Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers Instructions for Use BHK Signature 250 and 300 Amplifiers™ 4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 support@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com 15-070-01-1 ©2015 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers ® Important Safety Instructions Read these instructions Heed all warnings Follow all instructions WARNING. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. Clean only with a dry cloth. Do not place flammable material on top of or beneath the component. All PS Audio components require adequate ventilation at all times during operation. Rack mounting is acceptable where appropriate.
Specifications ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers BHK Signature 250 Stereo and BHK Signature 300 Mono Unit Weight 83 lbs Unit Dimensions 17.1” x 8.7” x 14” Chassis only. 15" deep including connectors.
Specifications ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers THD 1KHz, 1W/8Ω 20-20KHz, 1W/8Ω 1KHz, 200W/8Ω 1KHz, 400W/4Ω < 0.01% < 0.1% < 0.1% (120VAC Mains input) < 0.
Introduction ® Thank You Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers Thank you for your purchase of the PS Audio® BHK Signature Amplifier. Designed by master engineer and audiophile, Bascom H. King, the BHK Signature Series of amplifiers represents one man’s decades long pursuit of perfection. Nothing was spared, no shortcuts were taken. Zero Loss Power amplifiers are the make-or-break component in a music reproduction chain.
Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers Location Once your BHK is unpacked, you’ll need to find a convenient place to set it. We recommend floor mounting on a platform or shelf mounting as close to the speakers as possible. If the source equipment (preamp or DAC) is far away from the BHK, it is recommended to use balanced interconnects if possible.
Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers Tubes are shipped already installed The BHK Signature ships with a hand matched pair of vacuum tubes pre-installed in the unit. There is no need to install tubes, simply set the amplifier up and you are ready to play it. Tube rolling There are many who will wish to experiment with different tubes on the BHK input in a practice known as tube rolling. The BHK will accept and work with most 6 or 7 series dual triode tubes.
Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers Find the area without pins Match the tube to the socket 4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 Owner’s Reference PH: 720.406.8946 support@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com 15-070-01-1 ©2015 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers Place the other tube in the socket Tube life Tubes have limited life spans. With normal use of a few hours a day they can go for many years without replacement. The sonic characteristics of tubes will change over time. At first, many hours are needed to sound best as they break in. As time goes on they will perform beautifully and reach their peak performance.
Owner’s Reference ® Connect the speaker cables Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers With the amplifier firmly seated where you have selected, it is time to connect the speaker cables. The BHK Signature uses custom machined connectors. These connectors were specially engineered to match the performance specifications of the BHK. Each connector is hewn from a solid block of high purity copper, and machined on a lathe, then hand polished and gold plated.
Owner’s Reference ® Plug in the connecting cables Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers The BHK Signature Amplifier accepts either single ended RCA or balanced XLR connections to the preamplifier or DAC feeding it. Regardless of the cable chosen, the BHK will treat the incoming signal in such a way that it becomes balanced throughout the amplifier’s circuitry. Our preference for connection to the preamplifier is balanced XLR cables.
Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers You are now ready to enjoy your first listen to the BHK Signature Amplifier. Making sure the preamplifier and the system is on, push the front panel standby button on the BHK front panel. The light will blink for 30 seconds as the tubes warm up. When the blinking stops and the PS logo turns steady on, the amplifier is ready to play music.
Questions and Answers ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers Should the unit be on all the time? We recommend leaving the rear panel master power switch on at all times. We further recommend placing the BHK in standby mode when the listening session is over. Standby mode is accessed through the front panel PS Audio logo button. Fuses? There are multiple fuses in the BHK accessible through the back panel.
Troubleshooting ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers BHK won’t play music Check to make sure power is going into the BHK and it is connected to a live source. Make sure the rear panel master power switch is in the on position and the lights near the tubes are lit. Push the front panel logo light and it should blink, then remain lit after 30 seconds. If it is lit, look to the rear of the unit and see if the tubes are lit and glowing.
Troubleshooting ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers above, you determine it is a component like a cable TV box that is causing the hum/buzz to occur, and using a cheater plug doesn’t help matters, it may be necessary to isolate the cable connection (CATV) with an isolation transformer. This inexpensive device is available at most Wal Mart, Radio Shack or department store type outlets and is sometimes called a ‘matching transformer’.
Warranty ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers Limited Three Year Warranty Should I Register My Product? • • • • • Registering your product validates the warranty start date. If you do not register your product within 30 days of service, a copy of your purchase receipt from an authorized PS Audio dealer may be used as a proof of purchase to establish the warranty start date.
Warranty ® • • • • Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers Improper or unauthorized repair, including repairs not authorized by PS Audio or a PS Audio authorized repair center Fire, lightning, flood, “acts of God,” or other contingencies beyond the control of PS Audio Products purchased through an unauthorized source (if you have questions as to whether or not a dealer is authorized, please contact customer support at psaudio.
Warranty ® Owner’s Reference BHK Signature Amplifiers How State Law Applies This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. Warranty Service Outside of the US PS Audio has authorized distribution in many countries of the world. In each country, the authorized importing distributor has accepted the responsibility for warranty of products sold by that distributor. Warranty service should be obtained where the product was purchased.
