Univex AM-77 manual

AM-77 Reference Class Dual-Mono Pre-Main Amplifier Owner ’ s Manual[...]

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3 FCC Declaration of Conformity - United States only This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. FCC W ARNING: Changes[...]

4 This products complies with the EMC Directive (89/336/EEC) and the Low V oltage Directive (73/23/EEC) issued by the Commission of the European Community . Compliance with these directives implies conformity to the following European Norms (in parentheses are the equivalent internat ional standards and regulations): o EN55022 (CISPR 22) - Electrom[...]

5 The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying this component. This component weighs over 40 kilograms. Do not place this component on an unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table as the component[...]

6 Care should be taken so that objects do not fall, and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through any openings. This component should be serviced only by qualified AMR service personnel when: A. The power cable or the power input socket has been damaged; B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the component; C. The componen[...]

7 On placement W ith a total of 2 thermionic electron valves, the AM-77 may become warm during operation. This is normal. Given this, it is imperative that the AM-77 when installed, its location or position DOES NOT interfere with its proper ventilation. For example, it should not be situated on a bed, sofa, rug or similar surface that may block th[...]

8 horizontal position only . Do not place heavy objects on the component. Keep the component away from equipment with strong magnets, such as microwave ovens or large loudspeakers. T o prevent fire or shock hazard, do not place vessels filled with liquids, such as vases, on the component. T ouch-Sensitive Buttons On the front fascia of this AMR com[...]

9 Content s W ARNINGS 5 Section 1 - Unp acking and Setup 11 1a. Unp acking 1 2 1b. Setup Section 2 - Component Overview 15 2a. St art-Up Section 3 - Advanced Features 25 3a. Labeling of Input s and Setting Level Offset 2 5 3b. Setting Fixed Input Level 2 8 3c. OptiMains® Protection for Excessive Under/Over-V olt ages 3 0 3d. OptiProtect® Speaker [...]

10 Section 4 - System Configurations 33 4a. OptiOperation® Different System Configurations 3 3 4b. Switching and Connection Diagrams for Different Modes 4 1 Section 5 - Additional Connectivity 53 5a. Input for iPod/other port able music players 5 3 5b. ‘HiFi/Pro’ Switches for Balanced XLR input s 5 4 5c. RS232 ‘Options’ Connector 5 5 Secti[...]

11 Figure 1.1 - Front Panel of the AM-77 DUAL MONO AMPLIFIER AM 77 - - Section 1 - Unp acking and Setup Figure 1.2 - Rear Panel of the AM-77 Power On Off Sync Balanced Input Designed and Engineered in Great Britain Dual Mono Amplifier AM 77 - + + _ _ 90V 135V 190V 260V ～ AC IN Speaker Output Speaker Output L R IR Link L R 1 5 4 3 2 Inputs No User[...]

12 Thank you for purchasing this AMR reference class component. W e hope you derive as much pleasure from using this component as we have enjoyed making it for you. 1a. Unp acking This section refers to the unpacking of the AM-77 and its subsequent setup. Upon unpacking, please find: i. AM-77 Refer ence Class Dual-Mono Pr e-Main Amplifier . ii. RC-[...]

13 1b. Setup Pre-Main Stereo Amplifier Connection The following diagrams illustrate the standard connection of the AM-77 in pre-main stereo amplifier mode. This is the default factory setting and is suitable for the majority of audio systems. Figure 1.3 depicts the use of standard banana/spade speaker connectors while figure 1.4 illustrates the use[...]

14 Figure 1.3 - System connection using banana plug/spade connector equipped speaker cables Figure 1.4 - System connection using Speakon connector equipped speaker cables i. Connect the r espective spade/banana/Speakon connectors of the speaker cables to the AM-77. ii. Connect the sour ce/s via the respective left and right XLR or RCA connectors to[...]

