Parasound A 23 manual

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Table of contents for the manual

  • Page 1

    A 23 Amplifier Owner’ s Guide[...]

  • Page 2

    THANK YOU! Congratulations and Thank Y ou for Choosing Parasound Y our new Parasound Halo Series A 23 power amplifier presents the latest advancements in amplifier technology . The A 23 is built to the strict quality and performance standards set by Parasound. W e’re proud to offer you this exceptional audio component that will bring you many yea[...]

  • Page 3

    PLACEMENT GUIDELINES FOR YOUR A 23 _________________________________________________________________________________ CONNECTING A PREAMPLIFIER OR SURROUND CONTROLLER TO THE BALANCED INPUTS ON THE A 23 _________________________________________________________________________________ CONNECTING A PREAMPLIFIER OR SURROUND CONTROLLER TO THE UNBALANCED [...]

  • Page 4

    PLACEMENT GUIDELINES FOR YOUR A 23 Power amplifiers are usually heavier and generate more heat than other components. T o avoid damage to the A 23 or other equipment and to reduce risk of fire, you must follow these guidelines: • Place the A 23 on a separate shelf that will adequately support its weight. • Keep it away from heat sources such as[...]

  • Page 5

    YOU SHOULD KNOW Balanced XLR Jacks and Their Pin Configuration The balanced inputs of the A 23 use XLR jacks that conform to the industry standard of: Pin 1: Ground, Pin 2: Positive (+), Pin 3: Negative (--). The balanced outputs on some components use terminals with 3 screws instead of XLR jacks. These are compatible with the A 23 as long as you m[...]

  • Page 6

    Left and Right Unbalanced Inputs Use these inputs if your preamplifier or surround controller doesn’ t have balanced output connectors or if you simply prefer to use unbalanced connections. What Y ou’ll Need: • One standard pair of shielded interconnect cables with RCA plugs • A source component with RCA output jacks Before Connecting Leave[...]

  • Page 7

    Loop Out Connector The Right and Left Loop Out jacks provide connections to route the same input signals from your preamplifier or surround controller to an additional power amplifier . In most instances, you won't use the loop out feature so you can skip this section. What Y ou’ll Need: • One standard pair of shielded interconnect cables [...]

  • Page 8

    YOU SHOULD KNOW Correct Speaker Polarity is Important Polarity refers to + and – connections. Speaker wires are coded with printing or a ridge on the insulation on one of the leads so you know which lead was connected to the + and – terminals at the other end. This coding will help you keep the + and - polarity consistent for both channels. Spe[...]

  • Page 9

    3 1 CAUTION 5 4 8 2 Right Left Components Surround Sound Controller Preamp OUTPUTS Dual Banana Plug Single Banana Plug Spade Lug Stripped AW G wire Common speaker connectors Red ususally designates right The GND notch signifies ground or speaker left Speaker 7 6 In certain applications, you may require your A 23 to power a single 8 Ω speaker by u[...]

  • Page 10

    Y ou can manually turn the A 23 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 want to manually turn on and off the A 23 at any time, you need to first select t[...]

  • Page 11

    CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL DC SOURCE FOR AUTOMA TIC ON-OFF If you want to automatically turn on and off the A 23 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 12V position. What Y ou’ll Need: • A cable with a 2.5 mm sub-mini plug on each end (provided) • A “contro[...]

  • Page 12

    Whenever the A 23 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 cable with a 2.5 mm sub-mini plug on each end (in addition to the one provided with the A 23) • A component that can be trigger[...]

  • Page 13

    A B G C D E F UNDERST ANDING THE INDICA TORS ON THE A 23 AC Present Indication When the A 23 is plugged into a live AC outlet, a soft blue halo glows behind its On-Off button and its red “P” Badge glows faintly . These indicate that the unit is plugged into a live AC outlet, even when it is turned off. On and Off Indications for Both Manual and[...]

  • Page 14

    AC Power Connections We recommend that you plug your A 23 into the same AC wall outlet or power strip that powers your other audio components, especially the preamplifier or system controller . Having all the audio components on the same power circuit helps prevent hum caused by possible ground loops. The A 23 requires AC power that is continuous, [...]

  • Page 15

    MAINT AINING YOUR A 23 Y our Parasound A 23 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 few drops of water or glass cleaner . Main Power Fus[...]

  • Page 16

    TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 13 A 23 will not turn off when audio signal is removed PROBABLE CAUSE Power cord is disconnected REMEDY Hum and / or buzz through speakers Ground loop between preamplifier and A 23 or at the equipment rack Move the Ground Lift switch to its Lift position Install nylon shoulder washers on both sides of the panels of all equipme[...]

  • Page 17

    SERVICING YOUR A 23 14 If All Else Fails –Call Us for Help Call your Parasound dealer or Parasound’ s T echnical Service Department toll free at 1-866-770-TECH (8324). W e can often solve the problem with simple diagnostic tests you can perform yourself. If we determine that your A 23 will need further inspection or servicing, we will: a) refer[...]

  • Page 18

    Audio T rigger Sensitivity Adjustment The Audio Sensitivity Control sets the threshold of the audio trigger signal. Y ou can adjust this level from a maximum sensitivity of 50 mV (fully counterclockwise) to a minimum sensitivity of 200 mV (fully clockwise). If you set this control to 50 mV , the A 23 might be falsely triggered on by non-musical or [...]

  • Page 19

    TECHNICALL Y SPEAKING continued 16 Choosing Brands of Interconnect Cables and Speaker Wire We are often asked to recommend specific interconnect cables and speaker wire. It’ s true that with some amplifiers, sound quality will vary greatly according to interconnect cables and speaker wires. However , Parasound amplifiers use robust circuitry that[...]

  • Page 20

    P ARASOUND A 23 DESIGN OVERVIEW 17 To create the +/- 55 Vdc B+ and B- supply rails for each channel, we use high-speed rectifier diodes and four enormous 12,000 uF Elna electrolytic filter capacitors, chosen for their low Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) and dielectric absorption. In addition, these filter capacitors are bypassed with smaller pol[...]

  • Page 21

    P ARASOUND A 23 DESIGN OVERVIEW continued 18 Parasound power amplifiers incorporate ingenious and fast-acting DC servo circuits, completely eliminating the need for coupling and blocking capacitors. The A 23 is direct-coupled from its input jacks to its speaker terminals. This advanced circuitry never needs adjustment or maintenance. It operates ou[...]

  • Page 22

    Continuous Power Output - Stereo 125 watts RMS x 2, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 8 Ω , both channels driven 200 watts RMS x 2, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 4 Ω , both channels driven Continuous Power Output - Mono 400 watts RMS, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 8 Ω Current Capacity 45 amperes peak per channel Slew Rate > 130 volts per microsecond Frequency Response 5 Hz-100 kHz, +0/-3 dB[...]

  • Page 23

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