TMS 6060 Professional User manual

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
1
/ 11
These Operat
ing Instructions
apply to the TMS
valve (tube) audio amplifiers
6060
Professional
(TMS 6060P)
and 6060 Boutique
(TMS 6060B).
Warnings
Safety Precautions
Safety Instructions
Installation
Ventilation
C
onnection,
Power Supply
Connection,
Instructions
Ancillary Equipment
Switching On
Transport
Trouble
-
shooting
, General and Valves
Changing or Replacing a Valve
Biasing Output Valves
Disposal
Contact Information, Servicing
Congratulations on
your purchase of
a valve
amplifier from
Time Machine Sounds (TMS).
This amplifier is hand
-
crafted
with great care and
patience
from
high quality components
. It
w
as
developed over a period of several
years and embodies
knowledge gained from a
century of experience with valves in
audio
electronics.
C
lassic
valve
and
modern
solid
-
state
technologies have been co
mbined, to optimise performance
in
critical
areas
such as
noise
reduction
, distortion minimisation
and power
handling.
You
r
TMS
a
mplifier
should
give you many
hours of musical
listening pleasure with proper
treatment
and care
,
before it may need
new valves or
servicing
.
Please read the
se Operating I
nstructions
carefully
for your safety and
enjoyment.
In case service
,
under warranty or otherwise
,
is required, please take a moment to write
down your model and serial number, located on the back panel of your
equipment
, and
attach
a copy of your receip
t to this manual.
Time Machine Sounds
Amplifier Operating Instructions
(Instructions for Installation, Use and Care)
Foreword
Contents
Welcome

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
2
/ 11
This equipment
operates on 230 V AC 50 Hz. Check that the operating voltage
of your
equipment
and the voltage
of your power supply correspond.
This equipment is not designed to be operated or kept outdoors.
Do not place objects
containing liquids on the equipment, to prevent shock or fire hazard.
If liquids or smallsolid objects do fall into the equipment, unplug it from the mains and have
it checked by qualified service personnel.
Do not obstruct
the ventilation
holes or
sl
ots in the equipment, to prevent overheating and
fire hazard.
Do not install the equipment on a sloping or unstable surface, to prevent it falling and
causing injury
to a person,
damage
to objects or the equipment itself.
Do not connec
t other equipment
unless
this equipment
is turned
off.
Do not run this equipment without connecting loudspeakers, to prevent serious damage.
Do not place heavy objects on this equipment.
Always supervise use of this
equipment by children and people with physical, mental or
sensory incapacitation.
Disconnect the AC power cable from the mains outlet if you are not using the equipment for
long periods of time.
WARNINGS
Do not expose the equipm
ent to liquids
or moisture,
to avoid electrical shock or
fire
hazard.
Do not cover the equipment or obstruct its ventilation, to prevent fire hazard.
Dangerous voltages exist wit
hin this equipmen
t which pose
a risk of serious electrical
shock or injury.
Do not
open the chassis
, to avoid electrical shock.
Except for changing valves, t
his equipment contains no user
-
serviceable parts.
Refer s
ervicing
to
qualified personnel.
SafetyPrecautions

