3
Many Alpha DAC Reference Series 3 functions such as input sampling rate selection, MQA
rendering and HDCD decoding occur automatically. Once the Alpha DAC Reference Series 3
is properly installed the most commonly used controls are volume, balance (remote only), mute
(remote only) and input select.
Volume Adjustment
Volume is adjusted in 0.1dB steps by pushing the
+
or
−
buttons on the remote control or front
panel in
STEREO
or
S
ample
RATE
modes. Pushing and holding down either of the buttons
adjusts the volume level more rapidly. Volume level is shown on the 3 digit display in dB. 60.0
is maximum level and 00.0 is minimum level. 54.0 is the recommended level if a preamplifier is
used after the Alpha DAC Reference Series 2. When AC power is removed the volume level
resets to 25.0 for safety. Note: In
LEFT
,
RIGHT
or
FILTER
modes the front panel
+
&
−
buttons perform different functions. Please see detailed information on this page and page 4.
Balance Adjustment
Balance is adjusted in 0.1dB steps by pushing the
L
and
R
buttons on the remote control.
Pushing and holding down either of the buttons adjusts balance more rapidly. Balance is
meant to be a program dependent setting not a system set up adjustment, so selecting a
different input resets balance to 0. If balance is offset to one channel, the higher channel
volume is displayed when adjusting volume.
Left & Right Gain
Left & right gain is adjusted in 0.05dB steps by selecting
LEFT
or
RIGHT
display modes and
pushing the front panel
+
or
−
buttons. Left & right gain is displayed with 3½ digit resolution. A
decimal point is added to the right of the third digit to indicate .05dB.
Note:
Unlike the
L
&
R
balance controls on the remote control, left & right gain are fine resolution adjustments for
system set up and do not reset when inputs are changed. If the left & right gains are different,
the higher channel volume is displayed when adjusting volume.
Output Muting
Pushing the
MUTE
button on the remote control mutes the analog outputs. Pushing the
MUTE
button again or pushing the
+
button on the remote control or front panel un-mutes the outputs.
When the outputs are muted a decimal point appears following the leftmost digit of the 3 digit
display.
Input Selection
Inputs are selected by pushing the button for the desired input
on the remote control or by
repeatedly pushing the
Input
button on the front panel until the LED for the desired input lights.
The four digital inputs are:
AES
- female XLR connector, 110Ω termination;
SPDIF1
- BNC
connector, 75Ω termination;
SPDIF2
- BNC connector, 75Ω termination;
TOSLINK
- Toslink
optical connector.
Absolute Phase
Pushing the
PHASE
button on the remote control or front panel inverts absolute phase,
pushing the
PHASE
button again returns absolute phase to normal. The
INVERT
LED lights
when absolute phase is inverted.
Display Mode
Pushing the front panel
MODE
button repeatedly selects
STEREO
volume,
LEFT
gain,
RIGHT
gain,
S
ample
RATE
, and
FILTER
display modes for the 3-digit display. Pushing and holding
down the
MODE
button steps through all display modes.