Peavey TKO 65 User manual

WARNING
TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL SHOCK OR FIRE
HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE
TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. BEFORE USING THIS
APPLIANCE, READ BACK COVER FOR
FURTHER WARNINGS.
TM
PERATING GUDE
INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the TKO™ 65 bass amplification system. After reading this owner's manual
you should have an understanding of the operating principles of the TKO™ 65. A thorough understanding of these
instructions will also help you to achieve many varied tonal settings.
The TKO™ 65 is an advanced, medium powered single unit bass amp designed primarily for studio and club
applications and is equally effective as a medium powered keyboard amplification system. The TKO™ 65 utilizes
flexible input circuitry and gain (volume) controls as well asa unique system of active/passive equalization. Both the
bassist and keyboardist will benefit from the unique and highly versatile circuitry employed in the TKO™ 65.
As with any sophisticated piece of equipment, there are some operating principles concerning the inputs, gain
controls, equalization and patching facilities which must be understood to obtain the best tonal results, Please read
this owner's manual and keep it handy for reference

THE FRONT PANEL
ON/OFF
SWITCH:
the
on/oif
switch
is
a
rocker-type
switch
and
should
present
no
problems
in
operation.
In
the
on
position,
a
red
LED
will
iluminate
showing
that
power
is
being
supplied
to
the
unit.
NOTE:
WHEN
THE
UNIT
IS
TURNED
ON,
THE
COMPRESSION
LED
INDICATOR
(DDT) WILL
MOMENTARILY
ILLUMINATE.
GROUND SWITCH: The ground switch is a 3-position rocker-type switch which, in most applications, should
bbe
operated
in its
conter
or
"zero"
position
You
may
encounter
some
situations
where
an
audible
hum
and/or
noise will come from the loudspeaker. If this situation arises, position the ground switch to either positive or
negative
until
the
noise
is
minimized.
NOTE:
SHOULD
THE
NOISE
PROBLEM
CONTINUE,
CONSULT
YOUR
AUTHORIZED PEAVEY DEALER, PEAVEY FACTORY OR QUALIFIED SERVICE TECHNICIAN. DO NOT,
UNDER
ANY
CIRCUMSTANCES,
REMOVE
THE
GROUND
PIN
ON
THE
MAIN
(POWER)
CABLE
DDT™ COMPRESSION LED: The TKO™ 65 utilizes our patented DDT™ (Distortion Dotection Technique)
compression circuit to effectively minimize the possibility of distortion (square waves) from entering the
loudspeaker. (U.S. Patent #4,318,053)
As mentioned in the on/off switch section, the DDT™ LED will sometimes illuminate wnen the unitis first
turned on and this should be considered normal, The DDT™ LED will also occasionally illuminate to indicate
that the DDT" circuit is automatically engaging to prevent distortion. NOTE: IF THE DDT™ LED REMAINS
CONTINUOUSLY LIT WHILE YOU ARE PLAYING, THIS IS AN INDICATION THAT THE GAIN (VOLUME)
CONTROLS
AND/OR
EQUALIZATION
CONTROLS
ARE
SET
AT
POSITIONS
THAT
IS
MAKING
THE
POWER AMP OVERWORK, ALTHOUGH THE DDT", IN MOST CASES, WILL PREVENT SPEAKER DAMAGE
AND/OR FAILURE WE WOULD RECOMMEND, THAT THE GAIN AND EQUALIZATION CONTROLS 8E
READJUSTED UNTIL THE DDT LED WILL ILLUMINATE PERIODICALLY.
PATCH SECTION: The patch section consists of two jacks labeled preamp out and poweramp in. Primarily the
preamp output and power amp input jacks are used for patching effects devices and signal processing
equipment “in-line” with the TKO™ 65. Most of devices suchas flangers, chorus, tape/anelog/digital delays or
gain devices such as external compressors can be used within this effects loop. The preamp output level is
approximately 1 volt RMS and is of relatively low impedance- 1000 ohms. To utilize the effects loop, use a high
quality,
shielded
patch
cord
and
plug
one
end
into
the
preamp
output
and
the
other
end
into
the
external
device
Input To return the processed signal to the TKO" 65, use a second high quality, shielded patch cord and plug
one
end
into
the
external
unit
output
and
the
other
end
of
the
patch
cord
into
the
power
amp
input.
