PS Audio GCA-100, GCA-500 Questions And Answers, Should the unit be on all the time?, Placement?

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Should the unit be on all the time?

Are there any internal fuses?

Questions And Answers

Owner’s Reference GCA Power Amplifier Series

The GCA Series Power Amplifi er is best left powered on at all times. The current draw is negligible and keeping it powered on will make sure the internal AC capacitors stay working properly.

There is no harm in leaving the unit on at all times as the lifespan of the GCA series power amplifi er will be unaffected by leaving it on. We recommend placing the amplifi er in its standby mode via the front panel logo/standby button when the amp is not in use. We further recommend leaving power to the GCA series power amplifi er at all times.

There are no user replaceable internal fuses inside the GCA series power amplifi er. There is an internal fuse that should only be replaced by an authorized service center if needed. The components inside the GCA series power amplifi er have lethal voltages when powered and even when un-powered. Capacitors inside the GCA series power amplifi er can retain an electrical charge after the unit has been powered down. Do not attempt to get inside the unit for any reason unless instructed to do so by your dealer or an authorized service representative. Should the GCA series power amplifi er cease to function, contact your dealer or PS Audio’s service center for help.

Placement?	Placement of the GCA series power amplifi er is not critical. Placement with respect to other equipment
	can be important. In general, place the GCA series power amplifi er close to the preamplifi er or surround
	processor as possible. It is always preferable to have long speaker cables and short interconnects
	if there is a distance problem. Long interconnect cables will degrade the performance of most
	preamplifi ers, surround processors or integrated amplifi ers and receiver preamp outputs.

Isolation?

Front panel blue light

Isolation through the use of spikes, cones or Sorbothane feet is recommended for the GCA series power amplifi er if space and budget allows. Isolation of any piece of high-end stereo and theater equipment is always recommended wherever practical.

The brightness of the blue light on the front of the GCA series power amplifi er can be adjusted via the rear panel three position switch. The switch is located on the upper left hand corner of the GCA series power amplifi er as you face the rear panel. When the switch is in the upper most position, the front panel light will be the brightest. The middle position of the switch provides medium brightness, the lower position shuts the light off.

Front panel power button

The front panel PS logo is the power button. Press the blue PS logo on the GCA series power amplifi er’s front panel to turn the amplifi er on or off. We recommend keeping the rear mounted switch for the blue light brightness at one of the two visible levels so you can tell if the GCA series power amplifi er is on or off.

Do cables make a difference?

What speakers can I use?

Yes, cables make a difference. It is important to use the best power cables, interconnects and speaker cables when operating the GCA series power amplifi er.

You can power nearly every loudspeaker made with a GCA series power amplifi er. It is relatively tolerant of most loudspeakers loads and will not be damaged by attempting to power heavy loads. If, while playing music, the GCA series power amplifi er continues to go into a protection mode when the music gets loud, it means that the speaker load is probably too diffi cult for the GCA series power

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