Void Bias q2 User manual

Bias Q2/D1

User Guide V1.0

Bias D1

Bias Q2

Important Safety Instructions

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC

SHOCK DO NOT OPEN

This unit has been engineered and manufactured to ensure your personal

safety. But IMPROPER USE CAN RESULT IN POTENTIAL ELECTRICAL SHOCK

OR FIRE HAZARD.

In order not to defeat the safeguards incorporated into this product, observe

the following basic rules for its installation, use and service. Please read these

“Important Safeguards” carefully before use.

• Read these instructions.

• Keep these instructions.

• Heed all warnings.

• Follow all instructions.

• Do not use this equipment near water.

• Clean only with a dry cloth.

• Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the

manufacturer’s instructions.

• Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers,

stoves, or other apparatus that produce heat.

• Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type

plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other.

A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong.

The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the

provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult an electrician for

replacement of the obsolete outlet.

• Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly

at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from

the apparatus.

• Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacturer.

• Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table

speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus.

When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/

apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

• Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long

periods of time.

• Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel. Servicing is required

when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-

supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have

fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or

moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

• The apparatus shall be connected to a MAINS socket outlet with a

protective earthing connection

• Where the MAINS plug or an appropriate coupler is used as the

disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.

CLASS3

WIRING

THE TRIANGLE WITH THE LIGHTNING BOLT IS USED TO ALERT THE USER TO

THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.

CLASS3

WIRING

THE TRIANGLE WITH THE EXCLAMATION POINT IS USED TO ALERT THE USER

TO IMPORTANT OPERATING OR MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS.

THE CE-MARK INDICATES THE COMPLIANCE WITH THE LOW VOLTAGE AND

ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY.

SYMBOL FOR EARTH/GROUND CONNECTION.

SYMBOL INDICATING THAT THE EQUIPMENT IS FOR INDOOR USE ONLY.

SYMBOL FOR CONFORMITY WITH DIRECTIVE 2012/19/EC OF THE EUROPEAN

PARLIAMENT ON WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT (WEEE).

DO NOT USE THE UNIT AT ALTITUDES ABOVE 2000 M.

DO NOT USE THE UNIT IN TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT.

CLASS3

WIRING

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT ATTEMPT

TO OPEN ANY PART OF THE UNIT. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

CLASS3

WIRING

CONNECTION TO THE MAINS SHALL BE DONE ONLY BY A

ELECTROTECHNICAL SKILLED PERSON ACCORDING THE NATIONAL

REQUIREMENTS OF THE COUNTRIES WHERE THE UNIT IS SOLD.

CLASS3

WIRING

DO NOT USE THIS AMPLIFIER IF THE ELECTRICAL POWER CORD IS FRAYED

OR BROKEN.

CLASS3

WIRING

TO AVOID ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT TOUCH ANY EXPOSED SPEAKER

WIRING WHILE THE AMPLIFIER IS OPERATING.

CLASS3

WIRING

DO NOT SPILL WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS INTO OR ON THE AMPLIFIER.

CLASS3

WIRING

NO NAKED FLAME SOURCES SUCH AS LIGHTED CANDLES SHOULD BE

PLACED ON THE AMPLIFIER.

CLASS3

WIRING

WARNING TO PREVENT INJURY, THIS APPARATUS MUST BE SECURELY

ATTACHED TO THE FLOOR/WALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INSTALLATION

INSTRUCTIONS.

CLASS3

WIRING

THIS DEVICE MUST BE POWERED EXCLUSIVELY BY

EARTH CONNECTED MAINS SOCKETS IN ELECTRICAL NETWORKS

COMPLIANT TO THE IEC 364 OR SIMILAR RULES

CLASS3

WIRING

DISCONNECT THE AC MAINS SOURCE BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO CLEAN ANY

PART OF THE AMPLIFIER

CLASS3

WIRING

VOID SUGGESTS TO PLUG THE BIAS D1 TO A 16 A RATING, C OR D CURVE, 10

KA SECTIONING BREAKER.

CLASS3

WIRING

IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO UNPLUG THE OUTPUT CONNECTORS

BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH THE SELF CHECK PROCEDURE

CLASS3

WIRING

THE TESTING SIGNALS MIGHT CAUSE LOUDSPEAKER IMPAIRMENTS.

