Audio Note KASSAI Balanced Technical manual

KASSAI

Balanced

MONO POWER AMPLIFIERS

OWNER’S INFORMATION

1) IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

2) CE DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY

DISPOSAL

POWER REQUIREMENTS

3) INTRODUCTION

4) OVERVIEW

5) UNPACKING AND INSTALLATION

6) VALVE INSTALLATION

8) CONNECTION

10) OPERATION

11) TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

12) WARRANTY INFORMATION

13) CONTACT INFORMATION

CONTENTS

SUCH REPLACEMENT MUST ONLY BE CARRIED OUT BY A

QUALIFIED SERVICE TECHNICIAN.

Do not attempt to replace any fuses without first disconnecting the unit

from the mains electricity supply.

! IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION !

RISK OF SHOCK OR ELECTROCUTION! INTERNAL OPERATING

VOLTAGES ARE LETHAL!

Do not remove top cover, unless specifically instructed to do so in the user

manual.

This unit contains fuses and other safety components in accordance with

BS60065 requirements.

In the event of failure, replacement fuse or safety component must be of

the same part type and value.

This product generates high levels of heat. Adequate ventilation must

be provided. Do not restrict airflow through any ventilation slots or

place the unit on any surface that may restrict airflow.

Valve equipment operates at extremely high temperatures;

KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN AND ANIMALS.!

Do not store or operate this unit in areas of high humidity or in close

proximity to water / moisture.

Do not expose or immerse the unit in liquid of any kind.

This product must be earthed –ensure that the mains supply cable earth /

ground is correctly connected.

OTHER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS: -

Never touch the power cord with wet hands.

Always remove the power cord by grasping the plug, not the cable.

Never expose the unit to excessive heat or magnetism.

Never let an inexperienced person repair or reassemble the unit.

Never put anything, especially metal objects, inside the unit.

Never place excessive weight on the unit.

POWER REQUIREMENTS

Power requirements for electrical equipment vary depending on your geographical

location. Please ensure that your unit meets the power requirements in your area.

The power requirement for your unit is marked on the serial number plate, located on

the rear panel.

If you are in doubt, please contact your dealer before plugging the unit into the mains

supply.

CE DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY

DISPOSAL

This product must not be disposed of as normal household waste. To

prevent possible harm to the environment please separate the product

from other waste to ensure that it can be recycled in an environmentally

safe manner. Please contact your retailer or the appropriate local

government office for collection facilities.

We declare under our sole responsibility that this product is in conformity

with the following standards or standardized documents:

BS EN 60065 in accordance with the regulations 73/23/EEC, 89/336/EEC

(from 1 January 1997)

CE 94

Peter Qvortrup,

Director

Audio Note (UK) Limited

25 Montefiore Road

Hove

East Sussex

BN3 1RD

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1273 220 511

Fax: +44 (0)1273 731 498

Thank you for purchasing this Audio Note (UK) product. With the correct care it

should give you many years of pleasure and enjoyment.

Please take the time to read all of the information in this manual before connecting

your new component to an electrical supply or your system, to ensure both your

safety and satisfaction.

Please note that due to our desire to continually improve products, specifications are

subject to change without notice. Therefore it is important to refer to the manual that

is supplied with your product for the most accurate information; manuals downloaded

from our website or obtained from other sources may no longer fully apply to your

product.

If you have any questions regarding the information contained within this document

or your new component, please feel free to contact us: -

Audio Note (UK) Limited

25 Montefiore Road

Hove

East Sussex

BN3 1RD

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1273 220 511

Fax: +44 (0)1273 731 498

e-mail: [email protected]o.uk

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on your purchase of the Audio Note (UK) KASSAI Balanced mono

power amplifiers.

They are Pure Class A Parallel Singled Ended valve amplifiersthat use a pair of the

highly regarded 300B triode valves per channel, producing a level of performance

that is radically superior to the vast majority of current designs.

They have been specifically engineered for sonic performance rather than technical

specification, and fulfill all Audio Note (UK) Level 4 criteria: -

Pure Class A operation

Zero Negative Feedback

Single Ended Output Stage

Valve Rectification

Directly Heated Triode operation

Materials and component quality

Each KASSAI Balanced amplifier is equipped with input and output transformers that

are unparalleled in design, quality and performance at this price point in the field of

Audio reproduction.

The balanced / XLR input transformers are hand wound by Audio Note (UK), and

feature a copper primary and Silver secondary. The core material is of the highest

quality, to offer the finest possible signal path from your preamplifier.

The output transformers are similarly specified, with a copper primary and Silver

secondary. The cores are our own Double C design and are manufactured from our

own UHiB material. As would be expected, they are custom designed and

manufactured by us, in house in the U.K.

As is expected of an Audio Note (UK) Level 4 product, each amplifier is equipped

with valve rectification, supplied by a selected 5U4GB valve.

KASSAI BALANCED MONO POWER AMPLIFIERS

Please take care when unpacking your KASSAI Balanced amplifiers. Choose a

clean, clear location to unpack them, and be aware that the amplifiers are very

heavy; before attempting to unpack or lift the units, check the weight and if necessary

use more than one person so that they can be moved safely and easily.

We recommend that you retain and carefully store all of the original packing

materials, in case transportation / shipping is required at a later date.

