KAM KXR 600 Instruction Manual

KAM KXR POWER AMPS

professional power amplifiers

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

www.kam.co.uk

OVERVIEW

Congratulations on your choice of new amplifier… cool isn’t it? We are certainly very proud of it. We
believe in giving you products with the features and performance you want at a price you can afford and the
KXR Amplifier range is living proof of our commitment to meeting that goal. We know you’re itching to get it
fired up but bear with us and we’ll run through a few things you should know that will help you get the best
from your new amplifier and ensure that it lasts as long as you want it to.

There are six models in the KXR Amplifier range
KXR150 150W RMS amplifier
KXR300 300W RMS amplifier
KXR600 600W RMS amplifier
KXR1000 1000W RMS amplifier
KXR1500 1500W RMS amplifier
KXR2000 2000W RMS amplifier

Although there are six different models in the range and some of them do vary slightly in input
configuration, the main difference between each model is their maximum power output. This means that
the basic principles of amplifier connection and usage are true for all six models. Below we outline basic
operation procedures and tell you about any differences that are particular to specific models.

SAFETY NOTE

ALWAYS turn off the mains power before making any connections to KXR amplifiers. Large PA amplifiers

are capable of sending potentially lethal amounts of electricity to their outputs so you should always
ensure that any amplifier has its power turned off (and preferably disconnected) before making
connections. NEVER attempt to connect a microphone to the speaker outputs of an amplifier.

CONNECTING SPEAKERS…

WHICH SPEAKERS ARE RIGHT FOR YOUR AMPLIFIER?

Passive only

Your KXR Amplifier is designed to be used in conjunction with a set of passive speakers. This means that
they’re good for use with most (providing you follow the rating and connection procedures below) speaker
types that don’t have built in amplification; in the context of the Kam equipment range this means your
KXR amplifier is ideal for use with our IMS Pro10, IMS Pro12 & IMS Pro15 speakers (or our standard
IMS or Z Series speakers) but it is not needed with our IMS Pro12A or IMS Pro15A ‘active’ speakers
because they already have built in amplification.

Power & Impedance

It is important to ensure that you match the power that your speakers can handle with the power that
your amplifier can produce.

Speaker Rating

A set of speakers has two stated ratings.
They should have a maximum power handling capacity that is measured in Watts (EG 300W). This tells
you how much power the speaker can handle from the amplifier before the sound distorts and damage
begins to occur.

A speaker will also have what we call an ‘Impedance’ rating. Impedance is a term we use to define the
amount of resistance your speaker presents to your amplifier and it is measured in ‘Ohms’. Most
speakers have an Impedance rating of 8 Ohms but ratings of 4 Ohms are not uncommon and sometimes

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you may encounter 16 Ohm. A speaker that is rated at 8 Ohm presents a larger amount of resistance to
the amplifier than one that is rated at 4 Ohm. As you can see from the chart below this means that a
particular amplifier will deliver greater power to a pair of 4 Ohm speakers than it would to a pair of 8
Ohm speakers.

KXR amplifiers require speakers with a minimum Impedance rating of 4 Ohm. They will work just as well
with speakers rated at 8 Ohm but the volume achieved from your speakers will be different for 4 and 8 Ohm
speakers. The chart below tells you the power output ratings for KXR amplifiers at both 4 and 8 Ohms.

4 Ohm speaker 8 Ohm speaker

KXR150 75W RMS per channel 50W RMS per channel

KXR300 150W RMS per channel 100W RMS per channel

KXR600 300W RMS per channel 200W RMS per channel

KXR1000 500W RMS per channel 340W RMS per channel

KXR1500 750W RMS per channel 450W RMS per channel

KXR2000 1000W RMS per channel 670W RMS per channel

CONNECTING YOUR SPEAKERS TO YOUR AMPLIFIER…

• Always ensure that both volume controls on your KXR amplifier are turned to zero and
that it’s mains power is switched off when making connections.

• Using an appropriate cable (if in doubt refer to the ‘Connection types’ section below)
connect the left speaker to channel A and the right speaker to channel B.

• Please read the rest of this manual before turning on the power or adjusting the volume
controls.

CONNECTION TYPES

Speakon

All KXR amplifiers feature a pair of Speakon speaker output sockets. Speakon is a standard connection
type that is only used for connecting speakers to amplifiers. You cannot use Speakon connections for any
other type of audio signal connection.

The Speakon connections on your KXR amplifier are internally wired with a standard +1/-1 configuration.

This means they are designed to be used with two pin Speakon cables. This wiring configuration matches
all Speakon equipped Kam speakers. If you wish to use your KXR amplifier with speakers which use a
+2/-2 configuration you may need to construct a special cable. You will find details on this and how to
construct a standard Speakon cable online at www.kam.co.uk/tuition.

Binding Posts

Although Speakon is a safer and more reliable form of speaker connection and we highly recommend using
Speakon if you can… for your convenience you will find that all models of KXR amplifier also feature
‘Binding Post’ speaker output connectors. Binding Posts are threaded terminals designed to accommodate
bare wires. For secure connection pass the bare cable end through the hole, wrap the cable around the
post and firmly screw down the cap. It is important to ensure that no stray bare cable ends connect the
two posts. One post is red and should be used for positive and the other is black and should be used for
negative connections.

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