Chord Red Reference MK III User Manual

1

Red Reference MK III

CD Player

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Contents

Red Reference MK III CD Player ................................................. 3

Product Description ....................................................................... 3

Inventory ....................................................................................... 3

When setting up ............................................................................. 4

Safety Warnings ............................................................................ 5

AC Power connection.................................................................... 6

AC Connector and Switch ............................................................. 6

Powering up................................................................................... 6

Powering down - long-term........................................................... 6

Powering down - short-term .......................................................... 6

Connecting your equipment .......................................................... 7

Coaxial digital output .................................................................... 8

AES/EBU digital outputs .............................................................. 9

Optical digital output ................................................................... 10

Wordclock input .......................................................................... 11

Digital inputs ............................................................................... 11

Using USB HD Digital Audio………………………………….12
Balanced analogue outputs…….……………………………….19

Unbalanced outputs ..................................................................... 19

Everyday use of your Red Reference .......................................... 20

Basic operation ............................................................................ 21

Status display and function ......................................................... 22

CD Operation .............................................................................. 24

Advanced functions ..................................................................... 25

Trigger Outputs ........................................................................... 26

Product Specification .................................................................. 27

3

Red Reference Mk III
CD Player

Thank you for buying a Chord Electronics product.

Before you start to enjoy your CD player, please take a couple of minutes to read how to
connect your audio equipment and loudspeakers and how to maximise your listening
experience.

Product Description

Building on the success of the RED Reference CD player the Mk III version now has the
latest technological updates and has been revised to include a 24bit,192KHz capable USB
input and a new motorised door mechanism. With stunning looks and state of the art design
the RED utilises ground breaking technology to give the most accurate reproduction of
compact disc that can be obtained. With internal 176.4KHz upsampling data transfer,
selectable RAM buffer clock retiming and now 18000 tap length filtering the RED earns its
reference status in the Chord range.
The Red Reference Mk III is a truly unique product. As a standalone CD player it is able to
deliver the best reference CD playback. The addition of digital inputs and outputs also gives
it the ability to act as both a CD transport and DAC for other audio components making it
completely versatile.

Inventory

As well as your Red Reference and this user manual, you should also have received the
following items.

1. Red Reference remote control

2. Power cord

3. Chord guarantee registration card

4. HD USB Cable

5. CD lift

6. Optical Cable

4

When setting up

To ensure that your Red Reference works efficiently and safely, please pay particular
attention to the following issues.

ventilation

Your Red Reference should have at least 5cm of clear space all around it to ensure a free
flow of air at all times. We do not recommend that you place Red Reference directly on a
carpet.

AC lead and plug

All Chord equipment comes supplied with the correct power lead and plug. This should be
used at all times.

if you need to fit a plug for UK/Europe

Connect the blue wire to the neutral terminal
Connect the brown wire to the live terminal
Connect the yellow/green wire to the earth terminal

if you need to fit a plug for US/Canada

Connect the white wire to the neutral terminal
Connect the black wire to the live terminal
Connect the green to the earth terminal

earthing issues in Europe

In some European countries a hum may occur if your Red Reference is connected to mains
sockets that do not have an earth. If this is the case please ensure that:

1. Your transport is connected via a multi-way mains block, which contains an earth point
at each socket outlet. This is to ensure that the chassis metalwork of each item is
connected together.

2. We recommend that an earthing method for your building be implemented.

3. Use the connecting points on your Chord unit and connect to an available earth point.

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Safety Warnings

It is important that your Red Reference is earthed at all times via its own mains lead. Failure
to do this may be hazardous. The power supply components within the transport are
designed to operate at lethal voltages and energy levels. Circuit designs that embody these
components conform to applicable safety requirements. Precautions must be taken to prevent
accidental contact with power-line potentials. Do not connect grounded test equipment.

Caution: This product employs a laser that emits both visible and invisible radiation.
Removal of the top cover or tampering with any of the enclosed electronics may result in
exposure to hazardous levels of laser radiation that could cause eye damage. To prevent
injury this product should be returned for qualified service to Chord Electronics Ltd.

