HEED OBELISK Si User manual

GUIDE
to using
your new
OBELISK Si
Integrated Amplifier

Dear Music Lover,
Dear Music Lover,Dear Music Lover,
Dear Music Lover,
Thank you for choosing our product!
In designing the Heed Obelisk Si, our objecti e was to produce an integrated amplifier that
con eys all the emotional content and immediacy of your recordings faithfully, allowing the
atmosphere, tension, and excitement of the original performance to shine through in an
organic, true-to-life fashion.
We sincerely hope that you will agree, and that your Obelisk will pro ide you with many
years of impeccable, trouble-free operation.
Happy listening!
The Heed Team
The Heed TeamThe Heed Team
The Heed Team
Your Heed Obelisk Si integrated amplifier is designed to offer the finest performan e
possible avoiding ompromise wherever possible. This detailed guide ontains advi e
spe ifi ally related to using this amplifier and its optional auxiliary X-2 power supply, as
well as more general warnings about the use of domesti audio omponents. Please read
them arefully.
precautions
Instru tions — All safety and operating instructions should be read and adhered to exactly as
written here or as depicted on the unit. Please retain for future reference.
Water and Moisture — The unit should not be used near water - that is, near a bathtub,
washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or swimming pool, etc.
Ventilation — The unit should be situated so that its location or position does not interfere with
its entilation. For example, the unit should not be placed on a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface,
that may block the entilation openings; or placed in a built-in installation, such as bookcase or
cabinet that may impede the flow of air through the entilation openings.
Heat — The unit should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, sto es, or other
appliances that produce heat.
Power Sour es — The unit should be connected to a power supply only of the type described
in the operating instructions or as marked on the unit.
Power-Cord Prote tion — Power-supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to
be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to
cords at plugs, con enience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the unit.

Lightning — For added protection during a lightning storm, or when left unattended and unused
for long periods of time, unplug the unit from the wall outlet. This will pre ent damage to the
product due to lightning and power-line surges.
Obje t and Liquid Entry — Care should be taken so that objects do not fall into and
liquids are not spilled into the inside of the unit. For this reason,no objects filled with liquid, such
as ases or drinking glasses should be placed on the equipment
Damage Requiring Servi e — The unit should be ser iced by qualified ser ice personnel
when:
— The power-supply cord or the plug has been damaged;
— Objects ha e fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the unit; or the unit has been exposed
to rain respecti ely;
— The unit does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a change in performance;
— The unit has been dropped, or the cabinet damaged.
The Obelisk Si integrated amplifier, just like the optional X-2 power supply unit do
not have any user servi eable parts. It is essential that repairs and updates are only
arried out by our authorised trade partners – distributors and dealers – , or at the
fa tory by Heed Audio itself. Many omponents are ustom made, tested or mat hed and
appropriate repla ements are often unobtainable from other sour es.
Therefore, users should not attempt to servi e the units beyond those means des ribed
in the operating instru tions, or under any ir umstan es allow anyone to modify them.
Unauthorised repairs or modifi ations will invalidate the guarantee of the units.
Grounding or Polarization — Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or
polarization is not defeated.
Radio interferen e — All Heed components are designed to pro ide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a domestic installation. Howe er, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If your Obelisk does cause harmful
interference to radio or tele ision reception, which can be determined by turning off and on, you
are encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
— Reorient or relocate the recei ing antenna;
— Increase the separation between amplifier and recei er (radio tuner, tele ision set, etc.);
— Connect the equipment into a power outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
recei er is connected;
— Consult your Heed dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Maintenan e / Cleaning — It is recommended to dust the equipment from time to time with a
soft dry cloth. Do not use cleaning sol ents or abrasi es for cleaning!
Always swit h off and unplug the unit from the power supply when leaning!

