User Manual

7
FRONT PANEL CONTROLS
Although most of the front panel controls (Volume, Power, Mute) are self explanatory, VAC
has outfitted this unit with several advanced features which bear further description:
Power:Turns the unit off and on.
Mute: Toggles between the "Mute" and "Operate" condition. When muted, the
indicator light is illuminated.
Tape: This switch selects between the signal coming from the main selector (light
out) or the signal connected to the “TAPE IN” jacks (light on).
Cinema: This switch selects the source connected to the “CINEMA” input jacks.
Volume (switch):
This switch allows any input (except Phono) to be level controlled (VAR or
variable) by the rotary VOLUME control, or to be produced at a SET (fixed)
level. To set this function, hold the toggle switch in the direction of the
desired setting for five seconds, until the indicator light changes from blinking
to solid illumination.
In the VARIABLE mode, the Phi functions as a conventional preamplifier.
The SET mode allows the control of volume to be determined entirely by the
source component. This is useful when the Phi Alpha Preamplifier is being
used as an element of a multichannel or home theater system, with the level
of all 5.1 channels being set by the player or the decoder.
The SET mode may also be used with, for example, a CD player that has its
own volume control. In this way, the Phi’s volume control is bypassed. Some
audiophiles would consider this to be a “hot rod” mode.
Note: The Tape Monitor input takes the same setting as the source input. For
example, if the SELECTOR is on input #1 and #1 is set up in a SET mode,
when you engage the TAPE monitor it will also be in the SET mode, and the
VOLUME control will not change the sound level. Conversely, if input #2 is in
the VAR mode, then the TAPE monitor will also be in the VAR mode, and the
volume control will function. Therefore, it is suggested that the input be
configured to VAR before recording and monitoring is started.