There are no user serviceable parts within the Red Reference CD player.
Unauthorised tampering or dismantling of this product will invalidate the
warranty and could cause injury.

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AC Power connection

The AC power connector of Red Reference is at the back of the unit. Plug the female end
(socket) of the power cord into the power connector of the transport, and the male end(plug)
of the power cord into AC wall socket or AC extension socket. The Red Reference CD
player features a universal voltage high frequency power supply and will operate
automatically from 65V to 260V AC, 50 or 60Hz.

For optimum operation it is recommended that the Red Reference is connected directly
to the wall socket via the power cord provided.

AC Connector and Switch

Powering up

Press the top of the power switch labelled „I‟. Red Reference will now power up.
The Red Reference features a dual display system showing both system status and disc

information.

The red multi function display will read „CHORD‟ followed by the status information

showing input, buffer, frequency settings and lock information.

If Red Reference has no disc loaded, the top panel display with read “NO DISC”; if a disc
has been loaded then the number of tracks and length of the CD will be shown. Please allow
a short time for Red Reference to read the disc‟s Table of Contents (TOC). During this time
the display will indicate “-- ----“

Powering down - long-term

1. Press the STANDBY button on the remote to put Red Reference into STANDBY.

2. Press the right-hand side of the power switch labelled „O‟.

Powering down - short-term

For everyday use there is no need to power Red Reference down completely.
Press the STANDBY button on remote to put Red Reference into its Standby mode. The
audio circuits remain active in this mode.

AC

Connector

IEC 10A

AC Power
Switch

EARTH

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Connecting your equipment

Red Reference - rear panel connections

All the input and output connections of Red Reference are situated on the rear panel of the
transport.

Red Reference has three types of digital output; Optical, Coaxial and AES/EBU, three types
of digital input optical, USB HD and AES/EBU and both balanced and unbalanced analogue
outputs.

In addition to the standard digital outputs, a special Dual Data output provides an upsampled
digital output at 176.4KHz. Connection to both AES/EBU is required for this mode. Please
note:- When using Dual Data mode with two cables please set the operating frequency to
176KHz via the front panel.

S/DIF2

OUTPUT

WORDCLOCK

INPUT
OPTICAL
OUTPUT

AES/EBU

OUTPUT 1

AES/EBU

OUTPUT 2

XLR
Left

output

AES/EBU

Input

Optical

Input

Right output

RCA–phono

XLR

Right

output

Left output
RCA-phono

HD USB

Input

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Coaxial digital output

Red Reference - coaxial connection

Red Reference has one SPDIF output as shown above. This outputs digital audio data from
any CD playing.

All coaxial connections use BNC connectors with 75ohm impedance. Although less
common than RCA-phono digital connectors, BNC connectors exhibit consistent impedance
behaviour and are essential for the correct transfer of digital audio data.

If your digital-analog converter only has RCA-phono coaxial digital inputs, it is worth
having a cable made by a specialist manufacturer. Please avoid RCA-BNC adaptors as they
will undoubtedly impair the sound quality. In all cases a correctly screened cable should be
used.

Frequency Settings

The output frequency can be set via the front panel to 44KHz or 88KHz. If you select the
176K option the output will remain at 88KHz.

SPDIF

OUTPUT

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AES/EBU digital outputs

For installations that require a long run of cable between the transport and digital-analog
converter we would recommend using a balanced AES/EBU connection. The AES/EBU will
output digital audio data from any CD playing and can either be used as two identical
outputs or combined as one 176.4KHz dual data output.

Frequency settings

When the front panel frequency switch is set to 176K, the AES/EBU outputs send the Dual
Data output as outlined in the previous section. This may be useful when using Red
Reference with certain high-resolution D-A converters.

When the frequency switch is in the 88K position, each AES/EBU output sends data at

88.2kHz; when in the 44K each output sends at 44.1kHz.

Output 44K 88K 176K

AES/EBU 1 44.1kHz 88.2kHz 176.4kHz right
AES/EBU 2 44.1kHz 88.2kHz 176.4kHz left

AES/EBU

OUTPUT 1

AES/EBU

OUTPUT 2