Setting Up And Using Your S500 - Samson S500 Owner's Manual

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Catalog (18 pages)

Table Of Contents

Table of Contents

Setting up your S500 is a simple procedure which takes only a few minutes:

1. Remove all packing materials (save them in case of need for future service) and

decide where the amplifier is to be physically placed—it can be used free-standing or

mounted in a standard 19" rack, requiring only two rack spaces. When installed, make

sure that both the front and rear panels are unobstructed and that there is good

ventilation around the entire unit (we recommend the use of spacer panels, especially if

multiple amplifiers are used in a rack.

2. Set the rear panel Bridged / Stereo / Parallel switch as desired (see the "Bridged

and Parallel Modes" section on page 7 in this manual for more information). If desired,

use the XLR Link connectors to "daisy-chain" the output of the S500 to external ampli-

fiers (see #8 on page 4 in this manual for more information).

3. Make the speaker connections, using the banana or Speakon™ output connectors on

the rear panel. It is never a good idea to power up any amplifier that is not connected to

loudspeakers. When operating in Stereo or Parallel mode, any loudspeakers with a

minimum impedance load of 4 ohms (that is, 4 ohms or greater) can be used; however,

in Bridged mode, 8 ohm speakers must be used. Be sure to connect the loudspeaker

correctly. In Stereo or Parallel mode, make sure the red (+) terminal is connected to the

positive input of the speaker and the black (ground) terminal is connected to the nega-

tive input of the speaker. See page 7 in this manual for more information about Bridged

mode and pages 8 - 9 in this manual for full speaker interconnection instructions.

4. Next, make the signal input connections, using the Combination input connectors on

the rear panel (if operating the S500 in Bridged or Parallel mode, use the Channel 1

input only—see page 7 in this manual for more information). If your mixer or crossover

network has balanced outputs, we recommend the use of three-conductor cabling and

connectors (unbalanced two-conductor plugs can also be inserted into the Combo inputs,

but you'll get better signal quality and less outside noise and hum if you use balanced

lines).

5. On the front panel of the S500, turn both Channel input controls fully counterclock-

wise (to their "-80" setting). Then connect the supplied heavy-gauge 3-pin "IEC" cable to

the rear panel IEC connector and to any grounded AC socket. Because of the relay pro-

tection circuitry built into the S500, you can even plug it into the same power strip that

other audio devices (such as a mixing console) are connected to. You can then turn on

all devices at once with the single power strip on-off switch, with no danger of damaging

connected speakers by generating "thumps."

6. Press the front panel Power switch in order to turn on the S500. The Power LED will

light and the Protection LED will go on. After approximately five seconds, the Protection

LED will go off (you'll hear a click when this occurs).

7. Apply an input signal to the S500 at or about 0 dBu (if sending signal from a mixer,

drive the output meters at approximately 0 vu). While the input signal is present, slowly

raise the Channel Input controls until the desired sound level is achieved. The three-seg-

ment LED meters next to each Channel input control will show you the continuous power

output of the S500 as signal is being passed. For the best signal-to-noise ratio, the S500

should normally be run with the Channel Input controls at or near maximum (fully clock-

wise, at the "0 dB" position) and the right (CLIP) segment should light occasionally (but

not frequently) during peak levels. If you are using a mixer that has a master output level

control (sometimes called "control room level"), use it to attenuate the signal as neces-

sary to achieve the desired speaker level.

If you encounter difficulty with any aspect of setting up or using your S500, contact your

local Samson dealer. If purchased in the United States, you can call Samson Technical

Support (1-800-372-6766) between 9 AM and 5 PM EST.