Harman Kardon CITATION I Owners Manual - Page 5

TECHNICAL

DESCRIPTION

It

is

generally

agreed

that

the

control

preamplifier

is

the

heart

of

a

high

fi

delity

reproducing

system

and

therefore

requires

special

design

consideration.

A

preamplifier

that

is

designed

to

meet

professional

standards

must

be

exceptionally

versatile,

easy

to

operate,

and

must

not

impart

any

coloration

of

its

own

to

the

program

content.

The

Harman-Kardon

Citation

I

Preamplifier

does

not

adhere

to

conventional

circuitry

and

incorpor-

ates

many

advanced

engineering

innovations

normally

available

only

in

the

highest

quality

studio

equipment.

The

unit

consists

of

a

group

of

circuit

blocks

called

active

and

passive

networks.

Active

networks

are

those

which

incorporate

vacuum

tubes

and

furnish

amplification.

Passive

networks

consist

of

resistors

and

condensers

exclusively

and

do

not

amplify.

An

effort

was

made

to

carefully

separate

these

circuit

blocks

in

this

preamplifier.

The

active

networks

are

treated

as

one

or

two

stage

amplification

units

which

are

flat

over

an

exceptionally

wide

frequency

range,

and

each

of

these

networks

is

surrounded

with

a

feedback

loop.

This

leads

to

unmeasurable

distortion

and

phase

shift

throughout

the

entire

audible

range.

The

passive

networks

provide

precise

equalization

and

minimum

phase

shift,

and

are

constructed

of

close

-tolerance

components.

Professional

-type

tone

controls

are

incorporated

because

of

their

numerous

inherent

advantages.

Step

controls

do

not

offer

the

limitations

of

continuously

variable

potentiometers,

and

each

position

can

be

designed

to

perform

a

specific

function

absolutely

repeatable

whenever

necessary.

Bass

and

treble

boosts

when

used

in

different

step

positions

are

designed

to

electrically

compensate

for

the

various

inadequacies

of

speakers,

room

acoustics,

and

variations

in

program

material.

Most

tone

control

circuits

have

the

distinct

disadvantage

of

not

providing

the

user

with

a

setting

for

absolutely

flat,

uncompensated

response.

If

such

a

setting

can

be

found

by

the

use

of

instruments,

the

likeli-

hood

will

be

that

it

will

not

correlate

to

the

perpendicular

or

12

o'clock

position,

where

the

point

of

refer-

ence

is

usually

designated,

nor

will

the

controls

ever

be

completely

out

of

the

circuit

to

eliminate

phase

shift

and

transient

distortion.

With

high

quality

components

comprising

the

remainder

of

the

stereo

system

and

with

the

use

of

well

-recorded

program

material,

the

user

may

well

wish

to

maintain

a

perfectly

flat

response.

The

circuit

used

in

this

preamplifier

based

upon

the

professional

step

arrangement,

provides

perfect-

ly

flat

positions

for

bass

and

treble

which

completely

bypass

all

tone

control

circuitry,

thereby

limiting

transient

distortion

and

phase

shift

for

unexcelled

clean

response.

Each.bass

and

treble

switching

position

has

a

carefully

computed

hinge

point

for

its

respective

boost

level.

Each

bass

cut

position

is

contoured

to

equalize

for

different

speakers

and

for

cabinet

resonances.

This

enables

the

user

to•eliminate

speaker

hangover

without

upsetting

the

remainder

of

the

frequency

curve.

The

treble

cut

control

reduces

the

high

frequencies

at

a

sharp

slope,

thereby

eliminating

the

need

for

a

separate

sharp

high

frequency

cut-off

fi

lter,

required

in

ordinary

preamplifiers.

The

slope

of

each

treble

cut

curve

has

been

optimized

to

give

the

sharpest

cut-off

without

ringing.

These

step

tone

controls

offer

exceptional

ver-

satility

and

once

calibrated

for

specific

conditions

may

be

reset

with

identical

results.

The

Citation

I

Stereo

Preamplifier

Control

Center

has

been

designed

for

many

years

of

trouble

-free

listen-

ing

pleasure,

and

will

satisfy

the

aspirations

of

those

who

insist

on

nothing

short

of

perfection

itself.

UNPACKING

After

unpacking

the

Citation

I,

inspect

it

carefully

for

signs

of

transit

damage.

If

damage

is

visible,

notify

your

dealer

at

once.

If

the

unit

was

shipped

to

you,

notify

the

transportation

company

without

delay.

Please

note

that

only

the

recipient

can

recover

from

the

carrier

for

damages

incurred

during

shipping.

INSTALLATION

PROCEDURE

Ventilation

The

Citation

I

is

well

ventilated

in

itself,

but

sufficient

space

must

be

allowed

around

it

to

permit

proper

air

flow.

Install

it

in

a

manner

to

allow

for

unrestricted

circulation.

Do

not

cut

off

the

air

supply

by

putting

books

or

other

objects

on

or

against

it.

Do

not

place

the

Citation

I

directly

above

the

power

amplifier.

Harman Kardon CITATION I Owners Manual - Page 5

Technical, Description, Unpacking, Installation, Procedure, Ventilation

Page 5 highlights