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Questions and Answers
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15-044-11-1
Rev B
®
Questions and Answers
©2005 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Owner’s Reference
GCPH Phono Preamplifier
AÊÊUÊÊDÊÊIÊÊO
PÊS
The GCPH is best left powered on at all times. The power consumed is negligible and keeping it
powered on will make sure the internal AC capacitors stay charged and the amplifier and Gain Cells
sound their best whenever you are ready to listen to music. Using the front panel gain control as an
on/off control (turning it fully counterclockwise), is fine as this does not actually shut power off to the
unit
There is no harm in leaving the unit on at all times as the lifespan of the GCPH will be unaffected.
There is a replaceable internal fuse inside the GCPH. However, this fuse should not be replaced
without first consulting the factory service center for advice. It would be unusual for this fuse to blow
and may indicate something is wrong with the unit.
The GCPH should work with any cartridge made.
The front panel mono and phase buttons can be an important element in achieving the best sound. If
you are playing a mono record and using a stereo cartridge on the turntable, it is recommended you
place the GCPH in mono mode. This sums the left and right channels together in the same manner
as a mono cartridge would and will provide much better sonic performance.
The polarity or phase button will flip the
phase of both the left and right channels
(or the summed mono channel) 180
degrees. No standard has ever been
established, or certainly never adhered
to, in the recording of music with respect
to absolute phase. While many speculate
this is an unimportant factor in playback,
we firmly believe the opposite.
Try it for yourself. You can push the phase
button on the GCPH front panel “on the
fly” as the record is playing and listen for
the differences. They should be apparent
in terms of imaging and even how the top
end of a recording will sound on a high
resolution audio playback system. The
polarity switch does not add or subtract any circuitry to accomplish its task and is completely passive.
This is possible because the GCPH is a 100% balanced design, using both phases from input to
output and it is therefore a simple matter to reverse the phase with no audio degradation.
Placement of the GCPH can be critical. This is an extremely high gain preamplifier and although it is
well shielded in it’s case, the unit is still sensitive to radiated noise. Make sure you do not place the
GCPH on or near other equipment that may radiate hum from its internal transformer into the GCPH.
Power amplifiers would be an obvious candidate to keep the GCPH as far away from as possible.
Should the Unit
Be On All The
Time?
Are There Any
Internal Fuses?
Mono and Phase
Buttons
Try It Yourself
Placement is
Critical
The Polarity or
Phase Control
What Cartridges
Can I Use?
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