Aesthetix Audio PandoraRomulus Owners Manual

							
CONNECTIONS 
 
 
CAUTION: Make all input and output connections before turning on the rear panel Main Power switch. 
 
 
Mute or turn off the power amplifier when connecting/disconnecting cables. 
 
 
  
Figure 5 - Rear Panel Layout showing connections 
 
 
 
AC Power: 
 
The Pandora may be plugged directly into an un-switched  wall outlet.  Although proprietary RFI (radio-frequency 
interference) filtering is built into the Romulus, in some situations an AC power-line filter may provide additional 
sonic benefits.  As virtually all computers use switch-mode power supp lies that introduce unwanted RFI on the 
AC power line, it may be beneficial to use an AC power line filter for the co mputer and its accessories (display 
monitor, etc.), as many of these devic es also utilize switch-mode power supplies. 
 
 
USB Audio Input Speed 
 
USB Audio may connect to the computer  at two speeds.  The first is known as “Class 1 Audio” and is supported 
by all operating systems (e.g., Windows, Mac OS X, Linux).  Class 1 Audio uses the “Full Speed” mode of USB 
and is capable of transporting all sample rates up to 96 kHz.   Select Class 1 Audio by pushing the switch in.  
Setting the switch to its out posit ion selects “Class 2 Audio”, which uses the USB “High Speed”\
 mode to 
transport data at higher rates as long as the operating sy stem also supports Class 2 Audio.  For Mac, this 
requires OS X version 10.6.4 or higher.  None of t he Windows operating systems supports “High Speed” mode 
for audio via the USB ports.  We therefore have made avail able a custom driver that is compatible with Windows 
XP, Service Pack 2 and later.  Please refer to the Aest hetix website to download the required file and also for 
additional instructions: 
 
www.aesthetix.net 
 
 
  11 
						

							
 
  12
OPERATION 
 
Important note:
 When first installing the Pandora, both it and the computer must first be set up. 
 
Once all connections have been made, turn on the rear panel  Main Power switch.  After the information pages 
are displayed, the Standby LED will illuminate. 
 
STANDBY  
Once the Standby LED is illuminated, press the St andby button once.  The Standby LED will blink for 
approximately 30 seconds, then it will turn off.   The display will be on and the Mute LED will be off. 
 
Pressing the Standby button when the Standby  LED is off will put the Pandora into Standby, at which time the 
Standby LED will turn on. 
 
INPUT Select Buttons 
 
Select the desired Input button that corresponds to the rear panel input connector being used. 
 
MUTE 
 
Pressing the mute button will alternately mute or unm ute the unit.  When the mute light is illuminated, the 
Pandora is muted.  When muted, the volume is inter nally set to zero and the output is shorted to ground. 
 
Volume Control (VC) 
 
If the optional volume control is installed, pressing the Up and Down arrows on the hand held remote will raise 
and lower the volume respectively.  Another method is to  press the left or right side of the LCD display on the 
front panel. 
 
*The optional Volume Control in the Romulus Signature VC and Pandora Signature VC operates both in the 
digital and analog domain for no loss in resolution.  The  DSD audio format does not allow for any alteration of 
data, including volume attenuation, mixi ng, etc.  Any form of attenuation requires a conversion to PCM, negating 
the purpose of DSD.  Aesthetix’ pur e unadulterated implementation of DSD  does not allow the small volume 
steps implemented with PCM, so the volume steps when lis tening to DSD files are not as fine as they normally 
would be when listening to non-DSD files or CD.  If it is  desirable to have small volume steps when playing DSD 
files, many computer audio players  have the option of converting DSD to PCM, thereby allowing the small 
volume steps. 
 
DISPLAY  
In normal operation, the level setting is displayed and  various indicator lights will be illuminated.  When the 
display button is pressed, all LED’s will extinguish.   Pressing any button will turn on the display and indicator 
LED’s for 5 seconds, and then they will extinguish.  The  only exception is standby, which will always have the 
Standby light illuminated. 
 
Pressing the display button while the display is off, or dur ing the 5 second timeout period, will turn on the display 
and normal operation will return.
     
						

							
 
  13
Advanced display functionality 
 
This unit contains the ability to sense the ambient li
ght level in the room and adjust the display and LEDs 
accordingly.  Additional information about this c an be found on the Aesthetix website – www.aesthetix.net 
 
REMOTE TRIGGER  
The remote trigger control allows the Pandora to control  the standby state of a remote unit, such as the Atlas. 
Power Amplifier.  Connect the Trigger Out jack from t he Pandora to the Remote Trigger jack on the receiving 
device.  Then turn on the main Power switch of bot h units.  Pressing the Standby button on the Pandora should 
take the other device out of Standby. Pressing the Standby button on t he Pandora once more should put both 
devices into Standby. 
 
