Audio Note MEISHU Phono Silver Signature Technical manual

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MEISHU Phono
Silver Signature
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INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
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OWNER’S INFORMATION
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1) IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
2) CE DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
DISPOSAL
POWER REQUIREMENTS
3) INTRODUCTION
4) OVERVIEW
UNPACKING AND INSTALLATION
5) VALVE INSTALLATION
6) CONNECTION
7) OPERATION
8) TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
9) WARRANTY INFORMATION
10) CONTACT INFORMATION
CONTENTS
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! IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION !
RISK OF SHOCK OR ELECTROCUTION! INTERNAL OPERATING
VOLTAGES ARE LETHAL!
Do not remove top cover, unless specifically instructed to do so in the user
manual.
This unit contains fuses and other safety components in accordance with
BS60065 requirements.
In the event of failure, replacement fuse or safety component must be of
the same part type and value.
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This product generates high levels of heat. Adequate ventilation must
be provided. Do not restrict airflow through any ventilation slots or
place the unit on any surface that may restrict airflow.
Valve equipment operates at extremely high temperatures;
KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN AND ANIMALS.!
Do not store or operate this unit in areas of high humidity or in close
proximity to water / moisture.
Do not expose or immerse the unit in liquid of any kind.
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This product must be earthed –ensure that the mains supply cable earth /
ground is correctly connected.
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OTHER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS: -
Never touch the power cord with wet hands.
Always remove the power cord by grasping the plug, not the cable.
Never expose the unit to excessive heat or magnetism.
Never let an inexperienced person repair or reassemble the unit.
Never put anything, especially metal objects, inside the unit.
Never place excessive weight on the unit.
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SUCH REPLACEMENT MUST ONLY BE CARRIED OUT BY A
QUALIFIED SERVICE TECHNICIAN.
Do not attempt to replace any fuses without first disconnecting the unit from
the mains electricity supply.!

CE DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
DISPOSAL
This product must not be disposed of as normal household waste. To
prevent possible harm to the environment please separate the product
from other waste to ensure that it can be recycled in an environmentally
safe manner. Please contact your retailer or the appropriate local
government office for collection facilities.
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We declare under our sole responsibility that this product is in conformity
with the following standards or standardized documents:
BS EN 60065 in accordance with the regulations 73/23/EEC, 89/336/EEC
(from 1 January 1997)
CE 94
Peter Qvortrup,
Director
Audio Note (UK) Limited
25 Montefiore Road
Hove
East Sussex
BN3 1RD
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
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POWER REQUIREMENTS
Power requirements for electrical equipment vary depending on your geographical
location. Please ensure that your unit meets the power requirements in your area. The
power requirement for your unit is marked on the serial number plate, located on the
rear panel.
If you are in doubt, please contact your dealer before plugging the unit into the mains
supply.
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Thank you for purchasing this Audio Note (UK) product. With the correct care it
should give you many years of pleasure and enjoyment.
Please take the time to read all of the information in this manual before connecting
your new component to an electrical supply or your system, to ensure both your
safety and satisfaction.
Please note that due to our desire to continually improve products, specifications are
subject to change without notice. Therefore it is important to refer to the manual that
is supplied with your product for the most accurate information; manuals downloaded
from our website or obtained from other sources may no longer fully apply to your
product.
If you have any questions regarding the information contained within this document
or your new component, please feel free to contact us: -
Audio Note (UK) Limited
25 Montefiore Road
Hove
East Sussex
BN3 1RD
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [email protected]o.uk
INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on your purchase of the Audio Note (UK) Meishu Phono Silver
Signature Integrated Amplifier.
It is a Pure Class A Singled Ended valve amplifier that uses the highly regarded 300B
direct heated triode valve, producing a level of performance that is radically superior
to the vast majority of current designs.
It has been specifically engineered for sonic performance rather than technical
specification, and fulfills all Audio Note (UK) Level 3 criteria: -
Pure Class A operation
Zero Negative Feedback
Single Ended Output Stage
Valve Rectification
Directly Heated Triode operation
Materials and component quality
The Silver Signature version builds upon the already superb performance of the
standard Meishu, and features the following additions: -
Audio Note Silver wiring
Audio Note Copper Foil signal capacitors
Audio Note Tantalum film resistors
IHiB C-core output transformers
Please take care when unpacking your Meishu Phono Silver Signature Integrated
Amplifier. Choose a clean, clear location to unpack your unit. Be aware that the
amplifier is very heavy; before attempting to unpack or lift the unit, check the weight
and if necessary use more than one person so that it can be moved safely and
easily.
We recommend that you retain and carefully store all of the original packing
materials, in case transportation / shipping is required at a later date.
Select a suitable location for the unit. This should be a dry, dust free and level area,
preferably shielded from direct sunlight and free from vibration. Also ensure that the
location is stable and capable of carrying the weight of the unit.
A suitable mains power outlet must be close to the location; power cords must not be
pulled or stretched tightly in an attempt to reach a wall socket. If the power cord will
not easily reach the socket, choose a closer location!
Please ensure that adequate ventilation for the unit is provided, and that airflow
through any ventilation slots in the unit is not restricted. We recommend a distance of
at least 30cm free space is maintained above the unit. Please also remember that
valve equipment operates at extremely high temperatures, so a position that is
inaccessible to any children or animals is essential.
MEISHU PHONO SILVER SIGNATURE
UNPACKING AND INSTALLATION

