Talk electronics Tornado 2.2 User Manual

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TALK ELECTRONICS LTD. THE OLD BARN HIGHER PARK FARM HALEBOURNE LANE CHOBHAM SURREY GU24 8SL

EL: +44 (0)8456 123388 E-MAIL: [email protected] www.talkelectronics.com

Tornado 2.2 Stereo Power Amp

User Manual

Talk Electronics

Page 2

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing a Talk Electronics Tornado power ampliﬁer. We are conﬁdent that it will provide you with many years of musical enjoyment and reliable service. However, please take the time to read this guide thoroughly before using the ampliﬁer. It explains how to install and connect it, and suggests how to ensure that you always enjoy its optimum performance.

UNPACKING LIST

Power ampliﬁer Instruction manual AC power cord Guarantee card

NOTE: We recommend that the supplied AC power cord is replaced with a high quality Merlin Cables power cord for best results. Please be aware that this unit is not supplied with interconnects and we recommend the use of the Merlin series of interconnect cables.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

HOW TO SITE AND CONNECT YOUR TORNADO POWER AMPLIFIER FOR

BEST PERFORMANCE AND SAFE OPERATION

Please unpack your ampliﬁer carefully and position it on a stable, level surface close to a mains socket. Before attempting to connect it into your system please read this manual carefully.

The Tornado will perform well when placed on a cof

fee table or bookshelf but if you wish to achieve the best performance we suggest you place it on a specialist hi-ﬁ support. There are many suitable designs available, which your dealer will be happy to advise you about.

Position the ampliﬁer so that it will not be subjected to high ambient temperatures: avoid sites where it will be in direct sunlight or close to a central heat

ing radiator. For your own safety - and your ampli

Tornado User Manual

ﬁer’s well-being - do not allow it to come into contact with water. Keep it away from potted plants to avoid those all-too-common watering accidents! To clean the ampliﬁer’s case disconnect it from the wall socket and wipe it with a barely damp, lint-free cloth or chamois leather. If you suspect that water has entered the casework, return the ampliﬁer to your dealer so that he can examine it.

Once you have installed the ampliﬁer

please do not

throw away its packaging.

If you move home or need to return the unit to your dealer for example for upgrade, the original packaging will protect it and ensure it arrives undamaged.

ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS

Using your mains lead of choice, connect the ampliﬁer directly to a wall socket. We strongly recom

mend that you do not use extension blocks as they degrade sound quality. For the same reason we also advise against “line ﬁlters” and “mains conditioners”. If your mains supply is noisy or you have household appliances that generate clicks and pops that can be heard through your hi-ﬁ system, have an electrician correct the problem at its source. We do however recommend the use of ‘Merlin Cables’ power chords which do not interfere with the current ﬂow and offer a signiﬁcant performance improvement.

Should you need to replace the fuse in your (UK) mains plug, please ﬁt only the correct replacement type. This is a standard 5A.

If, for any reason, you wish to replace the plug or cable, please note that the lead must be connected as follows. NOTE: These instructions apply in the United Kingdom only - consult your dealer about wiring conventions in other countries.

Green and yellow wire connects to EARTH (E or symbol ) Blue wire connects to NEUTRAL (N) Brown wire connects to LIVE (L)

This unit must be earthed.

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SIGNAL CONNECTIONS

The Tornado Series was developed using high quality interconnects and speaker cables from Merlin Cables, these allow the ampliﬁers to operate as intended and deliver their optimum performance. We strongly recommend that you use these cables for all connections. You can obtain these from your dealer or distributor..

Please note that we particularly advise you not to use solid core interconnect or speaker cables, or any type of high capacitance speaker cables. We further suggest that you use short cable runs. Try to keep interconnects to 2 metres/6 feet or less and speaker cable runs below 10 metres/30 feet. Even though a Tornado ampliﬁer will drive longer speaker cables you will ﬁnd its performance improves with shorter cables. The use of “litz” or “goertz” type cables may cause your ampliﬁer to overheat under certain cir

cumstances. These are best avoided.

REAR PANEL

A diagram can be found on page 6 of this manual.

MAINS CONNECTIONS

The Tornado’s mains switch is ﬁtted on the left of the rear panel (when viewed from the rear). Use this to switch off the ampliﬁer completely. Next to it is an IEC socket into which the supplied mains lead ﬁts. If an internal fuse should blow i.e. the blue LED will not illuminate when the ampliﬁer is not hot but plugged in and switched on, then the ampliﬁer should be returned to your dealer for examination. Any replace

ment should only be of an identical type.

The ampliﬁer, whilst powered ON, will be warm to the touch even as idle, due to the class A quiescent current ﬂowing in the output stage. This is perfectly normal.

INPUT CONNECTIONS

The input sockets for the Tornado are either RCA phono or XLR balanced. Connect your pre-am

pliﬁer’s main audio outputs to these. Use the rear mounted switch to select the input type that you have connected to. The switch points towards the input selected. Left and right are clearly marked, see rear panel diagram.

SPEAKER CONNECTIONS

Gold plated 5-way binding posts are provided for your speakers. The red terminal is the positive con

nection and the black terminal is negative. If you use bare cables or spade terminals that require clamping in the binding posts, be sure to arrange the leads so that they do not short-circuit the ampliﬁer. Clamp the connections tightly but do not over-tighten them: do not, for instance, tighten the binding posts with

pliers. Check this sort of connection periodically to make sure that the wire is still tightly gripped. Better still, use high quality cables factory ﬁtted with appropriate plugs! The uppermost pair is for the left channel, whilst the bottom pair is for the right channel.

Tornado ampliﬁers are suitable for use with most cur

rent loudspeaker systems with an impedance rating between 4 and 16 Ohms. Contact your dealer if you have a particularly unusual loudspeaker system and are uncertain about how your ampliﬁer might react to it. Under all normal circumstances the ampliﬁer is well protected against encounters with demanding speakers: it has thermal protection, voltage and cur

rent limiting and DC offset protection.

MUTE LINK INPUT

This is to allow simultaneous mute control over the power ampliﬁer when used with a Hurricane preampliﬁer, just connect using the 3.5mm jack lead provided with your Hurricane pre-ampliﬁer.

BI-WIRING

Although there are not two sets of speaker terminals provided, if you intend to bi-wire - or tri-wire - your loudspeakers, we recommend that you use cables correctly ﬁtted with a single pair of plugs at the am

pliﬁer end for four reasons. 1) To bi/tri wire properly you should have a common ground point. 2) Trying to squeeze two or three individual cables into a bind

ing post will give a poor connection that will degrade sound quality. 3) It increases the likelihood of wiring one or more of the speaker drive units out of phase by reversing its connections. 4) It invites accidents through wires breaking free and shorting the ampliﬁ

er’s output.

FRONT PANEL

Although there are no front panel controls Connecting the mute link cable between your Hurricane preampliﬁer (if you have one) will operate internal relays that connect the audio signal to the loudspeakers when the mute button on the Hurricane’s front panel is pressed once. To un-mute press it a second time. It does not connect the mains supply to the ampliﬁer: the actual mains power switch is on the rear panel.

If you do not have a Hurricane pre-ampliﬁer then the Tornado will un-mute itself automatically a few seconds after being powered on.

Leaving the mains supply permanently connected and silencing the ampliﬁer with the Hurricane’s mute switch means the Tornado will deliver optimum performance immediately it is brought out of its “standby” state.

When the ampliﬁer’s output is muted the red indica

tor light on the front panel extinguishes.

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SPECIFICATIONS TORNADO 2.2

Type Stereo Nominal power output 20-20k 8 ohms 100W Input impedance 22k ohms Input sensitivity 1V for full output Distortion 1KHz 8Ohms <0.005% Mains Voltage 230V or 115V AC ± 10% Dimensions width 440mm height 89mm depth 325mm

(allow at least 400mm for connections)

Weight per unit unpacked 16.2kg

ALK ELECTRONICS LTD. THE OLD BARN HIGHER PARK FARM HALEBOURNE LANE CHOBHAM SURREY GU24 8SL

EL: +44 (0)8456 123388 E-MAIL: [email protected] www.talkelectronics.com

Talk Electronics’ policy of continued research and development means that the above speciﬁcation may change without notice. The Tornado has been manufactured to conform with the protection requirements of the EC Council directive 89/336/EEC relating to EMC by application of the following standards: EN50081-1 1997 Emissions Standard EN50082-1 1997 Immunity Standard and also the requirements of the EC low voltage directive relating to electrical safety by application of the following standard BSEN60065: 2002 Safety standard For the purposes of testing the Tornado was used with the mains cables and high quality interconnects supplied by Merlin Cables. Compliance with the above standards can only be made if the unit is installed as per this manual and using the correct cables.

*Guarantee: 3 Years return to dealer.

To help us provide you with the most efﬁcient service please return your guarantee card promptly. Your ampliﬁer is guaranteed against manufacturing and component defects for a period of 3 years. The guarantee does not cover and damage caused by accident, misuse, neglect or through incorrect installation, adjustment or repair by unauthorised personnel or the cost of collecting the Tornado from you and returning it to the dealer. The above does not effect your statutory rights as a consumer.

E & OE. Due to our policy of continued development we reserve the right to change the speciﬁcations at any time.

*Upon return of Guarantee Card

PROTECTION MODE

INTERNAL FUSES

If for any reason these are found to have blown or the red LED on the front panel will not illuminate within 20 seconds of power up, then the protection circuits have identiﬁed a possible fault condition. The ampliﬁer should immediately be switched off and returned to your dealer or distributor for examination. There are no user serviceable parts in your power ampliﬁer. Units contain lethal voltages, so only quali

ﬁed personnel should service your ampliﬁer.

HINTS AND TIPS

Although you can stack a Tornado power ampliﬁer with a pre-ampliﬁer and other components, your sys

tem will not perform at its best if you do. The power supply in the ampliﬁer can induce hum into sensitive components.

When using a Tornado with our Hurricane pre-ampliﬁer we recommend that you place the units side by side or arrange them on separate shelves of a system rack, separated by about 15cm. Keep your turntable, if you are using one, as far away as pos

sible from the power ampliﬁer.

Don’t be tempted to take a little look inside the am

pliﬁer: there’s nothing very exciting to see and there are some dangerous voltages ﬂoating about inside its case. Similarly, do not try to modify or “improve” the design with the latest audiophile fad components. We know what we are doing and we chose the most appropriate components for this design. We certainly will not repair the ampliﬁer under guar

antee if you’ve been ﬁddling with it!

Talk Electronics

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GUARANTEE

To extend your guarantee from 1 year to 3 years FREE of charge please complete and return this form

TALK ELECTRONICS LTD. T

HE OLD BARN

HIGHER PARK FARM HALEBOURNE LANE C

HOBHAM

SURREY GU24 8SL U

NITED KINGDOM

FOLD HERE

Customer Name __________________________

Address _________________________________

_________________________________________

Post Code _______________________________

E-mail address ____________________________

Data Protection Act Your details will be held by Talk Electronics Ltd. for promotional and statistical purposes.

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If you do not wish to receive marketing information please tick this box

Model: Tornado 2.2

Purchase date ____________________________

Price paid ________________________________

Serial Number ____________________________

Colour:

■

Black ■ Silver

Type:

■

Stereo ■ Mono

Where did you purchase your Tornado 2.2

_________________________________________

How did you hear about Talk Electronics?

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Existing customer

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Family/Friend

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Dealer

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Advertising

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Review

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Internet

Other ____________________________________

Please tell us about the rest of your system

CD Player ________________________________

Pre-ampliﬁer ______________________________

Tuner ____________________________________

Speakers ________________________________

Mains Cables _____________________________

Interconnect Cables _______________________

Speaker Cables ___________________________

Why did you choose the Tornado 2.2

_________________________________________

Are you interested in Home Cinema?

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Yes ■ No ■ Undecided

Have you visited our website?

www.talkelectronics.com

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Yes ■ No ■ Do not have connection

Comments _______________________________

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REAR PANEL LAYOUT