F30/30 The VAC Phi Thirty/Thirty Stereophonic Triode Power Amplifier Operation & Maintenance Information Valve Amplification Company Manual issued 02/24/2003
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY Your Phi Thirty/Thirty is fitted with a thermal sensor circuit. It works in conjunction with the individual indicator lights located on the front panel. It serves two purposes: 1) If the idle current of a 300B output tube should drop below nominal limit, the light corresponding to that tube will light green. This indicates that the tube should be replaced at your convenience, but it is safe to continue operating the amplifier.
CAUTION THE AMPLIFIER AND POWER SUPPLY CONTAIN NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS. DO NOT REMOVE THE BOTTOM PLATES OR CHASSIS COVERS. LETHAL VOLTAGES ARE PRESENT WITHIN THE CHASSIS. DO NOT OPERATE THE UNITS IF THEY ARE WET. 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. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE TUBE COVERS BE LEFT IN PLACE AT ALL TIMES.
INTRODUCTION The Phi Thirty/Thirty is a unique power amplifier. It allies purist amplifying devices with the power and solidity required to control modern audiophile loudspeakers. Extreme linearity is achieved without resorting to loop negative feedback, for a more natural, dimensional sound. The most noticeable feature of this amplifier is the 300B filamentary triode output tube.
UNPACKING & ASSEMBLY The vacuum tubes and glass covers are packed individually to prevent damage, and must be fitted to the amplifier before installation can proceed. Remove the four screws that secure the aluminum top frame to the chassis pillars using the tool provided. Turn counterclockwise to remove. Wear the supplied cotton gloves to minimize the chance of fingerprinting the nickel plated chassis. Wipe any oils off immediately. Take care to prevent the tool from scratching the chassis.
The front glass has the etched VAC logo. Install this between the front pillars. Take great care not to scratch this glass. The front glass fits into a small channel in the front plate. Tighten the white nylon setscrews that secure the rear glass and side glasses. Turn clockwise to tighten. There are four setscrews for each glass plate. Do not tighten the setscrews for the front glass yet. Install the six aluminum blocks at the top of the rear glass and side glasses.
Tighten the four white nylon setscrews that secure the front glass using the tool provided. Turn clockwise to tighten. Do not over tighten. Install the vacuum tubes. Each tube or its box has a “V” number, which corresponds to the labels on the top plate of the amplifier; these indicate where each tube should be installed. Fit each tube into the matching socket, first removing any sticker from the amplifier and/or the tube.
INSTALLATION 01) 02) 03) Attach the cord from the power supply to the amplifier and screw the connector collar down fully; this takes many turns. Select either the “4 ohm” connector or the “8 ohm” connector to suit your loudspeaker. Connect the speaker cables; the black lead goes to “-“, the red lead goes to “+”. For further information see Tips & Advice: Impedance Matching. Set the input type switch to XLR or RCA, to match the source and cables.
INPUT CONNECTORS XLR connection, balanced or single-ended, are made to the XLR jacks on the rear panel. The INPUT SELECT toggle switches is set to the BALANCED position. The XLR connection follows the EIA “pin 2 hot” polarity convention. RCA (single ended) connection normally is made to the RCA jacks on the rear panel. This is the “direct in” mode. The INPUT SELECT switches is set to “RCA” NOTE: Do not remove and connect input cables or speaker cables while is amplifier is running.
OPERATION By time delay, sound will begin approximately 60 seconds after turn on. As with all high fidelity products, the sound characteristic of the VAC changes somewhat as it warms up. Best sound will be achieved after about one hour of operation. We advise against leaving the equipment on at all times for safety reasons (see Safety Notice at the front of this manual), and because of the attendant acceleration of output tube wear and power consumption.
INSTALLING NEW OUTPUT TUBES Output tubes are type 300B. Replacement 300B output tubes should be purchased from VAC. It is important that the tubes be checked for any tendency to mechanical or electrical shorts (see Safety Notice at the front of this manual). It is desirable that tubes be in matched quartets for each channel, and be close to the "bogey" values for the major parameters. Make certain that each tube fits firmly in its socket. ALL POWER MUST BE OFF.
CHECKING OUTPUT TUBE CONDITION As described at the beginning of this manual, the Phi 30/30 is equipped with the 300B Sentry circuit, which continuously monitors each output tube to ensure that it is operating within normal limits. Each tube has a corresponding indicator light on the front panel. A green indicator light will be seen until the amplifier warms up, and when a tube’s idle current is less than normal.
REPLACEMENT OF LOW LEVEL TUBES All power must be switched off. Allow tubes to cool down. Remove the top glass cover. Remove and replace with new tubes of the appropriate types, noting the location of holes in the socket and pins of the tubes. Replace the glass cover before operating the amplifier. Replacement tubes are available from VAC and other sources. For further information, refer to Tips & Advice: A Word About Tubes in General and Tips & Advice: A Word About Low Level Tubes.
TIPS & ADVICE SECTION A Word About Tubes in General 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. To emphasize the point, examine the plate structure of any two 6SN7 from different manufacturers will probably find that they may not even the same shape and size.
Tips: Output Tubes Your VAC Amplifier uses the 300B or 300A filamentary triode. It is strongly recommended that replacement tubes be purchased only from VAC. If, however, you want to customize the sound to your tastes, be aware that as with interconnects and speaker cables, each tube manufacturer's 300B tends to have a distinct sound, as well as its own reliability profile.
Tips: Impedance Matching We strongly suggest that you experiment with the three available impedance connections for the best sonic match with your system. Since no loudspeaker represents an unchanging impedance at all frequencies, it is impossible to assert with certainty which output tap is appropriate to use. In many systems an amazing difference in sound will exist between the various impedance taps.
Tips: Audio Grounding Systems incorporating single-ended interconnect cables (“RCA cables”) are prone to a problem known as “ground looping”, which can result in extraneous hums and buzzes audible through the loudspeaker. If this occurs in your system, you have two options: 1) to work to minimize the ground loop, or 2) use the balanced input via the supplied adapter to break the ground loop.
SPECIFICATIONS The VAC Phi Thirty/Thirty has been developed with the critical ear as the major arbiter of quality, with both conventional and unique measurements providing insight and guidance as necessary. The lack of emphasis on measurements is due to the fact that engineering's arsenal of equipment and techniques do not operate on the pattern recognition principals that control human perception of sound. In the immortal words of Daniel von Recklinghausen, if it measures good and sounds bad, it is bad.
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 three (3) years (tubes excepted). This warranty applies only to units sold in the United States of America through authorized VAC dealers. It covers factory service and standard return shipping.
