Audio Research SE Series User manual

Reference 150 SE

H I G H D E F I N I T I O N ®

Thank You.

Thank you for choosing the

Reference150SEtobeapartofyour

high performance music listening

system. Since 1970, Audio Research

has been creating some of the

world’s nest audio equipment.

Each piece is handcrafted in

Minnesota, and has been designed

to provide many years of listening

enjoyment.

We understand you are eager to

begin listening; however, please

take a few minutes to read through

this guide for useful information

concerning the operation of your

new amplier. Once installed,

please allow an appropriate break-

in period to fully appreciate the

benets this amplier will provide

to your system.

After reading the user guide, if

you have any further questions

regarding your amplier, contact

your dealer or Audio Research

customer service - they will be

happy to help you make the most

of your new component.

Happy Listening!

Warnings.......................................................5

Installation...................................................6

Before Operating the Reference 150 SE ..........6

In Your System...............................................7

A Note about Vacuum Tubes........................7

Connections .................................................8

Back Panel Controls and Connections ..........8

Input Connectors ..........................................9

Output Connectors.......................................9

Matching........................................................9

Remote Turn-on ..........................................10

A.C. Power Connection................................ 11

Operation ....................................................12

Front Panel ...................................................12

Start-Up........................................................13

Shut-Down ...................................................13

Break-in.........................................................13

Output Tube Bias Adjust............................. 14

Hour Counter .............................................. 14

Maintenance .............................................. 15

Vacuum Tubes ............................................. 15

Servicing ...................................................... 15

Cleaning....................................................... 15

Disposal and Recycling Guidelines............. 15

Fuse Values and Locations.......................... 16

Warranty......................................................17

Specication .............................................. 18

Contents

Cooling Fan Speed Adjustment.................. 14

To prevent re, or shock hazard, do not

expose your Reference 150 SE to rain or

moisture.

Do not place objects containing water on

top of this unit.

This unit contains voltages which can cause

serious injury or death. Do not operate with

covers removed. Refer servicing to your

authorized Audio Research dealer or other

qualied personnel.

The detachable power cord on your

Reference 150 SE is equipped with a heavy

gauge, 3-conductor cable and a standard

three-prong grounding plug. For absolute

protection, do not defeat the ground power

plug. This provides power line grounding

of the Reference 150 SE chassis to provide

absolute protection from electrical shock.

Theappliancecoupler(a.c.power connector)

at the rear of this unit must be accessible for

emergency power disconnect.

If the unit is to be operated in an enclosure

such as an equipment rack, make certain

that adequate airow above and to each

side of the unit is provided, and ensure that

the ventilation fans on the back panel are

not obstructed.

For continued protection against re hazard,

replace the fuse only with the same type and

rating as specied at the fuse holder.

This unit is RoHS compliant.

A note about packaging...

Save all packaging in a dry place away from

re hazard. Your Reference 150 SE amplier is

a precision electronic instrument and should

be properly cartoned any time shipment is

made. You may not have occasion to return

your unit to the factory for service, but if that

should prove necessary, or other occasion

requiring shipment occurs, the original

packaging will protect your Reference 150 SE

from unnecessary damage or delay.

Warnings

Before operating the Reference 150 SE

Your Reference 150 SE amplier is shipped

with the vacuum tubes packed in foam

blocks.Thesemustbeunpackedandinstalled

before you attempt to operate the amplier.

Included are two matched quads of KT150

output tubes, and four 6H30 dual triodes

used in the input stage. Proceed according

to the following instructions.

Remove all screws fastening the top cover.

Carefully remove each vacuum tube from its

protective foam and match its location ‘V’

number (written on the base of the tube) to

the ‘V’ number printed next to each socket.

Firmly seat each tube in its matching socket,

taking care to‘key’ the tubepins to the socket

holes. Retain the foam blocks with other

packing materials for possible future use.

Refasten top cover on amplier.

V12

V10

V11

hour counter

hour counter reset

Installation

In your system

To insure normal component life and safe

operation this unit must be operated only

in an upright position. Adequate airow and

proper cooling can occur only if there is no

restriction above and behind the unit and on

either side.

The special non-marring elastomer feet

provide adequate spacing and stability

only on a smooth, hard surface, and also

assist to isolate the amplier from spurious

vibrations. For upright stability and best

performance, never operate the unit while it

is sitting on a soft surface such as a thick rug

or carpet.

Due to its weight, this amplier must be

supported on a surface specically rated for

such a load. Check with the manufacturer of

your support system to be sure it is rated to

handle this weight.

If the unit is to be operated in an enclosure

such as an equipment rack, make certain

that adequate airow above and to each

side of the unit is provided.

The ‘ambient’ operating temperature should

never exceed 86° F or 30° C. Improper

installationwillcauseprematuretubefailure

and will aect your warranty, as well as the

service life of the unit.

