Balanced Audio VK-P12SE Phonostage - Manual (Page 11)

Capacitance:
Various values of capacitors can be connected in parallel to the input via
switches S101 and S201. With these switches in the OFF position, there is
no capacitive loading to the cartridge. The capacitance choices include:
Switch Position Capacitor Value
5 100pF
6 470pF
7 1000pF
8 User-Defined
Any possible parallel combination of these values is also allowable.
Input Mode (Direct or Step-Up) Switch
The VK-P12SE comes equipped with internal step-up transformers, which
allow the user to achieve the best possible signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic
range in any system configuration, including systems with very low output
moving coil cartridges (down to .1mV or less).
By changing the position of the S102 and S202 switches, user may choose
between Direct and Step-Up input modes. In Direct mode the cartridge is
connected directly to the vacuum tube amplification stage. In the Step-Up
mode the cartridge signal is routed through the
step-up transformer, in order to boost it before it reaches the amplification
stage. This allows for an additional gain of 20dB.
It is recommended that for phono cartridges with the output of more than
.25mV, the Direct mode be used. For sources with lower output voltage, the
user should experiment in order to find the combination, providing the best
performance. Using the Step-Up transformers will usually provide a lower
noise floor (see the Specifications chapter).
Gain Switch
By moving the switch S2 from High to Low position, the amplifier’s gain is
reduced by about 15dB. While the High gain position provides the most