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1.

SERVICE MANUAL

PHONO EQUALISER
SPHINX Phono equaliser Service Manual

1. UNPACKING .......................................................................................................................................3
2. CONTACTING THE MANUFACTURER .............................................................................................3
3. THE PHONO EQUALISER AT A GLANCE ........................................................................................4
Front panel................................................................................................................................................... 4
Rear panel ................................................................................................................................................... 5
4. INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS ..............................................................................................6
Installation.................................................................................................................................................... 6
Connecting the mains cable ........................................................................................................................ 6
Audio connections ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Connecting the pre-amp .............................................................................................................................. 6
Connecting the turntable.............................................................................................................................. 6
Connecting the optical cables...................................................................................................................... 6
5. CHANGING THE SETTINGS ..............................................................................................................7
Removing the cover ..................................................................................................................................... 7
a. LED: Project or Myth Series standard...................................................................................................... 7
b. Input sensitivity (Gain) ............................................................................................................................. 8
c. Input capacity (MM).................................................................................................................................. 8
d. Cartridge type / Input impedance............................................................................................................. 9
e. RIAA or 78 rpm ........................................................................................................................................ 9
f. 78 rpm filter............................................................................................................................................... 9
Replace the cover ........................................................................................................................................ 9
6. OPERATION......................................................................................................................................10
Switching on............................................................................................................................................... 10
Standby...................................................................................................................................................... 10
Switching off............................................................................................................................................... 10
7. THE 78 RPM MODES .......................................................................................................................10
8. CARE AND MAINTENANCE.............................................................................................................11
9. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................................11
10. PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS......................................................................................................12
11. DIAGRAMS AND PARTS LIST.......................................................................................................13
Overview Components............................................................................................................................... 14
General Overview Phono Equaliser ........................................................................................................... 15
Amplifier..................................................................................................................................................... 16
Power Supply and Control ......................................................................................................................... 17
Parts List.................................................................................................................................................... 18

2
SPHINX Phono equaliser Service Manual

The Sphinx Phono equaliser design
1. UNPACKING
This service manual will help you to optimally
service and repair the Sphinx Phono equaliser. Before leaving the factory every Phono equaliser is
subjected to stringent and extensive technical and
The Phono equaliser active MM and MC phono pre- exterior quality inspection.
preamplifier is the first to obtain the extremely high This ensures you will enjoy many years of high
audio quality standards of the Sphinx product line. quality audio performance from a perfect-looking
The design has therefor been only been finalised product.
after numerous intensive comparative listening
sessions. It is based on a radically new amplifier After unpacking your Phono equaliser we therefore
design using special complementary FETs in a recommend you carefully check it for any transport
single housing (the same that are used for the damage.
Project Eight preamplifier). This is guarantees ultra- In case of damage: please contact your Sphinx
low noise and an incomparable transient response. dealer immediately and retain all packing materials
It offers numerous user adjustable settings for MM for possible proof of damage and possible claims.
and MC (Gain, Impedance, etc.). This enables you
to fine-tune the Phono equaliser to almost any Even if the component is in perfect condition you
cartridge on the market. should still keep the packing materials. If you need
to transport your Phono equaliser at a later time it
It is however not confined to the regular MM and will be best protected by the original packing
MC cartridges but in addition offers special settings materials.
for the use of 78-rpm records!
One of which is a specially designed filter: this
ensures the correct playback correction curve. And 2. CONTACTING THE MANUFACTURER
thus prevents the usual annoying increased surface
In case of any problem not covered in this manual
noise of the records when played via `normal'
or if you have other questions you may contact the
phono preamps. It restores the actual sound quality
Sphinx International Service Department in The
of the records.
Netherlands (local time: GMT +1h) during office
hours at the following numbers:
To obtain the maximum quality from this Phono
equaliser it is necessary to use it with top quality
Telephone (+31) 35 602 0302
audio components, preferably with other Sphinx
Fax (+31) 35 602 2806
components.
E-mail [email protected]
The Phono equaliser may be used with
components from the Sphinx Project Series, the
It is always very helpful and efficient if you have all
Myth Series and even with non-Sphinx products.
relevant information about the specific product and
the problem ready.

