Mola-Mola Kaluga User manual

Mola-Mola
Kattegat 8
9723 JP Groningen
The Netherlands
[phone]
[e-mail]
Please read this manual before operating the unit
Kaluga, the Power Amplifier
User’s Manual
Packing List
Your product was shipped with the items checked below. Please verify that you find
all items mentioned in this list before you start setting up:
Item Qty Shipper’s signature
This Manual 1
Pair of Cotton Gloves 1
Power Amplifier 2
Power Cord 2
Trigger Cable 2
Trigger Cable Extension 2
Shipping Carton Brown) 1
Display Carton White with Logos) 1
Carrying Case Black) 1

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Welcome
First off, congratulations! With the purchase of this product you have joined a growing
community of audiophiles who value truthful sound reproduction and who consider
neutral and transparent electronics a cornerstone in this pursuit. We at Mola-Mola made it
our primary goal to build electronics capable of passing a signal with no discernible
change at all. Amplifiers make the signal bigger, converters turn the signal from a digital
representation into an analogue one. In all these processes we strive to add nothing and
to remove nothing.
Our work designing Class D power amplifiers is well known. It has allowed us to achieve
the utmost in colouration-free power amplification without having to resort to power-
hungry class A or class AB circuitry. The Kaluga power amplifier is based on our well
known Ncore® control topology built using the discrete signal processing stages also
found in the Makua pre-amplifier.
We wish you a lifetime of musical enjoyment with this product and thank you for your
custom.
Bruno Putzeys, CTO and Designer, Inventor of Ncore

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Table of contents
Welcome....................................................................................................................... 2
Table of contents........................................................................................................... 3
List of tables .............................................................................................................. 3
List of figures............................................................................................................. 3
Important Safety Instructions ......................................................................................... 4
Connections & Controls................................................................................................. 6
Rear .......................................................................................................................... 6
Front.......................................................................................................................... 7
Setting Up ..................................................................................................................... 8
Installation ................................................................................................................. 8
Connection ................................................................................................................ 8
Basic operation ........................................................................................................... 10
Front Panel Operation ............................................................................................... 10
Trigger Operation ..................................................................................................... 10
Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................... 11
Audio performance data............................................................................................... 12
Technical data............................................................................................................. 13
Revision History .......................................................................................................... 14
List of tables
Table 1: Rear panel overview ......................................................................................... 6
Table 2: Front panel overview......................................................................................... 7
Table 3: Audio Performance Data................................................................................. 12
Table 4: Technical Data ............................................................................................... 13
List of figures
Figure 1: Rear panel overview ........................................................................................ 6
Figure 2: Front panel overview........................................................................................ 7

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Important Safety Instructions
Mola-Mola gaat er van uit dat u deze Engelstalige tekst volledig begrijpt. Als u hier
moeite mee heeft dient u contact op te nemen met Mola-Mola. Op verzoek sturen wij
u een vertaling toe.
Mola-Mola geht davon aus, dass Sie diesen Englischen Text völlig verstehen. Wenn
notwendig, nehmen Sie bitte Kontakt auf mit Mola-Mola. Auf Wünsch wird Ihnen eine
Übersetzung zugeschickt.
Mola-Mola suppose que le lecteur comprend parfaitement le texte en Anglais ci-
dessous. En tout cas de doute veuillez contacter Mola-Mola. Une traduction sera vous
envoyée sur demande.
Mola-Mola da por supuesto que el texto en versión Inglesa no ofrece ninguna duda de
interpretación y se entiende integramente. Si este no fuese su caso rogamos contacte
con Mola-Mola quien, a petición, se encargaría de enviarle la correspondiente
traducción.
Throughout this document, some aspects of operation that have a potential impact on
safety or reliability are noted with the words “Warning” and “Caution”. Take particular
care reading and understanding these items. Paragraphs marked with “Warning” explain
safety measures required to maintain your personal safety. Paragraphs marked with
“Caution” pertain to danger to the equipment itself or to connected equipment. Please
follow these precautions when using this product:
1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Follow all instructions.
4. Heed all warnings.
5. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. Use only attachments or accessories specified by the manufacturer.
7. WARNING: Dangerous voltage is inside this apparatus. Opening is only allowed
by qualified service personnel.
8. WARNING: Do not defeat the safety purpose of the safety earth connection. Use
the provided three-prong power cord to insure the product is connected to

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safety earth. If the provided mains cord does not fit your outlet, consult an
electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
9. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs,
convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
10. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods
of time.
11. WARNING: Do not use this apparatus near water. Do not expose the apparatus
to dripping or splashing. Do not place objects filled with liquids flower vases,
drink cans, coffee cups, etc) on the apparatus. Do not use this apparatus out of
doors.
12. WARNING: Clean only with a dry, soft, lint-free cloth. Do not spray any liquid
cleaner onto the cabinet, as this may lead to dangerous shocks or malfunction.
13. CAUTION: This unit runs slightly warm when operated normally. Operate in a
normally ventilated area.
14. CAUTION: Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers,
stoves, or other apparatus including amplifiers) that produce heat. Avoid
exposure to direct sunlight.
15. Use only with a cart, stand, bracket, or table designed for use with audio or
music equipment. In any installation, make sure that injury or damage will not
result from cables pulling on the apparatus and its mounting.
16. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the
apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as when the power-supply cord
or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the
apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not
operate normally, or has been dropped.
17. WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this
apparatus to rain or moisture.

