EVOLUTION LINE ONE - Trafomatic Audio

www.trafomaticaudio.com Rev. 1

EVOLUTION LINE ONE

EVOLUTION LINE ONEStereo Tube Line

PreamplifierStereo Tube Line

Preamplifier

www.trafomaticaudio.com Rev. 1

Table of ContentsSection Page No.

Safety Precautions 02Getting Started 05 AboutYourAmplifier 05 ConstructionandTesting 05 Packaging/Unpacking 05 OperatingProcedures 06Controls and Their Functions 08Servicing 11Technical Specifications 12

Table of ContentsSection Page No.

Safety Precautions 02Getting Started 05 AboutYourAmplifier 05 ConstructionandTesting 05 Packaging/Unpacking 06 OperatingProcedures 06Controls and Their Functions 08Servicing 11Technical Specifications 12

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDSPLEASE READ CAREFULLY ALL THE

FOLLOWING IMPORTANT SAFE-GUARDS THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO

YOUR EQUIPMENTCAUTION!TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE SCREWS. NO USER SER-VICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

SAFETY1) Read the User’s Manual and refer to it frequently during use of this product -Allthesafetyandoperatinginstructionsshouldbereadbeforetheproductisoperated.2) Retain the User’s Manual -Thesafetyandoperatinginstructionsshouldberetainedforfuturereference.3) Follow Instructions-Alloperatingandinstructionsforuseshouldbecloselyfollowed.4) Power Sources-Thisproductshouldbeoperatedusingonlythetypeofpowersourceindi-catedonthemarkinglabel.Ifyouarenotsureofthetypeofpowersupplyinyourhome,consultyourproductdealerorlocalpowercompany.5) Grounding-ThisproductisequippedwithathreeprongIECconnector.Alwaysusepowercordwithadequatewirecrosssectionandanelectricaloutletthatisgrounded.Ifyoudonotknowwhethertheoutletisgrounded,consultyourelectricianorlocalpowercompany.6)Power Cord Protection–Powersupplycordsshouldberoutedsothattheyarenotlikelytobewalkedonorpinched.Payparticularattentiontocordsatplugs,conveniencerecep-taclesandwheretheyexitfromtheproduct.Alwaysusepowercordswithadequatecurrentratingsandsafetycertifications(UL,CE,TÜV,CSA,etc.)7) Fuses-Forcontinuedprotectionagainstfirehazard,replacefuseswiththesametypeandratingofthefusesspecified.Whenchangingfuses,completelyunplugtheACcordfromthewalloutlet.8) Turn-off when not using-Turnofftheunitassoonasyoustopactivelyusingit.Unplugthepowersupplyfromthewallduringalightningstormorwhentheproductistobeleftunattend-edandunusedforlongerperiodsoftime.

02EVOLUTIONLINEONEStereoTubeLine Preamplifier - User Manual

ENVIRONMENT1) Water and Moisture.Donotusethisproductnearwater-i.e.nearabathtub,ashbowl,kitchensinkorlaundrytub;inawetbasement;ornearaswimmingpoolorthelike.Dampbase-mentsshouldbeavoided.2) Heat.Theproductshouldbesituatedawayfromheatsourcessuchasradiators,heatregis-ters,stovesorotherappliancesthatproduceheat.Alsoavoidputtingtheunitinthedirectraysofthesun.3) For indoor use only.

PLACEMENT1) Accessibility.Itisnormalforanaudiodevicetorunwarmifusedforprolongedperiods.Alwaysplaceyourdeviceawayfromchildrenandpetstopreventburns.

2) Ventilation.Properventilationiscriticalforsafeandreliableoperationofallvacuumtubebasedequipment.Thisproductshouldnotbeplacedinabuilt-ininstallationorrackunlessproperventilationisprovidedorthemanufacturer’sinstructionshavebeenfollowed.Neverplaceanythingontopofyourpreamplifierthatcouldobstructairflowandcausevacuumtubestooverheatanddamagetheunit.Donotplaceyourpreamplifierinaclosedbookcase;overheatingcouldoccur.Ensurethatthereisatleast6”(150mm)ofopenspaceabovethepreamplifier. 3) Surface.Placetheunitonaflatlevelsurface.Careshouldbetakentopreventobjectsfromfallingandliquidsfromspillingintotheunit.Donotsubjecttheunittoexcessivesmoke,dust,vibrationorshock.

MAINTENANCE1) Cleaning.Unplugthisproductfromthewalloutletbeforecleaning.Donotuseliquidcleanersoraerosolcleaners.Useadryclothforcleaning.Donotuseanytypeofabrasivepad,scour-ingpowderorsolventsuchasalcoholorbenzene.

2) Tube replacement.Vacuumtubeshavelifeinthe5000hourrange.Werecommendreplac-ingthetubesafter24-36months,dependingonyourlisteninghabits.Thatwillensurethatthepreamplifieralwaysperformsatitsbestandtubefailurewillnotoverstressotherpartsoftheunit.

