Octave RE 320 User Manual Download

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RE 320

Owner's Manual

English

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Summary of Contents for RE 320

Page 1: ...RE 320 Owner s Manual English ...

Page 2: ...insights into the interaction of amplifier and loudspeaker With tube amplifiers in particular a general reluctance to depart from the classic circuit designs has not done the technology any favors Although today s loudspeakers and source equipment provide better performance than ever before they also present greater demands on amplifiers Modern sound reproduction equipment delivers a level of perf...

Page 3: ...4 Switching on for the first time the soft start feature 11 3 5 Checking the tubes setting the bias 12 3 6 Connecting the unit 12 4 OPERATION 4 1 RE 320 front panel 13 5 CONNECTIONS 5 1 RE 320 rear panel 14 6 ADVANCED FUNCTIONS 16 6 1 Power selector alternative power tubes 16 6 2 Soft Start Inrush current limitation 16 6 3 Electronic Protection System 17 6 4 Muting Function 17 6 5 Electronic Balan...

Page 4: ...lts caused by external issues 26 9 1 1 Buzzing and hum in the speakers 26 9 1 2 Mains interference 27 9 1 3 Channels are not balanced 27 9 2 Faults caused by tubes 28 9 2 1 Mechanical tube faults that do not trip the protection system 28 9 2 2 Tube faults that trip the protection system 29 10 TECHNICAL DATA 10 1 Specifications 30 10 2 Dimensions 31 10 3 Diagrams 31 11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FA...

Page 5: ...ration of the output stage of the RE 320 push pull pentode circuit class A B negative grid voltage adjustable separate for each power tube through ten turn precision regulators Special wideband output transformers using high efficient PMZ core BIAS Measurement The RE 320 is fixed BIAS and utilizes external precision BIAS trim pots and LED confirmation which allows the user to readily monitor the o...

Page 6: ...even situations where the mains voltage is not stable Ecomode The Ecomode serves to reduce heat and unnecessary power consumption when the unit is switched on but not in use After 10 minutes without receiving signal the RE 320 Ecomode is activated turning down the power In this sleep mode the RE 320 draws only 20 W Idle current Therefore the unit produces no heat while it remains switched on When ...

Page 7: ...s of the same type and rating If your amplifier requires servicing please ship or take your equipment directly to OCTAVE or to one of our authorized service centers 2 1 4 Symbols and terms used in warnings The following warnings symbols and terms are used in this document in compliance with the American National Standard ANSI Z535 6 2011 The general danger symbol in conjunction with the terms CAUT...

Page 8: ...and is dry before switching it on Avoid installing the amplifier close to sources of heat such as heaters or anywhere that it may be in direct sunlight Do not operate your OCTAVE amplifier near flammable materials gases or vapors Avoid areas where there may be heavy accumulations of dust or where the amplifier may be subject to me chanical vibration Place your OCTAVE amplifier on a stable even sur...

Page 9: ... cord 4 0 x 100 flat bladed screwdriver for adjusting the bias Owner s manual with warranty card 3 2 Removing the grille Operating the amplifier without its protective grille is dangerous and not recommended To remove the grille 1 For your own safety switch the amplifier off using the on off switch or disconnect the power cord 2 Pull the grille upward to remove ...

Page 10: ...n On protection circuit which extends component as well as tube life considerably by protecting against stress caused by typical high inrush currents during switch on 1 Connect the RE 320 to the mains 2 Switch on the RE 320 using the amplifier s mains power on off switch see chap 4 front panel The Power LED will illuminate Turn the Input Rotary Selector to Muting the Muting LED goes out Turn the F...

Page 11: ...Ecomode see chapter 6 6 Yellow LED BIAS setting of the selected output tube is too low Green OK LED BIAS setting of the selected output tube is correct Yellow LED BIAS setting of the selected output tube is too high Red off LED Indicates that the electronic protection has switched off the amplifier see chapter 6 3 After an additional 5 to 10 minutes the BIAS control LEDs will change from yellow to...