The trigger voltage of the receiving device  should respond to a constant +5VDC signal. 
 
Use a 1/8” (3.5mm) mono plug for this jack.   The tip is positive and the sleeve is ground.  
RS232  
All functions of the Pandora can be controlled and monito red via RS232, using the DB9 connector.  As long as 
the rear panel power switch in turned on, the RS232 circui try is always active, thus allowing the Pandora to be 
taken out of  STANDBY via RS232. 
 
Memory Buffering  
In Pandora/Romulus, SPDIF data (RCA coax, TosLin k and AES/EBU XLR) is memory buffered.  When the 
Pandora is being used with video, such as a satellite receiver or DVD player, lip sync issues can occur. 
 
Please refer to technical documentation on the Aesthetix website for information on configuring this feature; 
www.aesthetix.net 
 
 
SETUP  
Configuring your computer 
 
No matter what operating system (OS)  your computer uses — Apple, Windows, or Linux — you’ll need to set up 
your computer to perform several different tasks: 
 
• Transferring music to your computer’s hard drive, eit her by converting the files from your CD collection, 
commonly called “ripping”, or by purchasing  files that are downloaded via the internet. 
 
• Labeling the files you have transferred with the names  of the song, artist, album, etc, commonly called 
“tagging”. (Downloaded files will normally already have the “tags” included.) 
 
• Using a music player program to organize  your music collection and play it back.  
• Optionally record music selections back onto CDs for  playback in your car or other places, commonly called 
“burning”. 
 
• Optionally transfer part of your music  collection to a portable music player.  
A few programs can perform all of these functions,  for example iTunes (Apple and Windows), J.River Media 
Center (Windows), and Windows Media Player (Windows).  So me users will prefer to use a combination of 
other specialized programs to perform these functions.  An introductory gui de to setting up your computer is 
available at the Aesthetix website at: 
 
www.aesthetix.net 
  
						

							
Romulus 
 
This section provides Instructions and information unique to the Romulus and is intended to be in addition to the 
Pandora instructions. 
 
Romulus Front Panel Layout 
 
STANDBY INPUTDISPLAY
MUTE
AESTHETIX
EJECTSTOP
ROMULUS
PAUSE
PLAY

1 4 5 6 8 9 10 1213
14 15 16
11
3
27
PHASE
RNDM ALL FOREVER
LOCK
ONE
REPEAT743.38
  
Figure 6 – Romulus Front Panel Layout    
1. 
STANDBY  button.  After the rear panel  MAIN POWER switch is turned on and the information pages are 
displayed, press the front panel STANDBY  button to exit the standby mode.  Pressing 
this button again will put the Romulus into  STANDBY and illuminate the Standby  LED. 
 
2. Standby  LED.  Illuminates when the Romulus is in Standby.  
3. DISPLAY  button.  Press to extinguish or turn on the display the display.  
4. INPUT button.  Press repeatedly to select the input source.  
5. DISPLAY.    Refer to the next page for a detailed description.  
6.  Pressing the left side of the  DISPLAY will decrement* the volume, when the optional volume control is 
installed. 
 
7. CD Drawer.  
8.  Pressing the right side of the  DISPLAY will increment* the volume, when the optional volume control is 
installed. 
 
9.  MUTE  button.  Toggle to mute or un-mute the Romulus.  
10. Mute  LED.  Illuminates when the unit is muted.  
11. STOP  button.  Stops the currently playing di sc.  Also closes the drawer, if open.  
12. EJECT button.  Opens and closes the drawer.  
13. PAUSE  button.  Pauses the CD in play.   Also closes the drawer, if open.  
14.   button.  When pressed once, advances to the next track and begins playing.  When held, it scans 
forward through the current track until releas ed.  Also closes the drawer, if open. 
 
  14 
						

							
Romulus Display Layout 
   
    
Figure 7 – Romulus LED Display Layout   
 
1.  Pressing the left side of the Display will decrement* the volume, when the optional volume control is 
installed. 
 
2.  Displays the total CD time when the disc is stopped,  or the track progress time when the disc is playing. 
When a digital signal is present at any of the rear panel  inputs, the sample rate is displayed.  In a Signature 
version, when a DSD or DSD2X signal  is detected, this part of the display will read DSD or DSD2, 
respectively. 
 
3.  The total number of tracks on the disc, when it is stopped, or the current track number when the disc is  playing.  When the optional volume controls are inst alled, the volume level will show while it is being 
changed, and remain for 3 seconds after.  When the USB  input is selected, C1 or C2 will be displayed for 
approximately 5 seconds, indicating the current positi on of the Class 1/Class 2 switch on the rear panel. 
 
