Moor Angel 6 User manual

Angel 6 User Manual
Congratulations on your purchase of the Angel 6 power amplifier. It has been designed and
manufactured to provide many years of trouble-free musical enjoyment. To get the best out of your
amplifier, please read this manual carefully and ta e into account the guidance on positioning,
airflow and cabling.
If you are in any doubt about how to connect your hi-fi components together or install your system,
please contact your hi-fi dealer who supplied the amplifier for assistance.
Table of Contents
1 Before you Start.................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Heavy lifting..............................................................................................................................2
1.2 Short Circuits.............................................................................................................................2
2 Installation Recommendations..........................................................................................................3
2.1 Position in the listening room....................................................................................................3
2.2 Locating the Amplifier...............................................................................................................3
3 Connections.......................................................................................................................................4
3.1 Which Input to choose?.............................................................................................................5
3.2 Input Switch Selection...............................................................................................................5
4 Spea er wiring...................................................................................................................................6
4.1 4mm plugs..................................................................................................................................6
4.2 6-8mm Spades............................................................................................................................6
4.3 Bare Wires..................................................................................................................................6
5 Standby operation..............................................................................................................................7
5.1 Using Standby with the Angel-Pre pre-amp..............................................................................7
5.1.1 Standby Cable....................................................................................................................7
5.2 Using Standby without the Angel-Pre.......................................................................................7
6 Repeated Power or Standby cycles....................................................................................................8
7 Logo Display brightness....................................................................................................................8
8 Logo Display warnings......................................................................................................................9
8.1 Output limit Warning.................................................................................................................9
8.2 Error conditions.........................................................................................................................9
8.2.1 Overload Error...................................................................................................................9
8.2.2 Power Cycle Error............................................................................................................10
8.2.3 Under Temperature Error.................................................................................................10
8.2.4 Over Temperature Error...................................................................................................10
8.2.5 Voltage Error....................................................................................................................10
9 Warranty...........................................................................................................................................11
9.1 Warranty Exclusions................................................................................................................11

1 Before you Start
1.1 Heavy lifting
The Angle 6 amplifier is solidly built with heavy internal components in order to produce the best
sound quality. As a result it weighs nearly 30 g, so care needs to be ta en when lifting or moving
the amplifier. We recommend you treat it as a 2 person lift instead of trying to lift it on your own.
Follow all the normal lifting advice, e.g. using leg power instead of bending your bac . Ta e into
account your physical condition and your level of experience of lifting heavy items.
The amplifier can be safely lifted using 2 different lift positions:
1. Front and bac . Using the handle on the bac of the amplifier and lifting under the front
panel. The amplifier is fairly symmetrical inside so this has even weight distribution side to
side, and slightly more weight on the handle.
2. Both sides. With 2 people it’s often easier to lift from each side under the large heatsin s.
The heatsin s have curved corners, so this is quite a comfortable and stable lift, and the
heatsin s are very solidly attached to the chassis.
Never attempt to lift the amplifier using the connectors or any attached cables.
1.2 Short Circuits
Be careful at all times to avoid short circuits around the large WBT gold coloured spea er
connectors on the bac of the amplifier.
The amplifier is capable of delivering very high currents in order to control the spea ers. While the
amplifier has protection circuits to reduce the ris of amplifier damage in a short circuit situation,
the very high energy transients during a short circuit can cause damage to your loudspea er drive
units.
We strongly recommend switching off the Angel 6 and waiting for 30 seconds before moving the
amplifier or any other hi-fi components, or before moving or adjusting any cables in the whole
installation.
Avoid dropping any metallic objects down the bac of the amplifier – again you should turn off the
amplifier and wait 30 seconds before using tools, or moving any cables, behind the amplifier or rac
system.

