Acustik Arts AMP III Instruction Manual

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To our valued customer and music enthusiast,

with the purchase of your new ACCUSTIC ARTS® AMP III – MK 2 you have opted for a product which incorporates
the most modern technology to achieve excellent sound and quality. To make sure that you have pleasure for as
long as possible with your amplifier we kindly ask you to thoroughly read this instruction manual through to the
end.

We wish you many enjoyable hours of listening to music with your new unit.

ACCUSTIC ARTS® / Lauffen (Germany)

C o n t e n t

1 AMP III – MK 2 highlights ____ Page 2
2 Important safety instructions ____ Page 3
3 Introduction and positioning ____ Page 4
4 Installation ____ Page 5

4. 1 Input selection: balanced / unbalanced

4. 2 Damping factor linearization

4. 2. 1 General information

4. 2. 2 The technical part

4. 2. 3 Claims and reality

4. 2. 4 Solution: damping factor linearization

4. 3 Mute function

4. 4 Loudspeaker cables and correct phase for the loudspeakers

4. 5 Connection to mains power

4. 6 Replacing damaged mains fuses

5 Start-up ____ Page 10

5. 1 Description of function

5. 2 Operating instructions

6 Looking after your amplifier ____ Page 11
7 Troubleshooting ____ Page 11
8 Specifications ____ Page 12
9 Copyright, trademarks, warranty ____ Page 13

1 AMP III – MK 2 highlights

▪ Dual-mono reference power amplifier with completely isolated power supply for each amplifier channel
▪ 40 selected MOS-FET output transistors in premium quality
▪ Magnetically shielded and encapsulated toroidal core transformer
▪ Optimum smoothing thanks to more than 220,000 µF power supply capacity; Premium quality capacitors
▪ Very high damping factor for perfect speaker control
▪ ACCUSTIC ARTS® damping factor linearization (switchable)
▪ Professional protective circuit against clipping, HF oscillations and too high DC offset
▪ Switch-on current limitation for highest operational safety
▪ Constant low operating temperature due to generously dimensioned heat sinks
▪ Balanced input (XLR) and unbalanced input (RCA) – inputs are switchable

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▪ Very high quality WBT speaker terminals (bi-wiring / bi-amping)
▪ Extremely stable housing, fully made of aluminium; inlay made of massive brass, polished and chromed
▪ ACCUSTIC ARTS® AMP III – MK 2 is “Handmade in Germany”

2 Important safety instructions

▪ Read these instructions.
▪ Keep these instructions.
▪ Follow all instructions.
▪ Do not use this appliance near water.
▪ Never use this appliance near hot surfaces.
▪ Never use this appliance outside and always place it in a dry environment.
▪ Check that your mains voltage corresponds to that stated on the appliance.
▪ Never leave the appliance unsupervised when in use. Always keep electrical equipment out of the reach of

children.

▪ Never pour or spill liquids directly onto this appliance.
▪ Never operate this apparatus in an explosive atmosphere.
▪ Do not put any vases or similar objects containing water or liquids on top of this appliance.
▪ Unplug this appliance during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
▪ Ensure that the appliance has sufficient air around it and avoid extreme temperature influences on the unit,

especially direct sunshine and high humidity.

▪ The mains cable of this appliance is equipped with an equipment grounding conductor. This equipment

grounding conductor must never be disconnected or taped over. In case any humming occurs, please contact
your authorized dealer.

▪ Always disconnect the appliance from the mains power before carrying out any changes to the cables or when

cleaning the appliance.

▪ Protect the mains cable from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs and the point where they exit

from the appliance.

▪ From time to time check the mains cable and the appliance for damages. Take care that the mains cable is not

buckled or damaged by any house pets.

▪ Never move the appliance by pulling the mains cable. Make sure the mains cable cannot get caught in any way.

Do not wind the mains cable around the appliance and do not bend it.

