G-Rod CBA?1 Operation Manual

Audio

Cable

MicroAmp

Model

CBA

‐

1

Operation

Manual

G-ROD

audio

LLC

7151

W.

Rivulet

Drive

Tucson,

AZ

85743

USA

(520)

395

‐

8436

www.g

‐

rod.com

Designed

and

Manufactured

in

USA

©

2011

G-ROD

audio

LLC

WARNING!

This

device

adds

25dB

of

gain

to

the

audio

signal

–

Up

to

8

times

louder!

The

purpose

of

the

Audio

Cable

MicroAmp

is

to

achieve

the

same

listening

levels

as

normal,

with

the

volume

controls

on

your

devices

set

lower,

reducing

noise

and

distortion

and

improving

sound

quality.

READ

BEFORE

CONNECTING

Before

using

the

G-ROD

MicroAmp

,

SET

THE

VOLUME

CONTROLS

TO

MINIMUM

on

the

audio

source

head

‐

phone

jack

and

on

the

stereo

amplifier.

When

con

‐

nected,

set

the

volume

on

the

MP3

player

to

1/3

to

1/2

volume

and

the

volume

control

on

the

stereo

all

the

way

down.

NOTE:

The

CBA

‐

1

Audio

Cable

MicroAmp

is

a

preampli

‐

fier

only,

it

does

not

add

power

to

your

audio

system.

HEARING

LOSS

Your

ears

can

begin

to

suffer

permanent

hearing

loss

by

sustained

exposure

to

sounds

over

85dB

SPL

(Sound

Pressure

Level).

Be

smart

–

never

listen

to

music

at

sustained

volumes

over

100dB.

When

listening

at

louder

levels,

do

so

for

no

more

than

10

minute

at

a

time.

Give

your

ears

a

30

minute

break

before

doing

it

again.

Keep

your

ears

golden!

INTRODUCTION

What

is

a

G-ROD

Audio

Cable

MicroAmp

?

The

Audio

Cable

MicroAmp

is

a

voltage

amplifying

device

that

increases

the

voltage

level

from

low

‐

imped

‐

ance

headphone

jacks

to

provide

the

higher

voltage

levels

required

by

the

line

‐

level

inputs

of

stereo

amplifi

‐

ers.

It

is

an

impedance

matching

audio

preamplifier,

designed

to

match

the

low

output

impedance

(8

‐

32

Ohms)

of

headphone

jacks

to

the

high

input

impedance

(1000

Ohms)

of

the

line

inputs

on

stereo

amplifiers.

The

Audio

Cable

MicroAmp

adds

25dB

of

gain

to

the

output

of

your

audio

device

(about

8

extra

steps

on

your

volume

control).

This

makes

it

possible

to

lower

the

volume

control

settings

on

your

input

and

output

devices

while

providing

increased

sound

volume

and

clarity.

The

G-ROD

MicroAmp

is

audiophile

quality,

with

speci

‐

fications

that

match

those

of

high

‐

end

audiophile

sys

‐

tem

preamplifiers.

It

does

not

use

any

form

of

signal

processing

to

alter

the

original

sound.

The

MicroAmp

voltage

amplifying

/

impedance

matching

design

reduces

noise

and

distortion

and

improves

the

overall

sound

quality.

The

MicroAmp

boosts

signal

levels

beyond

what

is

needed

to

attain

the

maximum

level

your

audio

system

is

capable

of.

OVERDRIVING

THE

VOLUME

OF

YOUR

SYSTEM

WILL

CAUSE

DISTORTION

AND

MAY

DAMAGE

YOUR

STEREO

AMPLFIER,

SPEAKERS,

OR

YOUR

HEAR

‐

ING.

SUPPLIED

ACCESSORIES

1

‐

ft.

right

angle

Micro

‐

USB

to

USB

Type

A

cable

1

‐

ft.

3.5mm

to

right

angle

3.5mm

stereo

audio

cable

SYSTEM

REQUIREMENTS

USB

Power

–

USB

jack,

12V–to–5V

USB

car

power

adaptor,

Micro

‐

USB

cell

phone

charger.

Audio

Source

–

3.5mm

stereo

headphone

jack

from

MP3

player

or

other

audio

device,

laptop

and

notebook

computers,

and

portable

DVD

players.

Stereo

Amplifier

–

Car

stereo

systems

with

3.5mm

external

audio

(iPod)

input

jacks

(cars

from

2006

to

present),

after

‐

market

car

stereos

and

CD

changers

with

audio

input

jacks,

desktop

stereo

systems,

audio

‐

phile

stereo

systems,

home

entertainment

systems,

TVs.

HOOKING

UP

THE

MICROAMP

The

G-ROD

Audio

Cable

MicroAmp

is

easy

to

connect

and

use

–

just

follow

the

simple

instructions

below:

1.

Turn

down

the

volume

control

on

your

MP3

player

(or

other

audio

source)

driving

the

MicroAmp

and

also

the

volume

control

on

your

stereo

amplifier.

2.

Using

an

appropriate

3.5mm

stereo

cable

(not

pro

‐

vided

by

G-ROD

),

connect

the

output

of

the

MicroAmp

to

the

line

input

jack

of

your

car

stereo,

home

stereo,

or

TV.