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
3
/ 11
these instructions
.
t
hem for future reference
.
these instructions for use at all times.
all warnings on the equipment.
Set up and operate this equipment in an indoor location
only
.
Place the
equipment
on a stable surface
,
such as
on
a table top,
in
an open
shelf or in the top position
of
a
hi
-
fi rack
,
so that it cannot fall over.
If it falls, i
t may cause serious injury to a
person
and
damage to
objects as well as
to
the equipment.
Infloor locations, ensure people cannot fall over the equipment or its cables.
Do not place the equipment near a heat source or in direct sunlight.
Avoid environments
with excessive dust,
mech
an
ic
a
l shock or vibration
.
Keep children and household pets
away from the hot surfaces of equipment
.
K
ee
p the ventilation
holes or
slots clear, to avoid overheating and fire hazard.
Maintain
a
distance
of
at least
30 cm
to objects at the sides of and abov
e
the equipment
.
Do not
stand the equipment on
a bed,
rugs o
r soft carpets which could obstruct
the
ventilation
holes
.
Never operate the equipment in a closed cabinet or cupboard.
Never leave items such as newspapers, magazines, books or records etc., or
place other
electronic equipment like
CD
-
play
ers, telephones or computers etc.
, or household
decorations like
flower pots, sculptures etc., on the top of the equipment.
Objects placed on
top of the equipment are a serious fire risk.
Never operate the
equipment
in a wet or damp env
ironment or, for
example, near a bath tub
, shower
, wash bow
l, kitchen sink, laundry tub,
swimming pool or in
a wet basement
, outdoors in rainy weather or near a garden hose
, to prevent shock
and fire
hazard
.
Never place liquids,
flammable objects or
other objects on the equipment
. These may cause
a shock or fire hazard.
If brought indoors fromthe cold, allow
several hours for the equipment
to
reach
room
temperature
before operating
.
This equipment
develop
s
high voltages
internally
wh
ich can cause
shock
and
serious i
njury. Do not
attempt to open,
repair
or alter
the equipment.
A
void letting objects
fall through the v
entilation
holes
. Prevent
children from
insert
ing
objects
through the
ventilation holes
into the equipment
.
:
T
urn off and allow to cool. Unplug from the mains
outlet
before cleaning. Use a
dry duster or a damp cloth for cleaning and allow to dry before
operating.
Never use liquid cleaners or solvents on the equipment.
In models TMS
6060P and TMS 6060B
, the valves can be replaced by the user.
Instructions for changing valves are provided
(in a video)
on the website
and summarised
here
.
If you prefer, changing the valves can be performed by qualified service personnel.
Otherwise, t
he equipment
contains n
o user
-
serviceable parts
.
Refer servicing to
qualified
personnel.
Give these Op
erating Instructions together with the equipment to the next
owner
when the equipment
changes hands.
Safety
Instructions
Read
R
et
a
in
Follow
Observe
Placement:
Ventilation
:
Water and Moisture:
Shock Hazard:
Cleaning
Servicing:
Ownership:

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
4
/ 11
Mains connection
: The equipment
operates on
a mains voltage of 230 V AC
,
50 Hz, suitable
for Europe.
The
equipment
must be earthed
(grounded)
during operation.
D
o not operate
this equipment
if your mains
outlet does not have an earth connection
.
Refer to a qualified ele
ctrician.
Use the standard IEC plug and cable provided and a
n earthed
3
-
pin mains plug suitable for
your location.
Mains fuse
: The
equipment
has
a
mains
fuse (5 mm x 20 mm, 2 Amp, slow
blow
)
located
below
th
e IEC
socket
assembly on the back panel
. R
eplace
a blownfuse only with one
of
the same rating.
Pull out the fuse compartment drawer to access the mains fuse (nearest the
equipment) and a spare fuse of the same rating (nearest the user).
If the fuse blows repeatedly,
do not try
to operate the eq
uipment
. Switch off,
disconnect the
power cable from the mains
outlet
and
r
efer servicing to qualified personnel.
Make all connections with the
equipment
switched off.
Never
run a valve
amplifier with
out loudspeakers
,
to prevent serious damage to
t
he
output
transformers
and
valves.
Input
connections
:
The
audio source equipment (CD, TV, PC, Radio, Mobile device
, pre
-
amp, mixer, DAC
, DVD
)
is connected via the
phono (RCA)
or XLR
input
sock
ets on the back
panel. Connect the red
RCA
plug to the red socket for the right channel. Connect the black
or white
RCA
plug to the white socket for the
left channel
.
Connect the XLR sockets as
labelled for left and right channels. If the XLR sockets are u
sed, leave the first pair of RCA
sockets unoccupied.
The amplifiers TMS
6060P
and 6060B will accept up to six input sou
rces which are selected
with a
switch on the front panel.
The XLR sockets are selected with the input switch in
position 1.
Some vid
eo equipment (DVD
and BluRay
players)
connections
use a
n
extra
yellow
phono
plug
in addition to the red and black/white ones. The yellow plug
is inte
nded for the video
signal only and must
not
be
connected to this audio equipment.
Speakers
:
Speaker connection posts on the back panel
are
made
for speakers of 4, 8 and
16 Ohm
impedance
.
Connect speakers accor
ding to their
impedance.
Connect the speaker cable identified by the colour
black or
the sign negative
(
-
)
or 0 to the
black post.
Conne
ct the speaker cable identified by the colour red
or
the sign
positive
(+)
or
the word
“
signal
”
to the appropriate red post
, depending on its impedance.
Connection
instructions
–
Power Supply
Connection Instructions
–
Input
Equipment
and Loudspeakers

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
5
/ 11
Use
of
heavy duty speaker cable (3
–
5 mm)
is recommended. B
are the ends
of the cable
for
about 10 m
mand twist the copper cor
e strands to prevent fraying
. Insert the bared ends
fully
into the speaker terminal posts
and tighten the fixing screws.
Do not allow the bare
speaker cables to touch the metal amplifier chassis, other speaker
terminals or each
other.
Every
six months,
and
after moving
or
cleaning,
check that the speaker cables are tight
in
their posts
at the amplifier andspeaker ends
.
When all connections have been made,
plug the
equipment
into the mains
outlet
.
S
witch
on
the amplifier with the switch
on the back panel
. The switch lights up red, indicating
power to the unit.
After switching on, a
red
LED on the front pan
el indicates that power is
applied
to the valve
heaters
and the valves are
warm
ing
up
. After
35 second
s,
power is applied
to the high
voltage circuits
and the colou
r of the LED changes
to green
.
The amplifier is nowready for
use.
Valve amplifiers with new valves usually require several days of operation before they
develop their full pe
rformance potential.
TMS equipment is operated
continuous
ly for
at least
72
hours
on the work bench
, in order
to
make final checks and adjustments.
In this
time, the
equipment
is effectively run
-
in for the customer
before delivery
.
To conserve energy, s
witch off your amplifier at the end of a listening session
,
and
if you
leave it unattended (
go
ing
out or
overnight
).
If you intend to leave the amplifier
unused
for extend
ed periods
,
unplug it from the mains
outlet
.
If mains power is interrupted for more than 10 seconds
during operation
, the unit will
restart
after
35 seconds.
You may want to transp
ort your amplifier to a new location
.
After switching off
,
allow to cool
, d
isconnect it
from the mains an
d
disconnect
remaining
system components. If you intend to
move
the amplifier only a short
distance, wrap it in a
blanket to protect it from
scratches
and carry it carefully
.
Switching O
n
First Time Use
Switching Off, Power
Interruption
Transport

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
6
/ 11
If you intend to move
the amplifier
a long
distance e.g. in a household removal
,
it should be
protected from dust in a plastic bag and boxed with plenty of
padded packaging material
,
e.g. “bubble
-
wrap”
.
I
t is advisable to
remove the valves first and protect each one like
delicate household glass
items
in bubble
-
wrap or foam.
See instructions below for changing or replacing valves.

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
7
/ 11
Red light does not come on in On/Off switch
when turning on
Check power at mains outlet with e.g. a light
Check power cable plugged in properly
C
heck fuse in IEC socket.
Replace fuse if necessary
, observing
cautions noted under section “Connection”
On/Off switch shows on but
front panel light
does not light up red or
valve
(
s
)
do not light
up
Valve
(s)
not plugged in properly.
Follow
instructions
for replacing valves. Valve(s)
defect. See section below and refer to
service personnel
Internal fuse blown, heater circuit failure
.
Refer to service personnel
.
Valve
(
s
)
light
(s)
up but no sound
Turn off and check loudspeaker connections.
Connect loudspeakers correctly.
Check source gives signal, check input
cables connected correctly. Check correct
channel is selected for desired source
with
input selector switch.
C
heck volume control
is turned
up for desired source.
When
changing signal source with input selector
switch, l
isten for
a
light click sound as relays
engage
.
.
Absence of source selection:
In
t
ernal power fail
ure. Refer to service
personnel
Source, source connection and source
selection function
properly
,
valves light up,
speaker connection correct but no sound
Valve defect. See section below.
Internal high voltage failure.
Internal f
use in high voltage power supply
blown.
Refer to
qualified
service personnel.
Trouble Shooting
–
General
Symptom
Action
Do not attemp
t anyaccess
to
or testing of
high voltage supply. Danger of shock
and
serious injury