3
SPHINX Phono equaliser Service Manual

3. THE PHONO EQUALISER AT A GLANCE

Front panel

1. LED:
in green
(for Myth Series: not illuminated)
Standby red

4
SPHINX Phono equaliser Service Manual

Rear panel

2. R IN: Connect to this input the right (red) output 7. Control IN: Connect here the optical cable from
cable from the turntable. another Sphinx component's Control Out
(usually the preamplifier).
3. L IN: Connect to this input the left (white or
black) output cable from the turntable. 8. Control OUT: Connect here the optical cable
that goes to another Sphinx component's
4. R OUT: Connect this output to the right input of Control In.
the (pre-) amplifier
9. AC IN: Connect the mains cable to a mains
5. L OUT: Connect this output to the left input of power outlet (100 - 240 VAC).
the (pre-) amplifier.
10. Manufacturer's label: (at housing underside)
6. GND: Connect here the separate ground wire This shows important data for the component,
from the turntable. such as serial number and mains power
Also connect here the ground wire from the voltage.
(pre) amplifier (if applicable).

5
SPHINX Phono equaliser Service Manual
4. INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS

Installation
The Phono equaliser will not become very hot, so Audio connections
placement is not critical, although you should not Before you start connecting equipment it is always
place it on top of or near other heat-radiating wise to check whether all the mains power cables of
equipment (such as power amps) or in direct all components are disconnected from the mains
sunlight. outlets! This will prevent any damage to the
If you use it in a closed cabinet or on a bookshelf, loudspeakers and amplifiers caused by incorrect
please ensure unrestricted ventilation around the wiring or settings.
component. Make sure you connect L and R properly. Most cinch
To prevent any possible interference keep power cables use Red for the Right channel and White or
supply cables away from all audio cables. Black for Left.
The cinch connectors on the rear panel of the Phono
Note: The mains power transformer of the Phono equaliser have a red centre for the right channel and
equaliser is mounted at the front side. a white one for the left channel.

Position the Phono equaliser as close to the When making the connections please refer to the
turntable as possible while keeping the cables as descriptions for parts 2. to 10. on page 5.
short as possible.
Always connect the separate ground wire from the Connecting the pre-amp
turntable to the GND terminal (6).
Connect the R OUT (4) and L OUT (5) to the LINE-
If all these conditions are met, the Phono equaliser or AUX inputs of the pre-amp, using normal cinch
will perform to the extremely high standards it is cable (but of top quality!).
designed for. Connect the separate ground wire (if supplied) from
the pre-amp to the GND terminal (6).

Connecting the mains cable Connecting the turntable
Connect the (in most cases fixed) audio cable from
Before you connect the cable please check
the turntable to the R IN (2) and L IN (3).
whether the mains voltage indicated on the
Connect the separate ground wire from the turntable
manufacturer's label on the rear panel is the to the GND terminal.
same as your local mains voltage.
If not: please contact your dealer and do not connect
the component to the mains. Connecting the optical cables
Connect the CONTROL OUT of a Sphinx pre-amp to
The Phono equaliser does not have a dedicated the CONTROL IN (7) of the Phono equaliser. It will
on/off switch. After you have connected it to the then switch to Standby mode as soon as the pre-
mains power it will always be active while the default amp is set to Standby.
setting is ON.. Connect the Phono equaliser's CONTROL OUT (8)
This way the electronic circuits will be kept at to the CONTROL IN of another Sphinx component. It
optimum working temperature so you can enjoy will then automatically switch to Standby as soon as
maximum audio quality immediately after switching the Phono equaliser is selected to Standby.
on. Additionally it significantly increases the life span
of the component. Ensure proper connection of the optical cables,
Via the Control IN input (7) however it may be otherwise the Standby LED on the front panel may
remotely switched to Standby by another Sphinx remain off, even though the Standby mode is
component. activated.

Connect the mains cable after you have connected If the CONTROL IN is not used and the Phono
all other components in the system, have double- equaliser is placed in strong direct sunlight, the
checked all connections and after the Phono Standby mode may self-activate.
equaliser has been matched to the cartridge in use In that case you should place the supplied dummy
(see Chapter 5). connector in the CONTROL IN jack.

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SPHINX Phono equaliser Service Manual
5. CHANGING THE SETTINGS

The Phono equaliser may be used with a wide B. Some values are different
range of cartridges, including the 78 rpm types. In that case you may have to change one or more
Before you can use the Phono equaliser it should settings. You should use the following procedures
therefore be matched to your specific cartridge and to ensure correct results.
application.
You may refer to the sticker inside the cover
In addition there are two special filters that may be showing the settings for each DIP-switch.
selected.
Note: The `rumble' filter (12 dB/octave@10 Hz) can Which setting should be changed is wholly
not be deselected. dependent on the default values that differ from
And you can even select the working mode of the your data.
LED on the front panel: Project Series or Myth Note: If you have to change more values, the order
Series! in which you adjust settings a