CLASS3

WIRING

OUTPUT TERMINALS ARE HAZARDOUS: WIRING CONNECTION TO THESE

TERMINALS REQUIRES INSTALLATION BY AN INSTRUCTED PERSON AND THE

USE OF READY MADE LEADS.

CLASS3

WIRING

PROPERLY FIT THE AC MAINS PLUG TO THE AMPLIFIER INLET.

BEFORE POWERING THIS AMPLIFIER, VERIFY THAT THE CORRECT VOLTAGE

RATING IS BEING USED.

CLASS3

WIRING

VERIFY THAT YOUR MAINS CONNECTION IS CAPABLE OF SATISFYING THE

POWER RATINGS OF THE DEVICE.

CLASS3

WIRING

TAKE CARE TO LOCK THE OUTPUT TERMINAL BEFORE SWITCHING THE

DEVICE ON.

THE MANUFACTURER CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES

CAUSED TO PERSONS, THINGS OR DATA DUE TO AN IMPROPER OR

MISSING GROUND CONNECTION.

CONTACT THE AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER FOR ORDINARY AND

EXTRAORDINARY MAINTENANCE.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO VERIFY THESE FUNDAMENTAL

REQUIREMENTS OF SAFETY AND, IN CASE OF DOUBT, REQUIRE AN

ACCURATE CHECK BY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

Version 1.0

This user guide is subject to change without notice.

For the latest online version, visit: www.voidacoustics.com

Void Acoustics and the Void logo are registered trademarks of Void

Acoustics Research Ltd. in the United Kingdom, USA and other

countries; all other Void trademarks are the property of Void Acoustics

Research Ltd.

WEEE Directive

If the time arises to throw away your product, please recycle all

possible component.

This symbol indicates that when the end-user wishes to

discard this product, it must be sent to separate collection

facilities for recovery and recycling. By separating this

product from other household-type waste, the volume of

waste sent to incinerators or land-ﬁlls will be reduced and

natural resources will thus be conserved.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE

Directive) aims to minimise the impact of electrical and electronic

goods on the environment. Void Acoustics comply with the Directive

2012/19/EU of the European Parliament on waste electrical ﬁnance

the cost of treatment and recovery of electronic equipment (WEEE)

in order to reduce the amount of WEEE that is being disposed of in

land-ﬁll site.

All of our products are marked with the WEEE symbol; this indicates

that this product must NOT be disposed of with other waste. Instead

it is the user’s responsibility to dispose of their waste electrical and

electronic equipment by handing it over to an approved reprocessor,

or by returning it to Void Acoustics for reprocessing. For more

information about where you can send your waste equipment

for recycling, please contact Void Acoustics or one of your local

distributors.

EC Declaration Of Conformity

Manufacturer:

Void Acoustics Research Ltd.,

Unit 15 Dawkins Road Ind Est.,

Poole,

Dorset,

BH15 4JY

United Kingdom

We declare that under our sole responsibility the products:

Model Names: Bias D1, Bias Q2

Intended use: Professional Audio Ampliﬁer

Are in conformity with the provisions of the following EC

Directives, including all amendments, and with national legislation

implementing these directives:

• 2014/35/EU Low Voltage Directive

• 2014/30/EU Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive

• 2011/65/EU RoHs Directive

• 2014/53/EU Radio Equipment Directive

The following harmonized standards are applied:

• EN 55103-1: 2009 /A1: 2012

• EN 55103-2: 2009 /IS: 2012

• EN 55032: 2012

• EN 55035: 2017

• EN 60065: 2014 /AC: 2016

July 2017

For compliance questions only: in[email protected]

In an eort to reduce the quantity of printed material while enhancing the quality of content, we have decided to adopt a new approach for the

production of this quick guide.

All vital informations have been condensed in two pages, and all illustrations and tables are now found in the newly implemented fold out cover.

Colored bars are there to guide you to the right section of the ampliﬁer:

White numbers are there to guide you to speciﬁc elements of the section:

All warnings and safety instructions are now located on the ﬁrst page of each language, please do take the time to read these.

Location

Install your Bias D1/Q2 Ampliﬁer in well ventilated rack cabinets.