Page 12: ...ff The Ecomode electronic is disabled and simultaneously the BIAS measuring electronic is Off Bias Measurement Position V1 V4 The BIAS measuring electronic is connected to the relevant tubes To ensure the accuracy of any adjust ment switch On the Muting function NOTE The RE 320 is equipped with a Soft Start circuit and a Power Up delay timer The amplifier is ready for use after a delay of approxim...

Page 13: ...r cable Red positive terminal Black negative terminal You can connect either 4 mm Banana connectors or spades The negative speaker terminal is internally connected to ground Black Box Connector The Super Black Box is an outboard power supply capacitance upgrade for the power amplifier section see chapter 8 You have to switch off the RE 320 using the power switch before connecting and disconnecting...

Page 14: ...an connect either 4 mm Banana connectors or spades The negative speaker terminal is connected to ground Model identification plate Model and Serial Number Fuse holder Fuse for 230 240V 4 H slow blow IEC Type 5 x 20 mm Fuse for 115 120V 6 3 H slow blow IEC Type 5 x 20 mm Fuse for 100V 8 H slow blow IEC Type 5 x 20 mm Mains supply receptacle IEC socket with integrated fuse holder The fuse is located...

Page 15: ...rom power LOW to HIGH and vice versa the BIAS should be corrected in case of using the same output tubes Normally there is only a slight correction necessary When using different tubes the BIAS has to adjust according to chapter 7 3 6 2 Soft Start Inrush current limitation The RE 320 input and output tube heaters as well as its high voltage rails are logic controlled to ensure that the conduction ...

Page 16: ...he speakers are being driven at high listening levels A fault in one or more of the output tubes A fault in one of the preamp tubes which overloads the output stage Once the protection system has cut in the only way you can turn the RE 320 back on is to turn the on off switch off and then on again Allow the unit two minutes to cool down before switching it back on If possible identify and eliminat...

Page 17: ...reaks of more than 10 minutes Ecomode reduces the overall power consumption of the amplifier to under 20W compared with 180W in normal operation When detecting a signal the RE 320 reactivates automatically and is ready for use again within 30 seconds Eco off The Ecomode function is off the Ecomode LED on the top doesn t burn Eco on LED display on the top side The Ecomode function is activated The ...

Page 18: ...ifier off using the on off switch or disconnect the power cord 2 Pull the grille upward to remove See chapter 3 2 7 2 Tube layout Output tubes V1 V4 KT 150 TS standard V1 V2 left channel V3 V4 right channel Driver tubes V5 V6 V7 ECC802 ECC 82 12 AU 7 5814 6189 Standard tube layout V6 ECC802 JJ V5 V7 12 AU 7 Tung Sol All driver tubes should have a system Gain match close to 0 2dB ...

Page 19: ...ow you the user to carry out the adjustment yourself without the need for test equipment The use of precision op amps makes it possible for you to set the BIAS to accuracy within 0 2 making it superior to any other method Using selected output tubes only makes sense if the idle current is adjusted accurately as is clearly shown in Fig 1 Technical Data The LED display Ecomode LED indicates the stat...

Page 20: ... minates If the yellow LED illuminates the bias is set too high Turn the trim pot counter clockwise until the OK LED illuminates If the yellow LED illuminates the bias is set too low Turn the trimmer clockwise until the OK LED illuminates Repeat this procedure with the other three tubes 4 Switch the bias selector back to its off position If there is no change in the BIAS of a tube while turning th...

Page 21: ...tubes can be used with the KT 120 in both positions of the power selector Exception The BIAS high setting can also be used with the KT 88 in the power LOW position Certain loudspeakers may benefit from the higher BIAS current as it will increase the damping factor and provide slightly better control of the speakers LED graphs The BIAS LOW setting corresponds to the plate current of 33mA The BIAS H...

Page 22: ...tubes should be allowed a longer warm up period You should adjust these tubes after about 20 minutes and control the setting in the first days of operation 7 5 Running in All OCTAVE equipment is subject to a 48 hour performance test at the factory to break in the tubes The tubes are preselected for use in each particular model New tubes can take up to three months to run in and start sounding thei...

