Harman Kardon HK6900 Owners Manual - Page 2

HK6800

and

HK6900

Features

Thank

you

for

choosing

a

Harman

Kardon

integrated

amplifier.

This

is

a

superb

piece

of

high

fidelity

equipment

that

has

been

meticulously

designed

to

provide

you

with

thousands

of

hours

of

enjoyment.

This

manual

describes

the

features

and

capabilities

of

your

new

integrated

amplifier.

In

addition,

it

describes

the

proper

method

for

connecting

your

integrated

amplifier

to

your

system.

Please

read

this

owner's

manual

and

use

your

integrated

amplifier

only

in

accordance

with

its

instructions.

Keep

the

manual

in

a

safe

place

for

future

reference.

Discrete

circuitry

Rather

than

employing

simple

integrated

circuits

in

the

amplifier

section,

the

HK6800

and

HK6900

use

completely

discrete

(separate)

electronic

components

for

greatly

improved

linearity

and

less

distortion.

HCC

(High

-instantaneous

Current

Capability)

While

repoducing

dynamic

music

signals,

the

in-

stantaneous

impedances

of

nearly

all

loudspeakers

drop

to

less

than

a

third

of

the

nominal

rating.

These

low

instantaneous

impedances

typically

require

three

to

six

times

more

current

from

the

amplifier

than

a

nominal

8

ohm

resistive

load

requires.

The

HK6800

and

HK6900

integrated

amplifiers

can

provide

respectively

70

and

90

amperes

of

instantaneous

current,

which

ensures

that

your

speakers

will

be

able

to

continually

reproduce

the

entire

dynamic

range.

Ultrawide

bandwidth

Unlike

ordinary

integrated

amplifiers,

the

HK6800

and

HK6900

can

reproduce

musical

frequencies

ranging

from

less

than

10Hz

to

more

than

100kHz.

This

ultrawide

bandwidth

improves

the

accuracy

of

reproduction

of

transient

signals

and

ensures

phase

linearity.

Low

negative

feedback

This

design

philosophy

is

used

by

the

world's

most

exclusive

amplifiers.

It

requires

the

highest

quality

internal

components,

and

results

in

an

extremely

stable

amplifier

with

unmeasureable

TIM

distortion

and

absolutely

outstanding

imaging

characteristics.

Main

direct

The

MAIN

DIRECT

switch

routes

the

source

signal

directly

to

the

input

of

the

amplifier,

bypassing

all

tone

controls

and

other

preamplifier

circuitry.

The

signal

is

therefore

attenuated

only

by

the

high

-quality

volume

control,

resulting

in

very

pure

sound

quality.

Tone

defeat

The

TONE

DEFEAT

switch

causes

the

source

signal

to

completely

bypass

the

tone

control

circuitry.

This

results

in

unaltered,

completely

accurate

musical

reproduction.

Video

preamplifier

switch

In

keeping

with

Harman

Kardon's

emphasis

on

quality,

the

HK6800

and

HK6900

incorporate

a

switch

that

enables

you

to

turn

off

the

internal

video

preamplifier

for

the

purest

possible

sound

quality.

Electronic

function

switching

The

controls

on

the

front

panel

of

the

HK6800

and

HK6900

switch

input

and

output

connections

electronically

through

the

use

of

high

fi

delity

electronic

analog

switches.

Harman

Kardon's

simple

and

elegant

electronic

design

makes

possible

complex

component

configurations.

In

addition,

this

all

-electronic

circuitry

ensures

that

the

switches

will

function

quietly

and

reliably

for

the

life

of

the

unit.

High

voltage/high

current

design

.

Harman

Kardon

has

designed

the

HK6800

and

HK6900

to

be

able

to

handle

low

impedances

and

unstable

speaker

loads

that

would

destroy

less

rugged

amplifiers.

While

the

HK6800

and

HK6900

can

easily

manage

these

loads,

the

unit

can

be

set

to

provide

higher

voltage

and

even

more

power

into

higher

impedance

loudspeakers,

allowing

you

to

use

the

unit

to

full

capacity.

Phase

-correct

loudness

contour

Harman

Kardon's

exclusive

Phase

-correct

loudness

circuitry

provides

a

special

fixed

equalization

curve

that

compensates

for

the

ear's

decreased

sensitivity

at

low

volumes.

This

special

circuitry

is

unusual

in

that

it

corrects

for

midrange

phase

errors

inherent

in

low

frequency

loudness

equalization.

The

result

of

this

correction

is

that

low

frequencies

sound

clear

and

natural,

with

no

coloration

or

degradation

of

stereo

imaging.

Active/passive

phono

section

with

MM

and

MC

inputs

A

switch

on

the

front

panel

of

the

HK6800

and

HK6900

sets

up

the

gain

and

input

impedance

of

your

amplifier's

internal

circuitry

to

match

the

type

of

cartridge

being

used

on

your

turntable.

The

HK6800

and

HK6900

provide

you

with

both

a

passive

(unamplified)

phono

section

for

use

with

standard

moving

magnet

phono

cartridges,

and

an

active

(amplified)

phono

section

for

use

with

moving

coil

(low

output)

phono

cartridges.

You

can

connect

both

moving

coil

and

moving

magnet

cartridge

inputs

and

use

the

switch

on

the

front

panel

to

select

between

them.

Pre

-out

connectors

The

PRE

-OUT

connectors

on

the

rear

panel

allow

you

to

use

the

preamplifier

section

independently.

You

could

connect

your

HK6800/HK6900

to

an

external

power

amplifier

and

use

your

HK6800/HK6900

as

a

preamplifier

only.

Or

you

could

connect

an

external

amplifier

to

your

HK6800/HK6900

and

simultaneously

use

the

power

amplifier

section

of

your

HK6800/HK6900.

1

Harman Kardon HK6900 Owners Manual - Page 2

HK6800, HK6900, Features

Page 2 highlights