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Connections & Controls
Rear
Figure 1: Rear panel overview
# Function Notes
1 Analogue input, balanced
2 Analogue input, unbalanced Covered. Pry off to access.
3 Speaker Outputs 2 pairs of binding posts, bi-wired
4 Un)Balanced toggle switch
5 Mains power input
6 Trigger Input 2-15V, AC or DC
Table 1: Rear panel overview

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Front
Figure 2: Front panel overview
# Function Notes
1 Power button
2 Power LED 1 LED, white or dim red
Table 2: Front panel overview

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Setting Up
Installation
This product relies on free convection of air along the sides and top for cooling. Avoid
placing magazines, books or other objects on top of the product as this acts as thermal
insulation. Installation inside a cupboard is permissible provided at least 30cm 1’) of free
space above the product and 10cm 4”) around the sides is respected. Operation in
closer quarters requires some provision of forced convection fan) to be installed inside
the cupboard.
Connection
CAUTION: Whenever you are plugging or unplugging cables, make sure that the
power amp is off. Failure to take this precaution may result in pops or bangs in the
loudspeaker. Use properly shielded interconnects with reliable connectors.
AC Power Input
Connect the supplied power cord to the AC input receptacle on the rear panel. Do not
connect the power cord until all the audio input and output connections have been made.
It is usually best to plug the product directly into a wall outlet. Avoid the use of extension
cords. A heavy duty multi-tap power outlet strip may be used if it and the wall outlet are
rated to handle the total current demanded by the components connected to it.
Your power amplifier has an auto-ranging input power supply, allowing it to operate both
on US and European mains. However, as an anti-grey-market measure, products sold in
some territories may refuse to operate from a mains voltage other than the one in regular
use in that territory. If you are planning to move overseas, consult with your retailer to
have the voltage range unlocked. The same should be done if your auditorium is custom-
equipped with a non-standard mains voltage.
If you are going to be away from home for an extended period of time such as a month-
long vacation, it is a sensible precaution to unplug electronic equipment. Do the same as
a precautionary measure during thunderstorms. No amount of surge protection or mains
filtering will save your equipment from a lightning strike in the backyard.
Input Connections
Your power amplifier accepts both RCA and XLR type connectors. If your sources have
both RCA and XLR outputs, it is exceedingly likely that using the XLR connection sounds

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best. Depending on which you choose, set the toggle switch to the corresponding input.
The RCA input is covered with a black panel plug.
Output connections
Two pairs of binding posts are provided for the purpose of bi-wiring. Both pairs are
completely identical and are wired directly to the circuit board for minimum resistive
coupling between the two outputs. The output impedance of the power amplifier is so low
that sonically bi-wiring comes a substantial way towards the performance of bi-amping,
much more so than with other power amplifiers.
Trigger inputs
Connect a 3.5mm jack cable, such as the cable supplied with your power amplifier, to a
trigger source such as the trigger output on the Makua preamplifier.

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Basic operation
Front Panel Operation
So long as mains power is applied the power LED can be in two states: on or standby. In
standby mode it will light up a dim red barely visible in daylight, bright red standby LED’s
lighting up the room at night is a pet peeve of the designer). Push the front button to wake
up the power amp. The power LED lights up white. Push again to turn the power amp off.
Trigger Operation
When the 12V trigger comes on, the power amp turns on. If the power amp was already
on when the trigger came on, nothing happens.
When the 12V trigger is removed, the power amp turns off. If the power amp had already
been powered down manually, nothing happens.

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Troubleshooting
Most difficulties in audio systems are the result of incorrect connections, or improper
control settings. If you encounter problems, isolate the area of the difficulty, check the
control settings, determine the cause of the fault and make the necessary changes. If you
are unable to get sound from your preamplifier or its behaviour is not as expected, refer to
the suggestions for the following conditions:
No response to the mains button: Verify the mains connection. Unplug the power cable
from the preamp and try to power another device with it. If this works, check the fuse.
Lever out the little drawer underneath the mains input and replace the fuse that’s hooked
into the end of it. The second fuse that you see in a separate cavity of the fuse drawer is
a spare. If this still doesn’t work, contact your local retailer. The unit may need repair. If
you have obtained the unit overseas, refer to the section on AC Power Input. The unit
may have a supply voltage lock programmed in as a grey-market prevention measure.
Again, consult with your local retailer.
The unit responds as witnessed by lights and clicking relays) but no sound: Verify that
the toggle switch on the input is correctly set RCA or XLR). Verify correct speaker wiring.
In particular, note that the positive terminals are the top row and the negative terminals
are the bottom row. Meaning that you should connect the speaker between an upper and
a lower terminal, not between two upper or two lower terminals.
Quiet, distorted sound with interruptions: You probably have a short across the speaker
or amplifier terminals, for instance two uninsulated spade terminals touching. Reinstall
your speaker cable.

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Audio performance data
Item Symbol Min Typ Max Unit Notes
Output Power Pr 400 W 8 ohms. Measured
with 230V mains.
Gain Av 28 dB
Input impedance Zin 100k
Ohm
Output Impedance Zout 2m Ohm DF=4000
Signal-to-noise ratio SNR 128 dB Unweighted
Distortion .002 .005 % IMD, THD
Bandwidth BW DC 50k Hz -3dB
Table 3: Audio Performance Data

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Technical data
Item Value Notes
Supply voltage 90-135 / 180 – 270 Volt AC/47-63Hz Auto Switching
Power Consumption 20 Watt idle), 480 Watt full power)
Dimensions 215mm*110mm*340mm W x H x D)
Weight 9 kg
Table : Technical Data

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Revision History
Revision Description Date
R0 Initial draft 29-5-2013
R1 Revised and expanded 20-5-2014
R2 Rear panel overview updated 11-9-2015