Classe CA-3200 User Manual

Owner’s Manual

CA-3200

Power Ampliﬁer

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

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

user to the 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 operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.

Marking by the “CE” symbol (shown left) indicates compliance of this device with the EMC (Elec-

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

NOTICE

All of us at Classé take extreme care to ensure that your purchase will remain a prized investment. We are proud to inform you that all Classé components have been ofﬁcially approved for the European Community (CE) mark.

This means that your Classé product was subjected to the most rigorous manufacturing and safety tests in the world. The CE mark certiﬁes that your purchase meets or exceeds all European Community requirements for unit-to-unit consistency and consumer safety.

The information contained in the manual is subject to change without notice. The most current version of this manual will be posted on our web site at http://www.classeaudio.com.

Important Safety Instructions

Caution: Please read and observe all warnings and instructions in this owner’s manual and all those marked on the unit. Retain this owner’s manual for future reference.

1. Do not attempt to service this product yourself. Do not open the cover for any reason. There are no user-serviceable parts inside. An open unit, particularly if it is still connected to an AC source, presents a potentially lethal shock hazard. Refer all questions to authorized service personnel only.

2. To prevent ﬁre or shock hazard, do not expose the unit to water or moisture. If a liquid does enter your component, immediately disconnect it from the AC mains and take it to your Classé dealer for a thorough check-up.

3. Do not place your component near any heat-producing device such as a radiator, stove, etc., Keep it away from direct sunlight.

4. Connect your component only to an AC source of the proper voltage. The shipping container and the rear panel serial number tag will indicate the proper voltage. Use of any other voltage may damage the unit and void the warranty.

5. AC cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them. Do not stress the AC cord by stretching it to reach a plug. If damage

does occur to the AC cord, take it to your Classé dealer for a thorough check-up and proper repair or replacement.

6. If your component will be out of use for an extended period of time (vacation, etc. ), you may wish to unplug the power cord from the AC source to prevent any chance of problems from a voltage surge or lightning strike.

7. NEVER wet the inside of this product with any liquid.

8. NEVER pour or spill liquids directly onto this unit.

9. NEVER block air ﬂow through ventilation slots or heatsinks.

10. NEVER bypass any fuse.

11. NEVER replace any fuse with a value or type other than that speciﬁed.

12. NEVER attempt to repair this product. If a problem occurs, contact your Classé dealer.

13. NEVER expose this product to extremely high or low temperatures.

14. NEVER operate this product in an explosive atmosphere.

15. ALWAYS unplug sensitive electronic equipment during lightning storms.

Please record the serial number of your new Classé component here for future reference.

Serial #: __________________

Contents

Welcome to the Classé family ..........................................................................5

a word about installation .......................................................................................5

Unpacking and Placement ...............................................................................6

unpacking your ampliﬁer .......................................................................................6

placement ..............................................................................................................6

ventilation .............................................................................................................

custom installations ...............................................................................................7

serial number .........................................................................................................7

operating voltage ...................................................................................................

warm up/break-in period .......................................................................................

please read this manual… ......................................................................................8

highly reﬁned circuit design ...................................................................................

extensive listening tests ..........................................................................................

extraordinary longevity ........................................................................................

robust protection .................................................................................................10

Front Panel .....................................................................................................11

Rear Panel .....................................................................................................13

Initial Setup ...................................................................................................17

conﬁguring balanced/single-ended operation .................................. 17

conﬁguring ampliﬁer turn-on delay/amp no. .................................... 18

Care and Maintenance ...................................................................................19

Troubleshooting .............................................................................................20

Speciﬁcations ................................................................................................22

Dimensions ...................................................................................................23

7 7 8

9 9

Welcome to the Classé family

Congratulations on your purchase of a Classé product. It is the result of many years of continuous reﬁnement, and we are sure that you will enjoy it for many years to come.

We value our relationship with our customers. Please allow us to stay in touch with you by returning your warranty card now, before you pack up the shipping carton of your new product and forget all about it. Doing so will enable us to let you know about any possible future upgrades or updates that might become available for your Classé component.

Sending in your warranty card also registers your product with us so that warranty service can be obtained easily and quickly, even if you have mislaid your original sales slip.

Please, take a few minutes to ﬁll out the warranty registration

card, and drop it in the mail.

You will ﬁnd the warranty registration card at the end of the separate warranty policy booklet, enclosed.

a word about installation Every effort has been made to make the Classé CA-3200 simple and

straightforward to install and use.

Still, we have no way to evaluate many other variables such as the size and shape of your room, its acoustics, and the associated equipment you have chosen to use with your ampliﬁer. All of these factors inﬂuence the ultimate performance of your system.

For this reason, we strongly encourage you to have your system

installed and calibrated by your dealer, whose experience,

training, and specialized equipment can make a profound

difference in the ﬁnal performance of the system.

Unpacking and Placement

unpacking your ampliﬁer Carefully unpack your power ampliﬁer according to the supplied instructions,

and remove all accessories from the carton. Please take care when lifting the ampliﬁer, as it is quite heavy.

