zapco Reference 1000.4, User Manual

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ZAPCO Reference Controls
Reference Series Inputs
Some Reference Series amplifiers accept two distinct types of
signal inputs.
The first is the standard RCA type of signal input. While they are not
the best type of signal transmission, they certainly are the most common.
RCA cables were the first standardized transmission system for audio
signals, and have been around since the early days of phonographs and
tape recorders.
RCAs work quite well for home systems, where you have short
cable runs and few, if any, sources of induced noise. In a car environment,
however, they have some very real problems. These problems include
induced noise, harmonic distortion, system noise, and signal loss, due to the
long cable runs common in car audio systems. Despite these drawbacks,
RCAs have been around a long time and are very common, so, ZAPCO has
provided them as a convenient option on some Reference Series amplifiers.
ZAPCO also gives you a better sounding option. A 6-pin Mini DIN
connector that allows you to use the high voltage SymbiLink™ balanced line
technology with all Reference Series amplifiers. Manufacturers of
professional audio equipment and high-end home products discovered
years ago that the problems inherent with RCAs could be eliminated, by
using differential preamps in combination with balanced line transmission.
ZAPCO one of the early adopters of balanced line technology incorporated
our SymbiLink™ balanced line transmission system into all Reference
Series amplifiers.