front panel
1 Volume Knob 3 Position and on/off indicator LEDs
2 Input Selector Switch 4 Infrared sensor
back panel
5 Power on/off switch 15 No. 5. Line le el input left channel
6 Mains connector and fuse socket assy. 16 No. 4. Line le el input right channel
7 Auxiliary Power Supply connector 17 No. 4. Line le el input left channel
8 Loudspeaker right channel “+” connector 18 No. 3. Line le el input right channel
9 Loudspeaker right channel “-” connector 19 No. 3. Line le el input left channel
10 Loudspeaker left channel “+” connector 20 No. 2. Line le el input right channel
11 Loudspeaker left channel “-” connector 21 No. 2. Line le el input right channel
12 Pre-out right channel connector 22 No. 1. Line le el input right channel
13 Pre-out left channel connector 23 No. 1. Line le el input left channel
14 No. 5. Line le el input right channel
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installation
We belie e that a Heed Audio component should be, optimally, installed by an appro ed Heed
dealer. Ne ertheless, the procedure is straight-forward enough that you may install your new
Obelisk Si yourself by following the instructions contained herein. Should any problems be
experienced which are not co ered here, contact your local dealer. If you are unable to do so, or
problems persist, howe er, do not hesitate to contact our distributor/trade partner in your
country (see our website > www.heedaudio.com > "worldwide distributors" for details), or us
directly at Heed Audio …we’re here for you!
placement
In common with all high-quality audiophile equipment, the Obelisk Si performs optimally when
positioned on its own indi idual mounting surface, ideally a light rigid structure. There are many
proprietary purpose-built examples readily a ailable from all better dealers.
Always allow adequate entilation with sufficient airflow around the unit, do not mount on soft
surfaces, for example, carpets or soft fabrics.
connection to mains supply
Before performing any onne tions or dis onne tions ensure that the power on/off
swit h (5) of the unit is in "off" position.
Always he k that the voltage and frequen y of the mains supply orresponds to
the spe ifi ations as labled on the unit!
1. Connect the power cord's IEC type plug into the power inlet connector (6) of the Obelisk.
2. Connect the power cord's mains plug to your power outlet.
input connections
The Obelisk has 5 pairs of high quality RCA (cinch) input connections.
Number 1 input (22, 23) is a line le el connection in a standard configuration. This input,
howe er, can be optionally equipped with the Heed Audio vinyl-1 MM phono module for
connecting a turntable, or with the Heed Audio da tyl-1 D-to-A onverter module for
connecting a CD-transport (or a CD-Player ia its digital output respecti ely), computer music
ser er, or any other source with a digital co-axial output.
Number 2 to 5 inputs (14-21) are standard line le el inputs. See specifications section for
sensiti ity data of the inputs.
loudspeaker connections
The Obelisk is equipped with high quality loudspeaker connectors suitable for 4mm banana
plugs, max. 4mm diameter bare wire or x mm spades.
When onne ting the loudspeaker ables ensure that the speakers are phased
orre tly i.e. "+" (red) to "+" and "-" (bla k) to "-".

pre-out connection (pre-amplifier output)
Your Obelisk Si has a pre-out (RCA) connection (12,13). Here you can connect an additional
Heed Audio Obelisk PAS stereo power amplifier for bi-amplification, or, alternately, make
use of this facility to connect your Obelisk Si to an analog recording de ice (tape or CD
recorder), or headphone amplifier, ideally our Heed Audio CanAmp. If you want to use your
amplifier this way, you need to change the position of the jumper on the PCB behind the
connection. Follow these steps:
1. Remove the housing cover of the Obelisk Si.
3. Change the positions of the jumper >>>
to …..
4. Reassemble the housing cover.
5. Connect our recorder or headphone amplifier
(see "installation" section on page 5-6).
operation
When the abo e placement and connections are correctly completed, your Obelisk is ready for
action!
1. Turn the Volume Knob (1) counter-clockwise to the minimum setting.
2. Switch on your desired source components.
3. Switch on your Obelisk with power on/off switch (5) on the back-plate and allow
some time (5-10 minutes minimum) for warming up.
If your unit was transported or stored in old environment allow it to warm up to
room temperature before swit hing on!
4. Select the component that you'd like to listen to with the Input Selector Switch (2).
5. Begin playing the source component.
6. Adjust the olume le el with the Volume Knob (1) or with the Remote Volume Control
Unit to your preferred setting.
7. Sit back and enjoy!
Note: Although you can use your Obelisk within seconds of switching it on, as with all audio
equipment the best sound quality will be reached after a period of warm-up time, preferably a
couple of hours. We recommend keeping the unit switched on continually for optimum
performance. Howe er, your Obelisk should be switched off if left unattended for extended
periods, or in the e ent of thunderstorm. It is also necessary to switch the unit off when
connecting or disconnecting any input or output cables.

