PROCEED AMP 5 User Manual download pdf (Page 2)

D1/P5

switch, Trigger controls the amp using a 5-24V signal from

an external component, and Auto-On powers-up the amp

whenever it senses a signal on any channel, switching it off

20 minutes after the signal stops.

There are also two IEC connectors for separate detachable

power cords. Because of the P5’s huge power capability and

corresponding appetite for AC current, Anthem recommends

that each of these receptacles be connected to a different

electrical circuit to prevent tripping the circuit breakers in

your house if the current draw becomes too great. This is

most likely to occur when you power the amplifier up (or if

you listen to highly insensitive speakers at head-banging levels).

But the P5 does have a soft-start feature to minimize this.

I don’t have two separate circuits in my listening room, so I

used the same circuit for both connections. Apart from a brief

and negligible dimming of the room lights at turn-on, this

caused no electrical problems or obvious negative sonic

consequences. I did try running a very long extension cord to

a different circuit in another room for one of the amp’s power

inputs, but I could find no benefit to this apart from the

potential entertainment value of watching guests tripping

over the cord during a pre-movie countdown.

If you must use the same circuit for both power inputs, be

sure that your circuit breaker will not trip, and also that the

breaker is fully functional. (According to one knowledgeable

power-conditioner company with whom I spoke recently, old

circuit breakers that have previously tripped a number of

times can sometimes cease to function and remain locked in

the “on” position. This was news to me, and clearly a possible

hazard if correct.)

At the heart of the P5, and the reason for its enormous weight,

are separate power supplies for each channel, each with its

own, completely separate toroidal transformer. Furthermore,

each amplifier channel features two independent power-

supply sections—one for the input/driver stage, another for

the output stage—operating from separate windings on that

channel’s power transformer. The input stages of each amplifier

channel use eight bipolar devices. Fourteen bipolar output

transistors on each channel provide a huge current capacity.

To minimize output impedance and optimize power output,

there are no fuses on the power supply rails. If a problem

occurs, such as a short, Anthem’s ALM (Advanced Load

Monitoring) system, located outside the signal path, shuts

down the offending channel by opening a circuit breaker.

Separate circuit breakers for each channel are located on the

amp’s top cover near the front. They are externally accessible;

once a problem has been cleared, they may be easily reset

without rummaging around inside the amplifier.

AND A PRE-PRO TO MATCH

It’s obvious from the specifications that the D1 offers all the

S-video and composite-video inputs you could possibly need,

and then some. Its four component inputs (and two outputs)

are also generous. The on-screen menus are currently available

only from the composite or S-video outputs.

At present, the D1 does not have DVI or HDMI switching, or

any transcoding (conversion of all video inputs to the highest-

quality output to allow for a single-cable feed to the display).

Both transcoding and HDMI switching have been promised

for a future upgrade.

“… punchy and clean … sparkled with realistic

detail … refined sense of air and space …

solid imaging … excellent depth … large,

majestic soundstage … just the right degree

of warmth … startlingly powerful …”

In addition to an ample supply of single-ended, 2-channel analog

audio inputs, there is one balanced, 2-channel analog audio

input. The D1 also has both single-ended and balanced out-

puts for all 7.1 channels. There are parallel outputs for a

second center channel (something I do not recommend) and

a second subwoofer. The D1 also supports two remote zones

of operation, each with video (composite and S-video) and

2-channel, single-ended audio outputs. If the Center 2 and Sub

2 balanced outputs are not used, they can be reconfigured as

a balanced, 2-channel output for zone 2.

You also get one 6-channel analog input (single-ended only). This

input set—and the one 2-channel, balanced audio input—may

be configured either to bypass all digital stages and signal

processing or to include the digital stages for bass management,

time alignment, surround mode settings, bass/treble control,

audio group delay, and THX post-processing. The A/D conversion

is selectable in the user setup menu (separately for 2-channel

and 6-channel inputs), up to a maximum of 24-bit/96kHz

(DTS Neo:6 is limited to 48kHz).

Other features include an AM/FM tuner (not often found in

surround pre-pros), bypassable bass and treble controls

(ditto), full THX processing (which may be engaged with or

without Re-Equalization), lip-sync compensation, and advanced

high- and lowpass filter settings (separate crossover settings

for different speakers, making it possible to do setups such as

70Hz crossover for the front LCR, 90Hz lowpass for the sub,

and 100Hz crossover for the surrounds).

There are also three useful equalization controls. THX Boundary

Gain Compensation corrects the balance for a listening or

speaker position too near a wall, which can result in bloated

bass. Center EQ compensates for the response deviations that

can result from placing a center channel atop a large TV (it’s

adjustable for set size). And the Room Resonance Filter is

a single band of parametric equalization on the subwoofer

channel for tuning out the most troublesome low-frequency

room peak. I did not use these features for this review, but I

found the Center EQ and Room Resonance Filter useful when

I used the D1 in my review of a Focal-JMlab Diva Utopia Be

speaker system.

CIRCUITS

Describing the circuit features of the D1 risks technobabble to

rival that of Star Trek: dual Motorola DSP engines operating at

warp—um—150 MIPS, dual 3Mbit/8ns external cache memory,

a four-layer motherboard with dual independent six-layer

converter boards for separate analog and digital layers, analog

input-level control via Crystal analog attenuators in differential

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