Important! Keep all packing materials for future transport of your Classé

product. Shipping your new component in anything other than its purpose-designed packing material may result in damage that is not covered by the warranty.

placement There are two options when placing your power ampliﬁer: you may place it close

to the speakers, requiring longer interconnecting cables from the preampliﬁer; or place it close to the preampliﬁer, requiring longer speaker cables.

Although either approach will yield excellent performance, you might consider the ﬁrst option for two reasons. First, signal quality degrades more easily when transmitted as a combination of both high voltage and high current, suggesting that speaker cables should be kept as short as practical. Second, high quality ampliﬁers use massive power supplies which inevitably radiate some degree of magnetic ﬁelds. Ideally, one would separate these ﬁelds from sensitive source components by a reasonable distance.

If it is more convenient for you to place the ampliﬁer in an equipment rack, along with your other components, we suggest placing it at the bottom of the rack, well away from your source components and preampliﬁer. This location will also be more stable than placing such a heavy component near the top of a rack, which might make it top-heavy.

Note that adequate clearance for the AC cord and connecting cables must be left behind the CA-3200. We suggest leaving eight inches (20 cm) of free space behind your power ampliﬁer to allow all cables sufﬁcient room to bend without crimping or undue strain.

ventilation Your Classé power ampliﬁer generates a certain amount of heat in the course

of normal operation. Be sure to allow six inches of clearance above it and three inches to each side to allow heat dissipation through air circulation. The vents on both the bottom and the top of the CA-3200 must be kept free from any obstruction which would reduce the ﬂow of air through the unit. Avoid placement on soft surfaces that would restrict airﬂow (such as plush carpeting).

custom installations Drawings are included in this manual to facilitate special installations and

custom cabinetry (see the section rack mount kit is available for this product. Contact your Classé dealer for more information.

serial number The serial number for your power ampliﬁer is found on the rear of the unit.

Please note and record this number on the page entitled Important Safety Instructions for your future reference.

registration card. Please register your purchase so we can advise you of updates and other items of interest.

It will take only a minute or so. Please complete the card now, before you forget.

operating voltage The CA-3200 power ampliﬁer is set at the factory (internally) for 100V, 120V,

230V, or 240V AC mains operation, as appropriate for the country in which it is to be sold (230V only in European Union countries, in compliance with CE

regulations). The voltage setting may not be changed by the user or dealer.

Dimensions). An optional, purpose-designed

Make sure that the label on the rear panel of your power ampliﬁer indicates the correct AC operating voltage for your location. Attempting to operate your power ampliﬁer at an incorrect voltage may damage the unit.

Warning: The voltage setting of your power ampliﬁer may not be changed

by the user. There are no user-serviceable parts within the

unit. Please refer any problems to an authorized Classé service

center.

If the AC mains voltage indicated on your power ampliﬁer is incorrect, please contact your local, authorized Classé dealer or distributor.

The CA-3200 can easily be powered by a normal 15-ampere AC mains line. If other devices are also powered from the same AC line, their additional power consumption should be taken into account.

The CA-3200 includes protection circuitry that will prevent the ampliﬁer from operating at dangerously high or low voltages.

• At startup: the AC mains voltage must be within a range of approximately -15% to +10% of its nominal value at startup, or the ampliﬁer will not turn on. For example, a 120V unit requires the AC mains to be between approximately 95V–135V in order to turn on.

• Over-voltage during operation: if the AC mains voltage surges by roughly 10% or more during operation, the ampliﬁer will enter protection mode and shut down. The Standby LED will ﬂash to indicate the protection mode has been engaged.

• Under-voltage during operation: if the AC mains voltage sags by 15% or more, the ampliﬁer will continue to play (since this does not present a particular danger to the ampliﬁer), but note that it may not be able to achieve its usual standard of performance under these compromised conditions. The Standby LED ﬂash to indicate the condition.

warm up/break-in period Your new Classé power ampliﬁer will deliver outstanding performance

immediately. However, you should expect to hear it improve somewhat as it reaches its normal operating temperatures and its various components “break-in.” It has been our experience that the greatest changes occur within the ﬁrst 300 hours, as the ampliﬁer reaches thermal equilibrium and the capacitors fully form. After this initial break-in period, the performance of your new product should remain quite consistent for years to come.

will

The only exception to this rule is if the unit is placed in standby for an extended period of time, allowing it to cool down. Depending on the degree of cooling involved, you should expect a brief warm-up period before the power ampliﬁer’s sound quality is at its best. Unless your ampliﬁer was allowed to become quite chilled, subsequent thermal re-stabilization should not take long. Fortunately, you should never have to repeat the initial 300 hour break-in period.

please read this manual… Please take a few minutes to review this manual, and to familiarize yourself with

your new ampliﬁer. We understand that you are anxious to plug everything in and get started. However, reading this manual and following the advice it gives will ensure that you get all the beneﬁts you deserve from having purchased such a ﬁne piece of equipment.

or unplugged

+ 16 hidden pages

Classe CA-3200 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual