Page 3 - Contents
iii Contents List of Illustrations, page iv A Letter from Dan D’Agostino, page 1 SECTION ONE: About Krell, page 3 The Krell Legacy, Revolutionary Krell CAST Technology, Ensuring Maximum Performance, Definition of Terms SECTION TWO: Unpacking and Placement, page 11 Opening the Evolution Two Shipping ...
Page 4 - List of Illustrations
iv List of Illustrations Figure 1, page 15 Evolution Two Preamplifier Chassis and Power Supply Chassis Front Panels Inset Evolution Two Preamplifier Channel: Front Panel View Figure 2, page 16 Evolution Two Remote Control Figure 3, page 22 Evolution Two Preamplifier Chassis and Power Supply Chassis ...
Page 5 - A Letter from Dan D’Agostino
A Letter from Dan D’Agostino Dear Audio Enthusiast, Thank you for your purchase of the Evolution Two preamplifier. My new Evolution products represent a watershed in my design philosophy and in my quest for audio components that deliver absolute truth in music reproduction. The expanse of the Evolut...
Page 7 - About Krell; The Krell Legacy; ONE
About Krell This section describes the Krell Legacy, the innovative features and technology of the Evolution Two, and defines CAST and other key terms used in this reference. The Krell Legacy “I design every Krell component to set the standard for workmanship, style, and performance.” Dan D’Agostino...
Page 8 - Revolutionary Krell CAST Technology; CAST Basics
4 Revolutionary Krell CAST Technology Current Audio Signal Transmission, termed CAST, is a revolutionary method of connecting analog audio components for unparalleled sonic performance. Innovative engineering combines the new Krell CAST circuitry with existing Krell Current Mode technology to create...
Page 9 - CAST Cable Construction; Evolution CAST; The Best Musical Performance
5 CAST preserves the transmitted signal between components. Together, CAST and Krell Current Mode technologies unify separate Krell components into a single global circuit. Krell Current Mode technology enjoys bandwidth increases up to an order of magnitude greater than their voltage based counterpa...
Page 10 - Ensuring Maximum Performance; Core Technologies; Zero Feedback Balanced Current Mode Design
6 Ensuring Maximum Performance “My pursuit of excellence in sound reproduction and my love of great musical performance fuels the ongoing Evolution design effort at Krell.” Dan D’Agostino The product of breakthrough Krell technology, the Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifier works in tandem with the E...
Page 11 - Fully Balanced Discrete Volume Control; Separate Power Supply
7 Fully Balanced Discrete Volume Control The volume control is realized with a 16-bit balanced resistor ladder, which uses low-resistance, high-linearity solid-state switches and discrete precision resistors. Control signals for the switches are optically coupled for low noise and maximum signal int...
Page 13 - Definition of Terms; Configurations; Inputs and Outputs
Definition of Terms Following are the definitions of key terms used in this owner’s reference. Configurations CAN Link The communication system that links multiple Evolution Two preamplifier channels is a sophisticated system called a controller area network (CAN). Linked Mode In linked mode, functi...
Page 14 - Technology
Preamplifier Channel Also termed preamplifier or preamplifier channel. A channel is one Evolution Two, comprised of one preamplifier chassis and one power supply chassis. Right-terminated channel Any right preamplifier channel that is last in a chain of linked Evolution preampli- fiers is referred t...
Page 15 - Unpacking and Placement; Opening the Evolution Two Shipping Carton; Left/Right Channel Orientation; TWO
11 Unpacking and Placement This section describes the procedures for safely unpacking and placing your Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifier. Each Evolution Two preamplifier channel is shipped in 1 carton consisting of 2 chassis: 1 power supply chassis and 1 pream- plifier chassis. Opening the Evoluti...
Page 16 - Placement; AC Power Guidelines
12 ( To Remove the Preamplifier from the Shipping Box continued) 2. Carefully remove the preamplifier chassis, power supply chassis, and acces- sories from the box. 3. Place the the preamplifier chassis and power supply chassis in a safe location and remove the protective plastic wrapping. 4. Place ...
Page 17 - THREE; Quick Start; Connecting the Evolution Two to Your System
continued 13 SECTION THREE Quick Start To access the full array of available functions for the Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifier, please read the entire owner’s reference manual. The abbreviated routine in this Quick Start section will allow you to connect and operate the Evolution Two quickly and...
Page 18 - Operating the Evolution Two
14 ( Connecting the Evolution Two To Your System continued) 6. On each preamplifier channel, connect the supplied AC power cord to the IEC power cord receptacle (48). 7. On each preamplifier channel, plug the AC power cord into AC power. The front panel display (15) scrolls through EVOLUTION 2 SOFTW...
