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Table of
Contents
Welcome to Ayre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Connections and Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Setup and Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Controls and Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Optimization and Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Welcome to Ayre To our North American customers, please Your Ayre KX-R preamplifier offers a significant advance in the be sure to mail your warranty registration musical performance of high-fidelity equipment. The warmth card and photocopy of your original sales and immediacy of a live performance are apparent from the first receipt within 30 days in order to extend listening. The combination of superb resolution and a natural, the warranty to five years. relaxed quality will draw you into the
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Connections and Installation The Ayre KX-R is easy to connect and use. The following guidelines will ensure that the installation goes smoothly. As shipped from the factory, none of the inputs are activated. The desired inputs are activated by assigning them names as described in the following chapter, “Setup and Configuration”. Location The infrared beam of the remote transmitter A good location for your preamplifier is in a cabinet or on a will also travel through glass. shelf. The receiver fo
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Make a note of which source components are connected to which numbered input. The connected inputs will be named after power is applied to the KX-R preamplifier, as described in the chapter “Setup and Configuration”. Main Outputs Balanced output connectors are provided to achieve the highest sound quality. Should it be necessary to connect a single-ended power amplifier, high-quality adapters are available from your Ayre dealer. Two output connectors per channel are provided, and may be used sim
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single-ended component, high-quality adapters are available from your Ayre dealer. Turn the tape outputs off unless they are currently being used. This will completely disconnect the auxiliary components from the KX-R (including the ground connection), eliminating the possibility of undesired ground loops. Unlike the main outputs, the tape outputs will not convert the signal from a single-ended source to a true balanced signal. Instead, the “hot” signal will be present on pin 2 of the XLR and pi
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The linked components may be joined in The linked components should be connected in daisy-chain any convenient order. fashion, connecting each component to another until all of the linked components have been connected. When connecting the linked components to form a chain, be careful not to connect the two ends of the chain. Closing the chain to form a loop will cause the AyreLink system not to function. If there are no AyreLink-equipped source components in your system, the power status of the
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Setup and Configuration Due to the large number of available inputs (eight) on the KX-R, activating only the desired inputs allows for simpler operation of the unit. Only the active inputs will be included in the list of available source components. If no inputs are activated, the preamplifier will automatically enter the setup mode when AC power is applied. Activating Inputs The desired inputs are activated simply by naming them. When AC power is first applied to the unit, the front panel will
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Unused Refer to your notes describing which source components are CD connected to which numbered input. Phono DVD Use the left-hand knob to scroll to the desired numbered input SACD (”Set1 Unused” through “Set8 Unused”). SSP Digital Tuner Press the right-hand button to navigate to the next menu level. Aux The front panel will display “Name Unused”. Tape D/A Use the right-hand knob to scroll through the list of available CD-R names (shown at the left). Selecting “Unused” disables that DAT Sat inp
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Repeat the process of naming the remaining desired inputs. When all of the desired inputs have been named, press the left-hand button to exit the setup mode. The front panel will Exiting Setup briefly display “Exiting Setup”. Then the unit will return to standby, indicated by the green LED in the front panel. Advanced users may wish to use additional sophisticated input configuration options, including the creation of custom names for source components. Please refer to the chapter “Optimization
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Controls and Operation To achieve the highest possible sonic performance, the KX-R uses custom-designed rotary switches with solid-silver contacts for both the volume control and the input selector. These military-spec controls provide unsurpassed signal purity, as well as a virtually unlimited lifespan. These rotary switches are actuated with precision stepping motors using aerospace “fly-by-wire” technology. Turning one of the knobs generates pulses via contactless optical encoders. A micropro
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The two front-panel buttons employ contactless, sealed piezoelectric force sensors that will never wear. Please note that the buttons do not move as they sense the applied force. The piezoelectric buttons respond to a normal pressing action or a light tap that produces a relatively rapid change in force. They are not “touch-sensitive”, nor will they respond to a slowly increasing pressure. All of the front panel controls are duplicated on the included remote control handset. This handset also in
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Volume Control The volume level may be controlled with either the right-hand knob or the remote control handset, and the volume setting is displayed on the front panel. There are 60 individual levels, each with a step size of 1.0 dB, allowing for precise selection of the desired volume setting. If the volume control is advanced beyond the highest available level, the front panel will briefly display the message “Max”. Mute The mute button on the right side of the unit provides an easy way to tem
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will be activated for a few seconds to confirm the command, and then the display will turn off again. Changing the display brightness of components linked via the AyreLink communication system will change the display brightness of all linked components. Tape Output When the tape outputs are activated, the The tape outputs are controlled by a button on the remote name of the selected source will be shown in control handset. Pressing the button activates the tape outputs, inverted colors (black te
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Operate The AyreLink system transmits the Turning on a linked component will automatically turn on all “Operate” command sequentially with a other linked components that are further down the signal chain. brief delay between linked components, For example, turning on a linked source component will also avoiding power surges that could overload turn on a linked preamplifier and all linked power amplifiers. the AC power circuits in your home. Turning on a linked source component will also automati
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Remote Control The provided remote control handset will operate both the Ayre KX-R preamplifier as well as an Ayre disc player. A backlight is also provided to allow easy operation in a darkened listening room. 15
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Batteries The remote handset uses 4 x AAA batteries. These are accessed by removing the two screws that hold the black end piece. The battery holder will slide out, and the batteries may be replaced. Disc Player Configuration As shipped from the factory, the remote control handset is MP configured to operate the Ayre C-5xe disc player. The button with three horizontal lines operates the “Audio” function that selects between various soundtracks on a DVD disc. Please refer MP the C-5xe owner’s man
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Optimization and Customization In most audio systems, the KX-R preamplifier only requires that the desired inputs be activated by naming them. This allows for easy operation of the audio system. Each source component is clearly identified and only the connected inputs are displayed in the list of available source components. However in certain installations it may be desirable to customize additional settings for each input. Setup Mode The setup mode allows the following settings to be independe
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After entering the setup mode, the front panel will display “Set1 [current name] ”, where “current name” indicates the name currently Set1 [current name] selected for input 1. (The factory default setting is “Unused”, which de-activates input 1.) Use the left-hand knob to select which input (1 - 8) you wish to configure. Then press the right-hand button to enter the next menu level. The left-hand knob will select which setting you wish to configure for that input. Name Offset Balance Gain AyreLi
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Unused Name CD Phono Use the right-hand knob to select the desired name. Selecting DVD “Unused” will disable that input and remove it from the list of SACD SSP available source components when in the normal operating Digital mode. Tuner Aux A custom name (up to 8 characters) may also be created as Tape follows: D/A CD-R 1) Use the right-hand knob to scroll to the selection “Custom DAT x”, where “x” represents the selected input number. Sat Cable 2) Press the right-hand button to enter the next m
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Once you have selected the “Offset” menu item with the left-hand knob, simply select the desired offset level with the Offset +0dB right-hand knob. Changing the gain offset from +0 dB will affect the maximum displayed volume level. If the volume control is advanced beyond the highest available level, the front panel will briefly display the message “Max”. Balance In rare cases a source component may have a channel imbalance, particularly phono cartridges. To adjust for this, the channel balance
