Operating Instructions
Chapter 2 OVERVIEW:
Your new Mesa TIGRIS is an audiophile amplifier with a musical heritage. More than just a playback amp, the TIGRIS is a musical instrument in its own right, handbuilt with the same commitment and passion that we bestow upon our entire line of Mesa/Boogie products. In the realm of live performance, Mesa/Boogie products have earned a stellar reputation for 25 years of innovation, reliability, customer service and for providing the individual soul of a treasured musical instrument. The variety of musical styles played through our guitar tube amplifiers by some of the world’s finest musicians might serve as a model-of what you can expect from the TIGRIS: true fidelity to the soul of your favorite music...and the flexibility to account for many different hook-up options, system interfaces and listening preferences.
Our first High-End product, the Mesa BARON, established somewhat of a cult following as early as 1987, eight years prior to first production. During an audiophile society demonstration of a BARON prototype, a famed designer demanded to purchase the very unit on the spot. The Audio Critic publication called this early BARON truly astonishing and an embarrassment to the high-end tube scene in the audiophile market. The legions of working musicians already relying on our support in the professional arena were such a full- time commitment for us that it took many more years of growth before we could make a similar long-term commitment to you, the music lover at home. Upon introduction at WCES 95/96, the BARON impressed many astute audio critics with its uncommon value, construction quality and impressive musical ability. Numerous superb home audio systems have been assembled since around the Mesa BARON amplifier, and our file of satisfied commentaries in BARON warranty cards is steadily expanding. However, it also has become clear to us that in many respects, our flagship BARON is more amp than a lot of people actually need, with power output so prodigious that only a minority of listeners will ever experience its full capability.
So the desire was born to design a less powerful amplifier that would offer comparable quality, but be more affordable. For most universal appeal, we decided on the integrated amplifier model as our second High-End entry. An integrated amplifier combines all the virtues of separate components, but simplifies the interface between the pre- and power amplifiers by building them into a common chassis. This eliminates the need for careful impedance matching between two separate components and the cable connecting them. It also frees the engineer to optimize the performance between these two stages to work as a fixed unit. Separate components, on the other hand, have to be designed for maximum compatibility to accommodate the ever growing number of available partnering compo- nents. By definition then, affordable separate components will rarely be as finely tuned a design as an integrated component, and only in very expensive separate components can the design limitations inherent in maximum compatibility be successfully addressed. The ultimate “designer’s dream” would be to build a complete system where nothing is left to chance, every variable removed. This would include speakers and cabinetry - exactly as we do with our many guitar amplifiers. With the TIGRIS, the critical parameters of your system’s center, the pre-amp / power-amp - have indeed been optimized. Beyond that, your choice of associated components will reflect your personal preferences and needs, allowing you to customize, change and grow.
TheTIGRIS was designed to work well in most every system by offering real-world drive capability. It will work equally well with dynamic, planar or electrostatic speakers of efficiencies as low as 83 dB. For applications requiring extreme output levels due to very low efficiency speakers, extra large room volumes, listening habits or a combination thereof, the TIGRIS is thoughtfully set up for easy bi-amplifying without the need for an external crossover or attenuator. Beginning with the basic premise of the integrated design, we looked at features audiophiles and music lovers would want. Some of these features, represented by visible knobs, switches, input and output jacks, are discussed in Chapter 3, Installation. Advanced features and those which aren’t visible to the eye, but equally important, are discussed in Chapter 5.
We assume that you must now be eager to leave the printed word behind and hear for yourself, in your home, how all of this technical stuff translates to heavenly sonics. Please, do read through this owner’s manual first. If you are an old hand at system set-up and confident that you don’t need our manual, be sure that you have connected your speakers via speaker cable to the speaker output terminals of the TIGRIS before you do anything else. Turning on a tube amplifier without a load connected to the output terminals can cause serious damage to the amplifier, especially if you accidentally run signal into it. Such damages are NOT cov- ered by the warranty. So, prevent yourself from making such a costly mistake and connect your speakers even before plugging in the
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