Secure both front and rear brackets to the rack.

Connect the AC Mains connector to a circuit breaker.

Install the ampliﬁer far from EMF emitting devices.

Avoid placing the ampliﬁer close to heat generating sources.

Cooling

The ventilation openings must not be impeded by any item, keep

a distance of at least 50 cm from the front and rear ventilation

openings of the ampliﬁer.

Bias D1/Q2 implements a forced-air cooling system to maintain

constant operating temperatures. Air enters from the front panel,

exiting at the back of the ampliﬁer.

The cooling system features variable-speed DC fans controlled

by the heat sink mounted sensors. This ensures that fan noise and

internal dust accumulation are kept to a minimum.

In the rare event of overheating, sensing circuits shut down

all channels until the ampliﬁer cools down to a safe operating

temperature. Normal operation is resumed automatically without the

need for user intervention.

Bias D1/Q2 ampliﬁers can be stacked one on top of the other, leave

one rack unit empty every four to guarantee adequate air ﬂow.

Cleaning

Use a dry cloth for cleaning the chassis and the front panel. Air ﬁlter

cleaning should be scheduled in accordance with the dust levels in

the ampliﬁer’s operating environment.

In order to clean the vent ﬁlters remove the front cover by ﬁrmly

gripping the outermost silver panels and pull them outwards

Use compressed air to remove the dust from ﬁlters, or wash it with

clean water (let the ﬁlter dry thoroughly before reinstalling them).

Package list

The box contains the following:

1x Bias D1 Series ampliﬁer.

1x Phoenix MC 1,5/4-ST-3,81 - 1803594 plug

2x Phoenix MC 1,5/6-ST-3,81 - 5447900 plug

1x Phoenix PC 5/4-STF1-7,62 - 177859 plug

1x IEC power cord

1x quick guide

1x Bias Q2 ampliﬁer.

1x Phoenix MC 1,5/4-ST-3,81 - 1803594 plug

2x Phoenix MC 1,5/12-ST-3,81 - 1803675 plug

1x Phoenix PC 5/8-STF1-7,62 - 177891 plug

1x IEC power cord

1x quick guide

Preliminary operations

Signal Grounding

There is no ground switch or terminal on the Bias D1/Q2 Series

ampliﬁers. The unit’s signal grounding system is automatic. In

order to limit hum and/or interference entering the signal path, use

balanced input connections.

In the interests of safety, the unit MUST always operate with electrical

safety earth connected to the chassis via the dedicated Protective

Earth wire.

Connections

Once properly powered (power cord inserted, sectioning breaker

closed), the system can be either ON or in STANDBY mode

depending on its state at latest power o.

In order to toggle the ampliﬁer between ON and STANDBY keep

pressed the power button for 3 seconds. Please consider that the

operating condition can be modiﬁed by the REMOTE ON and

REMOTE OFF conﬁguration.

Switching the ampliﬁer On and O

The Bias D1/Q2 ampliﬁers can operate with dierent gain applied to

the input signal. This feature is designed to match the voltage of the

input signal.

A proper combination of the position of two GAIN switches on the

rear panel sets the operating gain of the ampliﬁer

Gain selection

The Smart Rails Management technology implemented in the power

supply unit allows to reduce the power consumption when the input

signal falls under a deﬁned threshold.

When On, Energy Save is active on each channel independently.

If the signal is missing for more than 30 minutes on all channels, the

auto standby is applied and the main PSU is turned o to further save

energy (Time out time is selectable via Armonía in DSP+D Versions). Normal operation

is resumed in a matter of milliseconds when an incoming signal is

detected.

In order to activate the Energy Save feature, operate the NRG SAVE

dip switch on the rear panel.

Energy Save

Remote ON/OFF is available through the dedicated terminals on the

rear panel.

Both terminals respond to the dierential voltage between the

contacts: a voltage dierence in the range 5 VDC - 24 VDC triggers

the control. Any voltage exceeding 28VDC may damage the input

circuitry.

The couple of terminals act depending on the actual state of the

ampliﬁer, in accordance with the following table.