It is normal for a vacuum tube power

amplier to run quite warm, and if used

for prolonged periods, hot to the touch. All

components within are, however, operated

at safe, conservative levels and will not be

improperly aected thereby, providing the

requirements outlined above are adhered to.

A Note about Vacuum Tubes

The vacuum tubes in your Reference 150 SE

have been burned in, tested and electrically

matched to provide the best performance

and reliability of your amplier. That said,

vacuum tubes must be replaced from time

to time. The KT150 output tubes in the

Reference 150 SE should have an expected

life of approximately 3,000 hours, while

the smaller 6H30 tubes should have a life

expectancy of approximately 4,000 hours.

Theselifeexpectanciesareonlyapproximate.

Installation

CAUTION

FOR CONTINUED PROTECTION AGAINST

FIRE HAZARD REPLACE FUSE ONLY

WITH SAME TYPE AND RATING

WARNING

RISK OF HAZARDOUS ENERGY!

MAKE PROPER SPEAKER CONNECTIONS

SEE OWNERS MANUAL

VOLTS SERIAL

WARNING

TO PREVENT FIRE AND SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT

EXPOSE THIS DEVICE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

UNIT MUST BE OPERATED IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION.

-DO NOT OPERATE WITH COVERS REMOVED-

UNIT CONTAINS VOLTAGES WHICH MAY BE HAZARDOUS.

WARNING

RISK OF HAZARDOUS ENERGY!

MAKE PROPER SPEAKER CONNECTIONS

SEE OWNERS MANUAL

REFERENCE 150

STEREO AMPLIFIER

PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA

MADE IN U.S.A.

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION !

IN OUT

+12V REMOTE

TURN ON

LEFT INPUTRIGHT INPUT

0 4 8 16

900W MAX 50/60 HZ ~7A FUSE

SLO-BLO

T4A (230V)

Left and Right XLR inputs

12V remote trigger

Speaker connections

Fuse holder

A.C. Mains connector

Back Panel Controls and Connections

Connections

Input Connectors

The Reference 150 SE uses a fully balanced

circuit topology and has a pair of balanced

XLR input connectors on the rear panel. It

therefore requires a balanced preamplier

output, as provided by most Audio Research

preampliers. Connect your preamplier’s

output to the Reference 150 SE before

turning on the amplier.

Output Connectors

Heavy-duty output terminals are provided

on the rear panel for 4, 8, or 16-ohm speaker

impedance loads. Using high-quality speaker

cables, securely fasten the (-) speaker lead to

theappropriate(black)terminal,thenthe(+)

lead to the matching (red) terminal. Follow

your speaker manufacturer’s impedance

specication.

The Reference 150 SE puts out the same

amount of power whether the 4, 8, or 16-

ohm terminals are used.

Matching

It is important to use as close as possible

an impedance match between the amplier

and speaker for optimum transfer of

power to the speaker with minimum

distortion. In the case of speaker systems

with signicant variations in impedance

throughout the frequency spectrum, such

as most electrostatic types, determine the

best impedance match empirically for best

overall sonic results.

Connect the Reference 150 SE input to the

preamplier or electronic crossover, using

only the highest grade of audio interconnect

cables. To avoid sonic degradation use the

shortest practical length of cables.

Important

Use the best available speaker wires

and interconnects. Audio Research

cannot emphasize this enough. As better

components and systems are developed,

it becomes increasingly important to

avoid the limitations of inferior system

interconnections.

It is important sonically that your entire

system be connected so that the audio

signal arriving at the speakers has correct,

or ‘absolute’ polarity (i.e., non-inverted).

Connect the black or ‘–‘ speaker terminal to

the wire that connects to the ‘0’ terminal on

the Reference 150 SE. Connect the red or ‘+’

speakerterminaltothewirethatconnects to

the 4, 8, or 16-ohm terminal on the Reference

150 SE and tighten the speaker terminals

securely to ensure best sonic results.

Connections

Remote Turn-on

The Reference 150 SE has a built-in 12V DC

remote turn-on/o circuit for operation

by a master control system in a home

theater or large audio system. Use a 3.5mm

(.140”) diameter mini plug to connect to

the +12V IN jack on the rear of the

Reference 150 SE.

The +12V IN jack should be connected to

the +12V DC output of the master control

system, using a continuous +12V DC signal at

12mAper Reference150SEforthe durationof

amplier on-time. Do not use a momentary

or data pulse control signal.

The +12V DC remote jacks have polarity

protection, so they will not operate if a -12V

DC signal is accidentally connected, or if the

control wires are reversed.

When the 12V DC remote turn-on/o circuit

is used, the power switch on the front panel

should be turned o.

Connections

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