2 Installation ecommendations
2.1 Position in the listening room
The Angel amplifiers have been designed with very low output impedance and a high current
delivery. In order to get the best benefits from this, we recommend eeping the spea er cable
lengths as short as it reasonably practical, in eeping with domestic compatibility.
If you are able to place the power amplifier near to the loudspea ers and eep the spea er cable
length to only a metre or two, this will reward you with better timing, rhythm and bass agility.
2.2 Locating the Amplifier
The amplifier must have clear air space on all sides to ensure good airflow and avoid overheating.
The amplifier must be mounted on a flat, hard surface to ensure good airflow to the underside of the
heatsin s. There must be nothing touching the amplifier sides (the finned heatsin s), and nothing
resting on top of the amplifier. The amplifier should not be close to a heat source such as a radiator
or heater
If the amplifier is in a rac system with shelving, the shelf above the amplifier must be at least
20mm above the top of the amplifier.
In a cabinet with solid sides, or if the amplifier is placed near a solid vertical surface (e.g wall,
cabinet side etc), then you must ensure a clear gap to the side of the amplifier of at least 50mm
between the heatsin and the nearest vertical surface.
Any rac system or enclosure for the Angel 6 must have an open bac and front to allow airflow
circulation to-and-from the room. You must not use the amplifier in an enclosed cabinet.
If the amplifier is given restricted airflow, and is unable to dissipate enough heat, there is internal
circuitry to shut down the Angel 6 when the temperature gets too high, but this is a safety feature,
and is NOT a substitute for good ventilation!

3 Connections
Number Name Descripon
[1] RCA Input - Right Right hand channel RCA (Phono input
[2] RCA Input - Le# Le# hand channel RCA (Phono input
[3] XLR Input - Right Right hand channel XLR (Balanced input
[4] XLR Input - Le# Le# hand channel XLR (Balanced input
[5] Input switch - Right Right hand channel input selector switch
OUT = RCA IN = XLR
[6] Input switch - Le# Le# hand channel input selector switch
OUT = RCA IN = XLR
[7] Speaker - Right WBT Speaker Connectors for Right hand channel
RED = +ve WHITE = -ve
[8] Speaker - Le# WBT Speaker Connectors for Right hand channel
RED = +ve WHITE = -ve
[9] Mains inlet Switched IEC mains inlet
The switch turns o; mains power to the ampli<er
[10] Standby input Standby Jack socket
Driven by the Angel-Pre to put the power amp in standby
NOTE: When viewed from behind the amplifier, the left hand channel inputs and outputs appear to
be on the right side, and vice versa. It all ma es sense when you imagine this viewed from the
FRONT of the amplifier.

3.1 Which Input to choose?
You may need to experiment to find what wor s best to complement your system, in your room, and
for your preferred musical presentation.
We have listened to both input types with our own Angel-Pre and with some other manufacturer’s
pre-amps, and with a small selection of different manufacturer’s cables. Here are our thoughts (feel
free to disagree!):
For short connections (up to around 5m) using a good quality hifi interconnect, the RCA input is
often a fraction better sounding than the XLR input.
For longer connections, we find the XLR tends to eep a very similar sound transparency as the
cable length increases, where the RCA cables tend to ta e on an additional sound signature which
becomes more pronounced as the length increases.
At this point, re-read the first paragraph of this section – and if you li e the sound of a particular
cable in your system – use it, and enjoy the music!
3.2 Input Switch Selection
Once you’ve chosen RCA or XLR input connections for your system, you need to set the Angel 6 to
use the correct input. On the bac panel below the RCA input on each side, you will find the two
switches for the input selection.
The inside of the amplifier is fully ‘dual mono’, so each mono amplifier has its own selector switch
to avoid any cross-tal between the left and right channels.
Each switch is selecting the appropriate RCA connector when it is ‘out’, and selecting the XLR
balanced input when it’s clic ed ‘in’.
NOTE: While you are auditioning RCA versus XLR cables to see which you prefer, you can have
both cables plugged in from the pre-amp and use the switches to quic ly swap between the input
cables for your listening tests. You now have 2 different earth paths for each side of the amplifier
bac to the pre-amp, so you may get some faint buzz from a pair of earth loops!
Just ma e sure that once you’ve finished the test and chosen your preferred cable, you unplug the
cables you don’t want to use.

