CD Stereo System Operating Instructions The illustrations show SC-AK500. Model No. SC-AK500 SC-AK490 SC-AK300 SC-AK200 Before connecting, operating or adjusting this product, please read these instructions completely. Please keep this manual for future reference.
Table of contents Dear customer Thank you for purchasing this product. For optimum performance and safety, please read these instructions carefully. Before using These operating instructions are applicable to the following system. These operating instructions, however, fundamentally explain the operation of system SC-AK500. Before using Supplied accessories .............................................. IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS ................... Listening caution .................................
THE FOLLOWING APPLIES ONLY IN THE U.S.A.: Before recording (Deck 2 only) ............................ Recording from compact discs ............................ Tape-to-tape recording .......................................... Recording from radio broadcasts ........................ 21 22 22 23 Sound quality operations Using the built-in sound quality settings ............. 24 Enhancing the sound quality ................................ 24 Timer operations Using the timer ................................
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS Read these operating instructions carefully before using the unit. Follow the safety instructions on the unit and the safety precautions listed below. Keep these operating instructions handy for future reference. Before using Safety 1. Power source—Connect the unit to a power source of the type described in these instructions or as marked on the unit. 2. Polarization—The unit is equipped with a polarized power plug where one blade is wider than the other.
About the remote control Listening caution Battery installation SC-AK300 SC-AK200 SC-AK500 SC-AK490 R6/LR6, AA, UM-3 R6, AA, UM-3 Before using Selecting fine audio equipment such as the unit you’ve just purchased is only the start of your musical enjoyment. Now it’s time to consider how you can maximize the fun and excitement your equipment offers.
Connections Basic connections (for supplied accessories) • 1 • Before using 3 Plug the AC power supply cord into a household AC outlet only after all other connections have been made. To prepare the antenna wires and speaker cords, twist the vinyl cover tip and pull off. 2 1 4 1 Note For best reception sound quality: An FM outdoor antenna is recommended. (See page 7.) Adhesive tape T FM AN ) ( 1 FM indoor antenna GND 2 3 AM loop antenna Connect the speaker cables.
Connections A FM outdoor antenna (not included) Optional antenna connections You may need an outdoor antenna if you use this system in a mountainous region or inside a reinforced concrete building, etc. 75 Ω coaxial cable (not included) A 2 Before using 30 mm (1 3/16˝) GND 1 Disconnect the FM indoor antenna if an FM outdoor antenna is installed. 1 Remove a piece of the outer vinyl insulator. 2 Twist the shield braid. 3 Expose the core wire.
Front panel controls A A Main unit No. Name Ref. page 1 AC supply indicator (AC IN) This indicator lights when the unit is connected to the AC power supply. Before using 2 Standby/on switch (f/I, POWER) Press to switch the unit from on to standby mode or vice versa. In standby mode, the unit is still consuming a small amount of power. 3 Display button (DISPLAY) .................................. 15, 19 4 Display 5 Preset EQ select button (PRESET EQ) ................... 24 6 Record button (a REC) ..
Front panel controls Remote control 25 28 2 1 2 3 Buttons such as 2 function in exactly the same way as the buttons on the main unit. PLAY REC DISC 29 30 26 4 5 6 10 7 8 9 0 No. Name Ref. page 2 Standby/on button (f) ...............................................11 ; Sleep timer/auto off button (SLEEP, –AUTO OFF) ..........................................11, 27 Before using SLEEP CL CK CLOCK AUTO TO OFF TIMER < Numeric buttons (≥10, 1–9, 0) ......................
A Turning the demo function off If the clock has not been set, a demonstration of the display is shown when the unit is switched to standby mode. This function is set to on at the time of purchase. A During standby mode Press and hold [L/–DEMO] until “NO DEMO” is displayed. Before using The display changes each time the button is held down. NO DEMO (off) ↔ DEMO ON (on) To show a demonstration of the display Press and hold [L/–DEMO] until “DEMO ON” is displayed.
A A Auto-off function Remote control only SLEEP –AUTO OFF When CD or tape is selected as the source To save power, the unit turns off if it is left unused for ten minutes. Note This function does not work if the source is tuner or AUX. Press and hold [–AUTO OFF]. To cancel Press and hold [–AUTO OFF] again to clear “AUTO OFF” from the display. For your reference The setting is maintained even if the unit is turned off.
