P6 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Analog Audio Input Connections . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction Thank You for Choosing Parasound Your new Parasound P 6 is an advanced 2.1 channel preamplifier that has been designed for the highest performance for serious two channel music listening and ease of integration with a surround sound system. The P 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 P 6 & Placement Guidelines Unpacking Your P 6 Carefully remove your P 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 P 6, inspect it thoroughly for possible shipping damage and tell your Parasound dealer immediately if you find any evidence of shipping damage.
Analog Audio Input Connections Always unplug your P 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 P 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 P 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 Input The Bypass input jacks are used to incorporate the P 6 into a surround sound system. The Bypass input works by passing the incoming L, R and Sub channels directly through to the L, R and Sub output jacks. None of the P 6 circuits or controls has any effect on the bypassed signals. The P 6 is thus transparent to the Left, Right and Subwoofer(s) outputs from your surround sound processor or receiver and passes them on to your amplifier(s) and Subwoofer(s).
Digital Inputs: OPT 1, OPT 2, COAX, USB The P 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 P 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 P 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 P 6 carton) to your Mac computer and then turn on the P 6. Next you will need to ensure that the P 6 is selected as the computer’s default audio output device. Follow these instructions to assign the P 6 as the default audio device: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Audio Output Connections Left and Right Main Output Jacks (Balanced and Unbalanced) The Main Output Jacks are the primary outputs that connect to the inputs on your power amplifier. Both RCA (unbalanced) and XLR (balanced) connections are provided. The Balanced XLR Left and Right Outputs have the same signal as the Left and Right RCA Output jacks. Balanced outputs have 6dB higher gain. Both RCA and XLR outputs can be connected at the same time.
Other Rear Panel Connections 12 V Trigger Output Jack If your power amplifier is equipped with a 12 V trigger input you may find it convenient for the P 6 to turn it on and off automatically. Connect the trigger cable (included) between the P 6’s 12 V Out jack and the external amplifier’s 12 V trigger input. When the P 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 P 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, since the P 6 has its own crossovers and leaving both the sub’s and P 6’s crossovers on will result in double-filtering. Most powered subwoofers have a switch that’s typically labelled “Bypass”, “LFE” or simply “Crossover Off.” If your subwoofer’s crossover cannot be switched off, set it to its highest frequency.
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. Main Output Crossover Off Full Range audio signals will be sent to the RCA and XLR Main Output jacks.
Front Panel Controls On-Off Button A soft blue glow surrounds the On-Off button when the P 5 is turned off. Push the On-Off button once to turn on and the blue glow will get brighter. When the P 5 is turned on, the Input indicator and Mute button will illuminate blue. Push the On-Off button again to turn it off. Headphone Output The P 6 is equipped with a dedicated high quality current-feedback headphone amplifier based on the top-grade Texas Instruments TPA6120A.
Front Panel Controls (Continued)… Tone Button By pressing this button, you can turn off the Bass and Treble tone controls, thereby completely bypassing the tone control circuitry. This will improve sonic purity by eliminating the small amount of noise and distortion inherent in tone control circuits. The tone controls can also be turned on and off from the remote control so you can switch between flat and your desired tone settings. The remote control does not adjust bass and treble tone controls.
Remote Control Functions The P 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 P 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 P 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.
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 P 6 is switched to the correct input. - Make sure your external power amp is turned on The P 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.
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 Frequency Response 10 Hz - 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB 20 Hz - 20 kHz, +0/-0.5 dB 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 Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) < 0.
Parasound Products, Inc. 2250 McKinnon Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124 415-397-7100 / Fax 415-397-0144 www.parasound.