(Note; all internal images show the Meishu Line amplifier. The Meishu Phono Silver
Signature also contains an extra phonostage board, located to the left of the main
circuit board)
The amplifier is shipped without the 3 large valves installed. It is necessary to install
the valves first.
It is essential that the valves are installed correctly or serious damage that is not
covered by the warranty will result. We recommend that your dealer perform
this procedure for you if you are in any way unsure.
FIRSTLY, ENSURE THAT THE AMPLIFIER IS NOT CONNECTED TO A MAINS
ELECTRICAL SUPPLY, AND THAT THE POWER CORD IS NOT CONNECTED TO
THE AMPLIFIER.
Using a No.2 pozidrive® screwdriver, remove the 6 x screws for the top and 7 x
screws for each side of the top cover.
Now remove the 3 valves that are packed inside the amplifier. Also inspect the inside
of the amplifier to check that nothing has become damaged during transit including
the remaining 5 smaller valves.
Carefully unwrap the 3 valves. You will find the following: -
2 x 300B valves
1 x 5U4G valve.
Once again, please understand that it is absolutely vital these valves are fitted
correctly.
Looking from the front of the amplifier install the 300B valves first: -
VALVE INSTALLATION

FRONT
Inspect a 300B valve base and you will notice that two of the pins are larger than the
other two; this is to help ensure that the valve can only be inserted one way.
The larger pins must face each other when each valve is inserted into the appropriate
valve base on the central board.
With gentle but firm pressure insert the valve into its socket. Check again that both
valves are fully inserted correctly in to their respective valve sockets.
Looking from the front of the amplifier, insert the 5U4G valve into the last empty
socket located on the right, situated between two smaller valves. Locate the rib on
the central pin of the valve and align with the valve base (it can only be inserted one
way due to this locating rib) and with gentle but firm pressure insert the valve.
Check once again that all valves are correctly fitted, and then replace the top
cover.
VALVE INSTALLATION Continued…

Line inputs Four line level inputs are available for connection to CD, Aux, Tuner
and Tape In.
Connect the ‘Line Out’ sockets of your Recording device to the ‘Tape
In’ sockets of the Meishu, and the ‘Tape-Out’ sockets on the Meishu to
the ‘Line In’ sockets of your Recording device.
Phono input The Meishu Phono Silver Signature is equipped with a high quality,
valve, Moving Magnet (MM) phonostage. Connect the cables from
your tonearm to the ‘Phono’ socket inputs. If your turntable is
equipped with a separate earth wire, connect this to the dedicated
grounding / earth post, located next to the ‘Phono’ input sockets.
If you wish to use a low output Moving Coil (MC) cartridge, Audio Note
manufactures a series of Step Up Transformers for this purpose. For
further information, please contact your Audio Note (UK) Dealer, or
alternatively please contact us direct.
Ground Post A ground post is provided for connection to those source components
that also use a separate ground terminal.
Speakers Each channel is equipped with 3 colour coded binding posts for
connection to your speakers.
Looking from the front of the amplifier, the 3 binding posts to the left
are for the left channel and the 3 binding posts to the right are for the
right channel.
Connect the amplifiers black speaker output binding post marked as
“0” to the black / negative terminal (also marked “ –“) on the speaker.
Connect the amplifiers red speaker output binding post marked “8
Ohm” to the red / positive terminal (also marked “ + “) on the speaker.
The other red speaker output binding post is marked “4 Ohm” and
may be used with 4 Ohm speakers. If you are uncertain whether your
speaker system is specified as 4 or 8 Ohm, try the following test once
all other connections are made and the amplifier is operational.
Compare the sound quality using a familiar recording with the
speakers connected to the 8 ohm connections and then the 4 Ohm
connections respectively. The selection that produces the best
frequency balance and maximum dynamics should be used.
Mains The Meishu is equipped with an IEC 320 mains inlet socket. Use the
supplied mains cable to connect the unit to the local mains supply.
The mains fuse and a spare is located in the inlet socket fuse drawer.
CONNECTION