15 Figure 2.1 - AM-77 Front Fascia F5 F4 F3 F2 F1 DUAL MONO AMPLIFIER AM 77 - - Section 2 - Component Overview F1. ST ANDBY switch: to place the AM-77 in active or standby mode. F2. SOURCE selection buttons: to select between the 5 differ ent inputs. F3. VOLUME buttons: to adjust the volume level. F4. iPod 3.5 Input Connector: for the connection of[...]

16 Figure 2.2 - AM-77 Rear Panel R1. SP ADE/BANANA outputs: for connection of standar d termination speaker cables. R2. SPEAKON outputs: for connection of Speakon terminated speaker cables. R3. HIFI/PRO switch: to allow for a sour ce with transformer balanced output*. R4. INT/POWER Amp switch: to alternate between Pr e-Main and Power Amplification [...]

17 R7. INPUTS 2-5: RCA inputs, for signal input of source equipment. R8. SYNC connectors: for connection of mor e than one AM-77*. R9. RS232 option connector: to facilitate futur e upgrades*. R10. Infra-Red Link: for connection of a wir eline r emote control. R1 1. IEC power connector: for the connection of a PC-77 mains power cable to the AM-77. R[...]

18 Figure 2.3 - RC-77 Remote Control REMOTE COMMANDER RC - 77 kHz IN VOL Amplifier CD Processor RC4 RC3 RC1 RC6 RC2 RC5 RC7 RC1. MENU button: to enter Advanced Featur es mode*. RC2. ST ANDBY button: to place the AM-77 in active or standby mode. RC3. SOURCE selection buttons: to select between the 5 differ ent inputs. RC4. VOLUME buttons: to adjust [...]

19 2a. St art-Up 1. Power On/Off Press the ‘POWER’ rocker switch (R12) at the rear of the AMP to switch on mains power to the AM-77. T o switch the mains power OFF , press again and release. Always W AIT at least 30 seconds before switching ON again. This is to enable the OptiMains ® circuit to shutdown properly . The display will light up to [...]

20 2. Standby After start-up, pressing the ST ANDBY button (F1) on either the front fascia or the RC-77 (RC2), the AM-77 will switch to ST ANDBY mode. Standby 3. Source Selection From either the front fascia of the AM-77 (F2) or the RC-77 (RC3), select the desired source input for playback. CD Player -36dB W ith PLA Y selected from a connected sour[...]

21 4. V olume Adjustment From either the front fascia of the AM-77 (F3) or the RC-77 (RC4), select the desired volume. While adjusting volume levels, there is an audible “click” from AM-77 and the speakers. This is the normal operation of the relays within the OptiLevel ® direct path precision volume control. 5. Rear Inputs At the rear of the [...]

22 7. Synch Connectors At the rear of the AM-77 are Synchronisation ‘In’ and ‘Out’ connection points (R8). This is for the linking of multiple AM-77s for alternative system configurations. Please refer to Section 4 - System Configurations for a detailed explanation. 8. Mode switch At the rear of the AM-77 the ‘Mode’ switch (R5) allows f[...]

23 12. Menu (RC-77 only) The MENU button (RC1) will enter the Advanced Menu system of the AM-77. Please refer to Section 3 - Advanced Featur es for a detailed explanation. 13. OK (RC-77 only) The OK button on (RC7) the RC-77 is for the confirmation of a desired selection within the Advanced Menu system of the AM-77. Please refer to Section 3 - Adva[...]

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25 The following section provides instructions to access the AM-77’ s advanced features. 3a. Labeling of Input s and Setting Level Offset W ith the AM-77, in one process, it is possible to label each of the 5 inputs with a corresponding source and to set the respective level offset. This function is recommended only after ALL desired sources have[...]

26 List of available inputs: 1. Input X ( default ) 2. Aux I 3. Aux II 4. Aux III 5. CD Processor 6. D/A Processor 7. DVD Player 8. DVD Recorder 9. HD Recorder 10.HDTV 11.Home Theatre 12.iPod 13.LCD TV 14.Media Center 15. MP3 Player 16. PC Audio 17. Phono Stage 18. Plasma TV 19. Pre-Amplifier 20. SACD Player 21. Tape Deck 22. Television 23. Tuner 2[...]

