HINT 6 2.
Important Safety Instructions The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of “dangerous voltage” inside the product that may constitute a risk of electric shock. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying the product. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER.
Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Placement and Ventilation Guidelines Rack Mounting 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 AC Mains Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction Thank You for Choosing Parasound Your new Parasound® HINT 6 is an advanced 2.1 channel integrated amplifier that has been designed for the highest performance for serious two channel music listening and ease of integration with a surround sound system. The HINT 6 is built to the extremely strict quality and performance standards for which Parasound is renowned. We’re proud to offer you this exceptional audio component that will bring you many years of enjoyment and dependability.
Unpacking Your HINT 6 & Placement Guidelines Unpacking Your HINT 6 Carefully remove your HINT 6 from its shipping carton and locate the enclosed accessories: • AC power cord • A 12 V trigger wire with mono 3.5 mm mini plugs on each end • Remote Control with two AA batteries • USB A to USB B cable for music playback from a computer While you are unpacking your HINT 6, inspect it thoroughly for possible shipping damage and tell your Parasound dealer immediately if you find any evidence of shipping damage.
AC Mains Voltage Selection and Fuse Check the 115 V/230 V Voltage switch before plugging in the HINT 6’s AC mains power cord! Make sure the 115 V/230 V Voltage Selector switch on the HINT 6’s back panel is set for the correct AC line (mains) voltage before you plug in the power cord. It can be seriously damaged if this switch is set for the wrong AC mains voltage.
Analog Audio Input Connections Always unplug your HINT 6's AC Mains power cord before making or changing any input, output or trigger wire connections. Inserting or removing an input or output cable while the HINT 6 is turned on can result in a blast of sound that could damage your loudspeakers. Make sure there is no strain or tension on any cables that could cause them to pull loose. Phono Input The HINT 6 is equipped with a high-quality phono stage.
Analog Audio Input Connections (Continued)… RCA Line Level Input Jacks (Inputs 1-5) Source inputs 1–5 all have the same input sensitivity and input impedance and are compatible with any typical analog line level source. Note: Input 5 is shared with the XLR balanced input connectors, therefore the RCA and XLR jacks for input 5 cannot be connected at the same time. XLR Balanced Input (Input 5) Input 5 also uses balanced XLR type jacks.
Theater Bypass / Amp Input The HINT 6’s Bypass/Amp input makes it suitable for both the highest quality stereo reproduction and powering the L and R channels in a surround sound system. This unique feature benefits your system in several ways. It will improve the performance of your left and right speakers in a surround sound system because the power amp built into the HINT 6 is superior to any surround sound receiver’s amp.
Connecting the Theater Bypass / Amp Input Connect your surround sound receiver or processor's Left, Right & Sub(s) preamp output jacks to the HINT 6’s Left, Right & Sub Bypass Input jacks. With a single subwoofer you can use either the HINT 6 Sub 1 or Sub 2 Input jack. Connect your left and right speakers to the HINT 6 Left and Right Speaker Output terminals. Connect your subwoofer(s) to the HINT 6 Sub Output jack(s).
Digital Inputs: OPT 1, OPT 2, COAX, USB The HINT 6’s built-in 32 Bit DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) uses a very high resolution 384 kHz ESS Sabre32® Reference DAC IC. Since the HINT 6’s DAC is superior to the DACs in most digital source components, they will sound better if you connect one of their digital outputs to the HINT 6's DAC instead of connecting their analog output jacks.
USB - Computer Setup Mac Users Apple® computers do not require the installation of drivers to use the USB input. Connect the USB cable (included in the HINT 6 carton) to your Mac computer and then turn on the HINT 6. Next you will need to ensure that the HINT 6 is selected as the computer’s default audio output device. Follow these instructions to assign the HINT 6 as the default audio device: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Audio Output Connections Left and Right Speaker Outputs The speaker binding posts accept a wide variety of speaker wire and connectors, including large spade connectors, banana connectors, and bare wire as large as 8 gauge. The binding posts are spaced wider than traditional dual-banana plug connectors. This wider spacing is intentional so that larger spade lug connectors can be used without the risk of a short circuit.
Other Rear Panel Connections 12 V Output Jack If an additional power amplifier is equipped with a 12 V trigger input you may find it convenient for the HINT 6 to turn it on and off automatically. Connect the trigger cable (included) between the HINT 6’s 12 V Out jack and the external amplifier’s 12 V trigger input. When the HINT 6 is powered on, 12 volts will be present at the 12 V output jack and your amp will turn on automatically. Note: The 12 V trigger wire included with the HINT 6 has mono plugs.
