Rotel RB-976 owner manual AC Power and Controls

Save the RB-976 shipping carton and all enclosed packing mate- rial for future use. Shipping or moving the RB-976 in anything other than the original packing material may result in severe dam- age to your amplifier.

Fill out and send in the owner’s registration card packed with the RB-976. Also be sure to keep the original sales receipt. It is your best record of the date of purchase, which you will need in the event warranty service is ever required.

Placement

Because of its high power output, the RB-976 may generate con- siderable heat. The heat sinks and ventilation openings in the am- plifier are more than capable of dissipating this heat under normal conditions, but don’t smother your amplifier. There must be ad- equate clearance around the chassis. The ventilation slots in the top cover must be unblocked, and there must be reasonable air- flow around the amplifier. Use common sense when placing the amplifier in a cabinet or when stacking other equipment.

Likewise, remember the weight of the amplifier when you select an installation location. Make sure that the shelf or cabinet can support its considerable bulk. Again, use common sense.

Protection Circuitry

The RB-976 features a thermal protection circuit that protects the amplifier against potential damage in the event of extreme or faulty operating conditions. Unlike many designs, the RB-976’s protection circuit is independent of the audio signal and has no impact on sonic performance. Instead, the protection circuit monitors the temperature of the output devices and shuts down the amplifier if temperatures exceed safe limits.

Most likely, you will never see this protection circuitry in action. However, should a faulty condition arise, one or more channels of the amplifier will stop playing.

If this happens, turn the amplifier off, let it cool down for several minutes, and attempt to identify and correct the problem that caused the protection circuitry to engage. When you turn the am- plifier back on, the protection circuit will automatically reset.

In most cases, the protection circuitry activates because of a fault condition such as shorted speaker wires, or inadequate ventila- tion leading to an overheating condition. In very rare cases, highly reactive or extremely low impedance speaker loads could cause the protection circuit to engage.

AC Power and Controls

AC Power Input 9

Because of its high power rating, the RB-976 can draw consider- able current. Therefore, it should be plugged directly into a 2-pin polarized wall outlet. Do not use an extension cord. A heavy duty multi-tap power outlet strip may be used if it (and the wall outlet) is rated to handle the current demanded by the RB-976 and all the other components connected to it.

Be sure the power switch on the front panel of the RB-976 is turned off (in the out position). Then, connect the supplied power cord to the AC power outlet.

Your RB-976 is configured at the factory for the proper AC line voltage in the country where you purchased it (either 115 volts AC or 230 volts AC with a line frequency of either 50 Hz or 60 Hz). The AC line configuration is noted on a decal on the back panel.

Note: Should you move your RB-976 amplifier to another country, it is possible to reconfigure your amplifier for use on a different line voltage. Do not attempt to perform this conversion yourself. Opening the enclosure of the RB-976 exposes you to dangerous voltages. Consult a qualified service person or the Rotel factory service department for information.

If you are going to be away from home for an extended period of time such as a month-long vacation, it is a sensible precaution to unplug your amplifier (as well as other audio and video compo- nents) while you are away.

Power Switch 1 and Power Indicator 2

The power switch is located on the front panel of your amplifier. To turn the amplifier on, push the switch in. The LED indicator above the switch will light, indicating that the amplifier is turned on. To turn the amplifier off, push the button again and return it to the out position.

Channel and Bridged Mono Indicator Lights 3 4

When a channel pair is in stereo mode the two channel indicator lights for those channels will light. When a channel pair is in Bridged Mono mode, the two Channel Indicator Lights are turned off and the Bridged Mono Indicator Light for that channel pair is turned on. Refer to the Input Configuration and Connection section on the following page for more information.