Valve Amplification Company Phi Alpha Musicbloc 160 Monoblock Tube Amplifier Instructions Manual issued 12 March 2008 Please read carefully before installing Copyright 2008 by Valve Amplification Company. All rights reserved.
WELCOME Congratulations on your purchase of the VAC Phi Alpha Musicbloc 160, and welcome to the family of VAC owners! Your VAC is designed not to the latest fad but to substance, providing the highest quality of sound. Time spent familiarizing yourself with this manual will be well rewarded. It is our goal to provide instruments of the highest quality, be informative to all of our customers, and to provide responsive, effective customer service. Please feel free to contact us if we can be of assistance.
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS & SAFETY NOTES 1. VACUUM TUBES BECOME HOT ENOUGH TO CAUSE SERIOUS BURNS. NEVER TOUCH A TUBE WHEN THE UNIT IS ON. IT MAY TAKE SEVERAL MINUTES FOR THE TUBES TO COOL DOWN AFTER THE UNIT IS SWITCHED OFF. INSTALL THIS AMPLIFIER IN SUCH A WAY THAT PEOPLE, PETS, AND FLAMMABLE MATERIALS CAN NOT COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE AMPLIFIER. 2. DO NOT EXPOSE CHASSIS TO MOISTURE. DO NOT PLUG INTO AN AC SOURCE UNTIL ALL CONNECTIONS ARE COMPLETED. 3.
INSTALLATION Physical requirements: 1) Provide Adequate Ventilation-Allow at least three inches of free air space above and two inches to either side of amplifier 2) Do not place the amplifier in a completely enclosed cabinet. If equipment cabinet has a solid front door, a “boxer” fan will be necessary to ensure proper airflow. 3) Do not stack other components (or any objects which could impede proper ventilation) on top of the amplifier.
Basic Hookup: 1) Connect a volume-controlled line-level source to either the input RCA connector for ‘singleended’ sources or the input XLR connector for balanced sources. Set the front switch to reflect the connection used. 2) Connect loudspeaker cables to the five-way binding posts on the rear panel. Make sure that all connections are tight (Do NOT over tighten, or damage to amplifier or speaker cable may result), and that heavy or bulky cables are properly strain-relieved.
Output Tube Bias Adjustment: Your amplifier has been shipped with the output tube bias properly set. Nonetheless, it should be checked when you install your amplifier and approximately once every month thereafter. It must also be adjusted each time a tube is replaced. Adjustment of the output tubes is quite easy, and requires only a small screwdriver. On the front panel are four test switches, each with an adjacent adjustment control.
Matching To Your Loudspeakers Like many modern tube amplifiers, the Phi Alpha Musicbloc 160 includes multiple match taps for the speaker outputs. Do NOT assume that the setting which corresponds to your speakers’ published impedance specification will yield the best sound. Due to the various standards by which impedance can be measured, not to mention the fact that a speaker’s impedance varies with frequency, it is impossible to assert with certainty which output tap will yield the best sound.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT TUBES It is true that each brand of tube sounds different in a particular high resolution circuit. This is because no two manufacturers make a tube type in quite the same way, and the central tendencies of the performance parameters will differ slightly with each maker. This sonic variability may at first seem a liability, but further thought will reveal that it is an advantage.
Page 9
WARRANTY Your equipment is warranted for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of purchase. In addition, if the registration form is received by VAC along with a copy of your sales receipt from an authorized VAC dealer within this thirty days, a service contract will be extended to cover your equipment for two (2) years (tubes excepted). It is the responsibility of the dealer and customer to determine suitability of this unit for a particular application.
VAC PHI ALPHA MUSICBLOC 160 REGISTRATION FORM mail to VAC soon as possible.
