Boulder 2010 Preamplifier Owners Manual 4/1/04 Boulder Amplifiers, Inc. 3235 Prairie Ave. Boulder, CO 80301 www.boulderamp.
Boulder 2010 Preamplifier Rear Panel APPENDIX RECORDING BOULDER LINK PROGRAMMING REMOTE CONTROL OPERATION GETTING STARTED
TABLE OF CONTENTS GETTING STARTED Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Before You Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Placement of the 2010 Preamplifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting the Power Supply to the Main Chassis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REMOTE CONTROL Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1 Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 Remote Control Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6 Source Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BOULDERLINK Connecting the Boulderlink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting Boulderlink Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting Boulderlink ID Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Power up via Boulderlink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
G ETTING STARTED INTRODUCTION Congratulations on your selection of the Boulder 2010 Preamplifier. We at Boulder Amplifiers are certain it will provide years of listening pleasure. BEFORE YOU START To get started listening, you only need to connect the 2010 as you would any other preamplifier and the power supply as on page 1-3, but you should take note of the following.
PLACEMENT OF THE 2010 PREAMPLIFIER Your Boulder 2010 Preamplifier is designed to reduce the effects that external magnetic and radio fields (RF) have on its internal circuitry. While placement is not critical, known magnetic fields should be avoided. Line of sight from the listening position is necessary for the remote control to function properly. Because the preamplifier and its power supply are heavy, a solid, stable surface should be used.
CONNECTING THE POWER SUPPLY TO THE MAIN CHASSIS Your Boulder 2010 Preamplifier is supplied with a Boulder 2000 Triple Power Supply. Each of the three supplies is independent of the others except for the front panel LED which confirms correct power supply operation of all three supplies. Three cables are provided for connecting the power supply to the preamplifier chassis. Two of these cables have 4 pin connectors and are used for connecting the left and right audio supplies (±27V).
CONNECTING TO THE MAINS OUTLET Your 2010 Preamplifier is supplied with a mains cord suitable to the location where it was purchased. One of the features of the 2000 power supply is its universal automatic voltage-selecting power supply. Simply plug it into any standard outlet. Exact voltage and frequency compatibility is stated in the specifications section.
POLARITY Please note that the 2010 Preamplifier conforms to the standard of pin 2 as the high or hot pin for all analog balanced inputs and outputs. Because input and output polarities are handled through programming setups and the remote control, no concern for polarity is needed while connecting sources. CONNECTING A BALANCED SOURCE To fully realize the sonic potential of your 2010 Preamplifier, use balanced connections whenever possible.
CONNECTING AN UNBALANCED SOURCE Although the inputs are all of the 3 pin type, an unbalanced source is easily accommodated by using a special cable. This cable has an RCA phono type connector on the source end and a 3 pin connector for going to an input on the 2010 Preamplifier. The minus input (pin 3) should be wired to ground only at the RCA phono connector. This brings the minus input reference of the 2010 to the unbalanced source ground, thus reducing ground loops.
CONNECTING TO A BALANCED INPUT AMPLIFIER With your 2010 Preamplifier’s balanced outputs driving a balanced input power amplifier, you can take sonic advantage of short speaker cables and correspondingly longer input cables. With the 2010’s low output impedance, distances of more than 50 meters between preamplifier and power amplifier are practical. Connect each amplifier input to the main outputs labeled “MAIN OUT 1” or ”MAIN OUT 2.
CONNECTING TO AN UNBALANCED INPUT AMPLIFIER A special cable is required to make this connection. This cable connects pin 1 to the shield and pin 2 to the center pin. It leaves the output pin 3 unconnected. Connecting the unused output pin (usually pin 3) to ground will cause excessive ground currents and degrade performance. Use an ohmmeter or continuity checker to determine how a cable is wired.
SETTING THE BOULDERLINK SWITCH Set the Boulderlink MASTER / SLAVE switch to MASTER. For more information on Boulderlink, see the Boulderlink section of this manual.
O PERATION POWERING UP With all your connections made, you are ready to listen to your Boulder 2010 Preamplifier. Push on the upper portion of the rocker switch on the rear panel of the 2000 Triple Power Supply. The LED indicator on the front of the power supply will first turn red, then amber. The indicator will be amber during normal operation. If for any reason, any of the power supplies’ voltages are low, the indicator will change to red.
INPUT SELECTIONS To select an input, press one of the pushbuttons labeled ONE through SIX. The respective input will be shown in the left display and that signal will be routed to both main outputs. For example, if input ONE is chosen, “1. INPUT 1” will show in the left display. Holding down any of the pushbuttons labeled ONE through SIX for several seconds will cause no input to be selected, and “SOURCE NONE” will show in the left display.