REMOTE ON REMOTE OFF AMPLIFIER STATE

Vdi ≥ 5 V Any Force Turn ON

Vdi < 3 V Vdi ≥ 5 V Force Turn OFF

Vdi < 3 V Vdi < 3 V No Change

(Keep either standby or in current state)

Remote On/O

This feature may be activated when the power grid is unable to

provide enough current to continuously drive the loads, or when the

number of ampliﬁer connected to the same outlet is such that one

can reach the critical power absorption of the line.

When activated, the Breaker Save halves the maximum continuous

current absorption from the mains. This slightly reﬂects on the overall

performance of the system, reducing the available output power.

In order to activate the Breaker Save feature, locate the BRK SAVE

switch on the rear panel.

Breaker Save

The level of each channel can be remotely adjusted by means of a

linear 10 kΩpotentiometer connected to the input LEVEL connector.

When the CH1 MSTR switch is in the OFF position the remote level

potentiometers work independently on each separate channel.

When the CH1 MSTR switch is in the ON position the remote level

potentiometer of channel 1 acts as a master level, controlling the

volume of both channels.

The remote level controls are in series with the level adjustment

knobs in the front panel.

Remote Level adjustment

Analog input connections are made via the Phoenix MC 1,5/6-ST-

3,81 5447900 connector.

Analog Audio Input connections

Bias D1/Q2 ampliﬁers implement an universal switching mode power

supply with power factor correction operating in the range from 100

VAC up to 240 VAC ±10%.

AC mains connection is in the rear panel through the IEC C20 inlet,

the approved power cord is provided.

AC Mains Supply

Pilot Tone monitoring

The detection of a mismatch in the input pilot tone parameters

(frequency and voltage level) can be used to trigger the backup

policy and activate an alert through the general purpose output

switch.

The output pilot tone detection relies on an external signal passing

through the ampliﬁer or the internal post DSP pilot tone generator;

in both cases any mismatch between the detected signal and the set

thresholds triggers the general purpose output switches.

IP Addressing

Factory default network settings are DHCP/AutoIP.

Inorder for the ampliﬁer to self-conﬁgure when connected to

an existing LAN or PC. Fixed IP policy can also be adopted and

conﬁgured through Armonía Pro Audio Suite.

If a DHCP server is not active within the network, the ampliﬁer

platform initiates a stateless address auto-conﬁguration (i.e.

Zero-conﬁguration networking methodology– Zeroconf): it self

assigns a local numeric network address (of the type 169.254.x.y –

172.31.*.* for the secondary network ifpresent– with a subnet mask

255.255.0.0) and automatically distributes and resolves the host

names of the networking devices.

Both Armonia and the Bias D1/Q2 must belong to the same subnet.

If a DHCP server is present on the network and a Bias D1/Q2

ampliﬁer is in AUTO IP, networking may become unstable.

As a rule of thumb, turn the DHCP

server on before connecting the ampliﬁers.

IP addressing of a Bias D1/Q2 ampliﬁer is established during the

bootstrap: when the ampliﬁer discovers a DHCP server on the network

during the startup, it negotiates the networking parameters. If the Bias

D1/Q2 does not reveal a DHCP server on the network during the

startup, it set itself in AUTO IP mode.

Networking

Bias D1/Q2 ampliﬁers support star network topology via the Ethernet

port and DanteTM networking via the DanteTM port.

Input selection and Backup Policy

In Bias D1/Q2 DSP+D ampliﬁers it is possible to select among two input

signal sources per channel: analog and DanteTM streams. Armonía Pro

Audio Suite software provides an interface to select the input source.

Furthermore Bias D1/Q2 DSP+D ampliﬁers implement a backup

policy aimed to improve reliability against signal fault. By assigning

a bus priority to the two dierent input sources per channel, the

system is able to automatically switch to a reliable input connection

in case of signal drop or pilot tone mismatch.

Output Load monitoring

Through the Armonía Pro Audio Suite software it is possible to set the

thresholds on the load impedance, at given frequency, that trigger

the general purpose output of any channel in Bias D1/Q2 DSP+D

ampliﬁers.

Armonía Pro Audio Suite

Armonía Pro Audio Suite is the default conﬁguring interface that allows

system setting and customization of the Bias D1/Q2 DSP+D ampliﬁers.

Armonía can be installed on a PC running Windows (XPSP3 and higher).

