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1
I
NTRODUCTION AND
Q
UICK
S
TART
Thanks for buying the Adagio Phono Stage!
Tavish Design’s Adagio Vacuum-Tube Phono Stage is our top-of-the-line phono preamp, but at a
reasonable price, in a clean, simple package. It offers state-of-the-art specifications that rival or exceed
the measured performance of solid-state phono stages, but with an all-vacuum-tube signal path.
Vacuum tubes present some unique safety considerations, so please take time to read and understand
the safety considerations in Section 2 before using this equipment.
Feel free to contact Tavish Design if you have any questions (
).
Quick Start
1.
The tubes are installed before shipping, but check to be sure they are straight and fully seated. See
section 3 for tube locations.
2.
Connect your turntable to either the Moving Magnet (MM) or Moving Coil (MC) input and set the
front panel toggle switch to the corresponding position. High impedance, high output MC cartridges
should connect to the MM input.
Select the appropriate loading for your cartridge. If you don’t know what loading to use, the 50 pf or
100 pF settings work well for most MM cartridges, and the “Max” setting works well for most MC
cartridges. Suggested loadings for some popular cartridges are given in Section 3, but feel free to
experiment.
Be sure to connect the ground post on the back of the phono stage to the ground post on your
turntable.
3.
Connect the power cable from the power supply to the main phono stage. The connectors are
indexed and will only connect in one orientation. Turn the retaining ring on the power connectors
clockwise until you feel a “click”. The power supply can be placed in a convenient remote location
up to 6 feet from the main phono stage, but ensure that it has adequate ventilation.
4.
Turn ON the power switches at BOTH the power supply and main phono stage. The power supply
can be left turned on and switched remotely from the ON-Standby switch on the main phono stage.
The phono stage takes approximately 45 seconds to warm up. Until then, the amber “Mute” LED on
the front panel will be lit and the phono stage will not pass signal.
The “Mute” switch can be used to mute the output when lowering or lifting the tonearm.
Turn down your volume control the first time you play an LP, until you are familiar with the
appropriate volume setting.
