Parasound A 52 manual

A 5 2 Amplif ier Owner’ s Guide[...]

THANK YOU! Congratulations and Thank Y ou for Choosing Parasound Y our new P arasound Halo Series A 52 pow er amplifier presents the latest advancements in amplifier tec hnology . The A 52 is built to the strict qualit y and performance standards set by P arasound. W e’ re proud to of f er you this e xceptional audio component that will bring y o[...]

T ABLE OF CONTENTS A 52 Amplifier PLACEMENT GUIDELINES FOR YOUR A 52 2 CONNECTING A SURROUND CONTROLLER TO THE BALANCED INPUTS ON YOUR A 52 3 CONNECTING A SURROUND CONTROLLER TO THE UNBALANCED INPUTS ON YOUR A 52 4 CONNECTING YOUR SPEAKERS TO THE A 52 5 MANUAL AND AUTOMA TIC TURN ON-OFF OPTIONS 6 CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL DC SOURCE FOR AUTOMA TIC ON-O[...]

PLACEMENT GUIDELINES FOR YOUR A 52 Power amplifiers are usually heavier and generate more heat than other components. T o avoid damage to the A 52 or other equipment and to reduce risk of fire, you must follow these guidelines: • Place the A 52 on a separate shelf that will adequately support its w eight. • Keep it a wa y from heat sources suc [...]

CONNECTING A SURROUND CONTROLLER TO THE BALANCED INPUTS ON YOUR A 52 Left and Right Balanced Input Jacks Balanced connections will giv e you the best sound. If y our surround controller has balanced XLR output jac ks, we recommend that you connect them to these inputs. R ef er to the Balanced and Unbalanced Lines in the T ec hnically Speaking secti[...]

CONNECTING A SURROUND CONTROLLER TO THE UNBALANCED INPUTS ON YOUR A 52 4 Ch 1-5 Unbalanced Inputs Use these inputs if your sur round controller doesn ’ t ha ve balanced output connectors or if y ou simply pref er to use unbalanced connections. What Y ou ’ ll Need: • Five shielded interconnect cables with R CA plugs • A surround controller w[...]

CONNECTING YOUR SPEAKERS TO THE A 52 5 Stripped AWG wire Dual Banana Plug Common Speaker Connect ors Single Banana Plug Spade Lug Speaker T erminals The A 52 speaker terminals accept speak er wires with banana plugs, spade lugs, or bare ends. Ref er to Bare W ire Speak er T ermination in the T echnically Speaking section for inf ormation about bare[...]

Y ou can manually turn the A 52 on and off with its front panel On-Off button. It can also be triggered to turn on and off automatically when your preamplifier , surround controller , or system controller is turned on and off. Manual On-Off from the Front Panel If you w ant to manually turn on and of f the A 52 at an y time, you need to first selec[...]

CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL DC SOURCE FOR AUTOMA TIC TURN ON-OFF T o automatically turn on and off the A 52 with an external DC voltage, choose the DC T riggering option by moving the Auto T urn On switch on the rear panel to its lower 12 V position. What Y ou ’ ll Need: • A cable with a 2.5 mm sub-mini plug on eac h end (provided) • A “ control[...]

CONNECTING THE A 52 TO TRIGGER ANOTHER COMPONENT Whenever the A 52 is turned on either manually or automatically , there is 12 Vdc present at its own DC T rigger Out jack so it can trigger additional amplifiers or other components on and off. What Y ou ’ ll Need: • A wire with a 2.5 mm sub-mini plug on eac h end (in addition to the wire provide[...]

a AC Present Indication When the A 52 is plugged into a liv e A C outlet, a sof t blue halo glows behind its On-Of f but ton and its red “ P ” Badge glo ws faintly . These indicate that the unit is plugged into a liv e A C outlet, even when it is t urned off . b On, Off and Fault/Protection Status Indicators Whenev er the A 52 is t urned on, th[...]

CONNECTING THE A 52 AC POWER CORD AC Power Connections W e recommend that you plug y our A 52 into the same A C wall outlet or pow er strip that pow- ers your other audio components, especially the preamplifier or sy stem controller . Having all the audio components on the same pow er circuit helps prev ent hum caused by possible ground loops. The [...]

Y our Parasound A 52 power amplifier requires no periodic maintenance and has no user - serviceable parts inside. T o avoid the risk of electric shock, do not remove its top cover . The amplifier ’ s exterior can easily be cleaned with a soft cloth pre-moistened only with a fewdrops of water or glass cleaner . Main Power Fuse If this fuse blows, [...]

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 12 No pow er Auto turn on doesn’ t function with a trigger voltage Auto turn on doesn’ t function with an audio input signal A 52 will not turn of f when audio signal is remov ed P ow er on, but no sound On-Of f but ton glows red and c hannel indicator(s) of f Distorted sound Hum and / or buzz through speak ers A 52 is ov [...]

If All Else Fails – Call Us for Help Call your P arasound dealer or Parasound ’ s T ec hnical Ser vice Department toll free at 1 -866-770-TECH (8324) . W e can of ten solve the problem with simple diagnostic tests y ou can perform y ourself . If we determine that your A 52 will need further inspection or ser vicing, we will: a) Ref er you to an[...]

TECHNICALL Y SPEAKING 14 Audio T rigger Sensitivity Adjustment The Audio Sensitivity Control sets the threshold of the audio trigger signal. Y ou can adjust this lev el from a maximum sensitivity of 50 mV (fully countercloc kwise) to a minimum sensitivity of 250 mV (fully cloc kwise). If you set this control to 50 mV , the A 52 might be falsely tri[...]

TECHNICALL Y SPEAKING continued 15 The ideal of z ero voltage ground for all the compo- nents in a system is practically impossible, because some resistance bet w een the ground points of diff er- ent components is inevitable. By keeping components close together with their pow er cords plugged into a common A C outlet or pow er strip, you ’ ll a[...]

P ARASOUND A 52 DESIGN OVERVIEW 16 Circuit Designed by John Curl P arasound design consult ant J ohn Curl has been a legend among audiophiles and electronic engineers for decades. He pioneered measurements to correlate musical accuracy with the materials used in parts, work ed with world-class touring companies, has designed highly cov eted audio c[...]

P ARASOUND A 52 DESIGN OVERVIEW continued 17 The Driver Stage The driv er stage provides critical amplification for whic h we emplo y a complementar y matc hed pair of MOSFETs selected f or their tube-lik e sonic qualities. MOSFETs tend to generate less odd-order harmonic distortion than bipolar transistors. T his is import ant because odd-order di[...]

P ARASOUND A 52 SPECIFICA TIONS 18 Power Output - All Channels Driven 1 25 wat ts RMS x 5, continuous, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 W 225 wat ts RMS x 5, continuous, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 4 W Current Capacity 30 amperes peak per c hannel Slew Rate > 1 30 volts per microsecond Frequency Response 5 Hz - 1 0 0 kHz, +0/-3 dB at 1 wat t T otal Harmonic Distortion <[...]

Parasound Pr oducts, Inc. 950 Batter y Str eet, San Francisco , CA 94111 415-397-7100 / Fax 415-397-0144 www .parasound.com[...]