Since this method of using an effect places the device after the preamp/ equalization and before the power
‘amp
you
will
nave
&
greater
degree
of
control
over
the
sound
quality
of
the
device
or
signal
processing
unit.
The
preamp output canalso be used to send the signal of the instrument/ preamp to mixing and recording consoles.
For this method use a high quality, shielded patch cord and make the connection from the TKO" 68's preamp
output tothe desired channel of tha mixer or to an auxiliary device where the signal is not to be returned to the
power amp input of the TKO™ 65. With this method of sending your instruments signal to a mixer or auxiliary
device, you do not have to utilize the power amp input as the signal will automatically feed the power amp
section. (For further uses of the preamp output/power amp input see bi-amping the TKO")
EQUALIZATION SECTION
The equalization contrals (presence, high. mid, shift and low) are a unique combination of active and
passive circuits to enable you to achieve a multitude of tonal colors. By design, with the exception of the
presence control, the tonal capabilities of the low, mid and high controls will slightly interact with each other.
PRESENCE CONTROL: The presence control should be used to adjust the extreme high end (treble) of the
bass guitar or Keyboard signal. This is an active control and, as such, will cause no effect on the other controls
when placed at its 12 o'clock or zero position. For less Nigh end response, rotate the presence control
counterclockwise (zero to -12 dB) until achieving the desired high end roll off To boost the high end response
of the preamp, rotate the control clockwise (zero to 12. dB), The boost portions of this control are extremely
effective for enhancing neck slapping/string popping techniques (see tone setting charts for further
examples)
HIGH CONTROL: The high control is conventional and should present no problem in operation. Clockwise
rotation will increase the systems trable response while counterclockwise rotation will reduce the high end. In
conjunction
with
the
presence
control,
the
high
control
will
lurther
enhance
many
contemporary
bass
playing
techniques (see the tone setting charts for further examples).
MID AND SHIFT CONTROLS: The mid and shiftcontrols will enable you to have complete control over tne vital
mid-band frequencies. The mid control is a equalization circuit allowing superb tailoring of the mid-band and
the shift control allows the bassist and keyboardist to determineat what lrequency the mid control will operate.
To get you acquainted with these two very flexible controls, do the following experiment
uf 4. Plug the instrument into the high or low gain jack
Be 2. Adjust the pre gain control to #2 or #3, making sure that the pull bright switch is off
ty 3. Adjust the post gain control above its 12 o'clock or #5 position making sure thet Ihe pull punch switch is
È in its off position (not pulled out).
4, Place the mid control somewhere between 2 and 5.
Piey your open first (G) atring (or strike a note in the middle of the keyboard range) and allow it to
sustain.
6. As the note sustains, manually sweep the shitt contro! from its 150 position to Its 1.5K position.
As the shift control is swept notice the dramatic changes occurring in the tonality of the mid-band.
‘Through experimentation, you will be ableto determine what settings are appropriate for your musical styles. A
good rule of thumb for the operation of tne mid and shift controls is: For a well defined, tignt sound
(country/jazz)
more
mid
cut
and
lower
operation
of
the
shift
control
is
desireable
whereas,
for
rock,
more
mid
boost end higher operation of the shift control is needed.
LOW CONTROL: The low control is a conventional EQ circuit designed to provide smooth, gradual increases in
bass response over its entire range, Although Ihe low control should present noproblem in operation, it should
be noted that "overboosting’” of the low control may cause the TKO™ 65's DDT™ compression LED to activate
prematurely — even at low volume levels. Usually, this occurrence can be corrected by cutting (reducing) the
low control until the DOT™ LED activates periodically

GAIN SECTION
POST GAIN CONTROL: In normal use, the post gain control should be operated above the 12 o'clock or #5
position. To obtain maximum power reserve, rotate the control fully clockwise to #10. NOTE: WITH THE POST
GAIN CONTROL AT 10, THE PRE GAIN CONTROL SHOULD NORMALLY BE OPERATED AT ORBELOWITS
12 O'CLOCK OR #5 POSITION TO AVOID UNWANTED DISTORTION. WHILE UTILIZING THIS MAXIMUM
POWER SETTING AND EXTREME HIGH END BOOST IN THE EQUALIZATION SECTION, YOU MAY FIND IT
NECESSARY TO BACK DOWN (CUT) THE POST GAIN CONTROL TO APPROXIMATELY ITS 8 POSITION
TO AVOID UNWANTED HISS. The post gain control utilizes an integral pull switch call “punch”. When
activated, punch creates approximately a 6 dB boost of 120Hz and adds dramatically and effectively to the low
end response and projection charactoristics of the TKO™ 65,
PRE GAIN CONTROL: The pre gain control is the first volume control of the system. As mentioned in the post
gain control description, if the post gain control is set between its #8 and #10 positions for maximum power
reserve, the pre gain control should be positioned somewhere in the middle of its range or lower. Placing tho
pra gain control higher than 5 may cause unwanted square waves (distortion) and result in premature clipping
and/or undue activation of the DDT" compression circuitry.