Page 19 - FOUR; Anatomy of an Evolution Two
15 SECTION FOUR Anatomy of an Evolution Two This section describes Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifier functions. Figure 1 Evolution Two Preamplifier Chassis and Power Supply Chassis Front Panels 1 Preamplifier Chassis2 Power Supply Chassis3 Power Button 4 Stand-by LED5 Power Backlight6 IR Sensor7 I...
Page 21 - Front Panel Description; Chassis; Remote Functions on the Front Panel
17 Front Panel Description See Figure 1 on page 15 Each Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifier channel is comprised of two chas- sis, the preamplifier chassis and the power supply chassis. Front panel func- tions and their descriptions follow. Chassis 1 Preamplifier Chassis The preamplifier chassis fro...
Page 22 - Preamplifier Functions; Display
Preamplifier Functions 8, 9, 10 Input Select Buttons or Keys Use these buttons to select the corresponding rear panel input that is connect- ed to a CAST (C-1, C-2, C-3), balanced (B-1, B-2, B-3), or single-ended (S-1, S-2, S-3, S-4) analog source. The front panel display shows the selected input an...
Page 23 - Level Control
Level Control 16 Level Control Knob or Level Keys Use this knob or keys to increase or decrease system volume level or, with the balance key (22), to adjust balance. The level control knob or keys also select menu options that customize the Evolution Two. See Customizing the Evolution Two, on page 3...
Page 24 - Remote Control Description; Battery Installation and Removal
20 Remote Control Description See Figure 2 on page 16 The Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifier remote provides all of the power, pream- plifier, level control, and navigate/customize functions outlined under Front Panel Description, pages 17-19. The remote control provides additional functions, inclu...
Page 25 - Compact Disc Functions; Amplifier Functions
21 Compact Disc Functions The compact disc keys of the Evolution Two remote control are functional with all Krell compact disc players. 23 Pause Key Use this key to temporarily suspend playing the current compact disc track. Press pause again or press the play key (24), to resume playing the track a...
Page 27 - Back Panel Description; Inputs
Back Panel Description See Figure 3 on page 22 The Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifier back panel provides all input and output connections, remote control inputs and outputs, and the power connection. Back panel features and their descriptions follow. Left/Right Channel Orientation Evolution Two pr...
Page 28 - Remote Connections on the Back Panel
(Outputs continued) 37, 38 Record Bus Outputs The Evolution Two is equipped with one balanced record bus output with XLR connectors and one single-ended record bus output with RCA connectors. Use the record bus outputs to record a input signal other than the signal playing on the main outputs. For m...
Page 29 - Link Control; Power
systems to be easily coordinated. For more information on customizing the 12 Vtrigger, see Input Trigger, on page 39. Mono 1/8 ” mini connectors are used in the following configuration: Tip = +12 V, Sleeve = GND. Notes When the Evolution Two is in the operational mode, the 12 V trigger provides 12 V...
Page 30 - FIVE; Input and Output Connections; XLR Pin Configuration; Connection Steps
26 SECTION FIVE Connecting the Evolution Two to Your System This section describes Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifier connections and intro- duces the CAN Link remote control option. Input and Output Connections Krell recommends using its proprietary Krell CAST system for unparalleled sonic perform...
Page 32 - Connections Using CAN Link
Connections Using CAN Link The Evolution Two brings a new convenience to the operation of monaural pream- plifiers, using a sophisticated, reliable control system called a controller area net- work (CAN) . Using CAN Link, any number of preamplifier channels may be linked for multichannel playback. C...
Page 33 - Evolution Two Operation; SIX
Evolution Two Operation The Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifer is easy to operate. Instructions follow for on/off and stand-by operation. IMPORTANT Always mute or fully attenuate the preamplifier level when switching sources. Do not change input connections to the amplifier when the amplifier is on....
Page 34 - To Turn Off Your System; Play and Record
30 To Turn Off Your System 1. Place the amplifiers in the stand-by mode. 2. Press the power button on the preamplifier chassis front panel or the pwr key (3) on the remote control to switch the Evolution Two to the stand-by mode. 3. Turn off the amplifiers using the back panel power switch or by dis...
Page 35 - Operation Using CAN Link
31 Operation Using CAN Link When a system with linked Evolution Two preamplifier channels is powered on, left/right orientation is established immediately, with no user intervention. 1. The input selections and the power, volume, balance, phase, record, and mute adjustments you make on any preamplif...
