H E A D P H O N E AMPLIFIER SAMSON Q5 ®
Introduction 3 System Features 4 Guided Tour 5 Front Panel 5 Rear Panel 6 Setting Up and Using the Q5 7 Using the Q5 with a Patchbay 9 Linking Multiple Q5s 10 Reference Chart A: Headphone Impedance and Sensitivity Ratings 11 Reference Chart B: Impedance vs.
Introduction Congratulations on purchasing the Samson Q5 Headphone Amplifier! Although this unit is designed for easy operation, we suggest you take some time out first to go through these pages so you can fully understand how we’ve implemented a number of unique features. The Q5 is a compact, high-quality device that allows you to monitor any stereo or monophonic source signal (balanced or unbalanced) over as many as five separate headphones.
System Features The Samson Q5 Headphone Amplifier utilizes state-of-the-art technology. Here are some of its main features: • Special voltage doubler circuitry allows the Q5 to deliver unusually high output levels while maintaining excellent audio fidelity regardless of the number or type of headphones connected. • Individual level controls for each headphone output allow customized gain settings for each user, no matter what type of headphone is used.
Guided Tour - Front Panel 4 0 −∞ CHANNEL 3 CHANNEL 2 CHANNEL 1 +10 0 −∞ +10 CHANNEL 4 0 −∞ +10 CHANNEL 5 +10 1 POWER INPUT 0 0 −∞ 2 −∞ +10 MONO STEREO OFF 10 ® Q5 HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER 5 3 1: Input Level / Power knob - Use this to adjust the input level of incoming signal and to switch the main power on and off (turn fully counterclockwise to switch the power off). When the Q5 is on, the “Power” LED (see #2 below) will be lit.
Guided Tour - Rear Panel STEREO LINK BALANCED +14dB MAX. INPUT BALANCED Q5 HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER DISTRIBUTION LEFT AMP INPUT RIGHT AMP INPUT LEFT 4 LINK RIGHT AMPLIFIER 500mW 600 Ω TRS WIRING LINK WIRING PHONES WIRING TIP + RING SLEEVE GROUND TIP + RING SLEEVE GROUND TIP LEFT RING RIGHT SLEEVE GROUND SERIAL NUMBER SAMSON TECHNOLOGIES CORP., HICKSVILLE, NEW YORK 1 16VAC ASSEMBLED IN R.O.K. 3 2 1: AC input - Connect the supplied Samson AC16 16-volt AC power adapter here.
Setting Up and Using the Q5 Setting up your Q5 Headphone Amplifier is a simple procedure which takes only a few minutes: 1. Remove all packing materials (save them in case of need for future service) and plug the provided AC16 power adapter into the rear panel AC input—but don’t plug the adapter into a wall outlet just yet. WARNING: Do not substitute any other kind of power adapter for the provided one. The provided adapter is an AC step-down transformer; it is not a DC converter.
Setting Up and Using the Q5 6. Repeat step 5 for all connected headphones, making sure to start with the Channel Output knob completely counterclockwise and then slowly raising it until the desired level is achieved. If you have connected different models of headphones to the various Channel Headphone jacks, you may find that some require more gain than others to achieve the same volume. This kind of disparity will occur if the various headphones have different impedances.
Using the Q5 with a Patchbay If you are using the Q5 with an audio patchbay, you may find it advantageous to connect its Left/Right Amp Inputs directly to a pair of patch points. This way, you can opt to route signal to the Q5 from any source. In a recording environment, for example, you may typically use a pair of mixer Auxiliary sends for a stereo headphone (cue) mix.
Linking Multiple Q5s Any number of Q5s can be linked together (“daisy-chained”), allowing you to monitor an input signal over more than five sets of headphones. To do this, simply make a connection between one Q5’s Left/Right Stereo Link outputs and the next one’s Left/Right Amp inputs, and insert open-ended “dummy” 1/4" TRS plugs into the Left/Right Stereo Link Outputs of the last Q5 in the chain, as shown in the illustration below*: +14dB MAX.
Reference Chart A: Headphone Impedance and Sensitivity Ratings Virtually all headphones that terminate in a stereo 1/4” plug can be used with the Q5 Headphone Amplifier. This chart provides a partial listing of some of the more popular models, along with their impedance and sensitivity ratings.
Reference Chart B: Impedance vs.
Specifications 1. Power 500 mW x 5 channel 2. Inputs Type: Low-Z balanced Transformerless 10K ohms +18dBV 3-Conductor 1/4” (tip-ring-sleeve) Input impedance: Maximum input level: Connector: 3. Indicators Power Red LED indicators power “On” 4. Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +0 dB > -1 dB 5. THD .003% (1 kHz, 0 dBm, 600 ohms) .006% (1 kHz, 24 dBm, 600 ohms) 6. Signal to Noise Ratio 95 dB 7. Gain 20 dB 8.
