(24) XLR right MC2 current mode input
(25) RCA right MC2 current mode input
(26) XLR right MC1 current mode input
(27) RCA right MC1 current mode input
5.1 Audio connections
The P1 unit is composed of two identical phono stage boards, either located in one (Dual Monaural setup) or in two separate
enclosures (True Monaural setup). Each board processes one audio channel (Left respectively Right channel). The way to connect
the P1 to your turntable will depend on the type of cartridge you intend to use.
Each channel contains 3 inputs. Two of them are in current mode while the third one is in voltage mode (see section 1.1for more
details). For ease of use and convenience, each input has two types of connectors, XLR and RCA. Both connectors are in parallel,
therefore only one connector per input must be used at any one time. However the three inputs are totally independent from each
other, allowing up to three different cartridges to be connected at all times.
The MC1 and MC2 current inputs are mainly dedicated to MC cartridges. Although connecting an MM cartridge to a
current input will do no harm to the cartridge nor the P1 input, the overall gain achieved in the phono stage will probably
be too low, even with the P1 gain set to maximum. The gain of a current input is inversely proportional to the cartridge's
internal resistance: the lower the internal resistance, the higher the gain. MC cartridges have an intrinsic low resistance
and will therefore work well on a current input. On the other hand, most MM cartridges have a too high internal
resistance and will therefore be best suited to the voltage input. Besides, current inputs don't require any cartridge
impedance loading, simplifying the system setup.
The MM/MC voltage input can be used with all types of cartridges as well as with step-up transformers. On a voltage
input, impedance loading is crucial to counteract the undesired effects a cartridge (and the associated interconnections)
read in voltage mode will exhibit. The aim is to achieve a frequency response (amplitude of the signal versus frequency)
as flat as possible (the amplitude variation between signals of different frequencies is minimal). The P1 voltage input
provides a selection of over five hundred resistance values one can choose from, as high as 100 kOhms and down to 20
Ohms. As adjusting a frequency response isn't a trivial operation, the P1 features an internal measurement system
combined with a DSP (Digital Signal Processing) device that analyzes and displays the frequency response of the system
to help the user select optimum loading based on objective criteria (measurement and analysis of frequency response) as
well as subjective preferences (one can also listen to the real-time effect of changing the cartridge loading on-the-fly).
The loading can be freely modified at any time from the user interface. Besides, as the voltage input holds two
connectors (XLR and RCA) in parallel, one could take advantage of the unused connector to add any desired (including
non-resistive) loading depending on the system conditions and one's sound personal tastes. On the RCA, the loading
would be applied between tip and ring while it would be applied between pins 2 and 3 of the XLR.
The P1 output stage is equipped with both balanced and single-ended types of connections, XLR, RCA and BNC. The high
bandwidth, ultra low noise and distortion discrete amplifier provides an ideal connection to the downstream unit. We
recommend that the output stage doesn't get loaded with an impedance lower than 10 kOhms (the input impedance of
the unit connected to the P1 should be greater than 10 kOhms). If for example the P1 is connected to an L1 preamplifier,
it is recommended to set the L1 impedance to High-Z on the input the P1 is connected to.
16 P1 User Manual Rev 1.1
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