3.

Using

the

3.5mm

stereo

cable

included

with

your

MicroAmp

,

connect

the

input

of

the

MicroAmp

to

the

headphone

jack

of

your

MP3

player

(or

other

audio

source).

4.

Using

the

Micro

‐

USB

power

cable

included

with

your

MicroAmp

,

connect

the

small

end

of

the

cable

to

the

Micro

‐

USB

jack

on

the

MicroAmp

and

the

large

end

of

the

cable

to

a

standard

USB

power

jack.

For

car

stereo

applications,

the

USB

power

jack

will

be

on

a

12V–to–5V

USB

car

power

adapter.

For

home

stereo

and

TV

applications,

the

USB

power

jack

will

be

on

a

wall

‐

powered

5V

USB

power

adapter.

For

personal

computer

(PC)

applications,

the

USB

power

jack

will

be

a

standard

USB

connector

on

the

PC.

5.

Turn

on

the

MP3

player

(or

other

audio

source).

MAKE

SURE

THE

VOLUME

CONTROL

IS

TURNED

DOWN.

Then

turn

on

the

stereo

amplifier.

MAKE

SURE

THE

VOLUME

CONTROL

IS

TURNED

DOWN.

OPERATING

THE

MICROAMP

The

G-ROD

Audio

Cable

MicroAmp

is

very

easy

to

oper

‐

ate

–

simply

use

the

volume

controls

on

the

MP3

player

(or

other

audio

source)

and

the

stereo

amplifier

as

described

below.

To

avoid

overdriving

the

MicroAmp

,

set

the

volume

control

on

the

MP3

player

(or

other

audio

source)

to

about

one

third

to

one

half

volume,

and

slowly

adjust

the

volume

control

on

your

stereo

amplifier,

starting

at

fully

off,

until

you

get

an

acceptable

volume

level.

Experiment

with

the

volume

control

settings

on

the

MP3

player

and

the

stereo

amplifier

to

get

a

balance

between

the

settings.

You

should

not

need

to

turn

the

volume

control

on

the

MP3

player

up

very

high.

Once

you

have

a

feel

for

the

way

the

volume

controls

inter

‐

act,

choose

a

balanced

setting

and

enjoy.

If

you

notice

distortion

in

the

sound,

turn

down

the

vol

‐

ume

control

on

the

MP3

player

until

the

distortion

goes

away,

and

use

the

volume

control

on

the

stereo

ampli

‐

fier

to

get

the

volume

level

you

desire.

HOW

IT

WORKS

The

headphone

jack

outputs

on

portable

audio

devices

such

as

MP3

players

are

designed

to

drive

headphones

that

are

relatively

low

impedance,

typically

8

to

32

ohms.

The

headphone

jack

output

must

supply

signifi

‐

cant

current

to

drive

the

speakers

in

the

headphones,

but

the

voltage

levels

available

from

these

headphone

jacks

is

limited

and

typically

too

low

to

drive

stereo

amplifier

line

‐

level

inputs

without

turning

up

the

vol

‐

ume

to

maximum

on

the

MP3

player.

Having

to

turn

the

volume

to

maximum

on

the

MP3

player

forces

the

headphone

amplifier

of

the

MP3

player

into

an

operat

‐

ing

mode

with

very

high

noise

and

distortion,

making

the

sound

very

unpleasant.

The

G-ROD

Audio

Cable

MicroAmp

amplifies

the

volt

‐

age

level

from

the

MP3

headphone

jack,

providing

a

much

larger

voltage

level

to

drive

the

line

‐

level

inputs

of

the

stereo

amplifier.

This

allows

the

MP3

player

vol

‐

ume

control

to

be

turned

down

so

the

headphone

amplifier

is

not

overdriven

and

results

in

much

lower

nose

and

distortion

and

a

cleaner

much

more

enjoy

‐

able

sound.

SPECIFICATIONS

Distortion

0.01%

Signal

to

noise

ratio

>

100dB

Gain

25

dB

Nominal

Audio

Input

31

mV

(

‐

28dBu)

Output

0.775V

(0dBu)

Maximum

Audio

Input

116

mV

(

‐

16dBu)

Output

2.9V

(11.5dBu)

Input

power

5VDC

Micro

‐

USB

Power

consumption

50mW

Dimensions:

2.3”

x

1”

x

0.5”

TROUBLESHOOTING

NO

SOUND

Cause

–

No

USB

power

Solution

–

Check

USB

power

source

with

another

device

Cause

–

Connections

reversed

Solutions

–

Verify

proper

in/out

audio

cables

DISTORTION

Cause

–

Overdriving

the

Input

Solution

–

Turn

down

source

volume

HUM,

BUZZ,

CLICKING

SOUNDS

Cause

–

Ground

loops

Solution

–

Unplug

charger

from

input

device

or

use

an

isolated

power

supply

for

charging

input

device

G-ROD

CUSTOMER

SUPPORT

support@g

‐

rod.com

(520)

395

‐

8436

Micro-USB POWER IN

3.5mm

FROM MP3

3.5mm TO

STEREO AMP

AUDIO

IN

AUDIO

OUT