27 The following steps outline the procedure to label all the inputs and set the respective level offset. The AM-77’ s default labelling of its inputs starts from ‘Input 1’ and runs through to ‘Input 5’: i. Pr ess ‘MENU’ (RC1) on the RC-77. ii. The display will flash ‘Labelling Input 1’. iii. The 2 nd line of the display will comm[...]

28 3b. Setting Fixed Input Level When using the AM-77 as part of a home theatre system with an external processor controlling the overall system volume, it is possible to program one of the five input sources to have a fixed level of Input such as for a home theatre system of either 0.775V (0dbu) or 1.55V (+6dBu). This allows the 2-Channel music sy[...]

29 - Having entered the ‘Fixed Input’ menu, now select: Fixed Input 1.55V = +6dBu or Fixed Input 0.775V = 0dBu W arning! By selecting Home Theater Dir ect mode, the volume of the amplifier will be switched to full. Hence if it is used incorr ectly , it will damage the connecting speakers. AMR assumes no r esponsibility for any speaker damage ar[...]

30 3c. OptiMains ® Protection for Excessive Under/Over-V olt ages The AM-77 is fitted with the OptiMains ® system to condition and adjust the incoming mains supply for best operation under all normal mains conditions (including situations that will cause audible problems without Opti- Mains ® ). In almost every country throughout the world, inst[...]

31 3d. OptiProtect® Speaker Overload Protection W ithin OptiPr otect ® the AM-77 has an in-built speaker protection circuit. Unlike common protection systems which are in series with the speaker output and where the music signal always passes through the protection circuit, the AMR speaker protection system acts as a crowbar circuit shorting acro[...]

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33 4a. OptiOperation® Different System Configurations In keeping with AMR’ s philosophy that ‘no one sound fits all’ the AM-77 is also adaptable to suit virtually any system configuration: able to operate at one end, as a pre-main stereo amplifier and at the other , as a single- channel power amplifier . In pre-main amplifier mode, the AM-77[...]

34 In short, the AM-77’ s flexibility is limited only to that of the imagination. For example, one may employ: - 3xAM-77s synchr onised along with a high-quality digital crossover to drive a fully-active 3-way speaker system to the highest possible level of sound r epr oduction or; - 3xAM-77s synchr onised for a multi-channel surr ound sound syst[...]

35 Figure 4.1 - Mode I: Pre-Main Stereo • Standard system with AM-77 as the only amplifier . L Pr e Am p (L ) 1st A M -77 Power Am p (R ) Power Am p (L ) Le ft Speaker Right Speaker Pr e Am p (R ) R The following pages provide an outline of the theoretical wiring system behind each of the six different config- urations with a brief accompanying s[...]

36 • Need 2 or more AM-77s. • Drive low impedance speakers that only have one set of terminal connections. • ~600W/2Ohm RMS and ~300W/1Ohm RMS without current clipping. This is best suited t o drive very low impedance speakers (Apogee Diva et al). Figure 4.2 - Mode II: Pre-Main Monoblock L Pr e Am p (L ) 1st A M -77 Po wer Am p (R ) Po wer Am[...]

37 Figure 4.3 - Mode III: Pre-Main Bi-Amplifier • Need 2 or more AM-77s. • Drive speakers that have more than one set of terminal connections with improved per- formance and dynamic range. • V irtually all the power supply power is avail- able to the low frequency channel with imp- proved channel separation. L Pr e Am p (L ) 1st A M -77 Po we[...]

38 Figure 4.4 - Mode IV: Power Stereo • Same as Mode I, except the Pre-Amplifier s e c tion has been bypassed. • A separate pre-amplifier is needed to control the volume. L 1st A M -77 Po w er Am p (R ) Po w er Am p (L ) Le f t Sp ea ker Right Sp ea ker R (L ) (R )[...]

