Janus contains solid state circuitry but all of its amplification is achieved using vacuum tubes. The output stage is a vacuum tube based differential driver. There is no global feedback used in the Janus whatsoever. Janus’ advanced microprocessor-based control circuitry is completely inactive when not in use i.e. when not receiving a command from the user, resulting in no ill effects on sound quality. The unit contains innovative features, such as a switched resistor volume control, theater bypass mode, phase inversion and others. The massive power supply consists of a high voltage transformer, heater transformer, and high voltage choke. All of the magnetic components are shielded by a stainless steel transformer cover, which also performs double duty as a structural truss. The high voltage power supply is regulated with a discrete transistor-based regulator. The low voltage solid state power supplies are discretely regulated. Only the highest quality components are used in the Janus, including Roederstein resistors, RelCap film capacitors, Mercury Magnetics transformers and Nichicon audio grade electrolytic capacitors. We hope you enjoy many years of music using the Janus preamplifier. PLACEMENT Janus should be located away from possible sources of hum such as power cords, power transformers and the like. Ventilation is critical for reliability. It should not be located on top of any heat source such as a power amplifier. If it is positioned within an enclosed space then fans may be warranted. All air vents must remain unobstructed. A minimum of 3 inches of space above the unit is required. CONNECTIONS Important: Ensure the rear panel power switch is in the off position whenever changing connections. Also ensure that the power amplifier is off. 1) Connect one or more source components to the Janus' inputs. Both balanced and single-ended connections are provided for each input. A tape deck may be connected to the tape input / output connectors. The tape output is unbuffered. 2) A turntable may be connected to the phono inputs. Never connect a high level source component, such as a CD player or tuner, to the phono inputs. Damage may result. 3) Using either the single-ended (RCA) or balanced (XLR) outputs, connect the Janus to your power amplifier. Use of balanced connections will yield 6dB more gain. 4) Connect the supplied IEC power cord to the back of the Janus and to an unswitched, grounded AC outlet. Line conditioners may be used with the unit if desired. Ensure the maximum power of the conditioner is not being exceeded. Note: The line level input circuitry of the Janus accepts a maximum input voltage of 3.5v rms single-ended or 7v rms balanced. This is well above the industry standard 2v rms single-ended or 4v rms balanced. However, there are a few source components that exceed this limit. If the offending source component has a volume or gain control, all that is necessary is to reduce the gain or volume of the source component. In other cases, it will be necessary to have the source component modified to be within industry standard specifications. A clear indication that this limit is being exceeded is a raspy distortion or compression of musical peaks. OPERATION STANDBY AC power is applied to the unit by pressing on the left side of the power switch, when viewed from the front of the unit. When Janus has power applied for the first time, it will first display the installed software version on the LED display for two seconds, then automatically enter the standby mode. While in standby, power is applied to all circuits except the vacuum tube heaters. The high voltage supply is reduced to a level that is safe for the vacuum tubes. All solid state circuitry in the Janus remains powered. Anytime Janus is in standby, the standby light will be illuminated. Pressing the standby button will take Janus out of standby. The standby light will blink for 30 seconds, during which time the heater supplies will be energized and the high voltage supply will rise to operational levels. After the warm-up period, the standby light will extinguish and the input will be displayed, and the mute light will be illuminated indicating the Janus is muted. Place Janus in standby when not in use. INPUT SELECTION Press any of the five input selection buttons to select the desired input. Tape input selection will monitor the output from a cassette deck. Press PHONO to select the high gain phono preamplifier. VOLUME Volume is controlled by pressing the left side of the display glass for down, the right side for up. Each step is 1dB. BALANCE Balance is adjusted only by the remote control, by the left and right arrow buttons. It is not adjustable from the front panel. When the unit is adjusted to be out of balance, two volume numbers will display. The left indicates the left channel volume number, the right indicates the right channel volume number. When both channels are set to the same number, the display will change to only show on...