Bel Canto REF1000 User manual

REF1000
e.One™Series
Mono Audio
Power Amplifier
Bel Canto Design, LTD.
212 Third Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.belcantodesign.com
[email protected]
©2005 Bel Canto Design, LTD
User's Guide and Operating Information

page 2©2005 bel canto design, Ltd. REF1000 User’s Guide 1105 Rev.A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Bel Canto Design Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Design Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Initial Setup and Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 & 7
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
The Bel Canto Design e.One Series REF1000 is a perfect example of what can be
accomplished when elegant engineering and depth of empirical knowledge are
combined. All components are selected for high sound quality, precision, techni-
cal performance, and material quality. Bel Canto’s circuit designs and component
quality will provide superb performance and years of listening satisfaction.
REF1000
Mono Audio Power Amplifier
™

page 3©2005 bel canto design, Ltd.
Bel Canto Design audio products are designed to bring you closer to the power
and beauty of your music. Our goal is simply to provide the most expressive and
powerful musical experience outside of the live event and bring some of the
greatest musicians and their performances into the intimacy of your home. We
design equipment which is easy to own, use and live with. We fully expect that
your enjoyment and appreciation of your Bel Canto purchase will grow as you
live with it and experience all of the fine audio subtleties that emerge.
Bel Canto Design
Get Closer
REF1000 User’s Guide 1105 Rev.A

Warm Up
The REF1000’s sonic performance will start to stabilize after approximately forty
(40) hours of continuous power up. We recommend that the REF1000 remains
powered for optimum performance.
The e.One Series REF1000 is a mono
amplifier designed to deliver over
500 watts into 8 ohm loads and 1000
watts into 4 ohm loads. The REF1000
has current drive capability for virtu-
ally any loudspeaker load down to 2
ohms. This is achieved in a compact
and elegant product through our
adaptation of the latest analog
switching amplifier and power sup-
ply technology from the ICEpower
group.
This technology brings unprecedent-
ed performance gains in absolute
musical performance. The regulated
power supply and fully balanced
analog switching amplifier architec-
ture liberates your loudspeakers to
perform at their best. The ultra-low
noise operation insures that the most
subtle of musical expressions comes
through with palpable clarity.
The superb measured performance
insures that harmonic and intermod-
ulation distortion don’t interfere with
the pristine beauty or raw power of
the musical message.
The e.One series amplifiers from Bel
Canto insure that you fully experi-
ence the musical intensity and beau-
ty of your favorite artists.
Design Features
page 4©2005 bel canto design, Ltd. REF1000 User’s Guide 1105 Rev.A

Warning!
Do not connect power to this amplifier yet!
This amplifier, like any electrical component, can be dangerous and cause injury
unless correct handling procedures are observed and used. Before powering this
preamplifier it is necessary to read and follow proper procedures concerning its
setup and use.
Any tampering of internal parts will immediately void your warranty.
USA customers: For Warranty Coverage complete and mail the Owner's
Registration Papers immediately.
Unpacking
The REF1000 box contains:
1 – REF1000 User's Guide
1 - Power Cable for connection
to utility power [1.85m,
6' long]
1 – REF1000 Amplifier.
1 - Owner's Warranty /
Registration Sheet
Carefully inspect your new unit and
check for shipping damage. If there is
any damage, or if any piece is miss-
ing, please contact your dealer, dis-
tributor or Bel Canto Design.
Save all packing materials as the
packing is specially designed to pro-
tect the amplifier for shipping or
transporting it. If you lose or damage
the packing materials or carton,
please contact your dealer or distrib-
utor before attempting to transport
the preamplifier.
The REF1000’s power supply is pre-
set for the proper AC line voltage
before you receive it. The power
cable will have the correct plug for
your local power system. If you
believe this is not true, please con-
tact your dealer immediately. Do not
attempt to alter or change power
settings yourself. This will void the
warranty.
Unpacking
page 5©2005 bel canto design, Ltd. REF1000 User’s Guide 1105 Rev.A

