoor use only.
PLACEMENT
Accessibility.Itisnormalforanaudiodevicetorunwarmifusedforprolongedperiods.Always
placeyourdeviceawayfromchildrenandpetstopreventburns.
Ventilation.Properventilationiscriticalforsafeandreliableoperationofallvacuumtubebased
equipment.Thisproductshouldnotbeplacedinabuilt-ininstallationorrackunlessproperven-
tilationisprovidedorthemanufacturer’sinstructionshavebeenfollowed.Neverplaceanything
ontopofyourunitthatcouldobstructairowandcausevacuumtubestooverheatanddamage
theunit.Donotplaceyourunitinaclosedbookcase;overheatingcouldoccur.Ensurethatthere
isatleast12”(300mm)ofopenspaceaboveandaroundtheunit.
Surface.Placetheunitonaatlevelsurface.Careshouldbetakentopreventobjectsfrom
fallingandliquidsfromspillingintotheunit.Donotsubjecttheunittoexcessivesmoke,dust,
vibrationorshock.
MAINTENANCE
Cleaning.Unplugthisproductfromthewalloutletbeforecleaning.Donotuseliquidcleaners
oraerosolcleaners.Useadryclothforcleaning.Donotuseanytypeofabrasivepad,scouring
powderorsolventsuchasalcoholorbenzene.
Tube replacement.Vacuumtubeshavelifeinthe10,000hoursrange.Werecommendreplac-
ingthetubesafter36months,ifnecessary,dependingonyourlisteninghabits.Thatwillensure
thattheunitalwaysperformsatitsbestandtubefailurewillnotoverstressotherpartsoftheunit.
Biasing the amplier. TheGLENNampliershaveautomatictubebiasing.Nouseractionrequired.
SERVICE
Replacement Parts.Whenreplacementpartsarerequired,besurethattheservicetechnician
usesreplacementpartsspeciedbythemanufacturerorpartswiththesamecharacteristicsas
theoriginalpart.Unauthorizedsubstitutionsmayresultinre,electricshockorotherhazards.
Tube replacement.Shoulditbecomenecessarytoreplacethevacuumtubes,removetheAC
powerplugfromthewallandallowsixtyminutes(60min)forthetubestocooldownandhigh
voltagecapacitorstodischarge.Followinstructionsoutlinedbelowinthesection“Handlingvac-
uumtubes”.Theprotectivetubecoverwithglasspanelsshouldonlyberemovedafterthe60
minutesperiod.
Modications.Modicationstotheamplierarestronglydiscouraged.Theunitwasdesigned
byexperiencedengineersandtestedforsafeandreliableoperation.Anymodicationmaypose
asafetyriskandresultinreducedlifetimeoftheproduct.Openingtheamplierwillvoidwarranty.
05 GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

GETTING STARTED
ABOUT YOUR AMPLIFIER
Your GLENN Power Amplierwasdesignedtoprovideatruehigh-endperformancewhichis
aresultofcarefullydesignedcircuitandoptimizedcomponentselection.Thedesignutilizesthe
highestqualityparts,includingcustomdesignedtransformersandchokeswhicharetheresult
ofTrafomatic’s20+yearsofexperienceinthiseld.TheGLENNsitsrmlyontopoftheTrafo-
matic’sproductlineup,challengingcompetitioninanypricerange.
Thedesignisbasedonparallel-connected 300B direct-heated triodes (DHT)operatingin
pureClassA.The 300B tubes are paired with a professional E182CC tube.Rectier tube
is the highly-acclaimed 5U4G.Thiscombinationoftubesandmatchingtransformersoffers
12-26Wofunrestrainedoutputpowerwithallthesonicbenetsofsingle-endedampliercon-
gurations.
TheGLENNoffersunmatchedexibilitytonetubesoundqualityforbestmatchtodifferent
speakersandlisteningtastes.
FitandnishoftheGLENNarecomplementingitsimpressivesoundqualityandmakeitacen-
terofattentioninanyaudiosetup.
TheGLENNhasonebalanced(XLR)andoneunbalanced(RCA)input.Thereareoutputsfor
four(4)andeight(8)ohmspeakers.
HANDLING AND REPLACING VACUUM TUBES
Manypeoplehaveneverhadexperiencehandlingvacuumtubes.Processisverysimilarto
handlingincandescentlightbulbs.Aswiththelightbulbs,youshouldnottouchavacuumtube
whenitisoperatingsinceyoucanburnyourself.Similarly,ifatubeisdroppedonahardsurface
itmaybreakorchangecriticaloperatingparameters.
When replacing the tubes, allow sufcient time, minimum 60 minutes, for tubes to cool
downand internal capacitorstodischarge.Only then you canremoveprotectivecover with
glasspanelsandcarefullyremovethetubes.
Before you insert a tube youshouldmake certain that the unit is disconnected from the AC
outlet.Inspectthetubeforcracksandphysicaldamage.Makesurethatthepinsarestraight.
Ifyouneedtostraightenthepins,beverycarefulasitmaycausetheglassenvelopetobreak,
causingthetubetolosethevacuumandfailassoonastheunitspoweredon.Carefullyalign
thepinswiththesocketandgentlyinsertthetube.
ReplacetheprotectivecoverbeforeconnectingGLENNtotheACpower.
Never force a tube into a socket.
ThankstotheexceptionalexibilitytheGLENNcanuseallcurrentlyavailable300Btubes.The
tubechoiceshouldbefollowedbyanappropriatesettingofmaximumdissipation,assuggested
bythetubemanufacturer.Formoredetailsrefertothedescriptionofthefrontpanelcontrols.
ShouldyoudecidetobuyreplacementtubesfromTrafomaticAudio,restassuredthattheywere
fullytestedbeforetheshipment.
06
GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibilityGLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

PACKAGING
Savetheoriginalpackaginginadryplace.Thepackaginghasbeendesignedtoprotectyour
devicefromstressesincurredduringshipping.
Usingpackagingdifferentfromtheoriginalincreasesrisksofshippingdamages.
PREPARATION FOR USE
Placeyourunitonaat,stablesurface.
Powerswitch,locatedontherearsideoftheunitshouldbeintheOFF(0)position.
Pluginthepowercord.
Connectaudiosourcetooneoftheamplier’sinputs.
Makesurethatvolumecontrolonyouraudiosourceissettominimumposition.
TurnontheGLENNbyusingON/OFFpowerswitchlocatedontherearsideoftheunit.
Allow30secondsforthetubestowarmup.
Slowlyincreasevolume,tomakesuretherearenounusualnoisescomingoutofthespeakers.
CONGRATULATIONS!YouareallsetandreadytoenjoyhighsoundqualityoftheGLENN
Mono Power Amplier.
07 GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

