Mesa-Boogie Vacuum Tube Audio User Manual
Vacuum Tube Audio
Owner's Manual
1317 Ross Street Petaluma
California 94954
USA
Thank you
in your home or studio playback system. We know how many different products you had
to choose from and are honored that you have entrusted us with your hard-earned
entertainment funds. We have worked hard to make your new TIGRIS amplifier the best
and most comprehensive Tube Integrated we could conceive of and are confident that it
will provide you with countless hours of emotional satisfaction and musical enjoyment.
With this owner's manual, we have attempted to answer every possible question about
the TIGRIS we could think of as being asked. It is thus rather lengthy and contains much
information to which you need not refer until after your first listening sessions. If you're
impatient, Chapter 3 is all you should read now- it will take you through the correct
hook-up procedure step-by-step and have you up and running in less than half an hour.
Allow the tubes to warm up for 15 minutes while you stow away the packing materials.
Then make yourself comfortable with your favorite tunes and refreshments and discover
what we like to call:
"The Spirit of Art in Technology."
Cheers. Randall Smith, president and chief designer - Mesa/Boogie
for selecting a Mesa Engineering amplifier to be your instrument of choice
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTERS: Page #
1 - Precautions.................................................. 01
2 - Overview...................................................... 1-2
3 - Installation................................................... 3
3 - 1 Unpacking............................................ 3
3 - 2 Location............................................... 3
3 - 3 Speaker Binding Posts....................... 3-4
3 - 4 Hook-Up Options................................. 4-6
A: Line Level Inputs............................... 4-5
B: Subwoofer.......................................... 5
C: Surround Sound Processor.............. 5
D: Bi-Amplification................................. 5-6
3 - 5 Detachable Power Cord...................... 6-7
3 - 6 A.C. On / Off Switch........................... 7
CHAPTERS: Page #
5 - Advanced Features ( Continued )
5 - 2 Power Tube Blend............................. 11
5 - 3 Headphone Output............................ 11
5 - 4 Auto Bias.......................................... 11-12
5 -5 Class A Operation.............................13-14
6 - On Triodes, Pentodes & Irishmen...........14-15
6 - 1 Triodes................................................ 15-16
6 - 2 Pentodes.............................................16-17
7 - Tube Maintenance & Tube Rolling.......... 17
7 - 1 Maintenance Plan............................. 17
7 - 2 Tube Rolling..................................... 17
8 - Evolution of the TIGRIS........................ 18-19
9 - Mesa/Boogie Professional Heritage..... 19
3 - 7 Warm / Operate Switches................... 7
3 - 8 Grounding Switch............................... 7-8
3 - 9 Congratulations................................... 8
4 - On Break-In................................................. 9
5 - Advanced Features....................................9-14
5 - 1 Tandem-State Imaging....................... 9-11
A: Triode / Pentode Switching............. 9-10
B: Adjustable Negative Feedback......10-11
10 - Customer Service................................... 20
11 - Trouble Shooting................................... 20-21
12 - On Specs Versus Performance............. 21
13 - Basic Specs............................................ 22
14 - Warranty..................................................22-24
14 - 1 With the US..................................... 22
14 - 2 Outside of the US............................ 22
Registration Form......................................... 23-24
Chapter 1 PRECAUTIONS:
Your Mesa Engineering amplifier is a professional instrument. Please treat it with respect and operate it properly.
USE COMMON SENSE AND ALWAYS OBSERVE THESE PRECAUTIONS:
• Do not expose amplifier to moisture, rain or water, direct sunlight or extremely high temperatures.
• Always insure that amplifier is properly grounded.
• Always unplug A.C. power cord before changing fuse or any tubes.
• When replacing fuse, only use same type and rating.
• Avoid direct contact with heated tubes.
• When handling tubes, use gloves or a paper towel to prevent getting oils from your skin in contact with the tube’s glass
envelope. This could cause premature tube failure.
• Insure adequate air circulation around your amplifier.
• Use tube cage in the presence of small children and animals.
• Be sure to connect to an A.C. power supply that meets the power supply specifications listed on the rear of the unit. This is
especially important if you use your amplifier in a country other than the USA. Check that the voltage indicated on the rear
chassis matches that of your country’s line voltage.
• If there is any danger of lightning occuring nearby, remove the power plug from the wall socket in advance.
• To avoid damage to your speakers and other playback equipment, turn off power to all related components before making
any connections.
• Do not use excessive force in handling control buttons and switches.
• Remove the power plug from the A.C. mains socket if the unit is to be stored for an extended period of time.
• Do not use solvents such as benzene or paint thinner to clean the unit. Wipe off the exterior with soft cloth.
• Do not remove rubber feet. This would restrict air flow underneath the amplifier and could result in damage due to
overheating.
• Do not install in enclosed space unless proper ventilation is provided.
• In the unlikely event of massive tube failure (arcing and lightning inside the glass envelop), immediately turn off power and
disconnect power cord.
• Do not remove any chassis parts to get inside your amplifier. There are no user-serviceable parts inside. Tube amplifiers
operate with very high voltage. Unskilled repair attempts could result in serious injury. Leave repairs to qualified technicians.
YOUR AMPLIFIER IS CAPABLE OF VERY HIGH VOLUMES. EXPOSURE TO EXCESSIVE PLAYBACK LEVELS CAN
RESULT IN PERMANENT HEARING DAMAGE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR HEADPHONE LISTENING!
PAGE 01
Operating Instructions
Chapter 2 OVERVIEW:
Your new Mesa TIGRIS is an audiophile amplifier with a musical heritage. More than just a playback amp, the TIGRIS is a musical
instrument in its own right, handbuilt with the same commitment and passion that we bestow upon our entire line of Mesa/Boogie
products. In the realm of live performance, Mesa/Boogie products have earned a stellar reputation for 25 years of innovation,
reliability, customer service and for providing the individual soul of a treasured musical instrument. The variety of musical styles
played through our guitar tube amplifiers by some of the world’s finest musicians might serve as a model-of what you can expect from
the TIGRIS: true fidelity to the soul of your favorite music...and the flexibility to account for many different hook-up options, system
interfaces and listening preferences.
Our first High-End product, the Mesa BARON, established somewhat of a cult following as early as 1987, eight years prior to first
production. During an audiophile society demonstration of a BARON prototype, a famed designer demanded to purchase the very unit
on the spot. The Audio Critic publication called this early BARON truly astonishing and an embarrassment to the high-end tube scene
in the audiophile market. The legions of working musicians already relying on our support in the professional arena were such a fulltime commitment for us that it took many more years of growth before we could make a similar long-term commitment to you, the
music lover at home. Upon introduction at WCES 95/96, the BARON impressed many astute audio critics with its uncommon value,
construction quality and impressive musical ability. Numerous superb home audio systems have been assembled since around the
Mesa BARON amplifier, and our file of satisfied commentaries in BARON warranty cards is steadily expanding. However, it also has
become clear to us that in many respects, our flagship BARON is more amp than a lot of people actually need, with power output so
prodigious that only a minority of listeners will ever experience its full capability.
So the desire was born to design a less powerful amplifier that would offer comparable quality, but be more affordable. For most
universal appeal, we decided on the integrated amplifier model as our second High-End entry. An integrated amplifier combines all the
virtues of separate components, but simplifies the interface between the pre- and power amplifiers by building them into a common
chassis. This eliminates the need for careful impedance matching between two separate components and the cable connecting them.
