VANDERSTEEN M5-HPA User manual

MODEL M5-HPA HIGH PASS AMPLIFIER PRELIMINARY OWNERS MANUAL
CAUTION: PLEASE READ THIS MANUAL BEFORE PLUGGING IT INTO THE WALL!
-If the amplier came in from the cold (less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit) let the enre assembly come to room temperature to
minimize condensaon. FOR STABILITY REASONS USE SPEAKER WIRES THAT ARE 4 FEET OR LESS IN LENGTH!
-Do not move the amplier or power it up without the cover on with all screws in place or the PCB could be damaged.
-UNPLUG THE M5-HPA FROM AC FOR 3 MINUTES BEFORE CHANGING THE ROTARY HIGH-PASS SWITCH TO A DIFFERENT FREQ!
UNPACKING THE M5-HPA
-You have obviously opened the carton to nd this owners manual.
-Remove the power cord and remove the top tray.
-Using the Speaker Output connector and the Logo Recess on the Front Panel li the M5-HPA out of the shipping carton.
-Remove the Plasc Bag.
-Install the HRS footers with the ones marked with the Yellow Dot in the front two threaded inserts and the ones marked with Light
Blue Dot into the rear threaded inserts hand ght (it is very important to get the color coding correct).
-Locate the M5-HPA near the speakers directly on the oor without amplier base except for a piece of 1 inch granite if desired.
PREPARING THE M5-HPA FOR OPERATION
-Remove the 14 screws aaching the cover and li straight up and o (not necessary if the M5-HPA will be used in the 100Hz high
pass mode as they come set to 100Hz).
-Set the High-Pass Rotary Switch located approximately in the middle of the main circuit board (comes preset to 100Hz) for the
high-pass frequency desired. Example: QUATRO / QUATRO CT, MODEL 5, 5A,5A CARBON, SEVEN, SEVEN Mk II = 100Hz. Any
speaker while using the 2W, 2Wq ,SUB THREE or any other applicaon requiring 80Hz high pass = 80Hz. A total of ve sengs are
available: 20, 40, 80, 100 and 200Hz. DO NOT CHANGE THIS SWITCH SETTING WHILE THE M5-HPA IS PLUGGED INTO AC POWER!
Reinstall the cover and its 14 screws. DO NOT TRY TO MOVE THE M5-HPA WITHOUT THE COVER INSTALLED AS IT IS AN
INTEGRAL PART OF THE CHASSIS’ INTEGRITY AND DAMAGE TO THE PCB COULD RESULT.
-Hook up speaker cable maintaining proper polarity. A few words about speaker cables as they can be very expensive,
using the M5-HPA near the speaker sounds beer because ones budget will allow a higher quality cable and bi-wiring if
applicable. Long Balanced interconnects cost less and cause less signal degradaon as the input impedance is 200k. When doing
true bi-wiring it is best to connect both posive wires and both negave wires into one set of a suciently large Ring Lug
Connectors (available from your VANDERSTEEN DEALER). By removing the Knob of the Cardas speaker connector used on the M5-
HPA the Pressure Block can be removed allowing appropriate 1/4 inch Ring Lug to be installed. Reinstall the Pressure Block which
is indexed and will only go on one way.
-Plug in the provided power cord IEC-C20.
-Turn on the Circuit Breaker/Power Switch on the back of the M5-HPA. The le LED on the Front Panel should ash red and turn
green. If the M5-HPA has been o for any me, wait 20 minutes before trying to go to operate.

OPERATION
-The le LED should be green. Press the Stainless Steel Buon and the le LED goes Blue. If the blue LED will not stay on, wait 20
minutes and try again, especially if this is the rst me aer powering the M5-HPA up.
-If the Right LED goes Yellow this indicates over temp. Check for wires touching at the Amp Output Connector or Speaker Input
Connector. Check for adequate venlaon.
-If the Right LED goes Cyan this indicates over current. Check Speaker Wires for shorts. If no shorts are found this could indicate
the Speakers have too low an impedance for the M5-HPA to operate properly. Buy a Pair of VANDERSTEEN speakers.