Download Armonía Pro Audio Suite for free from the dedicated website:

http://www.voidacoustics.com/void_uploads/Armonia.zip

Bias D1/Q2 ampliﬁers are optimized for working with 4Ωoutput

loads but a special configuration allows to connect low loads down

to 2 Ω.

The 2 Ωswitch allows to activate on all output channels set to match

low impedance (i.e. in Lo-Z configuration) an operating condition

that optimizes the performance with very low loads, by limiting the

maximum output voltage to 85Vpeak per channel.

For optimal 2 Ωperformance, it is recommended to select LowZ

mode for all the amplifier’s channels.

Note that 2 Ωcapabilities are not supported by 4804 models, the dip

switch is therefore marked “USR C”, and its function is reserved.

Lo-Z 2 Ωload operation

Any channel of can drive 70V/100V (Hi-Z) distributed line

loudspeakers. In order to connect any channel’s output to a

70V/100V line, the rear panel DIP switch corresponding to the

channel must be set.

Void recommends to use the built-in HPF (High Pass Filter) when

the ampliﬁer is set to drive a distributed line to prevent loudspeaker

transformer saturation, which can considerably degrade sound

performance. The HPF can be activated by means of the DIP switch

corresponding to the channel, two cutting frequency are available 35

Hz and 70 Hz.

Hi-Z 70V/100V operations

Output connections are made via the Phoenix PC5/4-STF1-7,62

177859 port.

Any mixed conﬁguration of low and high impedance output loads

can be made: in order to set the load conﬁguration, each channel is

provided with four DIP switches.

Output connections

The port labelled Ethernet is designed to remotely control the

ampliﬁer via an Ethernet connection through a personal computer

and Powersoft Armonía Pro Audio Suite software.

Void recommend the use of Ethernet Cat5 straight through – patch

– cables with pin/pair assignments TIA/EIA-568-B, i.e. T568B.

Ethernet connection

The self check procedure tests the ampliﬁer status and reports the

user in case of failures.

After few minutes, at the end of the self check procedure, a

combination of lit LED in the LED panel provides information about

the ampliﬁer status.

In order to exit the self check test and resume normal operations,

press once the self check push button 6.

If self check cannot be started because of a fault, the check LED

will blink fast, whilst a reassuring slow blink is an indication of a

completed self check procedure.

Self Check

Bias D1/Q2 provides a pair of paralleled general purpose output

connections per channel: one Normally Open NO and one

Normally Closed NC.

The connections are available on the back panel via the 6-pin

Phoenix MC 1.5/6-ST-3.81 5447900 connector.

These contacts are used to report potentially dangerous faults or

generally unsafe operation conditions by toggling alarm switches

relative to the following events, and any fault preventing the normal

operation of an output channel:

No AC mains (i.e. system shutdown);

Thermal stress: the system temperature is too high and the thermal

protection is engaged;

Short circuit in output wiring: either the loudspeaker or the line is in

short;

Ampliﬁer is in Standby

DSP+D versions feature further monitoring on pilot tone and output

load trough Armonía Pro Audio Suite.

Diagnostics - GPO - Alarms

DanteTM enabled models accepts two input streams from the

DanteTM connection through the DanteTM port. Cabling must comply

to TIA/EIA-568-B and adopt the T568B scheme pinout.

In order to implement a DanteTM network, a computer running

DanteTM Controller have to be used. DanteTM Controller is a software

application that manages devices on the network. Bias D1/Q2

DSP+D ampliﬁers are automatically discovered and displayed in

DanteTM Controller with the default identiﬁer:

MODELNAME-SERIAL

(e.g. BiasD1-71520).

Digital Audio Input connection

1 RU

2 2

3 3

4 4

Location

Exposing the Control Panel

Cooling

Dimensions

442 mm

19.0 in

14.0 in

373 mm

14.7 in

357 mm

365.5 mm

14.4 in

Ch 2

Ch 1

Remote Level

Ch 1

(Or Master)

Ch 1

(Or Master)

Input Gain Selection

26 dB 29 dB 32 dB 35 dB CH1 Master BRK Save NRG Save USR A USR B 2 Ω*

2-3 2-3 2-3 2-3 1 4 5 6 7 8

26 dB 29 dB 32 dB 35 dB

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