It also frees the engineer to optimize the performance between these two stages to work as a fixed unit. Separate components, on the
other hand, have to be designed for maximum compatibility to accommodate the ever growing number of available partnering components. By definition then, affordable separate components will rarely be as finely tuned a design as an integrated component, and only
in very expensive separate components can the design limitations inherent in maximum compatibility be successfully addressed. The
ultimate “designer’s dream” would be to build a complete system where nothing is left to chance, every variable removed. This would
include speakers and cabinetry - exactly as we do with our many guitar amplifiers. With the TIGRIS, the critical parameters of your
system’s center, the pre-amp / power-amp - have indeed been optimized. Beyond that, your choice of associated components will
reflect your personal preferences and needs, allowing you to customize, change and grow.
TheTIGRIS was designed to work well in most every system by offering real-world drive capability. It will work equally well with
dynamic, planar or electrostatic speakers of efficiencies as low as 83 dB. For applications requiring extreme output levels due to very
low efficiency speakers, extra large room volumes, listening habits or a combination thereof, the TIGRIS is thoughtfully set up for
easy bi-amplifying without the need for an external crossover or attenuator. Beginning with the basic premise of the integrated design,
we looked at features audiophiles and music lovers would want. Some of these features, represented by visible knobs, switches, input
and output jacks, are discussed in Chapter 3, Installation. Advanced features and those which aren’t visible to the eye, but equally
important, are discussed in Chapter 5.
We assume that you must now be eager to leave the printed word behind and hear for yourself, in your home, how all of this technical
stuff translates to heavenly sonics. Please, do read through this owner’s manual first. If you are an old hand at system set-up and
confident that you don’t need our manual, be sure that you have connected your speakers via speaker cable to the speaker
output terminals of the TIGRIS before you do anything else. Turning on a tube amplifier without a load connected to the output
terminals can cause serious damage to the amplifier, especially if you accidentally run signal into it. Such damages are NOT covered by the warranty. So, prevent yourself from making such a costly mistake and connect your speakers even before plugging in the
PAGE 1
2 - OVERVIEW: ( Continued, Chassis Illustrations )
FRONT VIEW: TIGRIS
POWER
OFF
WARM
OPERATE
A.C. MAINS
POWER
ON
CD
TAPE
AUX 1
AUX 2
V
ACUUM TUBE AUDIO
HEADPHONES
TUBE BAY: TIGRIS
6V6 EL84 EL84
12AX7
6V6
2/3 TRIODE
EL84
2/3 PENTODE
ALL PENTODE
POWER SELECT
ALL PENTODE
12AX7
EL84
2/3 PENTODE
2/3 TRIODE
POWER SELECT
WARM
OPERATE
6V6
6V6
ISOLATECOUPLED
AUDIO GROUND
4 OHM COMMON 8 OHM
PURE CLASS A POWER
T
TM
IGRIS AMPLIFIER
TANDEM STATE IMAGING
Tunable Soundstaging
STAGE I STAGE II
ZERO STAGE III
NEGATIVE
FEEDBACK
PREAMP
TM
OUT
REAR BAY: TIGRIS
SPEAKERS
HEADPHONES
REAR PANEL: TIGRIS
AUX INAUX 2 IN
CD IN
TAPE IN
PAGE 2
PREAMP
OUT
SET
LEVEL
RECORDING
OUT
8 OHM COMMON 4 OHM
WARNING: To reduce risk of fire or electric shock do
not remove cover. No user serviceable parts
inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel. Do
not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.
Replace fuse with same type and rating only.
150 V
50/60 Hz
The Spirit of Art in Technology
4 AMP
FUSE
4A SB
Chapter 3 INSTALLATION:
3-1 UNPACKING:
power cord! Please retain the packing materials for future use and store in a cool, dry place. Should your TIGRIS ever require
service at the factory, it is mandatory to ship the amplifier in the original packing materials to prevent in-transit damage. Also, should
you change your living quarters, you’ll be glad to have this packing to protect your investment from the hazards of moving.
