OWNER’S MANUAL MANLEY STEELHEAD RC MM/MC GRAMOPHONE CARTRIDGE PREAMPLIFIER
CONTENTS SECTION PAGE INTRODUCTION 3 INSTALLATION PRECAUTIONS 4 FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS 5 OPERATIONAL NOTES 9 REMORA REMOTE CONTROL OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS 12 TROUBLESHOOTING 16 MAINS CONNECTIONS 18 SPECIFICATIONS 19 rev5/2/11cd
INTRODUCTION THANK YOU!... ...for choosing The MANLEY STEELHEAD RC phono preamplifier. Please read over this manual carefully as it contains information essential to the proper operation and maximum enjoyment of this fabulous instrument. The MANLEY STEELHEAD RC is designed to provide that rare combination of maximized sonic performance coupled with a generous ability to adapt to any moving magnet, moving coil or iron vane phono cartridge you may wish to use.
INSTALLATION PRECAUTIONS a) Avoid locating the preamp where it will be exposed to direct sunlight, excessive humidity, dust or moisture. Extreme environments may temporarily or permanently degrade preamp performance. b) Keep the preamp housing away from sources of strong magnetic field radiation, such as large video display CRTs, large power lines or power/audio transformers in nearby equipment. Extra measures have been taken to shield the magnetically sensitive bits inside the preamp housing.
FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS 1. HIGH PERFORMANCE FRONT END The STEELHEAD RC preamplifier makes the best use of active and passive component and circuit developments generated over the past half-century. The hybrid cascode gain blocks simultaneously deliver wide-band high-gain, low noise and low distortion performance without having to resort to heavy-handed amounts of negative feedback. Or overly complex circuit topology.
3. SWITCH-SELECTABLE CARTRIDGE LOAD IMPEDANCE An effective means of varying the load seen by the MC cartridge has been included in the form of a 5-position rotary switch. This switch selects various taps on a specially manufactured dual-primary bifilar wound, high-bandwidth low-resistance and multiple-shielded nickel-core step-up autoformer.
Each cartridge manufacturer’s product will work best in a laboratory sense when terminated (loaded) with a certain amount of resistance and capacitance. By lab sense it is meant that the signal developed by the cartridge is at maximum power transfer into the pre-amp, with minimum overshoot and ringing, flattest frequency response and gentle roll-off characteristics. But it is those settings that create the most musically satisfying results for you that are of uppermost importance.
. LINE INPUT SELECT BUTTON The LINE switch routes external line level signals to the top of the feature switch stack, and through the VOLUME control. In this way, an external signal source may be manipulated by the SUM, DIM and MUTE switches, along with the volume control, before transmission to any downstream power amplifiers. Notice here that the Steelhead’s VARIable internal line driver does not have any voltage gain, but does have power gain by virtue of its low output impedance.
OPERATIONAL NOTES PREPARATION FOR INSTALLATION Budget a suitable space in which to place the preamplifier, power supply and associated interconnect cable. This space should be free of strong external magnetic and RF fields, and reasonably removed from strong loudspeaker-generated acoustical fields. This space should also be free of excessive heat or dust and large enough to permit easy flow of cool air to the top, bottom and sides of the preamp and power supply.
DURING OPERATION Once audio is heard from the STEELHEAD the exploration for the ideal control settings can begin. However it would be best to allow about 15 minutes of warm-up time for the system to reach thermal equilibrium. Again, notice that the MUTE function operates over both FIXED and VARIable outputs, while the DIM and SUM functions are only available at the VARIable output jacks.
Let the preamp tube(s) cool down, if necessary, before handling. Tube heater filaments are somewhat more suceptable to damage when warm or hot. Each tube should require only moderate force for removal and replacement. Gently rock the tube back and forth a bit during removal or replacement. Avoid bending the circuit board. Notice that the heaters of the 6922s are connected in series, and neither channel will function if one of the filaments is open or burned out, or unless both of the 6922s are installed.
REMORA REMOTE CONTROL OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS Quick Start: Your Remora Remote Control system has been configured and tested at the factory to verify that the communication link between the radio frequency transmitter and the mating receiver-decoder inside the Steelhead has been properly established. Before beginning, ensure that a fresh 9V alkaline battery has been installed in the Remora Remote transmitter. Yes, we installed a new 9V battery in the Remora Remote when it left the factory.
Remora Remote Features! 1. Remote transmitter and receiver operate under crystal-clocked microprocessor control for maximum signal discrimination, flexibility, and system range. 2. The user may easily reprogram the user-number portion of the remote system’s serial I.D. data stream. This will eliminate the possibility of undesired operation due to remote command collisions. 3.
The Remora system is highly resistant to false operation due to noise or other remote signals, but the range will be reduced if the competing signals or noise is very strong. If you experience intermittently poor range, briefly try operating the equipment at another location free of possible sources of interference before contacting your dealer or Manley Labs. Keep the remote and all other parts of the system away from rain or moisture of any sort.
How to change the user-numbers and re-pair the system: Ordinarily there will seldom be a need to change the user-number. Changing the user-number requires a few more ballet steps, as listed below. Some steps are time-window sensitive to help prevent pairing errors due to interference from other signals on the radio channel.Please read over the list of required actions and LED reactions completely before attempting to reprogram your Remora system user-number. 1.
TROUBLESHOOTING The STEELHEAD’s system architecture is designed with a variety of features so as to allow flexibility in accommodating as many cartridges and as much downstream gear as possible. Access to these capabilities rest on the assumption that all STEELHEAD systems are functioning properly. If trouble is encountered please review the following short list of symptoms and corrective remedies before contacting your dealer or us. Symptom Possible Cause Corrective Action NO lights, power.
Symptom Possible Cause Corrective Action, con’t Lights ON, no output from either channel after warm-up delay times out. Open 6922 filament, either channel. 6922 unplugged. Check for glowing 6922 filaments. Replace if necessary. Output MUTE function activated. UnMUTE the preamp. Hum heard on unused MM or MC inputs. Input connectors are non-shorting. Avoid unused shorting plugs. Hum heard on active inputs. Ground link between CHASSIS and CIRCUIT open. Replace jumper if necessary.
MAINS CONNECTIONS Your STEELHEAD RC has been factory set to the correct mains voltage for your country. The voltage setting is marked on the serial badge, located on the rear panel. Check that this complies with your local supply. Export units for certain markets have a moulded mains plug fitted to comply with local requirements.
SPECIFICATIONS Vacuum tube compliment: 6922 x 2 (gain) plus 5687 (or 7044) x 4 (output buffers) Fuse type and ratings: 100-120 VAC: 1.5 Amp MDL slow-blow main 230-240 VAC: 0.75 Amp MDL slow-blow main Moving Magnet input impedance: 5-step user adjustable via fixed low-noise resistors. 25, 50, 100, 200 and 47000 ohms. Moving Coil input impedance: 5-step user adjustable via multi-tap autoformer: 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 ohms.
