Linn Klimax 500 Solo, Owner'S Manual

Page 1: ...L i n n K l i m a x 5 0 0 S o l o S i n g l e S p e a k e r P o w e r A m p l i f i e r ...

Page 2: ...rformance Due to the highest quality of machined finish it is possible to see that the Klimax s natural alloy grain structure gives each unit an individual signaturethatmakesownershipauniquelyrewardingexperience LINN customers should accept and understand that there are variances betweenunits Suchvariancesarethenaturalresultofthemetal sgrain structureandindicativeofanexceptionalproductfinishedindi...

Page 3: ...l beYear 2000 Compliant or that Linn s software will beYear 2000 Compliant if used in conjunction withnonLinnproducts systemsorsoftware ThePurchaser Installer Retailer orDistributorwillbesolelyresponsibleforensuringthatLinn ssoftwarewill beYear 2000 Compliant when used in conjunction with such non Linn software systems or products and for any failure if it is not Year 2000 Compliant in such circum...

Page 4: ... ATTENTION UTILISERUNFUSIBLEDERECHANGEDEMÊMETYPE DISCONNECTSUPPLYCORDBEFORECHANGINGFUSE ATTENTION DEBRANCHERAVANTDEREMPLACERLEFUSIBLE W ARNING TO REDUCETHE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT EXPOSE THISAPPLIANCETORAINORMOISTURE MAINSPLUGS This appliance is supplied with a non rewireable mains plug for the intendedcountry Replacement mains leads can be obtained from your Linn retailer Should you...

Page 5: ...ed plug has two blades with one wider than the other A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong The wide blade or the third prong is provided for your safety When the provided plug does not fit into your outlet consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet 12 Power cord protection Route power cords so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by item...

Page 6: ...s supply b Cut off the plug and dispose of it safely A plug with bared conductors is dangerous if engaged in a live socket c Only fit a 13Amp BS1363A approved plug with a 5Amp fuse d The cable wire colours or a letter will be marked at the connection points of most quality plugs Attach the wires securely to their respective points The Brown wire must go to the Live pin the Blue wire must go to the...

Page 7: ...sions EN60555 2 1987 Harmonics EN60555 3 1987 Voltagefluctuations EN55020 1987 Immunity FCCNOTICE NOTE This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate ...

Page 8: ...registered trademark of Linn Products Limited British Registered Design Application Number 2080160 British Patent Application Number 9900032 5 British Patent Application Number 9812138 7 The information in this manual is furnished for informational use only is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Linn Products Limited Linn Products Limited assumes no resp...

Page 9: ...ch mode 5 So what s the problem 6 Some assorted facts 7 Inside the Klimax 8 The audio circuitry 9 Output current and protection 11 4 Installation 13 Heat 13 Mains supply 15 Signal sensing 17 Inputs and Outputs 18 5 Operation 19 6 Specifications 20 7 Guarantee and service 22 8 Index 24 ...

Page 10: ...fies our constant endeavour to make ever better sounding products We are confident that the compact elegant design and the exceptional accurate performance of the Klimax amplifier will give you many years of pleasure If you wish to know more about this special product read on If you just want to use it now go to the operation section 1 Introduction ...

Page 11: ...ch side of the central heat exchanger One circuit board constitutes the power supply the other the audio circuitry The compact form of the Klimax case reflects our intention to keep the audio signal path as short and simple as possible This applies as much to a turntable pickup arm as it does to a power amplifier Applying this rule rigorously results in high density circuitry which generates and r...

Page 12: ...ry bulky heavy slow to respond inefficient causes high mains power distortion can cause electrical and acoustic noise and requires a relatively long and exposed audio path In the Klimax we use a technology we have been developing and using in our low power products for several years called switch mode This concept is not new it has been used in computers since the 1960 s however applying it to aud...

Page 13: ...ed by the electronic circuitry and provides a safety isolation barrier from the mains supply The size of a transformer reduces as its operating frequency increases so a transformer operating at say 60 000 cycles per second is far smaller than one operating at mains frequency of 50 or 60 cycles per second On the output of the transformer very fast rectifiers a small coil and small capacitors filter...

Page 14: ...he second problem which is what stops most manufacturers considering switch mode for audio is the potential high frequency electrical noise or more precisely preventing the high frequency signals becoming electrical noise The scale of the problem is quite daunting The high frequency signal applied to the transformer if connected to an external antenna would obliterate radio reception for miles aro...

Page 15: ...nes the size of a beer can used in other very powerful amplifiers The semiconductor switches turn on and off in about 20nS 20 one thousandth millionths of a second The overload protection for the switches can detect a potentially destructive condition and protect the switches in less than half a microsecond half of one millionth of a second We have patent protection for one of the innovative noise...

Page 16: ...8 Inside the Klimax ...

Page 17: ...OSFET monolithic discrete and bipolar designs Our latest monolithic designs sound better than our previous discrete bipolar designs Our latest bipolar designs have more power and sound better than our earlier monolithic and bipolar designs So what did we choose for the Klimax The Klimax audio design was developed from our previous best amplifier the Klout which uses completely different circuitry ...