REF1000 Rear Panel
Rear Panel Connections
Never Connect Either the Positive or Negative Speaker Output to
Any Ground Contact!
Connecting any Speaker Output on the REF1000 to Ground will cause the amplifi-
er to go into protection and could damage the amplifier and void the warranty.
page 6©2005 bel canto design, Ltd.
1) Power Switch: Power is on when the
switch is toggled to the I position
and off in the O position.
2) Input Connections and RCA/XLR
switch: When using RCA cables for
the input insure that the RCA/XLR
switch is pressed in to the RCA posi-
tion. When using XLR cables insure
that the switch is out in the XLR
position. This will generally insure
ideal grounding and minimize
ground noise from interfering with
the audio signal.
3) Output Connections: Attach your
loudspeaker to the output connec-
tors, insure that the polarity of each
speaker is correct and the same so
that no phase inversion can occur.
Never Connect Either the Positive or
Negative Speaker Output to Any
Ground Contact!
4) IEC power cord jack: Connect a
heavy gauge power cord from
this jack to the wall power supply.
Note the power setting indicated
on the back of the amplifier before
connecting the power.
When all connections to and from the
amplifier have been made then double
check everything, insure that the pre-
amplifier is powered on and set to a
Mute setting and power on the
REF1000.
REF1000 User’s Guide 1105 Rev.A

Front Panel Indicator Lamp
What to do if there is hum or ground noise:
The small blue LED lamp indicates that
the power is connected to the REF1000
and that the power switch is in the ON
position. If the amplifier detects a fault
or short circuit in the output connec-
tions then it will go into a protection
mode and stop playing. If this occurs
toggle the power switch to the OFF
position and check the speaker cabling
to insure that no speaker output is
either shorted together or connected to
a ground. When you are certain that
the loudspeaker cabling is correct,
power the unit ON again and insure
that the Blue lamp is lit and that music
will play.
Fuse Protection
There is an internal fuse protection on
the REF1000. If the power switch is in
the ON position, the power cable is
connected to a functioning power out-
let at the correct voltage and the Blue
lamp is not lit,this indicates that the
internal fuse may have blown. If this
occurs contact your dealer, distributor
or Bel Canto for service. There are no
user replaceable fuses or other parts.
Opening the chassis will void your
warranty.
page 7©2005 bel canto design, Ltd.
1) Check that the RCA/XLR switch is in
the correct position for the type of
connection being used.
2) Insure that the preamplifier or any
source components are not produc-
ing hum by setting the preamplifier
to a MUTE or Standby setting.
3) The design of the REF1000 reduces
the chance for ground loop induced
hum but we still recommend that you
use shorter interconnect cables to the
preamplifier and connect all power
cables to a common outlet box or
power conditioner unit to reduce the
possibility for ground current noise
being induced into the audio signal
path. If you choose to power your
source and preamplifier components
from a different AC supply than used
for the REF1000 amplifiers, we recom-
mend that you use a high quality bal-
anced XLR cable driven from a true
balanced XLR preamplifier output. We
do not recommend that you resort to
‘cheater plugs’ or some other means
to disconnect the power ground from
the REF1000 as this may lead to dan-
gerous operation and void the warran-
ty.
REF1000 User’s Guide 1105 Rev.A

Specifications
Power Output: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . >1000W into 4 ohms, >500W into 8 ohms
Minimum Load: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ohms
Frequency Response: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +/-0.5dB 20Hz-20KHz, all loads
THD+N: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.007% 1W, 1KHz, 4 ohms
IMD (CCIF): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0007%, 1W, 14:15KHz, 4 ohms
Output noise: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90uVRMS A-weighted 10Hz-20KHz
Voltage gain: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27dB (single ended or balanced input)
Damping factor: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . >1000
Output Impedance at 100Hz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<8 milliohms
Dynamic Range: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120dB
Input Voltage for Max Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Vrms
Input connections: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Single-ended RCA or balanced XLR
RCA input impedance: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Kohms
Balanced input impedance: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Kohms
Output connections: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-set WBT 5-way safety binding posts
Standby Power: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15W
Size: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5x3x12[inches], 216x76x305[mm] (WxHxD)
Weight: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13lbs, 6Kg
Features and specifications are subject to improvements and changes without prior notice.
page 8©2005 bel canto design, Ltd. REF1000 User’s Guide 1105 Rev.A

Bel Canto Design, LTD.
212 Third Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.belcantodesign.com
[email protected]
©2005 Bel Canto Design, LTD
e.One™ is a trademark of Bel Canto Design, LTD