Arcam MULTI ZONE POWER AMPLIFIER MZ8 - Manual (Page 6)

6
Placing the unit
Place the amplifier on a level, firm surface, avoiding direct sunlight and
sources of heat or damp. Alternatively, the unit can be installed in a 19”
equipment rack using the rack ears supplied. Attach the rack ears to
the sides of the MZ amplifier using the supplied bolts, as shown in the
diagram below.
• Do not place the MZ8/MZ12 on top of another power amplifier or
other source of heat.
• Do not place the amplifier in an enclosed space such as a bookcase
or rack cabinet unless there is good provision for ventilation. If
installed in a rack, leave at least 2U of empty rack space above and
below the unit. Use a ventilated blanking plate to cover the gap. The
MZ8 and MZ12 are designed to run warm during normal operation.
• Do not place any other component or item directly on top of the
amplifier as this may obstruct airflow around the heat-sink, causing
the amplifier to run hot. (The unit placed on top of the amplifier
would become hot, too.)
• Do not place your record deck on top of this unit. Record decks are
very sensitive to the noise generated by mains power supplies which
will be heard as a background ‘hum’ if the record deck is too close.
Power
The amplifier is supplied with a moulded mains plug already fitted to the
lead. Check that the plug supplied fits your supply — should you require
a new mains lead, please contact your Arcam dealer.
If your mains supply voltage or mains plug is different, please contact
your Arcam dealer immediately.
Push the IEC plug end of the power cable into the socket on the back of
the amplifier, making sure that it is pushed in firmly. Plug the other end
of the cable into your mains socket and, if necessary, switch the socket
on.
Standby power
The front panel power switch powers all circuitry down. The unit may be
put into low-power standby operation using RS232 control or the trigger
input. In standby, the amplifier’s control power supply is kept powered
on, so the amplifier can be powered up remotely. Power consumption in
this mode is approximately 0.6W. If the unit is put into standby using the
RS232 control or trigger input, it may be possible to hear a slight residual
hum coming from the mains transformer inside the amplifier. This is
perfectly normal. However, if the unit is to be left unused for an extended
period, we recommend that you disconnect it from the mains supply or
turn off the power using the front panel switch to save power.
Note that when the MZ amplifier is powered on from the front panel
switch or bought out of standby the amplifier modules are turned on
individually to stagger the surge created when a powerful amplifier is
switched on (i.e. it provides a ‘soft start’). This reduces the surge current
drawn from the domestic power supply.
Interconnect Cables
We recommend the use of high-quality screened cables that are designed
for the particular application. Other cables will have different impedance
characteristics that will degrade the performance of your system (for
example, do not use cabling intended for video use to carry audio
signals). All cables should be kept as short as is practically possible.
It is good practice when connecting your equipment to make sure that
the mains power-supply cabling is kept as far away as possible from your
audio cables. Failure to do so may result in unwanted noise in the audio
signals.
If your installation requires very long cables, balanced and/or 100V lines
may be necessary. Contact a specialist for advice.
Attaching rack ears to the MZ amplifier
overview