Arcam SA200 User Manual

The SA150/SA200

Stereo Power

Amplifiers

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A & R Cambridge Ltd.

Owners Handbook

Introduction Installing and using your SA150/SA200

Back Panel connections Front Panel controls 4 Fitting or changing side cheeks

Technical Details

Spares Kit Input Connector Wiring Fuses

Removal of Top Cover SA150 Technical Specification SA200 Technical Specification Guarantee for UK sales

Inside back cover

1 2 2

6 6 6

7 9

10 11

Important Notice

1. If your SA150 or SA200 is not delivered fitted with solid wood side cheeks it will

instead be supplied with thin, black, metal transit panels. These must be removed and the appropriate wood side cheeks fitted before the amplifier is first used. See page 5 for full details.

2. Please retain the carton and all packing materials provided with this equipment so that it may be repacked correctly if it ever becomes necessary to transport the unit or to return it for service. ,

3. If servicing is required then the equipment should be properly packed and returned to the dealer from whom it was purchased. It is essential to include a covering letter giving your name and address and a brief but thorough description of the fault.

Introduction

The A&R Cambridge SA150 and SA200 are robust high performance stereo power amplifiers. Their continuous power ratings (into 8 ohm loads) are 75 Watts and 100 Watts per channel respectively. Used with a suitable pre-amplifier or control unit (e.g. the A&R C200) either model will form the basis of a top quality sound system.

These units are built to the highest standards and are designed to blend well with domestic surroundings. Solid Afromosia side cheeks of the same height as the amplifiers are normally supplied as standard; a set of tall side cheeks for stacking either amplifier with the matching A&R C200 control unit is available as an optional extra.

For very high power operation both the SA150 and SA200 are convertible to “bridged mono” operation. Please consult your dealer for further information and availability.

Please study this manual carefully to ensure that you get the best results from your amplifier. Remember your dealer is there to help you. He has full technical and service information for all A&R Cambridge products and considerable experience of their use in a variety of systems. If, however, he is unable to answer your query then do not hesitate to contact us directly.

Installing and using your SA150/SA200

Back Panel Connections

loudspeaker

terminals (right)

Figure ]

loudspeaker

terminals (left)

Mains Supply

The SA150 and SA200 are normally set up for use with a nominal 240V 50/60 Hz supply. They can be modified for 220V or 120V operation by your dealer or the manufacturer. CSA (North American} models are suitable for 120V supplies only. The correct supply voltage is marked on the rear panel underneath the AC power supply inlet.

The AC power supply inlet of the SA150 and SA200 is via a standard lEC chassis mounting plug. A moulded lEC socket, fitted with 2 metres (6.5 ft) of cable, is supplied to fit the lEC plug (Note that the lEC plug and socket are a tight fit; before first using the amplifier it is therefore important to ensure that the socket is pushed home firmly into the amplifier’s chassis plug}

The wire end of the cable should be terminated with a 3 pin (earthed) plug, wired according to the international colour code and fitted with a 10 Amp or 13 Amp fuse. The inrernational colour code is;

Some models may already have a suitable plug fitted as standard.

The SA150 and SA200 also have an anti-surge mains fuse fitted internally. It is recommended that the supply to each model should be disconnected when the amplifier is not in use.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THE AMPLIFIER COVER BE REMOVED

Earth — green/yellow Live — brown Neutral — blue

UNLESS THE SUPPLY IS DISCONNECTED.

Input Connections

A combination of 5 pin DIN socket and phono connectors is fitted as standard. Certain models may however only have either DIN or phono sockets fitted. In all cases the panel carrying these sockets is removable to enable special versions to be supplied, e.g. for “bridged mono"

operation or professional applications. Contact your dealer or the factory for further details.

Loudspeciker Connections

The outputs of the SA150 and SA200 are suitable for driving loudspeakers of 4 ohms nominal impedance or higher. Both models will drive 4 ohm loads whose impedance dips to as low as 2 ohms, but care should be taken not to operate continuously at high levels into impedances of less than 4 ohms.

The loudspeaker terminals will accept either bare wires or 4mm plugs. The left hand speaker has its pair of terminals near the left hand of the rear panel (when viewing from the front of the amplifier); the right hand speaker terminals are near the centre of the rear panel. The spacing of

the terminals is 19mm (0.75 inch) to accept standard twin speaker plugs.

One side of your speaker (normally the -side) should be connected to the black terminal; the other (the +side) should be connected to the red terminal. For stereo applications it is important to ensure that the two speakers are connected in phase (i.e. both wired the same way round to the amplifier). Do not make any connections between the left and right loudspeaker leads

(except in “bridged mono” applications—see separate instruction sheet).

The SA150 and SA200 are unconditionally stable and suitable for use with all types of loudspeaker leads, including the 'high definition’ types. For good practical results we recommend the use of heavy duty cables having at least 2 sq mm cross sectional area for each conductor. It is also good practice for the two speaker leads to be of equal length and you should ensure that all connections at both the amplifier and speaker are tight.

It is possible to use several pairs of loudspeakers in parallel with the SA150 or SA200 provided the overall impedance does not fall below the limits described above. No speaker switching is provided on the amplifiers as this invariably will cause some degradation of the signal, however slight. If it is necessary to switch speakers we recommend that the main pair be wired directly to the amplifier wherever possible and that only the ‘extension’ speakers be switched.

With both models it is possible to reduce the value of output fuse fitted in the amplifier in order to provide the best protection for both the speaker and amplifier. See page 7 for full details.

Heat Sink

The heat produced by the SA150 and SA200 is dissipated into the air by the large ceist heat sinks whose fins form most of the rear panel. When the amplifier is in use these will run warm and may become quite hot when the unit is run near full power, particularly into low impedance loads. This is perfectly normal. However, if the fins become too hot to touch switch off the amplifier at once and consult your dealer.

N.B. To ensure that the amplifier does not overheat it is important that the natural flow of air over the heat sinks is not obstructed. It is also unwise to place heat sensitive items (such as L.P. records) on top of or immediately above the amplifier.

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