3) Biasing the amplifier.BiasingoftheEvolutionLineOneisnotrequired.

SERVICE1) Replacement Parts.Whenreplacementpartsarerequired,besurethattheservicetechni-cianusesreplacementpartsspecifiedbythemanufacturerorpartswiththesamecharacter-isticsastheoriginalpart.Unauthorizedsubstitutionsmayresultinfire,electricshockorotherhazards.

2)Tubereplacement.Shoulditbecomenecessarytoreplacethevacuumtubes,removetheACpowerplugfromthewallandallowthirtyminutes(30min)forthehighvoltagecapacitorstodischarge.Followinstructionsoutlinedbelowinthesection“Handlingvacuumtubes”.

3) Modifications.Modificationstotheamplifierarestronglydiscouraged.Theunitwasde-signedbyexperiencedengineersandtestedforsafeandreliableoperation.Anymodificationmayposessafetyriskandresultinreducedlifetimeoftheproduct.Anyremovalofthecoverwillvoidwarranty.


GETTING STARTED - ABOUT YOUR PHONO PREAMPLIFIERYour Evolution Line Onewasdesignedtoprovideahighvaluebasedonitshighperformance,whichisaresultofacarefullydesignedcircuitandoptimizedcomponentselection.Thedesignutilizesminimumnumberofactivepartsandtopqualitypassiveelements. It isaperfectfitwithinTrafomatic Audio’s Evolutionproductlineup.

The design is based on an excellent ECC88 vacuum tube and high capacity power supplyemployingoversizedtoroidaltransformerandC-L-Cfilter.TheECL82vacuumtubeisusedtostabilizepowersupplyvoltageforthegainstage.

TheEvolutionLineOnehasfive(5)lineinputs,onestereooutput,subwooferoutputandfixedTAPEoutput.

HANDLING AND REPLACING VACUUM TUBESManypeoplehaveneverhadexperiencehandlingvacuum tubes.Process is verysimilar tohandlingincandescentlightbulbs.Aswiththelightbulbs,youshouldnottouchavacuumtubewhenitisoperatingsinceyoucanburnyourself.Similarly,ifatubeisdroppedonahardsurfaceitmaybreakorchangecriticaloperatingparameters.

Whenreplacingthetubesandremovingthepreamplifier’scover,allowsufficienttime,minimum30minutes,fortubestocooldownandinternalcapacitorstodischarge.

BeforeyouinsertatubeyoushouldmakecertaintheunitisdisconnectedfromtheACoutlet.Inspectthetubeforcracksandphysicaldamage.

Makesurethatthepinsarestraight.Ifyouneedtostraightenthepins,beverycarefulasitmaycausetheglassenvelopetobreak,causingthetubetolosethevacuumandfailassoonasthepreampliferispoweredon.Carefullyalignthepinswiththesocketandgentlyinsertthetube.

Never force a tube into a socket.

TheEvolution Line One is designed around the ECC88 vacuum tubeasagainstage.Whenthetubesaredueforreplacement,differentbrandsoftheECC88areacceptable,includingRus-sianversions6N1Pand6N23P.

NOTE: ECC81 (12AT7), ECC82 (12AU7) and ECC83 (12AX7) cannot be used in the Evolu-tion Line One preamplifier.

ShouldyoudecidetobuyreplacementtubesfromTrafomaticAudio,restassuredthattheyarefullytestedbeforetheshipment.

05 EVOLUTIONLINEONEStereoTubeLine Preamplifier - User Manual

EVOLUTIONLINEONEStereoTubeLine Preamplifier - User Manual

PACKAGING

Savetheoriginalpackaginginadryplace.Thepackaginghasbeendesignedtoprotectyourdevicefromstressesincurredduringshipping.Usingpackagingdifferent fromtheoriginal in-creasesrisksofshippingdamages

PREPARATION FOR USE01)Placeyourpreamplifieronaflat,stablesurface. 02)Powerswitch,locatedontheleftsideoftheunitshouldbeintheOFFposition.

03)Makesurethatthevoltageselectorswitch(locatedontherearpanel,nexttotheACinlet)isproperlyset:thisswitchneedstobesetsothatthenumberdisplayed(115or230)corre-spondswiththelinevoltageinyourcountry.

04)Pluginthepowercord.

05)ConnectLINEOUToftheEvolution Line Onetolineinputsofyouramplifier.Ifapplicable,connectsubwooferand/ortaperecordertotheSUBOUTandTAPEOUT,respectively.

06)Connectyouraudiosourcestothepreamplifier’sinputs(RCA1throughRCA5).

07)Ifsomeofyoursourcesrequiresignalgrounding(turntabletonearm,forexample),connectthewiretothegroundinglug(GND)ontherearpanelofthepreamplifier.

