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Thanks for buying the Minotaur! For safety, best results, and greatest enjoyment of your new amplifier,
please take time to read these quick start instructions and the safety considerations in Section 2. You
can skip sections 3-7 of the manual until you need them. Feel free to contact Tavish Design if you have
any questions (
).
1.
Place the amplifier in a location where it will receive adequate ventilation. It dissipates about
70 - 160 watts with no input signal (about the same as a 20 or 35 watt-per-channel tube amp)
and it is normal for it to get warm, especially on top, above the tubes. Place the amplifier on a
firm surface so that the bottom ventilation slots will not be blocked, and also make sure the top
& side vents are not blocked. Allow at least 4 inches of open space above the amp and 1-2
inches on each side for air circulation. We do not recommend stacking other equipment on top
of the Minotaur. Do not place anything directly on top of the cabinet, especially not CDs nor LPs.
See Section 2 “Safety” for other installation considerations.
2.
Connect the antenna for the remote control. The antenna is packed in the same bag as the
remote control and threads onto a connector on the rear panel, near the power connector. If
you place your Minotaur in an enclosed metal equipment rack, the antenna may have trouble
receiving signals and the remote control range may be limited. See section 4.5 if you have this
problem.
3.
Connect signal sources to the rear inputs. The Minotaur accepts line-level analog signals, such
as the output of an audio DAC or disk player. The standard version has 5 pairs of unbalanced
(RCA) input connectors. The balanced version has 2 pairs of balanced (XLR) input connectors and
3 pairs of unbalanced (RCA) input connectors. The XLR inputs offer true balanced operation with
more than 120 dB of common-mode rejection at 60 Hz. The Minotaur has high gain to
accommodate a wide variety of signal sources.
4.
Connect your speakers. Keep the speaker wires short and use the thickest gauge wire practical;
the binding posts will accept up to 10 AWG wire (thicker wire has a lower AWG number). In
most cases, the resistance of the speaker wire will set the damping factor of your system, rather
than any characteristic of the amplifier itself. 14 gauge wire is a good compromise between low
resistance and flexibility. Six feet of 14 gauge wire has about 40 milliohms of resistance and will
degrade the system damping factor by a factor of 2.
5.
Connect the power cord to a 3-wire grounded outlet. The Minotaur is designed to operate on a
120 V, 60 Hz line. It normally draws about 70 - 160 watts, but can draw as much as 600 watts at
maximum output. For safety reasons, it must be connected to a 3-wire grounded outlet. Never
defeat the safety ground on the amplifier!