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
8
/ 11
The average valve lifetime is about 5,000 to 10,000 hours, corresponding to 5 to 10 years of
normal use. In fact, t
he lifetime
of valves can vary
from several hundred to several tens of
thousands of running hours but thi
s cannot be predicted exactly
for each valve
and depends
to some extent on operating
and transport
conditions
.
At some time, a
valve may fail or the
sound quality
of the amplifier
may suffer because of valve performance degradation
due to
aging.
TMS
uses
new
valves
available from current
manufacture
,
ra
t
her than “NewOld Stock”
(NOS)
ones
.
This measure is intended to prevent redundancy
even after stocks of
NOS
valves are exhausted.
Various
warning
symptoms
indicate
impending valve failure, such as:
-
excessive distortion
-
intermittent lack of sound
unrelated to proper source connections
-
crackling sounds
In the event of
v
alve failure
one or more of the foll
owing
symptoms
may be observed
:
-
failure to heat up
-
missing orange glow
-
complete lack of sound, in one or both channels
-
flashover within the valve, usually found in output valves
-
strong blue coloration of the gas within the valve
-
white
discolouration
of
silver coatin
g in
the valve
, indicating vacuum failure
.
Switch off the amplifier immediately and unplug the power cable from the mains outlet.
The affected valve or
(recommended)
valve pair
will need replacement. As an aid to
servicing, if possible
please n
ote which
valve
or which channel
is affected.
Follow the instructions for changing or replacing a valve
below
or, if you prefer, r
efer
to
qualified
personnel.
Turn off the amplifier and allow
it
to cool down.
Unplug the power cable from the mains outlet.
Keep the mains plug within sight.
Remove the glass top by unscrewing the chrome caps on the four corner posts.
Place the glass sheet in a safe place where it cannot fall down.
Remove the knobs of the channel selector switch and the volume control.
Depending on the knob type you will need either
a
No. 1 (3mm) flat screwdriver or a 2.5mm
hexagonal key to loosen the grub screw. U
nscrew
the grub screws about 2 turns and pull
the
knobs of the channelselector switch and the volume
control off.
Trouble Shooting
–
Valves
Changing or Replacing a
V
alve
TMS 6060B
TMS 6060B and TMS
6060P

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
9
/ 11
Remove the black plastic sleeves on the control shafts an
d
put
them safely aside.
With a
No. T20 Torx®
screwdriver, unscrewthe four
4mm
screws securing the cabinet.
These are located
on the lower left and right hand sides at the front and back.
Slide off the cabinet in a forwards direction.
Pre
-
amp: 2 x ECC88 or E88CC. Driver; 2 x ECC99.
Output: 4 x EL34 / 4 x 6550 / 4 x KT88 / 4 x KT120, depending on
the
original order.
Pre
-
amp: 2 x ECC88 or E88CC. Driver; 2 x ECC99.
Output: 4 x KT88
.
Replacement valves can be purchased by mail order on the internet from
the original
manufacturer JJ Electronics, Slovakia
,
or fromelectronic components suppliers, e.g.
TubeTown GmbH, Germany
,
or Distrelec Export, The Netherlands.
If you experience
difficulties, please contact TMS.
When ordering
output valves
, we recommend purchase in
matching sets of four.
Lo
o
king from the
top front, the valves
located nearest the front
a
re the preamp and driver
valves, ECC88 and ECC99, or short and tall
miniature
9
-
pin valves, respectively.
The
larger
output valves are located towards the back and are numbered 1 to 4, from left to
right.
Valves are best replaced in pairs at the same time, e.g. both pre
-
amp valves
or both driver
valves,
in order to have two valves of the same age, for optimalsound reproduction.
Remove valves by gently rocking them backwards and forwards while at the sa
me time
exerting an upwards pull on them.
Note the location of each valve with a sketch on paper and by writing its position on the
glass envelope with a marker pen.
Replace valves by matching the pin pattern on the valve to the holes on the base (9
-
pi
n
valves) or rotate the valve until the key engages (8
-
pin valves) and push the valves
completely down into the socket.
Put discarded valves in the recycling for electrical and electronic items.
TMS uses manual biasing for
output valves in its equipmen
t rather than semi
-
automatic or
automatic biasing because of reliability
and sound quality concerns
with the latter systems.
Biasing is unnecessary for the valves in a newamplifier whe
re the values are
bench
set.
Biasing
bec
omes
necessary when valves are changed or replaced and it may be advisable
once every two years to maintain optimal output stage performance.
TMS
6060P Valves
TMS 6060B
Valves
Biasing of Output Valves