▪ Never use accessories which are not recommended by the manufacturer. They could constitute a danger to the

user and risk to damage the appliance.

▪ Never operate the appliance with the housing open.
▪ To clean the aluminium housing, please only use a cloth moistened with water and some detergent. Never use

inflammable or chemically aggressive cleaning agents.

▪ In the event of a defect, please never attempt to repair it yourself. Any tampering with the appliance by an

unauthorised person will make the warranty void. Please get in contact with your authorized dealer.

▪ Refer all servicing to qualified service person. Servicing is required when the appliance has been damaged in

any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the
appliance, the appliance has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally or has been
dropped.

▪ Replace fuses only with original types having the same ampere value, the same voltage endurance and the

same time-lag. You can find the corresponding value in chapter 4. 5 of this instruction manual.

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▪ Never bypass a fuse.
▪ No user-serviceable parts inside.
▪ WARNING – DANGER TO LIFE! High voltage in the inside of the

unit. Never operate the unit with removed top cover and do never
touch the board while the unit is switched on!

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user

to presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of

sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of
important operation and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the
appliance.

Marking by the “CE” symbol indicates compliance of this device with the EMC (Electromagnetic

Compatibility) and LVD (Low Voltage Directive) standards of the European Community.

Remarks in the manual:

WARNING!

Calls attention to a procedure, practice, condition or the like that, if not correctly
performed or adhered to, could result in personal injury or death.

CAUTION!

Calls attention to a procedure, practice, condition or the like that, if not correctly
performed or adhered to, could result in a damage or destruction to part or the entire
component.

To guarantee a reliable function of this unit over the long-term we kindly ask you to thoroughly read this
instruction manual before connecting this unit and to observe the following instructions. This is also necessary for

your own safety when dealing with the unit.

VERY

IMPORTANT!

Never leave the appliance unsupervised when in use. Always keep electrical
equipment out of the reach of children.

VERY

IMPORTANT!

After switching the unit off please wait 60 seconds before switching it on again.

VERY

IMPORTANT!

Never use the unit in a room with temperature more than 25 °C and high humidity.
Never use the unit outside.

3 Introduction and positioning

The AMP III - MK 2 is a powerful power amplifier. Please read through all important information provided by this
instruction manual for the handling and operation of this top-quality high-end product.

The weight of this AMP III – MK 2 is approx. 60 kg / 132 lbs. Great care must be exercised when unpacking the unit.
Due its high weight a minimum of two people should unpack the amplifier out of its box.

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Carefully store the transportation packaging for the possibility of further use. If you have a claim on the warranty,
always use the original packaging for any necessary transportation. Transportation without this packaging can lead
to damage to the housing.

Please check, if the following items are included:

1 x AC mains cable (type depends on your country)
2 x replacement fuses for FUSE 1 / FUSE 2 (type depends on your mains voltage)

Provided there is available space the power amplifier should, if possible be positioned as close as possible to the
loudspeakers since the loss within the loudspeaker cable is generally higher than with interconnect cables.
Therefore, always use the shortest possible loudspeaker cable but of equal length on the left and right side.

Due to these facts and due to its high weight, the power amplifier is usually set up in a position near to the floor
either between or near the loudspeakers. If you cannot set up the power amplifier in a free position, then under
no circumstances should the chimney effect of the heat sinks be restricted. Therefore, leave a minimum of 5 cm
distance at the sides and 10 cm distance above the housing cover. Take care that the base of the power amplifier is
always stable and level.

Please do not put any other electronic products (e.g. preamplifier, CD player, turntable etc.) directly on the AMP II
– MK 3, instead please use a suitable hifi-rack.

VERY

IMPORTANT!

CAUTION! DANGER OF FIRE!

Please never cover the ventilation slots or the heatsinks.

This could lead to overheating of the power amplifier and cause serious damage or fire.

Please never put any other electronic products or other objects directly on the AMP III
– MK 2.

Fig. 1 Distance to walls and objects