The pre gain Control also employs a pull bright switch which adds approximately 8 d8 of boost tothe high
ena. Like the high and presence controls, the pull bright switch can be used to enhance many modern bass
playing techniques.
INPUTS
‘The TKO" 65 has two inputs labeled high gain and low gain. The high gain input is the inputwhicn should
normally be used and will deliver the highest signal level from the instrument to the preamp to the power amp.
‘Sometimes, however, bass guitars that are equipped with very high output “hot pickups will overload the high
gain input. This will be apparent because you will hear some unwanted cistortian at the loudspeaker. If this,
distorted sound does occur, plug the instrument into the low gain input, which has less gain (-8 dB) then the
high gain input. When two instruments or signal sources are plugged into the inputs, the low gain input is
‘automatically switched to the same level as the high gain input. NOTE: WHEN USING TWO INSTRUMENTS,
OR SIGNAL SOURCES WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THE VOLUME CONTROL BE SET AT A
REASONABLY LOW VOLUME LEVEL TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF UNDUE DISTORTION AND/OR
SPEAKER DAMAGE.
INPUTS GAINS] EQUALIZATION ——
aS6 a56
0-0:
o 10 4124
HIGH Low
GAN
GAIN
PRE
past
PULL
BRIGHT
PULL
PUNCH
PRESENCE
COUNTRY/BLUES
INPUTS
r
—
EGUALIZATION
——
Ss
ee n
a56
48s
Ong
7 S
3
7 3
7
wA
20):
eC).
s
J
s
s
FUNK/THUMB
SLAPPING
TECHNIQUES
INPUTS SAIN] EGUALIZATION —————4
aSe6 456 z> a
5 De ò
s a Tog
3 73 7 agi no a r 3 7
6 e
2 ee 8 2 ae a
4 21 s A 1 s a s s
o 10 w0 o wo me
o 10 o 124
PRE PosT
PULLERIGHT
PULL
PUNCH
Mio
HIGH
PRESEN
NOTE:
‘THE ABOVE TONE CHARTS ARE MEANT ONLY AS A GENERAL GUIDE AND ARE PROVIDED TO FAMILIARIZE THE PLAYER WITHTHE
FUNCTIONS AND CONTROLS OF THE TKO™ 65. ADJUSTMENTS TO THESE CONTHOLS WILL BE NECESSARY DUE TO VARYING
TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS, PICKUPS AND ACCESSORIES UTILIZED ALONG WITH YOUR STYLE OF MUSIC AND PLAYING
TECHINQUES. BE SURE TO READ ALL OF THIS OPERATING GUIDE TO UNDERSTAND FULLY ALL OF THE CONTROLS AND THEIR
FUNCTIONS.

BI-AMPING THE TKO™ 65
Many bassists and keyboard players today utilize a technique called bi-amping to increase the efficiency
(performance) of their amplification systems, This can be accomplished with the TKO™ 65, one external power
amplifier, one additional speaker and enclosure, and a device known as a crossover. The crossover, such as
Peavey's ECM™ (Electronic Crossover Mainframe) and PL™ Series plug in crossover modules, is the device
used to divide the instrument's signal into two separate signals: low frequencies and high frequencies.
