Creek A-42 Owners manual

A U D I O L I M I T E D

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CREEK A42

Thank you for purchasing the A42 Power amplifier. You are now in possession of a State of the Art Power
Amplifier. The functions and operation of the A42 are extremely simple. However, the following notes are
provided to explain all aspects of its design and use.

MAINS CONNECTION

When unpacking the amplifier please keep the packing material in a safe place for possible future use. In
the pack there is a separate mains cable suitable for connecting to the mains supply in the country of use.
The IEC socket end of the cable should be firmly inserted into the connector on the rear panel marked
"Mains Input". Remember, do not overload the mains wall socket with too many plugs or adapters. The high
quality performance of the amplifier will be impaired if the electrical supply to it is in poor condition. If in
doubt, consult a qualified electrician or your dealer. The "Mains Input" connection is also fitted with a fuse,
specifically suited to the supply voltage of the country of use. The correct value is clearly marked on the rear
panel next to the Mains Input. Should it be necessary to replace the fuse, ensure that you use the same
type as specified on the rear panel. i.e. 5 x 20mm cartridge type T 2Amp surge resisting for 220-240V

50Hz AC, T 4Amp surge resisting for 110-120V 60Hz AC.

LOUDSPEAKER CONNECTIONS

The loudspeakers should be connected using a suitable pair of cables designed specifically for audio use.
These should be fitted with dedicated 4mm plugs which can be screwed, but are preferably soldered, onto
the cables. Please consult your dealer for advice if you are unsure. It is very important
loudspeakers to the loudspeaker sockets in the correct phase. That is to say that the positive and negative
sides of the cable are connected to the loudspeaker in the same way on each channel. If it is connected out
of phase a severe loss of bass performance and a spreading of the stereo image will result. It is
recommended not to use loudspeakers of less than 4Ω resistance or more than two pairs of 8Ω speakers
running from the amplifier at one time. However, bi-wiring of one pair of speakers, using the four sockets,
can improve the sound of your system (consult your dealer for more details). It doesn't matter which output
sockets (LS1 or LS 2) are used on the back of the amplifier as they are both connected to one source in the
amplifier.

If the amplifier is to be used in a Bridged Mono (balanced) configuration, a P42 pre-amplifier with the
appropriate driver board and a further A42 amplifier will be required. Each amplifier should be wired to drive
one loudspeaker only (left or right). The major difference in the wiring of a balanced system is that the
loudspeakers are not connected to ground. The loudspeaker wires should be connected between the live
connections of the left and right outputs of LS1 or LS2 on the rear of the amplifier. Phasing of the leads is
still important and therefore if the positive (marked) wire is connected to the bottom connector on one
channel (Right) it should be wired the same connector on the other channel. Bi-Wiring is still possible, but it
is not advisable to connect more than one 8Ω speaker to a Bridged (balanced) A42 at a time as it will
overheat and could possibly damage the amplifier. Do not connect the negative loudspeaker wire to any
ground connector or the bridging mode will be defeated.

N.B. It is very important not to short the loudspeaker cables together when the other ends are still
connected to the amplifier otherwise permanent damage can result. If it is necessary to move or
change the location of your loudspeakers, make sure that you switch off the amplifier from the mains
first.

INPUT CONNECTION

to connect the

The input sensitivity of the Power amplifier is 530mV's. Connection is made via the two RCA Phono
(Cinch) type sockets on the rear panel marked - INPUT, which are wired in un-balanced mode.

If a Bridged Mono application is required, it is necessary to use both left and right inputs as a form of
balanced mono input, carrying high and low signal. Read specific instructions accompanying the plug-in
bridging board, which plugs into the P42 Pre-amplifier.

POWER SUPPLY CONNECTION TO CREEK P42 PRE-AMPLIFIER

If you choose to use the A42 Power amplifier with the P42 Pre-amplifier, it is possible to supply the power to
the P42 via an umbilical interconnect that supplies +30 & −30V's DC. The appropriate interconnect will be
supplied with the P42. The interconnect should be plugged into the power supply socket and the
respective socket on the Pre-amplifier. This connection must only be used to power the Creek P42 Pre­amplifier.

OPERATING THE A42

Make sure that the unit is on a suitable table or Hi-Fi equipment cabinet. It is important to allow adequate
ventilation to the heatsink, in the centre of the unit. Avoid obstruction of the ventilation slots on the top cover.
It may be necessary to place the amplifier on the top of other equipment to allow for this. To switch - on the
unit press the switch marked POWER on the right hand side of the front panel. To protect the loudspeakers
connected to the amplifier from dangerous DC voltages, an internal 10 Amp relay switches off the outputs on
switch-on and in the case of a failure etc. A delay of about 3 seconds will be noticed initially and the turn-off
should be instantaneous. To indicate the state of the amplifier, the POWER LED indicator, when the
amplifier is first switched on, should glow less brightly than when the Amplifier reaches operating condition,
at which time the relay will drop in and the LED will switch to full brightness. If a fault condition is noticed the
relay will switch both speaker outputs off and the POWER indicator will switch to low brightness.

SPECIFICATION

POWER OUTPUT ONE CHANNEL 55 Watts into 8Ω
POWER OUTPUT BOTH CHANNELS 50 Watts into 8Ω
POWER OUTPUT ONE CHANNEL / 75 Watts into 4Ω

/ - NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE INTO MORE THAN ONE PAIR OF 4Ω LOUDSPEAKERS

POWER OUTPUT BRIDGED MONO  (not suitable for use into less than 8Ω) 150 Watts into 8Ω

 - Bridged operation can only be enabled by use of the appropriate driver board in the P42 pre-amplifier

TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION <0·03% 20 Hz to 20 kHz
FREQUENCY RESPONSE 3 Hz to 25 kHz -1 dB
INPUT SENSITIVITY 450mV’s @ 50Watts
POWER AMP RISE TIME 40V's per µS
SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO -105 dB's
SEPARATION -80 dB's at 1 kHz
POWER CONSUMPTION 45 W at idle
'' '' '' 220 W full power 10% THD

WEIGHT 5·3 Kgs, 12 lbs
SIZE 420 x 60 x 230 mm, 16·5 x 2·4 x 9''

( MAINS VOLTAGE AND FREQUENCY IS INTERNALLY SET FOR THE COUNTRY OF USE )

Your A42 amplifier is designed to give you years of reliable use. However, it is necessary to take care of
your possession, so never overheat it or short out the speaker connections. If an adjustment is needed, it is
always advisable to return it to the supplying dealer for his expert help. If you are unfortunate enough to
need service work to be carried out on your amplifier, it should be returned to your dealer or the
manufacturer in the original packing material if possible.

2 Bellevue Rd, Friern Barnet, London, N11 3ER. Tel [phone]. Fax [phone]