CONTROLS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS
FRONT PANEL
Aquicklookat thefrontpaneluncoversmanypossibilitiesfor customizingtheGLENNtot
manyspeakersandlisteningtastes.
Alargemulti-purposeback-litinstrumentoccupiescentralpositiononGLENN’sfrontpanel.
InconjunctionwiththeInstrumentswitchitcanbeusedtomonitorbiasoftheoutputtubes,as
aVUorpowermeteroritcansimplybeturnedoff.Innormaloperation,withproperlybiased
goodtubes,theneedleontheinstrumentshouldbesomewhereintherangeof-1to+1on
thetopscale,orevenslightlyhigherifthehighertubedissipationsettingisselected.
Standby switch:whenthisswitchisinthestbypositionhighvoltageisturnedoffandonly
lamentpowerison.ThatmakesitpossibleforGLENNtostartquickly,afterthestandby
switchismovedtotheONposition.RecommendeduseoftheStandbymodeiswhenturning
ontheGLENNandbeforeturningitoff,andduringlongerbreaksinlisteningsessions,asthis
extendslifeofthetubes.
Instrument switch:thisrotaryswitchhasfourpositions:
OFF:thefrontpanelinstrumentisturnedoff
Bias V1andBias V2areusedtoadjustormonitorbiasofoutputtubesV1andV2,respectively
VU:inthispositiontheinstrumentisusedasaVUmeterorPowermeter
300b plate dissipation (w)switchcanbeusedtosetplatedissipationoftheoutputtubes
wherefoursettingsarepossible:18,22,28and32Watts.ThisswitchensuresthatGLENN
iscompatiblewithevery300btube availableonthemarket,fromourfavorite MeshPlate
300bto300BXLS.Whensettingplatedissipation,thetubemanufacturers’recommendation
shouldbefollowed.Herearefewexamplesofrecommendedplatedissipationsettings:
MeshPlate300B:18W
WesternElectric:22W
Electroharmonix,JJ,Soaandsimilar:28W
EMLXLS:32W
Feedbackswitchdeterminestheamountofnegativefeedback(NFB)appliedtothepower
stage;itcanbesettooneofthefourpositionsmarked0(noNFB)and-1dBto-3dB,higher
numberdenotingmorenegativefeedbackapplied.Thissettingmakesitpossibletooptimize
outputcharacteristicsoftheGLENNtosuitmanydifferentspeakers.
09 GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

CONTROLS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS
REAR PANEL
The rear panel hosts:
AC Inlet withintegratedinputfuse
Power switchmarked0/I
Onebalanced (XLR) input
Oneunbalanced (RCA) input
GND LIFTswitchwhichcanbeusedtobreaksystemgroundloopwhenintheGNDLIFT
position.
GND terminal:thisterminalcanbeusedaspartofthe“star”groundingscheme,where
bothampliersareconnectedtothegroundingterminalofamatchingpreamplier.
Speaker terminals,informofve-waybindingposts.Therearethreeterminals,marked
0,4and8ohm.Speakerwiregoingtothenegativespeakerterminalshouldbeconnected
tothebindingpostmarkedwith0,whilethepositiveterminalshouldbeconnectedtothe
bindingpostwithmarkingthatcorrespondstothenominalimpedanceofthespeaker.
11 GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility

SERVICING
HighqualitypartsandcarefuldesignoftheGLENNensurelongandreliableoperationwithout
needforanymaintenanceotherthanthatlistedintheMAINTENANCEsection.Inanunlikely
casethattheunitdoesnotoperateasintended,pleasecontactfactoryoryourlocaldistributor
forassistance.
CAUTION
Lethalvoltagesarepresentinsidetheamplier.Donotremovetheamplier’scovers.Servicing
oftheunitshouldbeperformedonlybyauthorizedservicepersonnel.

14
GLENN -ParallelSingle-EndedMonoPowerAmplierwithextremeexibility
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
GLENN | PARALLEL SINGLE-ENDED MONO POWER AMPLIFIER
Class of operation:ParallelSingle-Ended(classA),DirectHeatedTriode(DHT)
Tube complement:2x300B,1xE182CC,1x5U4G
Input impedance:47K
Inputs:1xXLR,1xRCA
Input sensitivity: 3Vpp
Outputs:4and8ohm
Output power: 12-26W,dependingonthetubeandselectedplatedissipationsetting
THD:4%atmaximumpowerandwith1kHzsignal
S/N ratio:90dB
Frequency bandwidth:8Hz(-2dB)–60kHz(-3dB)
Input voltage:230V/50Hz(100-120-220-240V,50-60Hzavailableonrequest)
Power consumption:250VA
Size: 480x340x270mm(18.9”x13.4”x10.6”)
Weight:26kgperunit(57.3lbs)

PARALLEL SINGLE-ENDED MONO POWER AMPLIFIER
WITH EXTREME FLEXIBILITY
GLENN
www.trafomaticaudio.com