39 Figure 4.5 - Mode V: Power Monoblock • Same as Mode II, except the Pre-Amplifier section has been bypassed. • A separate pre-amplifier is needed to control the volume. L 1st A M -77 Po wer Am p (R ) Po wer Am p (L ) R 2nd AM-7 7 Po wer Am p (R ) Po wer Am p (L ) Le ft Sp e aker Right Sp e aker (L ) (L )[...]

40 • Same as Mode III, except the Pre-Amplifier section has been bypassed. • A separate pre-amplifier is needed to control the volume. Figure 4.6 - Mode VI: Power Bi-Amplifier L 1st A M -77 Po wer Am p (R ) Po wer Am p (L ) R 2nd AM-7 7 Po wer Am p (R ) Po wer Am p (L ) Le ft Sp e aker Right Sp e aker (L ) (L )[...]

41 4b. Switching and Connection Diagrams for Different Modes The following is a description of the switch settings and connections required to engage the various modes. Figure 4.7 - Mode I: Pre-Main Stereo amplifier (default) This is the factory default setting: the connection for which has been described in detail in Section 1 - Unpack- ing and Se[...]

42 Figure 4.8 - Mode II: Pre-Main Monoblock amplifiers HiFi Pro Mode Int Amp Power Amp L R M M Analog Outputs Analog Outputs R L USB Input IR Link Power On Off 90V 135V 190V 260V ～ AC IN CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT No User Serviceable Components Inside . , . . For service contact your Authorised Dealer or Distributor Any modifications to this equipment[...]

43 Note: This function requires at least 2 x AM-77 synchronised pre-main amplifiers. i. Power OFF via the ‘POWER’ (R12) mains switch at the rear of both AM-77s. ii. Connect the cable fr om the ‘Sync Out’ connector (R8) of the ‘master ’ amplifier to the ‘Sync In’ connector (R8) of the ‘slave’ amplifier . The amplifier with the ca[...]

44 Figure 4.8 - Mode III: Pre-Main Bi-amplifier (horizontal bi-amping) Analog Outputs Analog Outputs R L USB Input IR Link Power On Off 90V 135V 190V 260V ～ AC IN CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT No User Serviceable Components Inside . , . . For service contact your Authorised Dealer or Distributor Any modifications to this equipment will void all warrantie[...]

45 Note: This function requires at least 2 x AM-77 synchronised pre-main amplifiers. i. Power OFF via the ‘POWER’ (R12) mains switch at the rear of both AM-77s. ii. Connect the cable fr om the ‘Sync Out’ connector (R8) of the ‘master ’ amplifier to the ‘Sync In’ connector (R8) of the ‘slave’ amplifier . The amplifier with the ca[...]

46 Figure 4.9 - Mode IV: Power Stereo amplifier HiFi Pro Mode Int Amp Power Amp L R M Speaker Cable Speaker Cable Interconnect Cable Power On Off Sync Balanced Input Designed and Engineered in Great Britain Dual Mono Amplifier AM 77 - + + _ _ 90V 135V 190V 260V ～ AC IN Speaker Output Speaker Output L R IR Link L R 1 5 4 3 2 Inputs No User Service[...]

47 i. Power OFF via the ‘POWER’ (R12) switch at the r ear of the AM-77. ii. Connect the desir ed separate pr e-amplifier to the AM-77 via the Balanced or RCA female connector of Input 1 (R6). iii. Using a small flat blade scr ewdriver , move the ‘MODE’ switch (R5) to the centr e to select ‘L R’. iv . Using a small flat blade screwdriver[...]

48 Figure 4.9 - Mode V: Power Monoblock amplifier HiFi Pro Mode Int Amp Power Amp L R M M Speaker Cable Interconnect Cable Power On Off Sync Balanced Input Designed and Engineered in Great Britain Dual Mono Amplifier AM 77 - + + _ _ 90V 135V 190V 260V ～ AC IN Speaker Output Speaker Output L R IR Link L R 1 5 4 3 2 Inputs No User Serviceable Compo[...]

