Audio Note ONGAKU Kensei Technical manual

ONGAKU

Kensei

STEREO POWER

AMPLIFIER

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

9) CONNECTION

10) OPERATION

11) TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

12) WARRANTY

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]

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on your purchase of the Audio Note (UK) ONGAKU Kensei stereo

power amplifier.

The ONGAKU integrated has rightly earned a place in history; its name is

synonymous with the finest possible audio reproduction, and for once the reality is

equal to the legend! The ONGAKU Kensei shares the same circuit as its integrated

sibling, but instead is equipped with a single pair of Balanced / XLR inputs. Each

input is connected to an in-house custom designed and manufactured, fully silver

wired, balanced input transformer, offering the perfect input interface for any of our

Balanced output equipped preamplifiers.

It is a Pure Class A Singled Ended valve amplifier that uses the highly regarded

VT-4C / 211 triode valve, producing a level of performance that is radically superior

to any other current designs.

Only the finest possible components have been employed: -

Audio Note (UK) Silver wire has been use exclusively for all internal wiring, including

all transformers and power supply connections.

Audio Note 2 watt Tantalum resistors have been used throughout.

All capacitors are either Black Gate Electrolytic or Audio Note (UK) silver foil.

All transformers are our own in-house custom designed and manufactured devices;

driver and output transformers are fully silver wired AN-Perma 50 nickel C-core and

the mains transformer is a fully silver wired HiB double C core.

No stereo power amplifier has ever produced the levels of musical purity delivered by

the ONGAKU Kensei… It is without doubt the finest possible stereo chassis power

amplifier available today.

It has been specifically engineered for sonic performance rather than technical

specification, and fulfills all Audio Note (UK) Level 5 criteria: -

Pure Class A operation

Zero Negative Feedback

Single Ended Output Stage

Valve Rectification

Directly Heated Triode operation

Materials and component quality

ONGAKU KENSEI

Please take care when unpacking your ONGAKU Kensei stereo power amplifier.

Choose a clean, clear location to unpack your unit. Be aware that the amplifier is very

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

use more than one person so that it 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 unit. 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 carrying the weight of the unit.

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 unit is provided, and that airflow

through any ventilation slots in the unit is not restricted. We recommend a distance of

at least 50cm free space is maintained above the unit, and preferably it 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 amplifier is shipped without the valves installed. It is necessary to install the

valves before the amplifier can be operated.

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 AMPLIFIER IS NOT CONNECTED TO A MAINS

ELECTRICAL SUPPLY, AND THAT THE POWER CORD IS NOT CONNECTED TO

THE AMPLIFIER.

Now remove the 6 valves that are packed inside the amplifier. Also inspect the

amplifier to check that nothing has become damaged during transit.

Carefully unwrap the 6 valves. You will find the following: -

2 x 6V6 signal valves

2 x VT-4C output valves

2 x 5R4WGB 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 VT-4C valves first: -

VALVE INSTALLATION

Inspect a VT-4C valve and you will notice that there is a small ‘pin’ protruding from

one side of the valve base; this locating pin ensures that the valve can only be

correctly inserted into the amplifier in one way.

Also examine the two large apertures in the top plate of the amplifier, located

between the two small valve sockets at the front of the amplifier and the black

rectangular transformer covers. These are the insertion points for the VT-4C valves.

1) Gently hold a VT-4C valve, and locate the small side mounted pin on the valve

base.

2) Line up this pin with the locating hole in the mounting aperture on the

amplifier’s top plate.

3) Gently insert the valve, and GENTLY twist in a clockwise direction, until the

valve ‘locks’ in position, and no more movement can take place.

Please make sure that steps (1), (2) and (3) are correct. Check again that both

valves are fully inserted correctly in to their respective valve sockets.

VALVE INSTALLATION continued…

Looking from the back of the amplifier, insert the 5R4WGB valves into the two empty

sockets located on the left, situated between the black rectangular transformer

covers and the loudspeaker connection binding posts. Locate the rib on the central

pin of the valve and align with the valve base (it can only be inserted one way due to

thislocating rib) and with gentle but firm pressure insert the valve.

Finally, insert the two 6V6 signal valves into the front two sockets. The valves are

identical and can only be inserted one way.

Check one more time that all of the 6 valves are correctly fitted!

VALVE INSTALLATION continued…

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