Once all the connections are completed and checked, ensure that the volume control
is at the minimum setting (rotated all the way left).
Turn on the amplifier by using the rocker switch located on the rear top right of the
back panel, just above mains inlet socket.
The red front panel light should now be lit. The amplifier requires approximately two
minutes to initialize before it is ready for operation.
Function Selector Turn the selector to the source you wish to listen to; choose
from Phono, CD, AUX or Tuner.
Record Selector This selector allows you to listen to the output from your
Recording Device, if one has been connected. Turn the
selector to ‘Source’ to listen to the input chosen with the
Function Selector, and turn to ‘Tape’ to hear the output from
your Recording device.
Volume Control This control adjusts the listening level, or loudness. Set as
desired!
Balance Control This control adjusts the relative left/right levels. Use this control
if necessary to equalize the loudness from each speaker.
Bedding in The new amplifier requires about 200 hours of initial use (called
“bedding in”) before the circuitry becomes stable and optimum
performance is realized.
As the amplifier “beds in” the sound will become increasingly
smoother, detailed and open.
Once the amplifier has “bedded in” a warm up time of
approximately 30 to 45 minutes is required each time the
amplifier is switched on before optimum sonic performance is
reached.
Cleaning No special maintenance is required for the amplifier. Use a
soft, clean lint free cloth to remove any surface marks from the
casework. For finger marks / grease, use a soft, clean lint free
cloth, lightly moistened with a solution of warm water and mild
detergent. Do not use any alcohol or solvent based cleaning
products, as they may damage the finish of the amplifier.
ENSURE THAT THE AMPLIFIER IS SWITCHED OFF AND
DISCONNECTED FROM THE MAINS ELECTRICITY
SUPPLY BEFORE UNDERTAKING ANY CLEANING.
Valve Life The valves supplied with your amplifier should provide
approximately 6000 hours of operation. They are specially
selected by us, and should only be replaced with matched
pairs. Please consult your Audio Note (UK) dealer should your
valves need replacing.
OPERATION

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
INPUT IMPEDANCE
INPUT SENSITIVITY
MAXIMUM OUTPUT
CHANNEL BALANCE
VALVE COMPLIMENT
UNIT WEIGHT
SHIPPING WEIGHT
(ORIGINAL PACKAGING)
UNIT DIMENSIONS
SHIPPING DIMENSIONS
(ORIGINAL PACKAGING)
MAINS INPUT
MAINS FUSE
MAX. POWER
CONSUMPTION
NOTE
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100K Ohm, line level
47K Ohm, Phono input
450mV for full output
8 watts RMS per channel into 4 or 8 Ohm
loads
+/-0.3dB
1 x 5U4G
2 x 300B
2 x 6X5
2 x 5687
1 x 6SN7
1 x ECC83
1 x 6DJ8 / ECC88
27.5KG
40KG
220mm (h) x 460mm (w) x 530mm (d)
420mm (h) x 650mm (w) x 670mm (d)
AC 100-120V/220-240V 50/60 Hz
3.15A Anti Surge (110/120V Supply)
1.2A Anti Surge (200/240V Supply)
200 Watts
Due to Audio Note (UK)’s ongoing
research and development program,
specifications are subject to change
without notice.
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Audio Note (UK) warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and
workmanship for two yearsfrom the original date of purchase from an appointed
Audio Note (UK) dealer, and agrees to cover the cost of parts and associated labour
required to correct such defects, subject to terms & conditions.
This Warranty is offered to the first purchaser only.
Any valves supplied with the unit are warranted for three months from the original
date of purchase.
If the product fails in normal domestic use and during the Warranty period due to the
above described faults or defects, Audio Note (UK) will,at its discretion, repair or
replace the item free of charge within a reasonable time once it has been returned to
Audio Note (UK) or an appointed Audio Note (UK) dealer or service engineer.
Audio Note (UK) is not liable for any shipping charges incurred whilst transporting the
product to or from Audio Note (UK) or an appointed Audio Note (UK) dealer or
service engineer, should the item require service or repair during or after the
Warranty period.
If the product must be shipped, please use the original packaging materials and
include a copy of the original sales receipt along with a note explaining, in as much
detail as possible, the problems you are experiencing with the unit.
Only use a reputable Courier Service or Shipping Agent, and ensure that your
product is insured during transit.
Any servicing, repairs or modificationsnot authorized by Audio Note (UK), or
carried out by persons other than appointed Audio Note (UK) service
engineers will invalidate any warranty.
This Warranty does NOT cover: -
Damage sustained whilst in the possession of a shipping agent, retailer or consumer
and not caused as a direct result of defects in materials or workmanship.
Damage caused by normal wear and tear.
Damage or defects caused by abnormal or unreasonable use.
Damage caused by accident, acts of nature, misuse or neglect.
Damage caused by a failure to follow the operating and installation instructions
supplied with the product.
Damage caused by improper or careless cleaning.
Audio Note (UK) reserves the right to refuse warranty for any component of which
the serial number has been removed, defaced or tampered with.
WARRANTY INFORMATION

Audio Note (UK) Limited
25 Montefiore Road
Hove
East Sussex
BN3 1RD
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [email protected]o.uk
CONTACT INFORMATION
If in the future your Audio Note (UK) product
requires servicing, or if you require technical support
or have any questions regarding this or any of our
other products, please contact your local Audio Note
(UK) dealer.
Alternatively, please feel free to contact us directly: -!