Page 23: ...his improves dynamic range separation depth soundstage size and articulation rendering the musical reproduction clearer throughout the entire frequency range The amplifier remains unaffected by mains variations and interferences due to the noise filtering characteristics of the capacitors 8 1 The Black Box option Legend 1 Indicator LED The LED illuminates continuously when the power amplifier is o...

Page 24: ...ich discharges the unit s electrolytics The yellow LED indicates that that this procedure is taking place The discharge circuit also activates if the SBB connecting cable is accidentally removed This is to prevent the SBB maintaining its charge when it has not been properly disconnected 3 High current plug Connection see 8 2 8 4 Technical Data 8 4 1 Black Box Specifications Dimensions 178 x 98 x 3...

Page 25: ... reappears you have two grounded components connected to the RE 320 You must now unplug your components in reverse order to find out which of them is grounded Usually the hum will still appear even when the problem components are switched off The ground causing the problem is always connected since it is not broken when the power switch is operated Now that you know which components are grounded y...

Page 26: ...dges and 12V halogen lamps can produce strong radio interference when they turn on and off Depending on the wiring in your home this can result in clicks and pops in your loudspeakers To fix the problem Modern domestic mains systems with a separate protective earth PE will normally suppress this interference If you experience this type of switching interference you either have a poor protective ea...

Page 27: ...d never turn the bias screws to the extreme right and leave them there If you have not been able to adjust the bias satisfactorily turn the adjuster screw back to its extreme left position Driver tube heater fault When this happens you will normally lose an entire channel depending on which driver tube system is affected by the faulty heater This can only be established by a visual examination The...

Page 28: ...ause the protection system to trip Should this happen switch the RE 320 off and replace the problem tube Faulty driver tube In very rare cases a problem with one of the driver tubes can cause the RE 320 to switch off You can use the bias display to troubleshoot problems in the driver stage The procedure is the same as the one described earlier although the display will behave differently after the...

Page 29: ... KHz 3dB at Full Power 5 Hz 85 KHz 3dB at 5 W Noise 100 µV 150 Hz 15KHz 110dB Input Sensitivity 0 8V RCA 1 6 V XLR Input Resistance 220 KOhm RCA 20 KOhm XLR CMRR of the XLR Input 85dB 1 kHz Minimal Load Impedance 2 ohms Gain 28dB RCA Eco Mode Trigger Level 0 5mV In and Outputs Inputs 1 x RCA 1 x XLR Outputs 1 x speaker terminal for 4 mm Banana connectors and spades General Data Power consumption 2...

Page 30: ... 10 TECHNICAL DATA 10 2 Dimensions 10 3 Diagrams THD at 4V into 4 ohms from 30 Hz to 20 kHz at a variety of BIAS settings Diagramm 1 Curve 1 BIAS adjusted correctly Curve 2 BIAS 10 out Curve 3 BIAS 30 out ...

Page 31: ...n high and 75 W in position Low is constant in the range from 25 Hz up to 30 kHz Graph 3 Noise spectrum Noise spectrum at 1 kHz 5 W into 4 ohms there is no mains interference to be seen 50 Hz 200 µV 100 Hz 70 µV The k2 k3 k4 and k5 noise spectrum is extremely low and falls quickly 180 20 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 d B 30 20k 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k Hz ...

Page 32: ...l of course be reduced The amplifier will come to no harm if it is operated continuously like this Operation without driver tubes is also possible for test purposes although for obvious reasons music playback is not possible 5 What is the significance of loudspeaker impedance and efficiency The impedance and efficiency of modern loudspeakers is not an issue for OCTAVE amplifiers The often quoted d...

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Page 34: ...ctave de We reserve the right to alter and improve the specifications in pursuit of better OCTAVE logo is a registered trade mark of Andreas Hofmann Copyright by Andreas Hofmann Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited edited ...

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