Listening to radio broadcasts 1 Press [TUNER/BAND] to select band. The unit comes on automatically. Every time you press the button: FM ↔ AM 4 1 3 2 2 Every time you press the button: MANUAL ↔ PRESET. Radio operations 3 1 3 PLAY MODE FF REW Adjust the volume. Auto tuning Press and hold [g/REW/4] or [3/FF/f] for a moment until the frequency starts changing rapidly. The unit begins auto tuning, stopping when it finds a station.
Presetting radio broadcasts A Remote control only There are two methods of presetting stations. Automatic presetting : All the stations the tuner can receive are preset. Manual presetting : You can select the stations to preset and the order they are preset in. Up to 15 stations each can be set in the FM and AM bands. PROGRAM TUNER Preparation: Press [TUNER] to select “FM” or “AM”. A Automatic presetting Preparation: Tune to the frequency where presetting is to begin (z page 12).
About compact discs A xx x xx x x xx x x xx xx xxx xx x x With this system, you can only play compact discs having this mark. A However, do not use irregular shaped CDs. CDs of the sort can damage the unit. xxxxxxx xxxxxxx x xx xx x xxx xx x xx x x xx XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX B ~ ~D • B • How to hold CDs • • • • Compact disc operations Do not touch the recorded surface.
Listening to compact discs Playing MP3 (SC-AK500 and SC-AK490 only) This unit can play MP3 files compressed using MPEG 1 audio layer 3. When making MP3 files to play on this unit Disc format Conform to ISO9660. File format MP3 files that have the extension of “MP3” or “mp3”. To play in a certain order Prefix the folder and file names with 3-digits numbers in the order you want to play them. How discs with MP3 differ to CDs This unit can access up to 999 tracks, 255 albums and 20 sessions.
Listening to compact discs 3 1 4 DEMO This unit can play CD-DA (digital audio) format audio CD-R and CD-RW that have been finalized (a process that enables CD-R/ CD-RW players to play audio CD-R and CD-RW) upon completion of recording. It may not be able to play some CD-R or CD-RW due to the condition of the recording. 1 Press [c] button. The unit will come on automatically and the tray opens. 2 Set CD in the tray.
Listening to compact discs Program play 4 3 5 2 1•7 Remote control only You can program up to 24 tracks.by remote control only 1 2 3 4 Press [CD :/ J] and then [L]. Press [PROGRAM]. Press [DISC]. (within 10 seconds or so) 1 2 5 Press the numeric button to select the desired track. 6 Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you have programmed all the tracks you want. 7 Press [CD :/ J J]. Play will start in the programmed sequence. PROGRAM To cancel program play mode Press [PROGRAM] in the stop mode.
Listening to compact discs To listen to specific CDs and tracks (CD Play Mode function) 4 3 Remote control only This function makes it easier for you to select specific CDs and tracks from those loaded in the player. 5 2 1•6 There are 5 disc/track selection modes. All-Disc mode: Plays all loaded discs in succession from the selected disc to the final disc . 1-Song mode: Plays one selected track on the selected disc. 1-Disc Random mode: Plays one selected disc in random order.
Listening to compact discs Direct access play Remote control only 2 3 1 1 2 Press [DISC]. (within 10 seconds or so) Press [1] – [5] to select the disc you want. 3 Press the numeric button to select the desired track number. The CD will be played from the selected track to the last track of the disc. 1 Note You cannot use direct access play with 1-SONG, 1-RANDOM or A-RANDOM mode. 2 Repeat play Remote control only A Press and hold [PLAY MODE] before or during play.
Listening to tapes You can use either deck 1 or deck 2 for tape playback. Use normal position tapes. High position and metal position tapes can be played, but the unit will not be able to do full justice to the characteristics of these tapes. 4 1•3 DECK 1/2 DEMO 2 1 Press [TAPE :]. The unit will come on automatically. If the unit was off and a cassette was loaded, play will start automatically (One touch play function). 2 Press [c DECK 1 OPEN] or [c DECK 2 OPEN] and insert the tape.
Before recording (Deck 2 only) A Types of tapes which can be recorded correctly To protect tapes against further recording Use normal position tapes. High position and metal position tapes can be used, but this unit will not be able to record or erase them correctly. Side A A Tab for side “B” Erasure prevention The illustration shows how to remove the tabs to prevent recording. To record on the tape again, cover as shown.