-If the Right LED goes Red this indicates a fatal fault. Try turning the Power Switch/Circuit Breaker on the rear of the M5-HPA.
Note: there will be a 4 to 10 second delay before the Le LED goes Blue. Aer checking Speaker connecons and venlaon this
indicates a failure of a component in the M5-HPA. Call your Dealer or VANDERSTEEN AUDIO at 559-582-0324 for assistance.
-The Right LED may icker during operaon which indicates clipping. This is near max power and is not a problem if seen
occasionally on peaks. When the Red LED goes from a icker to steady Red the protecon circuit will see it as a DC oset and kick
the Power Switch/Circuit Breaker o. Lower the listening level and reset the M5-HPA.
-Intermient Red LED failure for no apparent reason could indicate a Pre-Amp or source that has excessive DC oset. The
protecon circuit will not allow operaon unl this is solved.
12 VOLT TRIGGER
-12 volt DC pulse “ON” 12 volt DC pulse “OFF”.
View is from the rear of RJ-11 jack where the phone cable is inserted.
DBS JACKS
The M5-HPA has two unidened DBS jacks to the le of the RJ-11 phone jack. If you chose AudioQuest speaker wires or inter-
connects these can be used in place of the baery packs. You would to order the AudioQuest speaker wire or interconnect with
the pigtails for the baery pack at the amplier end. This will provide the voltage required as long as the amplier is in standby or
operate and eliminate the need to replace the baeries.
TESTING FOR USE WITH SPEAKERS OTHER THAN VANDERSTEEN
The M5-HPA is a high-pass amplier with several high-pass oponal frequencies. When selecng 20, 40, or 60Hz the current de-
mands on the amplier increase so this should not be used with speakers that are 4 ohm or less. There are no fuses or circuit
breakers in the signal path but the M5-HPA has a very sophiscated protecon circuit to protect the speakers and the amplier. If
the protecon circuit sees a signal beyond its capability the amp will simply shut down. Try driving any speaker at the desired high-
pass frequency at levels found sasfactory to asses whether the M5-HPA is compable and has enough power. Speaker below 6
ohms will not be good candidates. If you are using one or two Vandersteen 2W, 2Wq, SUB THREE or SUB NINE set the high-pass
switch to 80Hz and use any speaker you like ie: full range planar or small monitor.
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LED INTENSITY
NOTE: THIS OPERATION REQUIRES THE AMPLIFIER TO BE ON. PLEASE USE CAUTION AND HAVE ONE HAND IN A POCKET FOR
SAFETY. BE CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING EXCEPT THE WHITE POT AS HIGH VOLTAGES ARE PRESENT!
-The Green LED (Standby) and the Blue LED (Operate) intensity can be adjusted. They are controlled by one Pot under the trans-
former behind the front panel. Remove the cover and look under the large transformer on the le side (facing the front panel) for
a white disk with serraons. Turn it carefully for LED brightness desired. The Green and Blue LED will go up and down together so
match the right and le ampliers LED intensity for the color that has the most importance.
SPECIFICATIONS
-Frequency response: 20Hz, 40Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz, 200Hz to 200KHz –3db (High-pass switch dependent).
-Power: 300 was 4 ohms, 150 Was 8 ohms @ 120 volt line.
-Input impedance: 200K Balanced.
-Gain 25db.
-Distoron: .15 @ 300 was, .01 @ 1 wa.
-Signal to noise: -90db A weighted 2 volts out. -110db full power.
-Power consumpon: Standby (green) 20 was, Operate (blue) 60 was, maximum power 600 was.
WARRANTY
Vandersteen M5-HPA High-Pass Amplier is warranted for 5 years to the original purchaser to be free from defects in material or
workmanship, SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS:
-Not been used in accordance with the instrucons contained in this operaon manual.
-Been subject to misuse or abuse.
-Been modied, repaired or tampered with by anyone not specically authorized to do so by VANDERSTEEN AUDIO.
-Been subject to inputs in excess of the maximum rangs.
-Suered physical damage to the structure or components due to accident, neglect or transportaon.
-Act of God.
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