4.  Illuminates then Random Play is selected. 
 
5.  Illuminates when Repeat is selected for the current track. 
 
6.  Illuminates when the absolute phase is inverted. 
 
7.  Illuminates when Repeat is selected for the current disc. 
 
8.  Illuminates when the Romulus locks onto a digital input signal. 
 
9.  Illuminates when “Forever” Repeat is  selected for the current disc. This is the same as Repeat disc (#7) 
however in this mode, the disc can be changed and r epeat will stay active (continuous music mode). 
 
10. Pressing the right side of the Display will increm ent* the volume, when the optional volume control is 
installed. 
 
 
 
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  16
Operation 
 
When first installing the Romulus, the CD will play by 
selecting the CD input and pressing play.  To use the 
DAC, both the Romulus and the co mputer must first be set up. 
 
 
INPUT 
 
Pressing the Input button repeatedly will cycle through all i nputs.  Use this button to select the desired input.  
The order is: CD, AES1, RCA1, TOS1, USB1.  When CD is selected, the Romulus takes a few seconds to read 
the disc, if installed, so that it can  show the disc information in the display. 
 
 
CD CONTROL buttons 
 
The STOP  button stops the currently playing disc.   It closes the drawer if it is open. 
 
The EJECT  button opens and closes the drawer. 
 
The PAUSE  button pauses the CD in play as well as  closes the drawer if it is open. 
 
The   button, when pressed once, advances to the next  track and begins playing.  When held, it scans 
forward through the current track until released.   It also closes the drawer if it is open. 
 
 
 
  
						

							
 
 
  17
Appendix A  Troubleshooting Guide 
 
If the Romulus should function abnormally during operation, please review the items in the following checklist.  
Please be sure to thoroughly check all other connected co
mponents such as speakers, preamplifiers, as well as 
cables. 
 
Symptom Possible  Cause(s) Remedy 
No power or front panel 
lights and no sound. Power cable is not inserted 100% into AC 
input connector. Ensure that the AC cord is inserted all the way 
into the 
Pandora and that the wall outlet is 
active with the appropriate voltage. 
 Power Supply fuse(s) is (are) open. Replace with same type and rating ONLY 
 Rear panel fuse is open. Replace with same type and rating ONLY. 
 Circuit breaker is open (AC outlet). Che ck the AC outlet circuit breaker and reset, 
if necessary, or contact your dealer. 
   
No audio output. Incorrect source is selected. Look  in the display to verify that the correct 
source is shown. If it is not, press the Input 
button repeatedly until it is. 
 Mute is active Unmute the Pandora. 
 Volume control (if installed) is turned dow n. Use the hand held remote of the left/right 
edges of the display to set the volume 
accordingly. 
   
 Lock light not on. When using a  non CD source, verify that the 
correct input is selected and the source is 
playing. 
Hot/Warm Normal  operation  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							
 
18
 
Appendix B  Specifications 
 
 
 
USB Audio Input Signal:   44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192 kHz 16, 20,  and 24 bits.  In a Signature version, DSD 
1x and DSD 2x. 
 
S/PDIF Audio Input Signal:   44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4,  and 192 kHz 16, 20, and 24 bits. In a Signature version, DSD 
1x. 
 
Maximum Output Level:    Balanced: 4.8 V rms without opti onal volume controls installed. 
 Single-Ended: 2.4 V rms without opti onal volume controls installed. 
 
Pandora/Romulus with volume controls – the vo lume setting for standard 2v (SE) / 4v (bal) 
output is 80.  In a Signature version the output level is slightly lower.
 
Setting for the same output level as a non-volume  control unit is 82 (2.5v se, 5v bal).  In a 
Signature version, the output level is slightly lower. 
 
Output Impedance:   300 ohms balanced.  It can drive a balanced impedance of 20K ohms or hig\
her. 
 
Recommended Load   > 20Kohm balanced, >10Kohm Single-Ended.  
Impedance: 
 
Analog XLR Output Polarity:  Pin 1 = Ground. 
 Pin 2 = Non-inverting (Positive). 
 Pin 3 = Inverting (Negative). 
 
Frequency Response:   20Hz - 20 kHz (44.1 kHz sample rate). 
  20 Hz - 22 kHz (48 kHz sample rate). 
 20 Hz - 40 kHz (88.2 kHz sample rate). 
 20 Hz - 44 kHz (96 kHz sample rate). 
 20 Hz - 80 kHz (176.4 kHz sample rate). 
 20 Hz - 88 kHz (192 kHz sample rate). 
 
