Pass XS PHONO Manual Download Page 5

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Introduction:

Wayne Colburn and the Pass Labs team were allowed to build the most advanced, best
sounding phono-stage they could imagine; the phono-stage they all wished to have for
their own homes.  The X Phono is the result of this ambitious effort.

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The X Phono is a true "dual-mono" design, the only component shared between channels

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other than casework, being the

power connection to house power.

AC

Once past the power cord the

mains feed left and right channel power supplies, each

AC

totally independent from one another with their own dedicated transformer,

fi

ltering and

regulation.  The control section has its own regulated power supply as well.

Building upon the dual mono theme and topology each of the three inputs feature left and
right gain channels, each on a separate, ceramic substrate circuit boards (6 circuit boards).
This total independence starting at the power cord and continuing right through to the
output connectors guarantees minimal noise and negligible channel to channel "cross-talk".
The result is listening to music emerging from a quieter background and blooming into a
richer, more precise soundstage.

Signal ampli

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cation from the phono cartridge inputs occurs prior to any input switching.

This pre-ampli

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cation of the incoming signal prior to routing greatly reduces corruption

of the low level analog information.

From the front panel of the X Phono you can select precise resistive loadings from 30

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ohms through 47k-ohms, capacitive values from 100 pF through 750 pF in addition to gain
of 56 dB, 66 dB or 76 dB.  Blue

's on the front panel indicate the loading values and

LED

gain settings.

For any input, choose the loading and gain settings best suited to that cartridge and push
the "save" button on the front panel.  Those values are now saved in memory and
associated with that input.  They will be recalled and applied to that input any time you
select that input.

Frequently we come upon recordings which bene

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t from a slightly different cartridge

loading, as for example slightly more capacitance.  From the saved value it is quite trivial to
change the capacitance (or resistance) loading for that one

and then revert to the saved

LP

settings in memory by reselecting the same input, which restores the saved values.

While internally this makes for a very complex piece of hardware, it was of paramount
concern was to make operation as intuitive and simple as possible.  We believe that this
goal has been achieved and the result is a piece which should not require much in the way
of operational instructions.

Mute Function, the mute is applied automatically as inputs are selected and de-selected and
during input or loading option changes.  This allows for switching of the various functions
with as few distractions as possible.  The mute function may be applied manually, should

you need to pay attention to something else or simply want to queue a recording silently.
Simply press the mute button.  The blue

above the button indicating it is active

LED

The High Pass Filter can be left off for most recordings. When selected, the

directly

LED

above the button will show blue, The High Pass Filter rolls off the low end response of
the X Phono at 6dB per octave.  The resulting 3dB roll-off at 20 Hz. maintains much of

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the bandwidth you desire, while minimizing various low frequency residual artifacts in less
than perfect recordings.   De-selecting the Hi-Pass function allows more of what is on the
recording to come through.

Summary of Contents for XS PHONO

Page 1: ...PASS X Phono s Dual Chassis Phonostage ...

Page 2: ...r supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on abraded or pinched by items placed on or against them paying particular attention to cords where they enter plugs or exit from a device Never under any circumstance insert a cut or damaged power cord into a mains power socket Power and Signal Cables should never be connected disconnected with equipment powered up Failure t...

Page 3: ...y click into place and lock 1 8 turn to the right c There is no particular preference for which power supply socket feeds either gain chassis socket as long as both are connected 4 Now you can plug the cord into the supply Fig 4 3 and the supply into the AC AC mains 5 it takes upwards of a minute for the system to come up and perform various WAIT housekeeping functions When ready the mute will go ...

Page 4: ...ption of the low level analog information From the front panel of the X Phono you can select precise resistive loadings from 30 s ohms through 47k ohms capacitive values from 100 pF through 750 pF in addition to gain of 56 dB 66 dB or 76 dB Blue s on the front panel indicate the loading values and LED gain settings For any input choose the loading and gain settings best suited to that cartridge an...

Page 5: ... recordings When selected the directly LED above the button will show blue The High Pass Filter rolls off the low end response of the X Phono at 6dB per octave The resulting 3dB roll off at 20 Hz maintains much of s the bandwidth you desire while minimizing various low frequency residual artifacts in less than perfect recordings De selecting the Hi Pass function allows more of what is on the recor...

Page 6: ...apacitive loading 5 Save 3 Gain 6 High Pass Filter 7 Mute X Phono s 160 430 66dB 320 56dB 2 0 0 100 7 5 0 530 76dB 140 1 0 0 75 75 5 0 3 0 4 7 K 1 K 500 3 3 0 250 75 Input 1 Input 2 Input 3 Save Hi Pass Mute 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Xs Phono Figure 3 1 Power LED 1 ...

Page 7: ...er CON CON 5 Signal Ground Posts 10 Signal Ground Posts 1 2 3 4 Twist to lock Twist to lock Pass Laboratories 13395 New Airport Rd Suite G Auburn 95602 CA No user serviceable parts inside Pass Laboratories 13395 New Airport Rd Suite G Auburn CA 95602 No user serviceable parts inside Input 1 Input 2 Input 3 Left Channel Input 1 Input 2 Input 3 Right Channel Twist to lock Twist to lock 1 2 3 6 7 8 4...

Page 8: ...ne is which Insert the power terminated cable end into the matching chassis socket rotate the CON cable end clockwise till the connector locks the cable into place You should be able to hear and feel the connector lock make sure it does To remove a connector pull back on the locking tab rotate the cable end counter clockwise 1 8 turn and remove The X Phono has 3 pairs of inputs and will accept 1 3...

Page 9: ...etween what works best for the cartridge and what sounds best in your system Start with a dynamic recording the manufacturers suggested resistive loading 100pf and 56 dB gain If the gain seems low increase it to 66 dB if you start hearing distortion of the loudest notes reduce the gain Listening to a wide variety of music try increasing or decreasing the resistive loading As you change the setting...

Page 10: ...ican product must be returned to the country of origin for warranty service Foreign distributors are only required to offer warranty service on Pass Laboratories product thattheyhaveimported verifiable byserialnumber Please note Conditions of warranty service and customer rights for product purchased outsidetheUnitedStatesmayvarydepending upon thedistributorand local laws Pleasecheck withyourlocal...

Page 11: ...11 Pass Laboratories 13395 New Airport Rd Suite G Auburn 95602 CA Phone 530 878 5350 Fax 530 878 5358 Web www passlabs com ...

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