Page 36 - Customizing the Evolution Two; Navigation Conventions; SEVEN
Customizing the Evolution Two The Evolution Two Monaural Preamplifier easy-to-use menu allows you to config- ure the following functions. You can also use the menu to review version informa- tion about the software, hardware, and firmware installed in the Evolution Two: AC Mains, page 33 Input Name,...
Page 37 - Menu Functions; AC Mains; Backlight
continued Menu Functions AC Mains This function enables you to operate the Evolution Two from a switched AC outlet. If AC Mains is set to ON, the preamplifier turns on immediately, by-passing stand- by. Thereafter, you may switch the preamplifier to and from stand-by, using the power button or pwr k...
Page 38 - Balance; Channel Assign
Balance This function enables you to select the balance between the left and right chan- nels. The options are: CENTER, L .5-5 dB <, R .5-5 dB >. Enter the menu, then: 1. Use the level control knob on the preamplifier chassis front panel or up and down keys (16) on the remote control to select...
Page 39 - Clone
FORCE RIGHT Use to make a right channel respond as a left channel. FORCE NONE The preamplifier channel ignores balance selections. Use this option to set up more than 2 preamplifier channels. NO OVERRIDE Return to CHANNEL ASSIGN. Serves the same function as BACK in all other menu items. For more inf...
Page 41 - Info
37 continued ON The front panel display is always on. TIMED The front panel display times out after 5 seconds. BRIGHTNESS Controls the brightness of the display. When the brightness setting is OFF, the display is at 50% of brightness when in menu mode, and turns completely off when you leave the men...
Page 44 - IR Out Control
40 (Input Trigger continued) OFF The Evolution Two does not respond to 12 V input trigger commands. NORMAL The Evolution Two responds to 12 V input trigger commands. THEATER The Evolution Two responds to 12 V input trigger commands, and the theater mode enabled input is selected automatically. See T...
Page 48 - Recall
44 Recall This function enables you to access factory default settings or your own saved settings, or to undo a clone. The options are: FACTORY, SAVED, CLONE UNDO. Enter the menu, then: 1. Use the level control knob on the preamplifier channel front panel or up and down keys (16) on the remote contr...
Page 49 - Save; Software Clone
continued 45 4. Press the enter button or key to confirm the selection. The front panel display reads: RS-232 CONTROL. The right-terminated preamplifier channel is the link transmitter of RS-232 data. Connect the RS-232 cable to the RS-232 connector on the right-terminated pre- amplifier channel. Fo...
Page 50 - Tape Input
(Software Clone continued) 4. Press the enter button or the enter key (18) again . The front panel display on the clone transmitter shows the default: ARE YOU SURE NO. 5. Use the level control knob on the clone transmitter or the up and down keys to select: ARE YOU SURE YES. 6. Press the enter butto...
Page 51 - Theater Mode
47 Theater Mode This function enables you to select theater mode volume for a particular input. Use this function when connecting the output of a preamp/processor to the Evolution Two for home theater applications. Configuring an input for theater mode sets that input for unity gain and suspends the...
Page 52 - Volume Display
48 Volume Display This function enables you to select the numeric mode for the volume display, dis- playing values from softest to loudest: 0 to 151. Alternatively, you can select the dB mode for the volume display, displaying values from softest to loudest: -inf to +12 dB. The options are: NUMERIC,...
Page 53 - Questions and Answers; EIGHT
Questions and Answers Q. Why does the second preamplifier channel not respond when I select an input or adjust the volume on the other preamplifier channel? A. The two preamplifier channels must be linked together using the RJ-45 cable in order for functions to be sent between preamplifier channels....
Page 54 - Troubleshooting System Noise
50 Troubleshooting System Noise When you mix and match high-performance audio components, each with its own ground potential, a low frequency hum may occur in one or both loudspeakers. If this happens when you place the Evolution Two preamplifier into your system, follow these simple troubleshooting...
Page 57 - Warranty
53 Warranty Each Evolution Series preamplifier has a limited warranty of five years for parts and labor on circuitry. Should this product fail to perform at any time during the warran- ty, Krell will repair it at no cost to the owner, except as set forth in this warranty. This warranty does not appl...
Page 59 - Return Authorization Procedure
Return Authorization Procedure If you believe there is a problem with your component, please contact your dealer, distributor, or the Krell factory to discuss the problem before you return the com- ponent for repair. To expedite service, you may wish to complete and e-mail the Service Request Form i...
Page 60 - Specifications
Specifications Inputs3 CAST via 4-pin bayonet connectors3 balanced via XLR connectors4 single-ended via RCA connectors Tape input1 balanced via XLR connector or 1 single-ended via RCA connector, user configurable Main outputs2 CAST via 4-pin bayonet connectors1 balanced via XLR connector1 single-end...