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
10
/ 11
Withthe cabinet removed in the TMS
6060B and TMS 6060P,
a rowof 4 biasing
potentiometers can be found located
on the right
-
hand
side of the amplifier chassis towards
the back
.
The potentiometers are numbered, front
-
to
-
back, 1 to 4, and correspond to the
output valves, seen left
-
to
-
right, 1 to 4.
Each potentiometer controls the baseline current of its correspondi
ng valve: Turned
anticlockwise, the current is
reduced. Vice versa, turned clockwise, the current is increased.
A
m
eter is l
ocated between the two output transformers
on the top
of the amplifier chassis
which
measur
es
valve current
,
and a 6
-
position selector switch
to connect the meter to the
output valve
being measured.
The positions
of the switch are
fromleft to right:
Position
1:
open
–
Position
2:
valve 1
–
Position
3:
valve 2
–
Position
4:
valve 3
–
Position
5:
valve 4
–
Posit
ion
6:
open.
During normal operation, the selector switch remains open, in positions 1 or 6 (fully left or
fully right).
During biasing, the valve which has been changed or replaced is switched into circuit with
the meter
and the current adjusted with the corresponding
potentiometer.
Replace the desired output valve(s) but not the
cabinet. P
lug the amplifier into the mains and
switch on. Allow the green panel light to come on, indicating the amplifier is ready for use
and power is applied to the output valves.
Do not apply a soun
d signal to the amplifier, so
that the bias adjustment
is
done in the resting state.
Turn the selector switch to the
position
of the
valve in question and adjust its current
with the corresponding bias potentiometer
according to the following
values
:
EL3
4
18 mA
6550
25 mA
KT88
30 mA
KT120
40 mA.
Repeat this procedure
not only
for each valve which has been changed or replaced
but for
all the others
, then return the selector switch to one of the open positions.
When finished, turn off and unplug the amplifier before replacing the cabinet.
Replace the
cabinet,
sleeves,
knobs (and glass top) in th
e reverse order described above for removal.
Whil
e Time Machine Sounds
follows
current
official regulations
regarding recycling
(see
below)
, it anticipates that these may change in the future, in favou
r of more durable
products, in order to
reduc
e
electronic scrap. For this reaso
n, we recommend
that every
Biasing
Proc
edure
Do Not power the amplifier on with
empty valve bases.
Caution High Voltages
Present.
Do not insert metal objects into the holes of empty valve bases. Danger of
electric sh
ock.
Disposal

200313 ES TMS Amplifier Operating Instructions ENV12
11
/ 11
effort should be made
to extend the useful life of TMS
p
roducts by appropriate component
replacement and repair strategies. Recycling should be considered as a last
-
resort solution
for equipment which is irreversibly damaged.
It is mandatory that e
lectrical and
electronic equipment
may
not be disposed of in household waste. You are obligated to dispose o
f such
devices
separately
.
Contact your
local
community authorities for information
about
the correct disposalof the
device.
By disposing
of the device correctly you are ensuring that it will be recycled or processed for
reuse. This helps to prevent hazardous material from damaging the environment.
The
packaging consists of cardboard and marked pla
stics that
can
be recycled
separately
. Dispose of these materials in
appropriate recycling bins or in
a
recycling centre.
For all enquiries concerning this equipment, including servicing, please contact TMS at:
Time Machine Sounds SL
Urbanizacíon Costa Nagü
eles 1, Portal 1, Piso 5G
29602 Marbella (Må
laga)
Spain
Tel: +
34 983 33 49 11
E
-
mail: [e-mail]
sa
[e-mail]
www.timemachinesounds.com
CIF: ES B93671162
Disposal of the equipment:
Disposal of the packa
g
ing:
Contact, Enquiries, Servicing