DYNAMIC SOUNDS ASSOCIATES Phono III
Page 10 of 38
USER MANUAL
voltages have been reached and have stabilized, selecting either Mute or Run will have no immediate
effect.
NOTE:
If this LED shows either a red or a green color only, it indicates that one of the power supplies is
not active. Turn the unit off and contact DSA for instructions.
Once the Standby LED has stopped blinking, the Mute position can be selected by pressing the Mute
button on the front panel or remote control. When first moving from Standby to Mute, there will be a 4-
6 second delay while the output driver voltages are applied and before the Mute LED will show a light
green color. Also, you may observe that the Standby LED will show either a brief green or red color prior
to the Mute LED showing a light green color. This is perfectly normal and does not indicate any problems
with the
Phono III
. In the Mute mode the
Phono III
is fully powered, but the muting relays at the output
are open. This mode represents the mode in which the
Phono III
can be left operating for long periods
of time, if desired, and is the mode in which thermal equilibrium will be obtained most readily.
Switching to the Run mode, using the front panel or remote control button, closes the output muting
relays and the Run LED will show a blue color. There is no delay between selecting the Run mode and
the Run LED turning blue. Switching back to Mute from Run will turn off the Run LED and illuminate the
Mute LED again. Switching back to the Standby mode turns off the output stage voltages but not the
amplifier board voltages so the Standby LED will glow but will not blink.
NOTE: If either the Mute or Run button is pressed during the initial 30 sec period after AC power on,
the
Phono III
will advance directly to the operating mode that was selected once the Standby LED has
stopped blinking. However, there will still be the initial 4-6 second delay while the output stage is
powered up.
Once operational, the
Phono III
should be left in the Mute or Run mode for about two hours to reach
thermal equilibrium. While it can be used and enjoyed during this warm-up period, there is the potential
for small DC voltages to appear at the output connectors and some of the switch functions—if
activated—may cause unwanted “pops or thumps” in your speaker system. These will be greatly
reduced after the
Phono III
has fully warmed up and thermally stabilized, at which point the top panel
should be slightly warm to the touch. For those who wish to listen on a regular basis, it is advised that
the
Phono III
be left running in the Mute mode since this will maintain the optimal thermal equilibrium
condition.
3.2
Front Panel Functions
The functions available on the right-hand-side of the front panel are described in detail below.
Mode:
This function toggles between stereo and mono operation. In the Stereo mode, the
Phono III
is a
true stereo preamplifier with > 60db channel separation. In the Mono mode, the left and right channels
are summed to provide a true mono mode (the identical signal applied to both channels). The mono
mode works best with mono LPs, but can also be used when playing stereo LPs if desired.
NOTE: Some
mono cartridges will cause excess hum due to internal wiring that creates a ground loop. Selecting
the "Mono" mode in this instance will largely cancel this hum.