VOLUME Because the precise feel of the Boulder 2010’s volume control may be different from what you are used to, we recommend starting the source device so that an audio signal is fed to the 2010 before increasing the volume. The right display will show “VOL INFINITE” to indicate maximum attenuation or no sound. By placing a finger on the center rotating control and moving it slowly so it turns in a clockwise direction, the volume will increase and an indication such as “VOL - 40.
BALANCE To change the level balance, press the BALANCE pushbutton. “BAL CENTERED” will show in the right display. Now rotating the center control will change the balance instead of the volume for as long as “BAL...” is displayed. Turning the control counterclockwise (left) will cause an indication such as “BAL R -1.8dB” in the right display. This means that the right channel has been attenuated -1.8 dB below the left channel, regardless of volume setting, making the left channel louder.
NOTE: The actual balance setting is the balance indicated plus the programmed input balance offset and programmed output balance offset. Input balance offset is adjusted during input programming (see pg 4-3). Output balance offset is adjusted during volume control programming (see page 4-7). THEATER VOLUME AND BALANCE Sometimes it is desired that an input be set to unity gain, such as with a surround sound processor. The 2010 has the ability to set any input to unity gain while in the program mode.
MUTE To temporarily reduce the volume, press the MUTE pushbutton. ”MUTE -60.0dB” will show in the right display, replacing the volume indication. Again pressing the MUTE pushbutton will return the volume to normal level. While muted, the level of both channels will be reduced by the amount indicted in the display, regardless of volume setting. The amount of mute level reduction may be changed. See the programming section.
POLARITY NOTE: Often polarity is mistakenly called phase. As phase indicates any angle between two channels from 0 to 360 degrees, the correct term of polarity is preferred to indicate the 180° phase change, or inversion, available in the 2010 Preamplifier. To activate a polarity change only in one channel, start by pressing either the L POLARITY or R POLARITY pushbuttons. “POL NORMAL” will show in the right display.
To activate a polarity change in both channels, again start by pressing one of the polarity pushbuttons. “POL NORMAL” will show in the right display. Now press the L POLARITY pushbutton and then press the R POLARITY pushbutton while “POL...” is displayed. “POL INVERTED” will show in the right display and the output polarity of both channels of the main outputs will be inverted. To return to normal (noninverted) polarity, again press one of the polarity pushbuttons. While “POL...
DISPLAY The display brightness may be set to any of 8 brightness levels and also completely off. To change the brightness level, press the DISPLAY pushbutton. “DISPLAY 8” will show in the right display. Rotate the center control until the desired brightness is obtained such as “DISPLAY 6.” The number in the display indicates the relative brightness. After several seconds of not changing the brightness level, the right display will return to the “VOL...” indication.
R EMOTE CONTROL EXPANSION The remote control for your Boulder 2010 Preamplifier is in three sections–the transmitter, the 2010 module and the battery pack. These sections are held together by long screws inserted into the top of the transmitter and running through all sections. Additional longer screws are provided for adding sections from other Boulder series 2000 products to make one convenient control. A special screwdriver designed to fit the end of the screws is provided.
To reassemble the remote control, insert the 2-module screws into the transmitter section first. Carefully slide the module you want at the top onto the screws. Continue to push it up to the transmitter allowing the connector to engage. Slide the next module onto the screws.
Continue to push the second module up to the first module allowing the connector to engage. Slide the battery pack onto the screws just enough so that the screws can be started simultaneously. Use the special screwdriver to tighten the screws, drawing up the battery pack. Make sure the connector properly engages.
When finished, be certain to keep the original single-module screws and screwdriver for future use.
BATTERIES It is not necessary to remove the above mentioned screws to install batteries in the remote control. However, a standard #1 Phillips screwdriver is required to install the 3 AAA batteries. Turn the remote control over and remove the two screws located on the cover of the battery pack (the bottom module). Lift off the cover and set aside. Install the batteries with the positive (+) terminals facing toward the top of the remote control and replace the cover.
REMOTE CONTROL OPERATION Operation of the Boulder 2010 Preamplifier by remote control uses buttons on both the transmitter and 2010 module sections.
SOURCE SELECTION To select an input (source) press the button marked SRC on the preamp module. While “NUMBER?” is showing in the left display, press the desired input number (1 through 6) on the transmitter module. You will now be listening to your desired source, and it will be showing in the left display. Entering a 0 will cause no input to be selected, and “SOURCE NONE” will show in the left display. Entering 7, 8, or 9 will allow you to select a record source.