To bi-amp the TKO" 65, use a high quality, shielded patch cord and make the connection fromthe preamp
output to the crossover device input. If the TKO" 65 is to be used for the high frequency section, use another
high quality, shielded patch cord and make the connection from the crossover's high output to the TKO™ 65's
power amp input. The low frequency output of the crossover should then be connected to an external power
amp (Peavey Mode! M-3000" or XC-400" recommended) and the output of the power amp connected to the
speaker system with a high quality, unshielded patch cord. NOTE: IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS
TECHNIQUE, CONSULT YOUR AUTHORIZED PEAVEY DEALER OR THE PEAVEY FACTORY TO OBTAIN
PROPER CROSSOVER POINTS AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION FOR YOUR BI-AMP SYSTEM.
TKO™ 65 SPECIFICATIONS:
POWER AMPLIFIER SECTION:
RATED POWER & LOAD:
65 W RMS into 8 ohms with DDT" compression
POWER @ CLIPPING: (TYPICALLY)
(5% THDI, 1 KHz, 120 VAC Line)
40 W RMS into 16 ohms
70 W RMS into 8 ohms
50 W RMS into 4 ohms
2 ohms not recommended
FREQUENCY RESPONSE:
+0, «1 dB, 60 Hz to 20 KHz @ 50 W RMS into 8 ohms
TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION:
Less than 0.2%, 100 mW to 50 W RMS,
60 Hz to 10 KHz, 8 ohms, typically below 0.1%
DDT™ DYNAMIC RANGE:
Greater than 20 dB
DDT™ MAXIMUM THD:
Below 0.5% THD for 6 dB overload
Below 1% THD for 20 dB overload
HUM & NOISE:
Greater than 90 dB below rated power
POWER CONSUMPTION: (DOMESTIC)
200 watts, 50/60 Hz. 120 VAC
PREAMP SECTION;
THE FOLLOWING SPECS ARE MEASURED @ 1 KHz
WITH THE CONTROLS PRESET AS FOLLO)
PRE GAIN PULL BRIGHT OFF (IN)
POST GAIN PULL THICK OFF (IN)
POST GAIN @ 10
Low EQ @ 10
SHIFT @ 300 Hz
MID EQ @ 0
HIGH EQ @ 10
PRESENCE @ 0 dB
NOMINAL LEVELS ARE WITH PRE GAIN @ 5
MINIMUM LEVELS ARE WITH PRE GAIN @ 10
PREAMP HIGH GAIN INPUT:
Impedance: High Z, 220K ohms
Nominal Input Level: -26 JBV, 50 mV RMS
Minimum Input Level: -46 dBV, 5 mV RMS
Maximum Input Level: +6 dBV, 2 V RMS
PREAMP LOW GAIN INPUT:
Impedance: High Z, 44K ohms
Nominal Input Level: -20 dBV, 100 mV RMS
Minimum Input Level: -40 dV, 10 mY RMS
Maximum Input Level: +12 dBV, 4 V RMS
PREAMP OUTPUT:
Load Impedance: 1K ohms or greater
Nominal Output: 0 dBV, 1 V RMS
POWER AMP INPU
Impedance: High Z, 22K ohms
Designed Input Level: 0 dBV, TV RMS
SYSTEM HUM & NOISE @ NOMINAL INPUT LEVEL:
(20 Hz to 20 KHz unweighted)
78 dB below rated power
EQUALIZATION:
Special Low, Shift, Mid & High Passive ẸQ
Presence: +-12 dB @ 3 KHz (Active EQ)
Pull Bright: +6 dB @ 2 KHz
Pull Punch: Special EQ
Due to our efforts for constant improvement, features and specifications are subject to change without notice.
The US GOVERNMENTS OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH AGM MIETAA TION (OSHA) HAS SPECIFIED TUE FOUL ONING PERNISSIALE NOISE LEVEL EXPOSURES
‘nation PER DAY IN HOURS
2. hey stra 1e oparatng nr ant os me
so ada ags tees re
cise
m. mane nnen oetama m peewee eine
‘Sounb DEVEL aak SLOW RESPONSE
Tape stn co o p uo pas pe garaget
Tapsa ma ues etrg
Gd
PEAVEY ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
711 A Street / Meridian, MS 39301 / U.S.A.
‘ran simon based novo Ceaser hers
© 1982
Printed in U.S.A.
enn7oes wee