Tubes: V401 E83CCS or 12AX7.  
 V402  6922 (6DJ8). 
 
Power Consumption:   25W in standby, 60W locked to an S/PD IF source, 70W with a CD playing. 
 
Trigger Output: 1/8” Jack, operates on 5VDC. 
 
Dimensions:  17-7/8” W 4-1/4” H 18-1/8 D  (45.4 x 10.8 x 46cm). 
 
Weight:  30 Lbs. Stand alone (13.6 Kg), 37 Lbs. Boxed with accessories (16.8 K\
g). 
 
Maximum Operating Internal: 176 ° F (80 ° C). 
Temperature : Room:  122° F (50 ° C). 
 
Fuses:   Mains:   2A SB @ 100, 117VAC, 5 x 20;  1A SB 230, 245VAC, 5 x 20. 
  Power Supply:  250mA SB, 5 x 20 
 
 
Specifications subject to improvement or change without notice. 
 
 
  
						

							
90 DAY LIMITED WARRANTY TERMS AND CONDITIONS 
(3 Year optional ext ended service contract)  
 
 
1.  Aesthetix warrants the product  designated herein to be free of manufacturing defects in material and 
workmanship, subject to the conditions herein set  forth, for a period of 90 days from the date of 
purchase by the original purchaser.  If the purchaser registers the unit with Aesthetix by mailing in the 
warranty card, together with a copy of the bill of  sale, within 14 days of the date of purchase, said 
purchaser will be registered for an extended service  contract. The extended service contract extends 
the 90 days to a period of 3 years fr om the date of purchase by the original purchaser or no later than 
4 years from the date of shipment  to the authorized Aesthetix dealer , whichever comes first.  This 
extension does not apply to tubes.  The warranty  period for factory tubes does not get extended and 
therefore remains at 90 days. 
 
2. CONDITIONS 
  This warranty is subject to the following condi tions and limitations.  The warranty is void and 
inapplicable if the product has been used or handled other  than in accordance with the instructions 
in the owners manual, abused or misused, damaged by  accident or neglect or in being transported, 
or the defect is due to the product being repaired  or tampered with or modified by anyone other 
than Aesthetix. The product must be packed and returned  to Aesthetix by the customer at his or her 
sole expense.  A written description of the defec t and a photocopy of the original purchase receipt 
must accompany a returned product.  This receip t must clearly list model and serial number, the 
date of purchase, the name and address of the  purchaser and authorized dealer and the purchase 
price.  Aesthetix reserves the right to modify  the design of any product without obligation to 
purchasers of previously manufac tured products and to change the pric es or specifications of any 
product without notice or obligation to any person. 
 
3. REMEDY 
  In the event the above product fails to meet  the warranty, and the above conditions have been met, 
the purchasers sole remedy under the limited warr anty shall be to return the product to Aesthetix 
where the defect will be rectified without charge for par ts or labor.  Aesthetix reserves the right to 
inspect any product that is the subject of any warranty claim prior to repairing it.  Final 
determination of warranty cover age lies solely with Aesthetix. 
 
4.  LIMITED TO ORIGINAL PURCHASER 
  This warranty is for the sole benefit of the orig inal purchaser of the covered product and shall not 
be transferred to a subsequent  purchaser of the product. 
 
5.  DURATION OF WARRANTY 
  This warranty expires 90 days after the date of orig inal purchase.  If Aesthetix receives the warranty 
registration card, this period is extended to the th ird anniversary of the date of purchase or no later 
that the fourth anniversary of the shipment to  the authorized Aesthetix dealer, whichever comes 
first.  This extension does not apply to tubes.   The warranty period for factory tubes does not get 
extended and therefore re mains at 90 days. 
 
6. MISCELLANEOUS 
  ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES RELATING TO  THE ABOVE PRODUCT SHALL BE LIMITED TO 
THE DURATION OF THIS WARRANTY.  THE WARRANTY DOES NOT EXTEND TO ANY 
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL COSTS  OR DAMAGES TO THE PURCHASER.  Some 
states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts or an excl usion or limitation of 
incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitat ions or exclusions may not apply to you.  
This Warranty gives you specific legal rights, and  you may also have other rights which vary from 
state to state. 
 
7.  WARRANTY OUTSIDE THE USA 
  Aesthetix has formal distribution  in many of the countries of the free world, in each country the 
Aesthetix importer has contract ually accepted the responsibility  for product warranty.  Warranty 
should normally be obtained from the importing dealer or distributor from whom you obtain your 
product. 
 
   19    Rev 2.1   06-26-2014