User's Manual

BUZZING:
Your HA540 will buzz when you listen to headphones with
nothing plugged into the input selected. The unit needs
something to be plugged into the input that is selected to
complete the tube circuit. Without a device connected to the
selected input the HA540 WILL BUZZ AND GENERATE A
VERY UNPLEASANT SOUND THRU THE HEADPHONES.
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU CONNECT ALL THE IN-
PUTS AND OUTPUT BEFORE POWERING ON THE UNIT.
AGAIN IT IS NORMAL OPERATION TO BUZZ WITHOUT
AN INPUT!
TUBE TEMP:
The tube will get up to around 140 degrees fahrenheit, it will
be warm to the touch. The top chassis will also get warm
from the tube's heat. This will not be an issue as the chassis
will only get 20 degrees warmer than room temp. The entire
top of the chassis will seem hot after the HA540 has been on
for a few hours, this is normal and nothing to be concerned
about. Some tubes do run hotter than others. In our testing
the hottest tube we have seen was a NOS RCA 5751 made
in Canada it ran at 147 degrees, and did make the top of the
HA540 very warm to the touch after being on for a few hours.
This is normal and is not a cause for concern.
Q: Do tubes have a burn in time?
A: Yes, in our testing new tubes need 30 to 50 hours to burn
in. The sound di󰀨erence is very slight, but we recommend
giving the tube a few hours from the time it is new
Q: What tube comes with my HA540?
A: The tube that came with your HA540 is a RUBY 12AX7
AKA Chinese Grey Plate. They have very good bass re-
sponse and overall are a great tube for a warm, comfortable
listening experience. We use this tube for obvious reasons, If
we used NOS tubes we would have to charge considerably
more for the HA540. In all honesty I do like the factory tube.
It has very good bass response that you will miss with some
NOS tubes. Changing tubes is fun and kind of adds to the
allure of why you would use a tube in the rst place. If you
get tired of your gear rather than purchasing new gear you
can buy a di󰀨erent tube and get a di󰀨erent sound experience
from the same equipment.
Q: Does the power supply for the HA540 need to be upgrad-
ed?
A: No. The PS27s that is included is the best power supply
available for the HA540. It does not need to be changed.
Q: What is the life expectancy of the vacuum tube in the
HA540?
A: 10 to 50 years (longer if you do not use the unit very
often) if you use it more often it will have a shorter life, like a
light bulb. Less than 10 years if you have the unit on 24/7. 15
years if you use the unit once a day. 25 years if you use the
unit a couple times a week. More than 40 years if you use
the unit a few times a month. I do not recommend leaving
tube equipment on all the time. It creates a lot of heat that is
not benecial to other electronic components.