3-2 LOCATION:
The ideal location for the TIGRIS would result in the shortest lengths of speaker cable and interconnects. If you have to favor one
over the other, we recommend keeping the speaker cable as short as possible. Being a Class A biased vacuum tube device, the
TIGRIS produces considerable heat. Care needs to be exercised to insure proper ventilation. If the surrounding area includes
objects, shelving or cabinetry, you should check temperatures after initial use to insure that nearby materials remain cool to the touch.
Do not remove the rubber feet. This would rest the amplifier directly on the bottom panel and prevent airflow to the transformers
which could cause serious damage due to overheating. If you plan to experiment with cones or tiptoes, place them under or next to the
rubber feet. The later option temporarily bypasses the factory-supplied footers and allows you to evaluate the sonic results of the
aftermarket cones. If you plan to place the TIGRIS directly on a carpet, insert a slab of stone between it and the carpet, especially
if your floor covering has long fibres - otherwise even with the rubber feet, airflow will be restricted. The top shelf of a medium-height
equipment rack would be the most ideal placement. If you decide on an enclosed location, make sure you leave room for adequate
ventilation or install a temperature-sensing whisper fan.
3-3 SPEAKER BINDING POSTS:
Once you have determined your optimum location for the TIGRIS, proceed to connect your speakers to the four-way binding posts
on the Rear Bay. These binding posts are identical to those used on the BARON amplifier and some of the finest available. Do not
connect the power cord yet!
You’ll notice three posts per channel. The red center post is the Ground
NEGATIVE
/ Common, the grey the 8 Ohm tap, and the black the 4 Ohm tap. Because the TIGRIS inverts phase, you must use either the 8 or 4 Ohm
post for the ground lead, and the center post for the hot lead. This is why
the center post features the red marking as a visual reminder!*
4 OHM COMMON 8 OHM
FEEDBACK
However, use the common method on the speaker terminals - reverse
the hot-ground only on the amplifier terminals. On most speaker cable,
hot is referenced with the color red or “+” markers, and ground with the
color black, white or “-” markers. If your identifications are different, don’t worry. Merely insure that you reverse your connections on
the amplifier, not the speaker end - do not use the same lead for hot on both sides. If you make a mistake, your speakers will be wired
out-of phase. This does not cause any damage, but can make some recordings sound less than optimal. If you accidentally wire one
speaker in-phase, the other out-of-phase, you will experience partial cancellation in bass output. This is easily remedied by reconnecting the speaker cable properly.
* If you have a CD-only system and your CD player or separate D/A converter offers a phase switch, you can compensate for the
phase rotation of the TIGRIS by selecting the 180 ° setting. You could then maintain the usual practice for speaker connection and
use the red common terminal of the TIGRIS for the ground lead of your speaker cable. Don’t use both 8 Ohm and 4 Ohm posts
together, not even for bi-wiring!
How should you determine which tap to use, 8 or 4 Ohm? Mathematically, it seems a given that a speaker with a nominal 4 Ohm
rating or lower should be connected to the 4 Ohm tap. However, experience indicates that sometimes a connection to the 8 Ohm tap
PAGE 3
3-3 SPEAKER BINDING POSTS: ( Continued )
sounds superior - or vice versa. Trust your ears! You will not cause damage to your speakers or the TIGRIS by mismatching.
Experiment to obtain the most pleasing results! Spades or steel spring bananas, gold- or rhodium plated, are the preferred cable
terminations. Spades may be stacked for bi-wiring, or you can use spades and bananas simultaneously. Bare wire should be dressed
with solder to prevent strays and offer the binding post lugs a firm and even contact. Biwiring requires two pairs of binding posts on the
speakers and runs separate leads to either set. Both leads connect at the amplifier, while the shorting straps or bars at the speaker
terminals are removed. In theory, seperating the high- and low frequency driver elements in the loudspeaker reduces possible interference caused by back EMF from the bass driver to the treble unit, but not all speaker designers agree. A definite side benefit is the
increased current capability of doubling the amount of conductors. Before you spend extra money to add second runs of speaker
cable, use your existing pair of speaker cable to run one speaker in mono and compare single- and bi-wire hook-up - testing speakers
monaurally is actually the most exacting method to determine tonal changes and distortion artifacts because you remove the distractions of stereo effects and imaging.