VOLUME, BALANCE and MUTE To increase the volume, press the button marked UP. To reduce, press DOWN. Holding either button down will cause the volume to change continuously until released. To change the balance to the left, press the button marked LEFT until the display shows “BAL CENTERED” and continue holding until the display shows the desired balance change. Similarly, you may change the balance to the right by holding RIGHT. To temporarily mute the audio, press MUTE.
POLARITY NOTE: Often polarity is mistakenly called phase. As phase indicates any angle between two channels from 0 to 360 degrees, the correct term of polarity is preferred to indicate the 180º phase change, or inversion, available in the 2010 Preamplifier. To change polarity only in one channel, start by pressing the POL pushbutton. “POL NORMAL” will show in the right display. Then to actually change the polarity in the desired channel, press the LEFT or RIGHT pushbutton while “POL NORMAL” is displayed.
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS To change the display brightness, press the DISPLAY pushbutton. While “DISPLAY” is showing in the right display, press the desired brightness pushbutton (1 through 8) or use the UP and DOWN pushbuttons.
P ROGRAMMING While it is not necessary to ever use any optional programming functions, you will probably find them helpful in using your Boulder 2010 Preamplifier. All programming is accomplished by pressing the PROGRAM pushbutton which causes “PROGRAM MODE” to be displayed in the left display and “SELECT?” in the right display. This is the starting point for all of the following programming options.
allow you to choose “YES” if you do want to name the input. Again press the same input source number to continue. If you chose to assign a name, then “1._INPUT 1” will be displayed in the right display with a blinking cursor in the name’s first character. Rotate the center control until the desired character appears. Press the same input source number to accept the displayed character and go to the next character. Continue in this manner until all 10 characters are set. For example, “1.
After the desired level is reached, or if no change is desired, press the same input source number. “1. BALANCE?” will show in the left display and “0.0 dB” in the right. Rotate the center control until the desired balance offset is obtained as indicated in the right display. A maximum of 12.0 dB may be set. For example, rotate the center control until “R -2.1 dB shows in the right display. The level of the right channel will be reduced by 2.1 dB for this input only after you leave program mode.
“1. MODE?” will now show in the left display and “NORMAL” will show in the right display. Rotating the center control will change the mode to “!THEATER!.” Theater mode sets the gain of the 2010 to unity and the balance to centered, allowing easy integration of the 2010 into a surround sound system. This mode is designed to be used with a surround sound processor, during which time only the processor’s volume control is active.
VOLUME CONTROL Controlling volume in the Boulder 2010 Preamplifier can be easily set to your preference for scale and resolution over its 1,000 step, 100 dB range. From “PROGRAM MODE” press the DISPLAY pushbutton. “VOL SCALE?” will show in the left display, and “-100 TO 0” will show in the right display. Rotating the center control will change the lowest setting now shown to a maximum of “0 TO 100” or anywhere in between. This feature allows you to have the scale of your choice.
“UNIT ID?”will show in the left display and “UNIT IS 16” in the right display. This indicates the current Boulderlink address of the 2010. The Boulderlink address can be set from 16 to 31 by rotating the center control. For more more information, see the Boulderlink section. Press the DISPLAY pushbutton again. “REMOTE ID?” will show in the left display and “REMOTE IS 6” will show in the right display. This indicates the current remote control address.
OUTPUT BALANCE OFFSET Some listening situations call for having a “permanent” output balance offset. This could be due to inconsistent speaker sensitivity or an asymmetrical room. The Boulder 2010’s output can be adjusted to always be offset, even though the display shows “BAL CENTERED.” WARNING: This programmed setup is easy to forget about. If it is used and you find yourself wondering if the balance is off, be sure to check this setting. From “PROGRAM MODE” press the BALANCE pushbutton.
MUTE LEVEL The mute feature allows for temporary level reduction without losing the original setting. Because everyone’s use of this feature varies, the actual level reduction is adjustable. From “PROGRAM MODE” press the MUTE pushbutton. “MUTE LEVEL?” will show in the left display and “MUTE -60.0dB” will show in the right display. Rotate the center control until the desired mute level is reached as displayed in the right display. For example, setting the display to “MUTE -25.
MAIN OUTPUTS POLARITY The polarity of the main outputs may be adjusted to match the power amplifiers used. If you are using a Boulder 100, 250 or 500 series, this should be set to “PIN 3 HIGH.” For Boulder series 2000 amplifiers, it should be set to “PIN 2 HIGH.” For other brands, consult the product’s owners manual. From “PROGRAM MODE” press the L POLARITY pushbutton. ”MAIN OUT PL?” will show in the left display and “PIN 2 HIGH” will show in the right display.