4 Speaker wiring
This is a widely debated hi-fi subject, with a plethora of widely differing opinions and expert
conclusions. But we’re prepared to dip a toe in the water and present a few opinions from our own
experience.
Ma e sure to have clean terminations with no stray copper strands to potentially short out to a
nearby terminal. In all cases we suggest that you use the provided blac and red sleeving over the
exposed gold outer portion of the WBT spea er connectors, just in case something metallic falls
behind the amplifier.
We use high quality WBT spea er connectors, because they give several options for a very low
resistance connection to the spea er cable. Let’s loo at them:
4.1 4mm plugs
You can put a 4mm plug (they have many names including ‘banana plugs’) straight into the end of
the WBT connector. This is a quic and convenient connection, and it can deliver very good results.
If you are using 4mm plugs, put the supplied red and blac sleeving over the WBT connectors
before you plug in the spea er plugs. Ma e sure you use the RED colour sleeve on the RED (+)
WBT terminal.
4.2 6-8mm Spades
The WBT connector is designed to give high pressure clamping on a 6-8mm spade connector. This
can give a lower, more consistent resistance than the 4mm plug option. It’s still reasonably
convenient.
If you are using Spade connectors, ma e the connections first, then put the supplied red and blac
sleeving over the WBT connectors.
4.3 Bare Wires
We arrive at the least convenient of all, but our personal favourite! You put the bared, unsoldered
wire ends (stripped bac about 15mm) into the clamping hole of the WBT connector. The WBT
connector design clamps them for a very low resistance connection.
Unli e the plug or spade options, there is no second connection interface. If you’re installing the
amplifier once and leaving it in place, the improved connection quality may be worth a one-off
inconvenience.
If you are using bare wires ma e the connections first, then put the supplied red and blac sleeving
over the WBT connectors.

5 Standby operation
Your Angel 6 amplifier has been designed to reach optimum operating conditions within a few
seconds of power-on. Unli e many power amplifiers it does not need to be switched on a long time
before you want to listen to music.
For added convenience the amplifier has a low power standby mode. This is designed to be driven
by the Angel-Pre in order to put the power amplifier into standby.
The standby input on the rear panel of the amplifier uses a 2.5mm power jac connector, and if
nothing is connected to this standby input, the amplifier will operate in normal running mode as
long as the mains is switched on.
5.1 Using Standby with the Angel-Pre pre-amp
When you put the Angel-Pre into standby (by front panel switch or remote), the Angel 6 will shut
down 5 seconds later and go to standby mode. In this mode it consumes less than 0.5W of power.
When the Angel-Pre comes out of standby, after 5 seconds the Angel 6 will power up to running
mode.
5.1.1 Standby Cable
The Angel-Pre is supplied with a 1m standby cable as standard. If you want a different length just
as your dealer and we will provide a replacement standby cable for your system. It is fine to use a
cable which is too long, and just coil up the excess and secure it with a cable tie or similar.
5.2 Using Standby without the Angel-Pre
If you provide a DC voltage between 4 and 20VDC on the standby jac input, with the centre pin
positive, then the Angel 6 will go into standby after 5 seconds. The input is protected against
reverse polarity of up to 20VDC - but the standby will not wor if the wires are reversed.
The input resistance on the standby jac is > 2.7 ohms, so the current at the maximum 20V input
will be less than 8mA.

6 epeated Power or Standby cycles
The Angel 6 uses a soft-start system due to the very large capacitors fitted to the power supply. The
soft start circuit needs to cool down between power cycles in order to wor correctly.
To ma e sure that the soft-start circuit does not overheat, the Angel 6 counts the time between
power cycles. If the power is turned off, the counter is stored in non-volatile memory so that when
you next switch on the amplifier, it continues counting where it left off previously.
A Power or Standby cycle is caused by:
Turning the mains on at the mains supply, OR
Turning the mains on with the amplifier mains switch, OR
Putting the power amplifier into and out of standby using the Angel-Pre and standby cable
The Angel 6 will allow two power cycles from ‘cold’ initially, followed by one power cycle every 3
minutes. If you try to do more power cycles within the timer count down, the amplifier will not start
up immediately, but will give one red flash every 2 seconds from the logo display until the counter
finishes counting the 3 minutes.
You should leave the amplifier switched on and showing the Power Cycle Error flash. When the
counter finishes, the amplifier will switch on and the display will go bac to steady blue.
Note: The Angel 6 can only count down the time when it is switched ON. If you switch off the
Angel 6 while it is counting and showing the Power Cycle Error, ne t time you switch the
amplifier on it will show the Power Cycle Error and resume the countdown. This is still true if
you ne t switch it on days, weeks or even years later!
7 Logo Display brightness
If you are using the Angel 6 with the Angel-Pre preamp and the standby cable, then selecting
subdued lighting on the Angel-Pre (refer to the Angel-Pre User Manual) will signal the Angel 6 to
use subdued Logo lighting.