Hand-tighten the lugs first, then add a quarter turn with a small wrench if necessary. Do not overtighten! The threads on these posts
are very fine, and automobile tire-like torque will strip them.
3-4 HOOK-UP OPTIONS:
A: Line Level Inputs - The TIGRIS offers four line level RCA single-ended inputs, with corresponding positions on the frontmounted input selector - CD, Tape, Aux 1, Aux 2. For convenience’s sake, these inputs have been labeled. Remember, however, that
with the exception of a turntable, these inputs are fully interchangeable to accomodate the components that you wish to hook-up.
For example, if you do not presently own a CD player but have two tape decks, a tuner and a TV, you may connect those components
without worry. You will only have to remember that the CD input now corresponds with the TV, tape II with Aux 1 - or however you have
arranged your connections.
The inputs and outputs are arranged in two horizontal rows, with the left channel jacks, marked white, in the lower row and the right
channel jacks, marked red, in the upper row. The two output terminals are the outermost left and right pairs, with all the input terminals
inbetween. Each pair is clearly marked.
If you are not sure whether you have accidentally reversed channels, use a classical recording to check the location of the violins and
double basses- the violins should be to the left, the double basses to the right.
REAR PANEL: TIGRIS
WARNING: To reduce risk of fire or electric shock
PURE CLASS A POWER
T
TANDEM STATE IMAGING
TM
IGRIS AMPLIFIER
Tunable Soundstaging
do not remove cover. No user serviceable parts
inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel. Do
not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.
Replace fuse with same type and rating only.
PREAMP
TM
OUT
AUX INAUX 2 IN
CD IN
TAPE IN
RECORDING
OUT
The Spirit of Art in Technology
150 V
50/60 Hz
4 AMP
FUSE
4A SB
Due to its minute output ( Millivolts as opposed to the .5 or 2 Volts of a tapedeck or CD player ), a turntable is NOT a standard line level
input and needs its signal preamplified and equalized for RIAA before the TIGRIS can amplify it properly. Turntable preamps, also
called phono stages, are available from a variety of manufacturers such as McCormack, Parasound, Creek and others. A turntable
connected to such a phono stage may now be connected to any of the inputs of the TIGRIS. Do NOT connect a turntable DIRECTLY to a line level input!
The Tape Output is a unity-level output and not controlled by the TIGRIS Volume control. Whatever incoming signal has been
selected via the rotary input selector on the Front Panel, is fed through to the Tape Output. You could also consider a tape output a
PAGE 4
3-4 HOOK-UP OPTIONS: (Continued)
Y connector of sorts, because it effectively adds a second pair of outputs to every source component you own. If you want to run two
systems from the same source component, you can connect a preamplifier to the Tape Output, which in turn would control a second
amplifier. This of course would obliterate this output for recording purposes. To record, the Tape Outputs are connected to the inputs
of an anolog recording machine such as a tapedeck or VCR (audio only), or the analog inputs of a digital recorder such as a DAT,
CDR or Minidisc.
Again, the OUT / PLAY terminals from your tape deck connect to the jacks labeled TAPE IN on the TIGRIS, and the IN / RECORD
ports of your tape deck connect to the TAPE OUT jacks on the TIGRIS. The Tape Out of the TIGRIS is NOT suitable to feed a
powered subwoofer. The non-attenuated music signal will overload your subwoofer and result in excessive playback levels, with likely
damage to the bass driver. Because the TAPE OUT signal is unaffected by the Volume control, a proper level balance with a subwoofer
could only be achieved for one fixed volume setting, which is also true for a surround sound processor or equalizer. Thus use the Tape
Outs for recording purposes only - or to feed another preamplifier if you desire two seperate systems to be fed from the same source
components, and don’t mind loosing this output for recording purposes. The TIGRIS does not have provisions for separate listen /
record functions - thus connecting a preamplifier to the Tape Outs does not result in a truly independant second system; you cannot
listen to two different music sources simultaneously.