Subwoofer Setup The crossover setup and level setup are two important steps in setting up your sub(s). Subwoofer Crossover Setup You should turn off the crossover built into your subwoofer's amplifier, since the HINT 6 has its own crossovers and leaving both the sub’s and HINT 6’s crossovers on will result in double-filtering. Most powered subwoofers have a switch that’s typically labelled “Bypass”, “Home Theater” or simply “Crossover Off.
Crossover Setup (Continued)… Crossover On/Off Switches: Sub Output Crossover Off A full frequency range mono signal will be sent to the sub(s). You will need to use the crossover frequency controls that are built into your subwoofer. Sub Output Crossover On The point where the highest frequency going to the Sub(s) starts to roll-off is determined by the setting of the Low Pass frequency knob.
Front Panel Controls On-Off Button Whenever the HINT 6 is turned on, the soft blue glow behind its On-Off button will change to red for a few seconds while its circuits stabilize. Then the red glow will be replaced by a brighter blue glow to indicate normal operation. If the glow remains red after turn on or while the amp is in use, it indicates that the protection circuits have been activated and no sound will be heard from the speakers.
Front Panel Controls (Continued)… Bass and Treble Control Knobs These offer precision adjustment of tonal balance. You will find that very slight adjustments can add a degree of warmth, richness, clarity and “air.” However, larger adjustments may obscure musical detail, and even risk overloading your speakers. The Bass and Treble controls affect the Speaker Outputs, Preamp Outputs and the Subwoofer Outputs.
Remote Control Functions The HINT 6 remote control has a maximum range of approximately 20 - 25 feet (6 - 7.5 meters). Use only AA batteries in the handset and insert them according to the + and – polarity markings in the battery compartment. On and Off Buttons These buttons will turn the HINT 6 on and off. Remote Backlight Button ☼ Pressing this button backlights the buttons with a soft blue glow.
Turn On Volume & Favorite Volume Settings Turn On Volume You may wish your HINT 6 to come on to the same volume setting every time it is turned on. This can be particularly useful if you sometimes listen at high volume levels and you want to avoid a blast of sound the next time you turn it on. Or you may have a preferred listening level.
Setting the Turn On Volume: 1) Adjust the volume to the level you wish to program 2) Press the "Vol-Set" button (hit this button two times) 3) Press the "On" button (then hit this button once) These procedures are corrections. Cancel the Turn On Volume feature: Page twenty of owner's manual describes these incorrectly. 1) Press the "Vol-Set" button (hit this button two times) 2) Press the "Off" button (then hit this button once) CBx.
Power Amplifier Stage Protection Circuits The HINT 6 protects itself from external fault conditions such as excessive heat, load impedance that is too low, or a short-circuited speaker connection or wire. Under such conditions the On-Off button will glow red. After you correct the fault, the HINT 6 will resume operation and the On-Off button will glow blue.
Problems and Remedies Why is there no sound from the speakers? - Check that input and output cables are secure at both ends. - Make sure your HINT 6 is switched to the correct input. The HINT 6 won’t turn on - Is the AC mains power live? You should see a faint blue glow around the On-Off button even when the unit is turned off. - Make sure the rear panel master power switch is turned on. The On-Off button is glowing red - The unit’s protection circuits have been activated, see page 21 for more details.
Ground Loops - Eliminating Hum and Buzz Audible hum and buzzing noises in a system are usually related to issues with the component grounds. Ground (sometimes called common) is a point of reference for voltages in virtually all audio and video components. Ground is supposed to remain at zero volts while the audio signal swings positive (voltage above ground) and negative (voltage below ground). If the ground isn’t at zero, there can be an audible 60 Hz hum (or 50 Hz hum in regions with 50 Hz AC).
Assistance or Warranty Repair Repair or Service Call your Parasound dealer first. If the dealer can’t help you with your problem we encourage you to call Parasound’s Technical Service Department at 415-397-7100, Monday to Friday, 8am - 4pm Pacific Time. We can suggest other diagnostic tests you can easily perform.
Specifications Supported DAC Sampling Rates USB: up to 384 kHz / 32-bit PCM DSD Native: DSD 64, DSD 128, DSD 256 DSD over PCM (DoP) at 384 kHz Power Output - Both channels driven (0.05% THD, 20 Hz - 20 kHz) 160 watts x 2 @ 8 Ω RMS 240 watts x 2 @ 4 Ω RMS Coax/Optical: up to 192 kHz / 24-bit PCM Power Output - Both channels driven (0.9% THD, 20 Hz - 20 kHz) 180 watts x 2 @ 8 Ω RMS 270 watts x 2 @ 4 Ω RMS Digital to Analog Converter ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018K2M 384 kHz / 32-bit USB 2.
Parasound Products, Inc. 2250 McKinnon Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124 415-397-7100 / Fax 415-397-0144 www.parasound.