Select a suitable location for the amplifiers. This should be a dry, dust free and level

area, preferably shielded from direct sunlight and free from vibration. Also ensure

that the location is stable and capable of supporting the weight of the units.

A suitable mains power outlet must be close to the location; power cords must not be

pulled or stretched tightly in an attempt to reach a wall socket. If the power cord will

not easily reach the socket, choose a closer location!

Please ensure that adequate ventilation for the amplifiers is provided, and that airflow

through any ventilation slots in the casework is not restricted. We recommend a

distance of at least 50cm free space is maintained above the amplifiers, and

preferably they should be sited in free space or on the top shelf of your equipment

rack or table. Please also remember that valve equipment operates at extremely high

temperatures, so a position that is inaccessible to any children or animals is

essential.

UNPACKING AND INSTALLATION

The amplifiers are shipped without their valve compliment installed. It is necessary to

install the valves before operation.

It is essential that the valves are installed correctly or serious damage that is not

covered by the warranty will result. We recommend that your dealer perform

this procedure for you if you are in any way unsure.

FIRSTLY, ENSURE THAT THE AMPLIFIERS ARE NOT CONNECTED TO A MAINS

ELECTRICAL SUPPLY, AND THAT THE POWER CORDS ARE NOT CONNECTED

TO THE AMPLIFIER.

Remove the top covers from the amplifiers. There are a total of 20 screws used to

secure this cover on EACH chassis.

Now remove the valves that are packed separately and carefully unwrap them. Also

inspect the amplifiersto check that nothing has become damaged or dislodged

during transit.

In the above drawing, the positions of the valves are marked in RED.

VALVE INSTALLATION

300B

valves

6SN7

valve

5U4GB

valve

Mains Input

Transformer

FRONT OF AMPLIFIER

REAR OF AMPLIFIER

XLR INPUT

MAINS INPUT

You should find the following valves: -

2 x 6SN7 input stage valves

4 x 300B output valves

2 x 5U4GB rectifier valves

Once again, please understand that it is absolutely vital these valves are fitted

correctly.

Looking from the front of the amplifier install the 300B valves first. Inspect a 300B

and you will notice that two of the metal pins located at the bottom of the valve are

larger than the other two; this is to help ensure that the valve can only be inserted

one way.

Now examine the large valve sockets located at the rear of the central circuit board of

each amplifier (refer to drawing on previous page). You will notice that two of the four

holes in each valve socket are larger than the others. Line up the large pins on the

bases of the 300B valves and the large holes in each valve socket, and with gentle

but firm pressure insert each valve into its socket.

Next, examine the 6SN7 valves. You will see that there is a rib on the central pin of

the valve, which ensures that it can only be inserted into the valve socket correctly.

Insert these valves into the sockets located at the front of the central circuit board in

each amplifier (refer to drawing on previous page). Locate this rib and align with the

corresponding aperture in the centre of the valve socket. With gentle but firm

pressure,insert the valve.

Next, examine the remaining 5U4GB rectifier valves. You will see that there is a rib

on the central pin of the valve base, which ensures that it can only be inserted into

the valve socket correctly. Locate this rib and align with the corresponding aperture in

the centre of the valve socket, located on the right hand circuit board of each

amplifier, in front of the mains inlet transformer (refer to drawing on previous page).

With gentle but firm pressure,insert the valve.

Check one more time that all of the 8 valves are correctly fitted!

VALVE INSTALLATION continued…

Line inputs Being mono power amplifiers, each KASSAI Balanced is fitted with a

single XLR / Balanced input. Looking from behind the amplifiers, they

are located at the top / right hand side of the rear panels. Connect the

outputs from your preamplifier to these inputs.

If your preamplifier is equipped with RCA / Single Ended outputs only,

please refer to the ‘Cable Configuration Options’ information on the

following page.

Speakers Each amplifier is equipped with 3 colour coded binding posts for

connection to your speakers.

Looking from the rear of the amplifiers, the 3 binding posts are located

at the centre of the rear panels.

Connect the amplifiers black speaker output binding post marked as

“0” to the black / negative terminal (also marked “ –“) on the

loudspeaker.

Connect the amplifiers red speaker output binding post marked “8

Ohm” to the red / positive terminal (also marked “ + “) on the

loudspeaker. The other red output binding post is marked “4 Ohm”

and may be used with 4 Ohm speakers. If you are uncertain whether

your speaker system is specified as 4 or 8 Ohm, try the following test

once all other connections are made and the amplifier is operational.

Compare the sound quality using a familiar recording with the

speakers connected to the 8 Ohm connections and then the 4 Ohm

connections respectively. The combination that produces the best

frequency balance and maximum dynamics should be used.

Mains Each KASSAI Balanced is equipped with an IEC 320 mains inlet

socket, located at the top / left hand side of the rear panel. Use the

supplied mains cablesto connect the unitsto the local mains supply.

The two fuses are located in the two fuse holders, located on the rear

panel beneath the ‘speaker binding posts.

Special Note –Make sure that all connectionsare tight and clean. For

best results use good quality audio interconnects. Although it is

perfectly acceptable to use cables manufactured by other companies,

for best results and performance, we recommend our own Audio Note

(UK) range of interconnects and loudspeaker cables. For further

information, please consult your nearest Audio Note (UK) dealer, or

alternatively please feel free to contact us directly.

CONNECTION

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