Because the Tape Out derives its signal directly from the music source, you should evaluate whether connecting your tape deck
causes degradation to the main signal. This will depend entirely on the match-up of components, but it is conceivable that a tubed
phono preamp ( for example ) would be noticeably loaded by some tape decks. If this is the case, you should plug into the Tape Out
only when you actually want to record.
B: Subwoofer Connection - The Preamp Output with its own dedicated Level Set attenuator is a very flexible feature that allows
additional hook-up options. It is controlled by two attenuators, the front-mounted main rotary Volume control, and the “level set”
attenuator located in the Rear Bay. You may connect to a powered subwoofer’s line level inputs. Because the preamp output inverts
phase like the speaker outputs, your subwoofer phase control should be set to 180 degrees. If your subwoofer does not allow phase
compensation, then you should hook-up your main speakers with the ground leg of the speaker cable connected to the red common
tap inverted hook-up. This creates a proper phase relationship between subwoofer and main speakers, a prerequisite for proper bass
performance. The Level Set control should be opened ca. 25%. The subwoofer’s Volume control is then used to fine-adjust the
relative level of subwoofer to main speakers. This adjustment is done by ear or with the help of a sound pressure meter. You only set
it once, unless the physical set-up of the speakers or subwoofer within the room, or the room itself, changes. After the subwoofer/
main speaker level has been set to create an even, flat composite frequency response between the speakers and subwoofer, the
TIGRIS’ Front Panel Volume control will then control both main speakers and subwoofer in tandem. ( For further details on proper
level matching, refer to the equivalent section below where bi-amplification is discussed.)
C: Surround Sound Processor Connection - If you plan to use the TIGRIS as the control center of a stereo / home theater system,
you may use the Preamp Out to drive your surround sound processor. Your primary speakers, front left and right, will be driven by the
TIGRIS, while the subwoofer, center and rear speakers will be fed from the surround sound processor’s built-in amplifier or the multi
channel amp the processor is hooked up to. Just like the previously discussed subwoofer option, the surround sound processor hookup utilizes the Level Set attenuator in approximately a 25% open position. The speakers fed from the processor ( center and rear )
must be connected out-of-phase, with the hot and ground leads reversed, if the processor is phase-correct, and standard if the
processor is phase-inverting. Your processor will have its own, built-in Master Volume control and secondary attenuators to balance
the relative level of center-and rear channel speaker outputs. To adjust the balance between front, center and surround speakers, use
the processor’s test tone generator and the individual channel trim pots. Thereafter, the front-mounted Volume control of the TIGRIS
will be the Master Volume control of your surround sound system. With a subwoofer connected to the surround sound processor, your
main speakers will run full-range irregardless of what high-pass frequency the processor allows you to select. Such a processor
crossover, if set to limit the response of the main, center and rear channels, will only affect the center and rear speakers because the
main speaker are being driven by the TIGRIS directly.
D: Bi-Amplification - If you plan on vertically bi-amplifying your main speakers, ( they will need to have 2 pairs of speaker binding
posts with removable bridging straps,) you may use the Preamp Out to feed your secondary power amplifier. Many speakers are
designed with the option to biwire or biamp, and will in fact not offer their full performance potential until they are properly bi-amplified.
PAGE 5
3-4 HOOK-UP OPTIONS: ( Continued )
Passive vertical bi-amplification does not require an electronic crossover. It simply means having two amplifiers of equal or unequal
power drive the high - and low frequency drive units of your loudspeakers separately. This is different from using monoblocks where
each one-channel amplifier drives only one speaker, or from horizontal bi-amping, where one 2-channel amplifier per speaker drives
the high and low frequency inputs with one channel each. In a vertical bi-amplification set-up, the more powerful amplifier is dedicated
to the speaker’s bass drivers because they require higher power than the tweeter / midrange units.