08)Byusingthefrontpanelinputselectorswitch,selecttheappropriateaudiosource(rca1throughrca5).

09)Makesurethatvolumecontrolissettominimumposition.

10)TurnontheEvolution Line Onebyusingpowerswitchlocatedontheleftsideoftheunit.

11)Turnonyourpoweramplifier.

12)Slowlyincreasevolume,tomakesuretherearenounusualnoisescomingoutofthespeakers.

13)CONGRATULATIONS!YouareallsetandreadytoenjoyhighsoundqualityoftheEvolution Line One preamplifier.


CONTROLS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

FRONT PANELInput Selector:Thefivepositions“Inputs”switchisusedtoselectoneofthefiveavailableinputs,markedRCA1throughRCA5.

Volume control: regulatesmaximumoutputson theLINEOUTandSUBOUToutputs.

Thefrontpanelalsohasthepoweronlightandwindowfortheremotecontrolre-ceiver.

LEFT SIDE OF THE UNITPower ON/OFF switch:TheswitchturnsthepreamplifierONandOFF

-Whenturningonthepreamplifier,makesurethatthevolumecontrolisatitsminimum.Thepreamplifierwillbefullyfunctionalafteronly30seconds.However,asitwarmsupoverthefirst15minutesofoperation,youmaynoticesubtleimprovementsinthesoundquality.

-Attheendofyourlisteningsession,makesuretoturntheamplifieroff.Leavingitturnedondoesnotimprovesoundqualityanditreduceslifeofthevacuumtubes.

-Thepreamplifiershouldalwaysbeturnedonandoffviaitsownpowerswitch.


CONTROLS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

REAR PANELTheonlycontrolontherearpanelisthelinevoltageselectorswitchlocatednexttotheACpowerinlet(ACINPUT).Thisswitchneedstobesetsothatthenumberdisplayed(115or230)correspondswiththelinevoltageinyourcountry.

The rear panel also hosts:

-Groundinglug(GND) -Fivelineinputs(RCA1throughRCA5) -Fixedoutput(TAPEOUT) -Subwooferoutput(SUBOUT) -Lineoutput(LINEOUT)

-Groundliftswitch(LIFTGND):insomeconfigurations,groundingofthesys-temcanconfiguresocalled“groundloops”.Incertainsituation,thiscausesincreasedhuminthesystem.Groundliftswitchisusedtobreakthe“groundloop”whilemaintainingsafetyaffordedbypropersystemgrounding.NOTE:neverusethesocalled“cheaterplugs”toremovegroundfromthesystem,asitcreatespotentiallyhazardousconditions.-Gainswitch(GAIN):thisswitchhastwopositions,marked22dBand25dB.ItaddsflexibilitytomatchtheEvolutionLineOnepreamplifierwithsystemsofvarioussensitivity.Itissuggestedtostartoperationwiththeswitchinthe22dBposition.The25dBpositioncanbeusedtoincreasedynamicrangewithamplifiersthathavelowersensitivity.

REMOTE CONTROLEvolution Line Onecomeswithitsowndedicatedremotecontrolcircuit.Forthesakeofsimplicity,reliabilityandlongbatterylife,basicfunctionalityisprovidedviatwobuttons:volumeupanddown.


SERVICINGHighqualitypartsandcarefuldesignofEvolutionLineOneensurelongandreliableoperationwithoutneedforanymaintenanceotherthanthatlistedintheMAINTENANCEsection.Inanunlikelycasethat theunitdoesnotoperateas intended,pleasecontact factoryoryour localdistributorforassistance.

CAUTIONLethalvoltagesarepresentinsidetheamplifier.Donotremovethepreamplifier’scovers.Ser-vicingoftheunitshouldbeperformedonlybyauthorizedservicepersonnel.

11 EVOLUTIONLINEONEStereoTubeLine Preamplifier - User Manual

EVOLUTION LINE ONE Stereo Tube Line Preamplifier - User Manual

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:STEREO TUBE LINE PREAMPLIFIER

Class of operation: Single-Ended(classA)Tube complement: 2xECC881xECL82(6BM8)Input impedance: 47 KohmsOutput impedance: 150 ohmsInputs: 5xRCAOutputs: RCALineout(150ohmsoutputimpedance),Tapeout(47Kohmsoutputimpedance)andSubwooferout(22Kohmsoutputimpedance)Gain : 22dBand25dBselectableatthebacksideTHD: 0.3%,1KHz/4VefS/N ratio: 85dBFrequency bandwidth: 12Hz(-1dB)–65kHz(-3dB)Input voltage: 230V/50Hz–115V/60HzswitchablePower consumption: 50VARemote controlled volume controlSize: 450x320x105mmWeight: 10kg


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EVOLUTION LINE ONE - Trafomatic Audio