Page 18: ...ially slower switch off characteristic Many MOSFET designs neither adequately linearise the MOSFETs and in the assumption that they are easy to drive don t put in adequate circuitry to take advantage of their potential switch off speed However if we ever decide to make an amplifier above 500 Watts we would most probably use MOSFETs To run a system of amplifiers of the Klimax power in Class A would...

Page 19: ...ost of accidental operation when the loudspeaker load is reactive almost always rather than purely resistive almost never Output current and ruggedness can be increased with the cost of paralleled output transistors but can the driver circuitry cope Hence the interest in output current However the implication that more is better is true only up to a very modest and calculable limit An electrical l...

Page 20: ...cern and boasts about amplifier output current The Klimax like all Linn amplifiers is specified into a 4 Ohm load We don t do this to claim a bigger output power but to show that our amplifiers are intended and fully specified for operation into 4 Ohm loudspeakers Most Linn loudspeakers have nominally 4 Ohms input impedance Like all our discrete amplifiers the Klimax has a simple decision making p...

Page 21: ... space while providing good ventilation concealing the cabling and showing off the subtle beauty of the Klimax Heat The Klimax is a very powerful amplifier Unfortunately despite the efficiency of the design it must still dissipate considerable power It has two methods of cooling natural convection and forced air convection Both require an ample supply of air for ventilation Natural air convection ...

Page 22: ...ating the fan draws cool air in through the back of the amplifier and blows it along the heat exchanger until it exits through the front top and bottom The amplifier is fully protected against over heating but this is only for protection and should never operate in normal use whatever your normal use is If you only ever listen at moderate level you may never notice the temperature rise above idlin...

Page 23: ...units or crossovers can stand the maximum continuous output of the Klimax for more than a few seconds A tweeter can take it for about one tenth of a second then vapourises All this means that even though the on the laboratory bench measurements could show an input power of almost 1000 Watts with a constant tone input and full rated power in operation the input power is never anywhere near this lev...

Page 24: ...f the Klimax switch mode power supply is its tolerance to mains supply quality and the much lower damage it does to the incoming mains supply Contrary to popular belief a big audio amplifier does a lot more damage to the mains supply than anything else in your house and the mains distortion from the power amplifier can cause other audio components grief Fitting in separate mains wiring spurs for t...

Page 25: ... the last signal was detected then revert to standby The detection threshold has been found over many installations to be a good compromise between sensitivity to low level signals and immunity to noise However the residual hiss level from phono preamplifiers at moderate volume settings can be enough to trigger the signal sensor Mute the preamplifier or turn the volume down after use to prevent th...

Page 26: ...stortionless solid state switches The standard output connectors are two Neutrik 4 contact speaker sockets They each have two hot and two cold connections making it easy to connect two speaker cables per connector If you wish to run individual speaker cables to a four way speaker use all four connections All connections are identical and connected directly to the amplifier output The Neutrik part ...

Page 27: ...lf it will shut down entirely for a few seconds and flash the light There is no half way current limiting the amplifier can either do what is required of it or it will shut down entirely The amplifier will revert to standby 10 minutes after the input signal is removed To operate the Klimax select a source on your preamp wait a couple of seconds for the Klimax to power up then sit back and enjoy it...

Page 28: ...Phono Inner Hot Outer Cold XLR Pin 1 0V Pin 2 Hot Pin 3 Cold Dimensions V350mm W x 355mm L x 60mm H Weight 9 Kg Amplifier specification Protection Fuse rating T6 3A Mains input range 90Vac 126Vac 200Vac 253Vac 50 60Hz Maximum input power 900W Typical operating input power 39W Standby power 3W Gain Single ended 28 6dB Balanced 22 6dB General ...

Page 29: ...er loads Harmonic distortion 0 02 Frequency response 2Hz 60KHz 3dB Peak output voltage 70V Output power 500W rms into 4 Ohms 290W rms into 8 Ohms Output connectors Standard Neutrik Optional Binding posts Input level for clipping Balanced 3 34 Vrms Single ended 1 67 Vrms Signal sensing threshold 150uV Input impedance Single ended 7k6 Ohms Balanced 7k6 Ohms ...

Page 30: ... and should be stamped by them This will also enable you to receive the Linn RECORD newsletter and details of hi fi and music available from Linn Warning Refer all enquiries to authorised Linn retailers only Unauthorised servicing or dismantling of the product invalidates the manufacturer s warranty If you are in any doubt please contact your nearest Linn retailer For information on your nearest L...

Page 31: ...EP Scotland Telephone 44 0 141 307 7777 UK Helpline 0500 888909 E mail helpline linn co uk Facsimile 44 0 141 644 4262 Website http www linn co uk linn America LINN Inc 4540 Southside Blvd Jacksonville Florida FL 32216 Telephone 00 19 04645 5254 Germany LINN Deutschland GmbH Albert Einstein Ring 19 Hambourg 22761 Telephone 00 49 40890 6600 ...

Page 32: ... 20 Input impedance 20 Input level for clipping 21 Inputs 18 Inside the Klimax 8 Installation 13 Introduction 2 M Mains plug replacement iii Mains plugs i Mains supply 15 O Operation 19 Options and accessories 21 Output connectors 21 Output current 11 Output power 21 Outputs 18 P Part number v Peak output voltage 21 Protection 11 20 S Safety information i Signal sensing 17 Specifications 20 Switch...

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