If you have a basic stereo power amp of equal or higher power output than the TIGRIS, that amplifier can drive the woofer inputs of
your speakers, while the TIGRIS’ speaker outputs connect to your speaker’s tweeter / midrange terminals. Because the TIGRIS is
phase-inverting, the signal fed to the second amplifier is 180 degrees out-of-phase. If the second amp is a phase-correct design, the
speaker leads connected to it must be inverted just like the speaker leads on the TIGRIS. If the second amp is a phase-inverting
design, hook up the speaker leads in normal fashion, hot-to-hot, ground-to-ground. To account for the difference in power output and
input sensitivity between the TIGRIS power amp section and your second power amplifier, you now use the Level Set attentuator on
the TIGRIS Rear Bay to equalize their power outputs. Take your time and do this accurately!
If for example, your second amplifier is a 150 Watt per channel amp, its output is approximately 5 times higher than the TIGRIS
depending also on the Pentode / Triode configuration and Feedback level you have chosen. Without adjusting the Level Set attenuator, your speaker’s woofers will play in excess of 6dB louder than the midrange / tweeters - not what the speaker designer labored
over or the recording engineer worked for.
To insure flat frequency response, it is easiest to playback a test CD with prerecorded signals of decreasing frequency but steady
amplitude, such as Stereophile’s Test CD. You may order this particular CD by calling 1-800-358-6274. While the tone signals slowly
traverse the frequency range from high to low like a musical scale, your speaker’s tweeter will hand over playback to the midrange
and then to the bass driver. Your job will be to determine whether all test tones will be equally loud at your listening position, especially
where the TIGRIS hands over playback responsibilities to your bass amplifier.
To make sure you recognize the frequency window where the amplifiers hand over, turn off the second amp while the test tones play
back and make a mental note at which tone the apparent volume begins to drop and at which note playback stops entirely. The
window is between these two spots. Now turn on the second amp and repeat the playback of the entire scale. Adjust the Level Set
control if necessary. Even though your ears alone are a good judge, a more precise way to check for linearity would be to use a sound
level meter.
If you notice irregularities outside of this frequency window, you have less-than-linear speakers, room-induced anomalies or a
combination of both. Room-induced aberrations, such as boominess of certain notes or a suck-out of others (a region of apparent
signal loss,) can be addressed with room treatments, speaker placement, equalizers or a combination of these variables. Room
treatments are objects that either reflect or absorb sound waves at predetermined frequencies to counteract how the room responds
to what the speakers are reproducing. Sometimes repositioning the speakers by merely inches can address most or all of such
problems.
Thus before you invest in room treatments, experiment with speaker location, i.e. distance from the rear wall, distance between
speakers, distance from the listening seat, toe-in and tilt-back angle and, on stand-mounted speakers, speaker height. If you have
reason to believe that your room or speaker location is less than satisfactory, and you fail to resolve the problem to your satisfaction,
consult your retailer for advice. Whenever you bi-amp, make sure the bridging straps between your speaker’s dual binding
posts are removed! You risk seriously damaging the TIGRIS and your other power amplifier if you leave the two hot and the
two ground terminals on the rear of your speakers connected !
E: Basic Multi Room Connection - A fourth hook-up option for the Preamp Output is in a multi-room installation where a second
power amp, rather than driving a section of your main speakers, powers a second pair of speakers in a different room. Now the Level
Set attenuator of the TIGRIS is used to adjust the relative output level between rooms. Should you wish to mute the speakers in the
main room while the secondary room remains active, engage the Headphone selector. When muting speakers with the Headphone
switch in this scenario, it is best to operate with the lowest possible setting of the Master Volume control by turning up the Level Set
PAGE 6
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