8 Logo Display warnings
The Angel 6 display normally has blue illumination, but under certain conditions it can illuminate
red (reddish/purple – we’ll call it red) to signal warning or fault conditions.
8.1 Output limit Warning
The Angel 6 is capable of driving high sound levels without the characteristic ‘hardening up’ of the
sound you get from most amplifiers. This means it could reach clipping levels without much audible
warning.
The amplifier monitors the output voltage and current levels, and if you are approaching the
maximum power levels, the display will briefly flash red in time with the biggest musical pea s.
This happens when the RMS power reaches approximately 250W (4ohms) per channel, and it’s a
useful warning to stop winding up the volume control. You will not damage the amplifier by
choosing to go beyond this level, but you certainly ris damage to the spea er drive units if the
amplifier is driven into clipping or current limiting.
8.2 Error conditions
The Angel 6 monitors a number of potential error conditions and will shut down when these occur
in order to avoid damage.
When these error conditions cause a shutdown, the main amplifier supply is disconnected and only
the standby controller continues to run. It signals the type of error code using the red illumination of
the logo, either a constant red, or a series of red flashes over the blue bac ground colour.
A flash series is 1 or more short flashes (¼ second) with short pauses (¼ second), then a long pause
(2 seconds) between each series of flashes.
Error Condition Number of Flashes Recovery
Overload Constant Red Power cycle
Power Cycle Error 1 flash Auto – after 3 minute countdown
Under temperature 2 flashes Auto – when temperature rises
Over temperature 3 flashes Auto – when temperature falls
Voltage error 4 flashes Auto – after a delay
8.2.1 Overload Error
In the event that the amplifier detects overload or short circuit on the amplifier output, it will shut
down and the display will be permanently red. This is potentially damaging to spea ers so the
amplifier will remain in shut-down state until you switch off the mains power. You need to wait for

at least 10 seconds before you re-apply power in order to cancel the error condition, but this
warning should not be ignored.
When you see the overload error, you should leave the mains switched off, and chec the spea er
cables (including amplifier and spea er connections) for any problem which could be causing the
overload condition – e.g. stray wire strands, loose connections or anything metal on the connections
etc.
8.2.2 Power Cycle Error
See the section ‘Repeated Power or Standby Cycles’ above.
8.2.3 Under Temperature Error
If the amplifier senses a temperature of less than 5 degrees Celsius during start-up, it will not start
the high voltage amplifier power supply. The reason for this error should normally be obvious – for
example transported on a cold day, or used in a very cold room.
To recover from this error, the amplifier needs to be in an ambient temperature above 5 degrees, and
to be allowed some time to warm up. It will automatically start up once the internal temperature has
risen above 5 degrees Celsius.
8.2.4 Over Temperature Error
If the amplifier senses a temperature of more than 55 degrees Celsius during operation, it will shut
down the main power supply to avoid damage to the amplifier components. You may hear the
output become distorted and then go quiet.
This error can occur after listening for some time at very high power levels with low impedance
spea ers, but most li ely it will occur if there is obstructed airflow to the bac or sides of the
amplifier – see the section ‘Positioning the Amplifier’ above.
When the amplifier cools down a few degrees, it will automatically restart.
8.2.5 Voltage Error
If the amplifier senses incorrect power supply voltages, or output voltage which could indicate an
internal fault, it will shut down. This can occur if there is a severe mains drop-out, and the amplifier
will restart after a short delay.
If this error condition persists, stop using the amplifier and contact your dealer to have the amplifier
chec ed.

9 Warranty
Moor Amps products are covered by a five (5) year parts and labour limited warranty, in addition to
your statutory rights under UK law.
If a Moor Amps product is used in a normal domestic environment and becomes defective due to
faulty materials or wor manship, you will qualify for this warranty, subject to the exclusions listed
below. You should contact your dealer where you purchased the product, and if necessary return the
product to them. You will have to pay any shipping charges incurred in returning the product to the
dealer.
Moor Amps will at it’s discretion repair or replace the defective product within a reasonable time of
receiving the product.
If the product qualifies for this warranty, and the damage is not subject to the exclusions below, you
will not be charged for the repair or replacement under this warranty, and Moor Amps will pay for
return shipment of the product to your dealer, or to your address in the UK (at your choice).
9.1 Warranty Exclusions
This warranty does NOT cover:
•Damage to the product not caused by defective materials or wor manship
•Damage resulting from any repairs or modifications not carried out by Moor Amps or a
repairer nominated by Moor Amps
•Damage resulting from abnormal use
•Damage resulting from failure to follow the installation instructions
•Damage sustained during shipment of the product
•Damage resulting from Accident, Acts of Nature or Abuse