upgrade options
MM phono and D-to-A converter modules
With installation of the Heed Audio vinyl-1 MM phono module your Obelisk will be able to
amplify a signal directly from the cartridge (mo ing-magnet or high-output mo ing coil) of your
turntable.
Alternati ely, with installation of the Heed Audio dac-1 D-to-A converter module your
Obelisk will be able to take the digital signal of a CD-Transport or a CD-Player (or any other
source with a digital co-axial output) and con ert it into a line-le el analogue signal.
We strongly recommend that the installation of either of these modules is carried out by your
authorised Heed Audio dealer, so the description outlined below is for reference purposes only!
Before installation of the module your equipment must be swit hed off, and
dis onne ted from the power supply. All input/output abling should be dis onne ted.
CAUTION: Allow a minimum of 30 minutes after disconnecting unit from power supply for
internal capacitors to discharge fully before remo ing co er and attempting any work inside.
1. Remove the housing cover of the Obelisk Si.
2. Connect the module to the main PCB of the
amplifier b sliding it on the pin connectors (24,25).
<<<
3. Change the positions of the jumpers (26,27) >>>
to "phono".
4. Reassemble the housing cover.
5. Re-connect all cables (see "installation" section
on page 5-6).
6. Connect our turntable, CD-Transport, or CD-
Pla er interconnecting cable to Input 1 (22,23).
OBE ISK X-2 power supply
The Obelisk X-2 is an optional auxiliary power supply which not only increases the output power
of the Obelisk Si integrated amplifier but also dramatically impro es its sonic performance.
In this enhanced 2-box configuration, the Obelisk X-2 will support the power amplifier stage of
your Obelisk Si integrated amplifier while the built-in power supply will continue to support the
pre-amplifier stage alone. This means that after connecting the X-2, the power cable of the
Obelisk should remain connected as well.

connecting the Obelisk X-2 to the Obelisk Si
Before performing any onne tions or dis onne tions ensure that the power on/off
swit h (5) of the unit is in "off" position.
1. Connect the supplied special connector of the auxiliary power supply to its socket (7).
2. Connect the power cord's IEC type plug into the power inlet connector of the Obelisk X-2.
Connect the X-2 mains plug to your power outlet.
3. Switch X-2 power on/off switch to "on". Confirm blue LED power indicator is lit.
4. Switch Obelisk Si power on/off switch to "on". Allow time for warm-up. Enjoy!
Never attempt to onne t any other type of power supply to this onne tion as it
may ause failure of your equipment!
OBE ISK PAS power amplifier
Your Obelisk Si integrated amplifier can be further upgraded with an additional Obelisk PAS
stereo power amplifier.
This is an ideal solution for bi-amplification of your loudspeakers Not all speakers are
bi-amplificable though. Consult your local dealer, our distributor or us directly to confirm.
Simply connect a pair of interconnecting RCA (cinch) cables to the pre-out connectors (12,13) of
the Obelisk and to the input connectors of the Obelisk PAS.
For detailed description, refer to the separate instruction manual that is supplied with Obelisk
PAS.
specifications
Input 1. sensiti ity/impedance: 250 mV / 10 kOhm
Input 1. with MM phono module: 5 mV / 47 kOhm
Input 2-5. sensiti ity/impedance: 250 mV / 10 kOhm
Power output: 40/65 W (8/4 Ohm, 1kHz, <0.1% THD)
Power output (with Obelisk X-2): 50/80 W (8/4 Ohm, 1kHz, <0.1% THD)
Signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted): 98 dB
Channel separation: >90 dB
Distortion (THD, 1 kHz, 100mW): <0,08%
Bandwidth: 7Hz-60kHz (1W, 8 Ohm, -1.5 dB)
Damping: >150 (8 Ohm)
Pre-out: 0 dBm (775 mV)/ <50 Ohm
Power consumption: <160 W
Power consumption (standby): 5 W
Weight (Obelisk Si): 7 kg
(Obelisk X-2): 5 kg