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GA-120S FINAL EDITION
Solid-State Line-Level Amplifier

OPERATOR MANUAL
version January 2007

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Mains Voltage Canada & U.S.A. 120V 60Hz
Mains Voltage Singapore 230V 50Hz
Power Consumption 400 Watts Maximum
Power Output (Both Channels 20Hz - 20KHz) 50 WPC/8 Ohms (100 WPC/4 Ohms)
Input Impedance 25 kOhms
Input Sensitivity (Passive) 400 mVrms
Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 KHz (-/+ 3 dB)
THD/IM Distortion 0.1% at 1 KHz
Signal-To-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted) -80 dB
Dimensions 15 x 43 x 30 CM (Height/Width/Depth)
Net Weight 10 KG.

PRODUCT CONTENTS

(1) Amplifier
(2) 4-Point Spike & Receptacle Set
(3) AC Power Cable (1.5 M)
(4) AC Duplex Outlet (20 Amp)
(5) Contact Cleaner/Conditioner
(6) User Manual.

MANUFACTURER AND EXPORTER

Product from Classic Sound Research Co. Ltd. of Musical Design Labs Co. Ltd. in Bangkok, THAILAND.

Designed/engineered/manufactured by Classic Sound Research Co. Ltd. in association with exclusive importer/distributor Song Audio Ltd. in Canada.

E-mail: contact@vasantk.com | Website: www.vasantk.com |

PRODUCT GUARANTEE/WARRANTY STATEMENT

The manufacturer/importer/distributor provides a non-transferable limited 5 year parts & labour guarantee/warranty to the original owner of the product. The guarantee covers usage under normal conditions without misuse or mishandling of the product.

Point of Sale from Manufacturer (Vasant_K and Song Audio): In the event of required service, the owner covers shipping to the manufacturer – who, in turn, services the unit and covers the return shipping to the owner. Servicing is done by a marketing & technical support office in Toronto, Canada. The warranty takes effect upon the date of purchase of product.

Point of Sale from Retailer (Local Area Dealers): In the event of required service, the owner covers shipping to the dealer – who, in turn, returns the unit to the manufacturer who then services the unit and returns it to the dealer. Servicing is done by a marketing & technical support office in Toronto, Canada. The warranty takes effect when the owner completes and returns the warranty registration information below to the manufacturer (not dealer) by e-mail, fax, or letter post.

CUSTOMER WARRANTY REGISTRATION (POINT OF SALE FROM RETAILER)

Retailer Name & Location:
Date of Purchase (day/month/year):
Proof of Purchase (e-mail digital image, fax, or mail/post copy of original sales invoice):

Customer Name:
Customer E-mail:
Customer Telephone:
Customer Mail/Post Address:

Communication of the above information to the manufacturer technical support office below validates the warranty.

INTRODUCTION

The Vasant_K GA-120S Final Edition was exported for the first time to participate at Le Festival Son & Image in 2003 at Montreal, Canada. It is an entry-level solid-state line-level integrated amplifier designed to be used in audiophile applications. The product is built for expert users: there is no signal-impeding protection safeguarding electrical shortage (and no DC protection for the loudspeakers). The only protection for the amplifier is afforded by the 4 Amp-rated ‘slow-blow’ fuse - anything further would compromise the performance of the amplifier.

INSTALLATION

Photograph from Le Festival Son & Image 2003 (28-30 March) at 4 Points Sheraton Hotel (Room 411):

Vasant_K power cable, acoustic monitor cable, and analogue interconnect cable - all derived from 98% silver solid-core construction.

The amplifier should be placed upon a level, stable surface away from sources of heat (such as heat radiators). It should not be placed under other audio components.

When installing the amplifier, all associated components must be shut off.

(1) Connect the primary source component (e.g. compact disc deck) to the RCA (phono type) inputs marked (tape) ‘record’ jacks (the rotary source selector can be at any setting). This enables the audio signal to bypass the rotary input selector and provide a direct connection between the source component to the power amplifier. The jacks are colour-coded (e.g. the ‘red’ (right) interconnect cable is to be connected to the ‘red’ (right) jack on the amplifier). The unused jacks are capped (covered) with Cardas Caps.

(2) Connect the acoustic monitors (loudspeakers) to the appropriate terminals: ‘red’ = right; ‘white’ = left.

WARNING

Do not connect or disconnect the loudspeakers with the power on – accidently touching the cables together while in contact with either terminal will electrically ‘short’ the amplifier and cause damage which is not covered in the manufacturer’s limited guarantee/warranty.

(1) When powering up the amplifier, the volume control must be set at the minimum position to avoid damage to the amplifier due to instant current overload.

(2) When shutting down the amplifier, at least 45-60 seconds must pass until the power LED fades out before removing loudspeaker cables or repowering the unit. FAILURE TO OBSERVE THIS CONDITION WILL DAMAGE THE AMPLIFIER.

Damage to the unit by failing to observe the above restrictions are not covered by the manufacturer�s limited guarantee/warranty.

INSTALLATION OF THE HUBBELL HBL8300HI AC DUPLEX OUTLET

The home electrical service panel (fuse box) must be shut off to avoid electrical shock before replacing the standard AC outlet with the Hubbell hospital-grade outlet. It must be installed by an electrician or expert home owner familiar with this type of work.

EQUIPMENT SET-UP (RECOMMENDATIONS)

(1) heavy marble slabs atop 3-point cone/spike support directly coupled to the floor. They can be laid out side-by-side to place a component upon each slab. If the source component is a compact disc deck with a drawer-loading mechanism, it is possible to place the amplifier atop the deck.

(2) dedicated single-shelf or multi-shelf equipment supports. For the latter type, each shelf should be isolated from the other shelves.

(3) heavy, solid, rigid furniture. Loudspeakers should never be placed upon bookshelves. They should be placed upon purpose-built stands (preferably the heavy pillar mass-loaded variety).

In the ideal, 'Type A' set-up, the acoustic monitors are set far apart as the stereo image will hold (but at least 2 meters away from side walls and 1 meter ahead of the back wall). The source component and amplifier should be set-up in a low to medium-height equipment support directly in front of the listening position (as in the 'control panel' of an aircraft cockpit). With the components directly in front of the listener, remote control handsets are rendered unnecessary. Loudspeaker cable lengths should be kept under 4 M.

Importance should be placed upon the use of proper audiophile-grade (or hospital-grade) AC duplex outlets, AC power cables, interconnect cables, and loudspeaker cables. During system set-up, all electrical contacts should be cleaned with contact cleaners/conditioners. All equipment supports, loudspeaker stands, and their components should be level and be rock-solid to establish a rigid coupling of the components without sacrifice of acoustic power in the form of unwanted mechanical energy. Optimising the performance of an audiophile system takes deliberation and experimentation based upon conceptually sound principles. A properly set-up listening room with acceptable acoustics, suitable room treatment, equipment supports, 'entry-level' audiophile components, and 'experten fighter pilot' tweaking would outperform most ‘high-end’ systems in dealer showrooms. ‘No compromise’ is more an approach than a matter of budget.