Summary of PhonoBlock
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2 “ the performance of the phonoblock has been refined and improved. Its classic, understated design is still there — even more so. — ron sutherland.
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3 the phonoblock was introduced almost 10 years ago. It performs beautifully and continues to please music lovers all over the world. Then came an opportunity to make it even better. The circuit remains essentially the same. Improvements focused on providing a better environment to more fully realiz...
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4 in the left shielded compartment is one channel of phono preamp circuitry. The front 2/3 is power supply filtering. Audio circuitry is integrated tightly into the back third. Signal path is kept to an absolute minimum. In the right shielded compartment is a well regulated and filtered dc power sup...
Page 5: — The Refinement —
5 — the refinement —.
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6 the best environment for delicate analog audio signals is less environment. A compacted area for the circuit with minimal distance between components is a big advantage. The musical signal will have the tightest, shortest and purest connection from one component to the next. Another performance ne...
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7 fortunately, there is an alternative to compromise. Only signal path components are placed on the top side of the circuit board. With no power supply capacitors on the top side, and a disciplined layout strategy, the signal path is optimally short and direct. A large bank of power supply capacitor...
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8 the refinement provides an even shorter, simpler pathway. The individual resistors plug directly into the audio circuit board. Sockets are located even closer and take up even less board area. The signal path is now even shorter and more direct. Add flexibility is another advantage. The most popul...
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9 — linking into your system —.
Page 10: Grounding Options
10 grounding options sometimes ground loops can cause hum in a phono system. Breaking ground loops can be easy or it can be a nightmarish frustration. In the difficult situations, grounding options can save the day. For product safety and electrostatic shielding purposes, the metal casework of the p...
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11 the phonoblock is shipped configured for a gain of 60 db and a loading of 200 ohms. This will be a good starting point for most systems. If you have different preferences, please refer to the gain and loading pages. The two phonoblocks are designed to be stacked on top of each other. Plug your tu...
Page 12: Load Settings
12 load settings cartridge loading is determined by the resis- tor value installed in the loading resistor socket. Dale/vishay rn65-style resistors are included with the following values. 47.5k ohms (4752) 1000 ohms (1001) 475 ohms (4750) 200 ohms (2000) 100 ohms (1000) 49.9 ohms (49r9) your phonobl...
Page 13: Gain Settings
13 gain settings gain is determined by the resistor value installed in the gain resistor socket. Dale/vishay rn65-style resistors are included with the following values. 121 ohms for 45 db gain (1210) 75 ohms for 50 db gain (75r0) 40.2 ohms for 55 db gain (40r2) 20 ohms for 60 db gain (20r0) 15 ohms...
Page 14: Size
14 size 17” wide 17” deep 3.25” high shipping box 24” wide 24” deep 11” high contact info sutherland engineering, inc. 455 east 79th terrace, kansas city, mo 64131 weight net 21lbs each shipping 26lbs each power requirements 110–120 vac, 10 watts — each or 220–240 vac, 10 watts — each phone: +1 (816...
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15 — design detail reprinted from the original phonoblock owner’s manual —.
Page 16: Design Philosophy
Design philosophy another path to the same destination. Almost always, upscale designs are laden with features. More features are touted to represent ad- vancement, product differentiation and a rational for the upscale price. The phonoblocks don’t play that game. Their elevated performance is achie...
Page 17: Design Philosophy
Design philosophy there is another signal degrading consequence of conventional stereo packaging. The two channels are subjected to different signal paths. Even though the circuits are identical, the layouts of individual electronic components are not. To convey all the subtle stereo information, ea...
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The pure and simple solution power supply: much of the phonoblock’s effortless musicality can be attributed to power supply capability. The power supply is not ‘sized’ for the gain stage’s load. On the contrary, gain stage power requirements place an insignificant load on the power supply’s capacity....
Page 19: Purposeful Twist
Purposeful twist power path continued • forth rc pi filter • fifth rc pi filter • constant voltage shunt regulator • electrolytic and film capacitor bypass at the active devices you can clearly see that each element adds ‘distance’ from the incoming ac power source. This is also apparent when you look ...
Page 20: Novel, Yet Elegant
Novel, yet elegant there are other details making the phonoblocks special. Some are small. For instance, if the front panel logo were simply silk-screened ink, sitting on the sur- face of the panel it would, over the years, rub off. It is actually a black dye anodized into the alumi- num. You can se...
Page 21: Size
14 size 17” wide 17” deep 3.25” high shipping box 24” wide 24” deep 11” high contact info sutherland engineering, inc. 455 east 79th terrace, kansas city, mo 64131 weight net 21lbs each shipping 26lbs each power requirements 110–120 vac, 10 watts — each or 220–240 vac, 10 watts — each phone: +1 (816...