RECORD OUTPUTS POLARITY The polarity of the record outputs may be adjusted to match the recording equipment used. Consult the respective owners manual. From “PROGRAM MODE” press the R POLARITY pushbutton. ”REC OUT POL?” will show in the left display and “PIN 2 HIGH” will show in the right display. Rotate the center control until the desired polarity is shown in the right display. The polarity changes simultaneously with the display.
RESTORE TO FACTORY DEFAULTS Should you wish to have all settings reset to original factory defaults, you may execute a master reset. Normally, this function is not used. From “PROGRAM MODE” press the POWER pushbutton. “RESET ALL?” will show in the left display and “1=YES 2=NO” will show in the right display. To leave all settings as they currently are, press the TWO pushbutton. To reset all settings, press the ONE pushbutton. All other pushbuttons are inoperative during this time.
P ROGRAMMING FROM THE REMOTE C ONTROL Programming may also be conveniently done from the remote control. Similar to programming from the front panel, all programming is done by pressing the PGM button which causes “PROGRAM MODE” to be displayed in the left display. You may leave program mode whenever “PROGRAM MODE” is showing in the left display by again pressing the PGM pushbutton. INPUTS From “PROGRAM MODE” press the SRC button.
If you make a mistake repeatedly press the SRC button until all ten characters are passed by and then continue until the other settings are passed through and the name assignment display reappears. After the tenth character is assigned, “1.LEVEL?” will show in the left display and “0.0dB” will show in the right display. Press the UP and DOWN buttons to change the display and the main output’s level offset simultaneously.
”1.MODE?” will show in the left display and ”NORMAL” will show in the right display. Pressing the UP button to display “! THEATER !” and the DOWN button to display ”NORMAL”. Mode changes do not take affect until after the programming mode is exited. WARNING: Theater Mode sets the selected input to unity gain with no control of the volume. It should only be used in conjunction with a suround sound processor or similar device.
VOLUME CONTROL From “PROGRAM MODE” press the DISPLAY button. “VOL SCALE?” will show in the left display, and “-100 TO 0” will show in the right display. Use the UP and DOWN buttons to change the lowest setting now shown to a maximum of “0 TO 100” or anywhere in between. Press the DISPLAY pushbutton again. “RESOLUTION?” will show in the left display, and “0.1dB/STEP” will show in the right display. Use the UP and DOWN buttons to select 0.1, 0.5, or 1.0 dB per step as displayed in the right display.
“UNIT ID?” will show in the left display and “UNIT IS 16” in the right display. This indicates the current Boulderlink address of the 2010. The Boulderlink address can be set from 16 to 31 by pressing the UP and DOWN pushbuttons, see the Boulderlink section. Press the DISPLAY pushbutton again. “REMOTE ID?” will show in the left display and “REMOTE IS 6” will show in the right display. this indicates the current remote control address.
OUTPUT BALANCE From “PROGRAM MODE” press the LEFT or RIGHT buttons. “BAL OFFSET?” will show in the left display, and “0.0dB” will show in the right display. Press the LEFT and RIGHT buttons until the desired output balance is obtained as indicated in the right display. A maximum of -20.0dB may be set. Then press the PGM button again to activate the balance change and leave program mode. (Press the PGM button again if you wish to return to program mode.
MUTE LEVEL From “PROGRAM MODE” press the MUTE button. “MUTE LEVEL?” will show in the left display and “MUTE -60.0 dB” will show in the right display. Press the UP and DOWN buttons until the desired mute level is reached as displayed in the right display. Then press the MUTE pushbutton again to return to the program mode starting point. OUTPUTS POLARITY From “PROGRAM MODE” press the POL button. “MAIN OUT PL?” will show in the left display and “PIN 2 HIGH” will show in the right display.
B OULDERLINK BOULDERLINK "DAISY CHAIN" BOULDER PREAMPLIFIER BOULDER POWER AMPLIFIER BOULDER POWER AMPLIFIER MASTER SLAVE SLAVE TO ALL OTHER SLAVE UNITS Boulderlink is a means of interconnecting most Boulder products so that their microprocessors can talk to each other and pass important information. Among the key features, Boulderlink allows sequential initiation of power amplifiers and other products when the 2010 Preamplifier is turned on.