49 Note: This function requires at least 2 x AM-77 synchronised pre-main amplifiers. i. Power OFF via the ‘POWER’ (R12) switch at the rear of both AM-77s. ii. Using a small flat blade scr ewdriver , move the ‘MODE’ switch (R5) to the left to select ‘M’. iii. Using a small flat blade scr ewdriver , move the ‘INT/POWER AMP’ switch (R4[...]

50 Figure 5.0 - Mode VI: Power Bi-amplifier mode HiFi Pro Mode L R M M Speaker Cable Interconnect Cable Power On Off Sync Balanced Input Designed and Engineered in Great Britain Dual Mono Amplifier AM 77 - + + _ _ 90V 135V 190V 260V ～ AC IN Speaker Output Speaker Output L R IR Link L R 1 5 4 3 2 Inputs No User Serviceable Components Inside . , . [...]

51 Note: This function requires at least 2 x AM-77 synchronised pre-main amplifiers. i. Power OFF via the ‘POWER’ (R12) switch at the rear of both AM-77s. ii. Using a small flat blade scr ewdriver , move the ‘MODE’ switch (R5) to the right to select ‘MM’. iii. Using a small flat blade scr ewdriver , move the ‘INT/POWER AMP’ switch ([...]

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53 5a. Input for iPod/other port able music players Section 5 - Additional Connectivity On the front right-side panel, there is a 3.5mm jack (F4). This is for the connection of an iPod or any other portable music device for music playback through this medium. T o select this source, change selection to Input 4 (disconnect any RCA connection to Inpu[...]

54 5b. ‘HiFi/Pro’ Switches for Balanced XLR inputs For the majority of sources, the HiFi/Pro switch (R3) is best left in the ‘HiFi’ position. However , if the source has a pro-audio style transformer balanced output, the HiFi/Pro switch needs to be set to ‘Pro’. A transformer balanced output uses a floating secondary from an audio trans[...]

55 5c. RS232 ‘Options’ Connector The RS232 ‘Options’ connector port (R9) is for upgrading the functionality of the AM-77 in future. Contact your local AMR distributor/dealer for more detailed instructions. For future upgrades Power On Off Sync Balanced Input Designed and Engineered in Great Britain Dual Mono Amplifier AM 77 - + + _ _ 90V 13[...]

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57 The following section provides a brief explanation of the most salient technical features of the AM-77. Circuit ‘X’ ® is AMR’ s unique circuit: with NOS thermionic electron valves for voltage gain with a patent- pending error-cancellation circuit for the Class A matched bipolar output power devices. OptiGain ® inherently outperforms all [...]

58 Appendix - T roubleshooting Figure A.1 Troubleshooting Guide Symptom Possible cause Solution W ith power ON • poor/no power plug connection • insert the power plug firmly into the AC no power is registered at mains power point • blown fuse at mains plug • check and change mains plug fuse No sound • incorrect audio cable connections •[...]

59 Figure S.1 - Specifications T able Inputs: 5 x R C A 1 x XLR Bal. shared with 1 RCA 1 x iPod® shared with 1 RCA V olume Control: -71dB – 0dB in 1dB steps + Mute Input Sensitivity (IHF 2.83V Out)/Impedance: < 0.05V / > 20KOhm Power Output (see Notes) IHF Dynamic Power: 270 watts per channel at 4 or 8 ohm (stereo mode) 330 watts per chann[...]

60 ...continued Monoblock option An unlimited number of AM-77s can synchronised Thermionic Electron V alves 5687/6900 (NOS): amplification stage Power Transformer: 1200 V A Custom Double C-Core Power consumption: Standby: 50 W Power on: 95 W at rated output (4R): 1000 W Power Supply Capacitance: 96,000uF in total Rated voltage: 9 0 V -135V & 19[...]

61 Notes At AMR we feel that the IHF standard represents the best available rigidly mandated and standardised, musically relevant measurements applicable today (in preference to DIN45500 among others) despite their formidable age and our wish for something more up-to-date, while the FTC mandated standard is applicable under like-for-like ‘fair tr[...]