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The rules should oblige the seller to give the purchaser an operating instrucion of SMc Audio VRE-1, along with an item. The lack of an instruction or false information given to customer shall constitute grounds to apply for a complaint because of nonconformity of goods with the contract. In accordance with the law, a customer can receive an instruction in non-paper form; lately graphic and electronic forms of the manuals, as well as instructional videos have been majorly used. A necessary precondition for this is the unmistakable, legible character of an instruction.
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The term originates from the Latin word „instructio”, which means organizing. Therefore, in an instruction of SMc Audio VRE-1 one could find a process description. An instruction's purpose is to teach, to ease the start-up and an item's use or performance of certain activities. An instruction is a compilation of information about an item/a service, it is a clue.
Unfortunately, only a few customers devote their time to read an instruction of SMc Audio VRE-1. A good user manual introduces us to a number of additional functionalities of the purchased item, and also helps us to avoid the formation of most of the defects.
What should a perfect user manual contain?
First and foremost, an user manual of SMc Audio VRE-1 should contain:
- informations concerning technical data of SMc Audio VRE-1
- name of the manufacturer and a year of construction of the SMc Audio VRE-1 item
- rules of operation, control and maintenance of the SMc Audio VRE-1 item
- safety signs and mark certificates which confirm compatibility with appropriate standards
Why don't we read the manuals?
Usually it results from the lack of time and certainty about functionalities of purchased items. Unfortunately, networking and start-up of SMc Audio VRE-1 alone are not enough. An instruction contains a number of clues concerning respective functionalities, safety rules, maintenance methods (what means should be used), eventual defects of SMc Audio VRE-1, and methods of problem resolution. Eventually, when one still can't find the answer to his problems, he will be directed to the SMc Audio service. Lately animated manuals and instructional videos are quite popular among customers. These kinds of user manuals are effective; they assure that a customer will familiarize himself with the whole material, and won't skip complicated, technical information of SMc Audio VRE-1.
Why one should read the manuals?
It is mostly in the manuals where we will find the details concerning construction and possibility of the SMc Audio VRE-1 item, and its use of respective accessory, as well as information concerning all the functions and facilities.
After a successful purchase of an item one should find a moment and get to know with every part of an instruction. Currently the manuals are carefully prearranged and translated, so they could be fully understood by its users. The manuals will serve as an informational aid.
Table of contents for the manual
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1 Using your VRE-1 Pre amplifier Congratulat ions on your pu rchase of the VRE-1 p reamplifier. Th e VRE-1 is simple to s etup and operate, but that sim plicity belie s an e xceptionally sophisticated design that includes a great deal of innovative thin king and t he best parts available today. A lthough reading th is manual may no t be necessary f[...]
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2 Preparing for use - locating your VRE-1: Your VRE-1 has a lot of wonderful attributes, an d one of th em is the fact that neither it nor its p ower sup ply produ ce appreciable heat. In addition, the Corian chassis is fa irly im mune to h eat, so the VRE-1 may b e installed in an enclosed cabinet. Th is mean s that you m ay loca te you r VRE-1 an[...]
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3 Front Panel layout • Input selector sw itch: Rotary switch sele cts one of 4 inputs. • Polarit y swi tch and LED indicator: Sets system po larity (absolute polarity, sometimes called “a bsolute phase”). Up is norma l, n on-inverted polarity, a nd flipp ing the switch down in verts signal po larity. Th e LED then lights to ind icate that s[...]
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4 Front Panel layout • Input selector sw itch: Rotary switch sele cts one of 4 inputs. • Polarit y swi tch and LED indicator: Sets system po larity (absolute polarity, sometimes called “a bsolute phase”). Up is norma l, n on-inverted polarity, a nd flipp ing the switch down in verts signal po larity. Th e LED then lights to ind icate that s[...]
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5 • Circuit Ground Conne ctor: This binding p ost offers access to the system electrical groun d if needed. There is norm ally no connection to this po st. • Main I nput Group: 4 pairs of inputs are pro vided, lab eled 1 thru 4 (correspond ing to the front panel Input Selector switch). Input 1 is a dedicated ba lanced input with XLR co nnectors[...]
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6 near-idea l load on t he input and confer that magic tube-like musicality. T hey also act as a “brick wall” filter against DC and RFI contamination. In add ition, the y allow th e VRE-1 to b e conf igured f or voltage gain (up t o +6dB) if it is nee ded. Thus, the VRE-1 is a “passive” preamp -- but with gain. Finally, all of th e parts an[...]
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7 The Powe r Supply The V RE-1’s compan ion power supp ly provides carefully tailored DC p ower fo r the pro per ope ration of your preamp. The “Power 1” conn ection provides +/- 24 VDC of choke-filtered, unregulated power, while the “Power 2” co nnection provides +/- 24 VDC of f ully regulated power for the relays, LEDs, and Monitor Out [...]
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8 Please Note: The VRE-1 is a hand-built work of “in dustrial art.” It is a b eautiful object, and a great deal of effort ha s gone into its creation. Ironically, beca use it is hand-made, you may f ind small blemishes that do not occur in the routine perfection of mass-marketed consumer goods. W e believe you’ll acce pt these a s part of the[...]
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9 This is important because I cannot fu lly break-in your VRE-1 before sh ipping. Your preamp has been thoroughly tested a nd listened-to, but this is just the beginning. I make every e ffort to present you with a good initial im pression, but beyond that it is u p to you to comp lete the brea k-in process, and to *un derstand* that it will take ti[...]
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10 Acknowle dgements This project has been in development for a long time, and I sincerely thank everyone who contribut ed in any w ay to its success. However, the re a re a few people I would like to point-out for their special con tributions… • Jim Merod - For his to-the-po int observations and criticism, and h is indefatigable efforts on b e[...]
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11 Getting the most from y our VRE-1 preamplifier - a user’s guide Suggestions for AC cords and access ories After some thought, I h ave come to the decision to le ave a “standard” AC co rd out of the parts comp lement. It is my e xperience that the AC cord is an integral part of the sound of your VRE-1, and I suggest that you use the b est p[...]
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12 Grounding Options Your V RE-1 provides se veral o ptions f or mat ching ea rth ground arrangem ents for best results with your sy stem . A binding p ost connected to circuit ground is provided on the rear panel to facilitate external conne ctions to other equipment chassis ground s if need be, a nd a n adjustab le groun d jumper is pro vided ins[...]
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13 Tuning the Stea lth power link cable Your VRE-1 use s a custom-b uilt power-link cable from S tealth Audio Cables. This cable inclu des a carbon-compo site sleeve t hat will slide along its length. The position of t his slee ve has a “tuning” effect - m oving it will affe ct the sound of your pream p to some degree. I f ind th e effect t o b[...]
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14 Using the XLR-to-RC A ba lanced i nput adaptors As stated in the owner’s m anual, all 4 of the VRE-1’s inputs are actually balanced. I chose the connector arrangement based on a best-guess estima te of what most audiophiles are l ikely to have in their systems - one balanced s ource (X LR), and the rest unbalanced (RCA). If you have more tha[...]