A A Recording from compact discs You can use 1-DISC/ALL-DISC/1-SONG mode (z page 18) to make recordings. Preparation: • Do the preparatory steps (z page 21). • Insert the disc(s) you want to record (z page 16). 1-DISC/ALL-DISC recording 1 Do steps 1 to 4 on page 18. Ensure CD is stopped. 2 Press [a REC] to start recording. The CD starts. 1-SONG recording REC 1 2 Do steps 1 to 5 on page 18. Press [a REC] to start recording. The CD starts. To stop recording Press [L/–DEMO].
Recording from radio broadcasts Preparation: Do the preparatory steps (z page 21). 1 2 2 Tune to the required station. (z page 12 or 13). Press [a REC] to start recording. To stop recording Press [L/–DEMO]. To record from a specific point on a tape Before recording, advance the tape to the point from where you want to start recording. To cut an unnecessary part while recording 1. Press [L/–DEMO] during the unnecessary part. The cassette deck will go into the stop mode. 2.
A A Using the built-in sound quality settings Press [PRESET EQ] to select the sound quality. Every time you press the button: HEAVY SOFT CLEAR VOCAL EQ-OFF PRESET EQ PRESET EQ HEAVY : Select this when playing rock or other kinds of music that sounds better with an added punch. SOFT : Select this when listening to background music. CLEAR : Select this for jazz or other kinds of music for which clarity in the treble range is desired. VOCAL : Select this to add gloss to vocals.
Using the timer Using the play/record timer 5 4 1• 2 • 3 Remote control only The timer has two functions. It can be set to on at a certain time to wake you up, or it can be set to record the radio or from the aux source. The play timer cannot be used in combination with the record timer. Preparations Turn the unit on and set the clock (A page 11). For the play timer, prepare the music source you want to listen to; tape, CD, radio or aux, and set the volume.
Using the timer Using the play/record timer PLAY/REC CLOCK/TIMER Remote control only To change the timer Press [rPLAY/REC] to select the desired timer. Every time the button is pressed the setting changes as follows. PLAY REC (OFF) To check settings While the unit is on and the “rPLAY” (or “rREC”) indicator is on, press [CLOCK/TIMER] so “rPLAY” (or “rREC”) appears on the display.
Using the timer A Using the sleep timer A Remote control only This timer turns your system OFF at the set time (Max. 2 hours, set at 30-minute intervals). It lets you fall asleep listening to music. SLEEP – AUTO OFF Preparation Switch on the power. The figure shows how to set the system to standby mode after 30 minutes. While enjoying the desired source: Press [SLEEP] to select the desired time.
Troubleshooting guide Before requesting service, make the below checks. If you are in doubt about some of the check points, or if the remedies indicated in the chart do not solve the problem: In the U.S.A., contact the Panasonic Customer Call Center at 1-800-211-7262, or e-mail consumerproducts@panasonic.com, or web site (http://www.panasonic.com). In Canada, contact Panasonic Canada Inc. Customer Care Centre at 905-624-5505, web site (www.panasonic.ca), or an authorized Servicentre closest to you.
Reference Servicenter List (ONLY FOR U.S.A.
Warranty (ONLY FOR U.S.A.) Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, Division of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America One Panasonic Way Secaucus, New Jersey 07094 Panasonic Sales Company, Division of Matsushita Electric of Puerto Rico, Inc. Ave. 65 de Infantería, Km. 9.
Specifications AMPLIFIER SECTION SC-AK500 FM TUNER SECTION SPEAKER SECTION SB-AK300 Power output 10% Total harmonic distortion 60 Hz–3 kHz, both channels driven (Low channel) 60 W per channel (6 Ω) 3 kHz–16 kHz, both channels driven (High channel) 50 W per channel (6 Ω) Total Bi-Amp power 110 W per channel Power output 10% Total harmonic distortion 1 kHz, both channels driven (Low channel) 77 W per channel (6 Ω) 8 kHz, both channels driven (High channel) 73 W per channel (6 Ω) Total Bi-Amp power 150 W pe
Product Service Maintenance If the surfaces are dirty To clean this unit, wipe with a soft, dry cloth. • Never use alcohol, paint thinner or benzine to clean this unit. • Before using a chemically treated cloth, read the instructions that came with the cloth carefully. For a cleaner, crisper sound Clean the heads regularly to assure good quality playback and recording. Use a cleaning tape (not included). 1.