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Pass Laboratories

Aleph 2 Owner's Manual

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Summary of Contents for Aleph 2

Page 1: ...Pass Laboratories Aleph 2 Owner s Manual Serial ...

Page 2: ...udspeakers Previous methods of loading the output stage have used networks consisting of resistors coils transformers and active current sources all of which offer an optimal load line based on a resistive load The Aleph 2 has a current source topology which optimizes performance for a wide range of impedance and reactance in the load improving all aspects of performance into real loudspeakers Pas...

Page 3: ...fier draws 300 watts from the wall at all times and during idle operation nearly all of this energy will appear as heat on the heat sinks Good ventilation is vital to the proper operation of the amplifier It has been adjusted for optimal performance at room temperature but will work well between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit 10 to 33 Celsius You should leave at least six inches clearance on the sid...

Page 4: ...ations to characterize the subtleties of sonic performance Amplifiers with similar measurements are not equal and products with higher power wider bandwidth and lower distortion do not necessarily sound better Historically that amplifier offering the most power or the lowest IM distortion or the lowest THD or the highest slew rate or the lowest noise has not become a classic or even been more than...

Page 5: ...s easily accomplished as virtually every amplifier has a bias adjustment pot but it should be done very carefully As an experiment it has the virtue of only changing the bias and the expectations of the experimenter As the bias is reduced the perception of stage depth and ambiance will generally decrease This perception of depth is influenced by the raw quantity of bias current If you continue to ...

Page 6: ...pressure is greater than the corresponding decrease when we allow air to expand This means that for a given motion of a diaphragm acting on air the positive pressure perturbations will be slightly greater than the negative From this we see that air is phase sensitive As a result of its single ended nature the harmonic content of air is primarily 2nd order that is to say most of the distortion of a...

Page 7: ...e analogy of a two man saw cutting down a tree Certainly if we are cutting down trees by hand we would opt for this method as it would be much more efficient As we are not cutting down trees I much prefer the image of a violinist holding the bow at one end with one hand Only in this manner does the musician gain the degree of control and precision required to produce the range and subtlety require...

Page 8: ...ends to increase with current Bipolar power devices have a slight gain increase until they hit about an amp or so and then they decline at higher currents In general the use of bipolar in a single ended Class A circuit is a poor fit Another performance advantage shared by Tubes and Fets is the high performance they deliver in simple Class A circuits Bipolar designs on the market have between five ...

Page 9: ...ll fractions typically 20 of their ratings For extended life we do not allow chip temperatures to exceed 85 degrees C Regardless of the type of gain device in systems where the utmost in natural reproduction is the goal simple single ended Class A circuits are the topologies of choice It is a very simple topology which is a key part of the sound quality Other solid state amplifier designs have fiv...

Page 10: ...nder load which is about 3 times faster than the fastest signal you will ever see and about 50 times faster than what you will be listening to In and of itself the slew rate is an unimportant factor when evaluating tube and simple Mosfet designs It becomes more important with complex circuit topologies where there is heavy dependence on feedback correction but even then its importance has been ove...

Page 11: ... 100 watts 8 ohms 1 200 watts 4 ohms Input Impedance 10 Kohm unbalanced 25 Kohm balanced differential Damping factor 100 nominal Output Noise 600 uV unweighted DC offset 100 mv Power Consumption 300 watts Temperature 25 degrees C above ambient Dimensions 12 W x 12 D x 10 5 H Shipping Weight 60 lb PASS Pass Laboratories P O Box 219 24449 Foresthill Rd Foresthill CA 95631 tel 530 367 3690 fax 530 36...

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