SETTING BOULDERLINK SWITCHES Every Boulderlink system must have one “MASTER” component, and only one component can be set to MASTER. Usually this is the preamplifier. Power amplifiers and other products not having a MASTER/SLAVE switch are always Slaves. On the 2010, set the Boulderlink toggle switch to MASTER. SETTING BOULDERLINK ID NUMBERS Each component is required to have a unique Boulderlink ID number. The 2010 ID is preset to 16 at the factory and/or when a master reset sequence is executed.
POWER UP VIA BOULDERLINK With each component connected together with a Boulderlink cable, and individually connected to the mains, pressing the 2010’s STANDBY pushbutton will initiate the turn on sequence of all components. The first time a “MASTER” 2010 is powered up, it will diplay ”SCANNING...” in the left display as it searches for any Slave units connected to it. As the Master finds each Slave, “n ONLINE” will displayed for that unit in the right display.
When a 2010 set to “SLAVE” is turned on, it will display “THIS UNIT IS” ”SLAVE 16”. If there is no component set to “MASTER”, the 2010 will display “ERROR:” ”NO MASTER”. In this case, the 2010’s MASTER/SLAVE switch should be set to MASTER. It may take up to 30 seconds for the 2010 to recognize the switch change.
BOULDERLINK MESSAGES Each component in the system can send a message to the 2010 which is then shown on the display. This is particularly helpful in confirming the operating status of each power amplifier in a multiple amplifier system. “AMP 1 ERROR” means that an internal power supply has failed and amplifier #1 has turned itself off to protect the speakers from damage. “AMP 1 DC” means that amplifier #1 has turned itself off due to a DC offset voltage being detected at its inputs.
U SING A RECORDER CONNECTING A RECORDING DEVICE One or more recording devices may be connected to the Boulder 2010 Preamplifier. You may use balanced or unbalanced connections for both input and outputs as previously described in the sections on connecting sources and power amplifiers. Two record outputs labeled “REC OUT 1” and “REC OUT 2” are provided on the rear panel of each channel. Connect these to the inputs of one or more recording devices.
RECORD SOURCE SELECTION Any one of the 6 inputs may be routed to the record outputs. Select an input by pressing the RECORD pushbutton on the front panel, and then one of the pushbuttons labeled ONE through SIX. The respective input will be displayed in the left display. For example, if input one is chosen, “R1 INPUT 1” will show in the left display. While “R...
PROGRAMMING FOR RECORDING Instead of having hardware-dedicated inputs for playback (tape) monitors, any input may be chosen for this purpose through software selection. Connect the outputs of these recorders to any of the 6 inputs you choose. Then for each chosen input, follow the instructions in the programming section for “INPUTS” until “...RECORDABLE” shows in the left display.
200K OHM INPUT BUFFER INPUT 1 INPUT 2 INPUT 3 LISTEN SELECT 200K OHM INPUT BUFFER INPUT 4 INPUT 5 INPUT 6 (RELAYS) SOLID-STATE VOLUME CONTROL 993 993 993 0.1 dB 0.5 dB 8.
BOULDER 2010 BALANCED ISOLATED PREAMPLIFIER SPECIFICATIONS Balanced Inputs 6 Main Balanced Outputs 2 Record Balanced Outputs 2 Maximum Input Level 7 Vrms Maximum Output Level 28Vrms THD+N, 2V Output, from 20 Hz to 5 kHz 0.0008% (-102 dB) at 20 kHz 0.001% (-100 dB) Output loaded with 150Ω Less than 1/2 dB distortion change Maximum Voltage Gain 20 dB Volume Range 100 dB Volume Steps 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 dB ±0.01 dB Record Path Gain 12 dB Frequency Response, 20 Hz to 20 kHz +0.00, -0.
TROUBLESHOOTING SYMPTOM No power indication Red power indication Amber power indication, but no sound is heard from one channel 7-3 APPENDIX CAUSE REMEDY Power switch is not on Turn on power switch Preamplifier is not plugged in Connect to an AC outlet Home circuit breaker is tripped Reset circuit breaker Low mains voltage Have line voltage tested Power supply’s breakers tripped Reset breakers on rear panel Defective power supply cables Have cables tested Defective power supply or preampli
Amber power indication, but sound is not heard from either channel Displays ” XX ONLINE ,” then ” XX OFFLINE” continuously 7-4 APPENDIX No signal from source Check source controls, cables and connections Input level is attenuated in program mode Go to program mode, select input, go to level and correct No signal out to power amplifier Check connections to power amp No power supply to audio channels Check power supply cables Preamp is defective Return to dealer for servicing More than one slave
NOTES 7-5 APPENDIX