Manley Laboratories Wave Owners manual

MANLEY

LABORATORIES, INC.

OWNER'S MANUAL

The WAVE by MANLEY

MANLEY LABORATORIES, INC

13880 MAGNOLIA AVE.

CHINO, CA. 91710

TEL: [phone]
FAX: [phone]

emanley@ manleylabs.com

http://www.manleylabs.com

CONTENTS

SECTION PAGE

INTRODUCTION 3

OPERATION NOTES 4

CONNECTING YOUR WAVE 5, 6

THE FRONT PANEL 7, 8

THE BACK PANEL 9, 10

THE EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLY 10

THE REMOTE CONTROL 11

A FEW NOTES 11

THE GUTS, TRIMS, SWITCHES, ETC 12, 13

CREDITS 13

SPECIFICATIONS 14

TROUBLE SHOOTING 15, 16

MAINS CONNECTIONS 17

BLOCK DIAGRAM 18

APPENDIX - WIRING CABLES 19

WARRANTY 20

WARRANTY REGISTRATION 21

INTRODUCTION

THANK YOU!...

for choosing The WAVE by MANLEY. Please read over this manual carefully as it contains
information essential to proper operation of this unit.

The WAVE by MANLEY is a unique product combining a high end Digital to Analog
Converter with an audiophile vacuum tube preamp and remote control. It is one of the very few
products equally at home in a professional Mastering facility for producing CDs as it is in a
superb home listening system matched with great amps and speakers. The combination of
features and functions came about from analyzing existing systems and finding them functional
but lacking in elegance in signal flow, operational convenience and synergy. We set out to
build something we wanted in our own living rooms, something that could be upgraded as new
standards evolved and something that could meet the needs of mixed balanced, unbalanced and
digital connections.

The initial digital board is designed around the ULTRAANALOG chip set (including the
AES-21 jitter removal and Pacific Microsonics HDCD decoder) proven over the years to
provide the most satisfying and enjoyable reproduction.While it is certainly holding its own
with CDs as 24/96 chips continue to be intoduced we have made provisions and plans to offer a
24/96 board so that future music delivery formats can be fully appreciated.

The WAVE accepts 4 digital inputs and 4 analog inputs as standard. The digital inputs
accomodate most of the current interconnect standards. The Analog inputs allow both balanced
and unbalanced interconnects. Normally it ships with 2 balanced and 2 unbalanced inputs but
the factory can custom configure a unit for special requirements (such as 4 balanced inputs)

In recognition of real life needs, extra input/output facilities are standard. For those who
record, or have need of external processing we include an Insert loop (the term borrowed from
pro audio) similar to a Tape Loop or processing loop. There is also provision for more than one
set of amplifiers/speakers with 3 outputs (2 can be switched, 1 is always on).

We packaged all this in a visually attractive box, gave it a external power supply and a
full function remote control and we didn't stop there. The tube analog section is a new design
and was developed to out-perform our previous benchmark both audibly and in specifications.

LOCATION & VENTILATION

The MANLEY DIGITAL TO ANALOGUE CONVERTER must be installed in a stable
location with ample ventilation.

WATER & MOISTURE

As with any electrical equipment, this unit should not be used near water or moisture.
If liquid enters the unit, it must be immediately returned to your dealer for servicing.

SERVICING

The user should not attempt to service this unit beyond that described in the owner's manual.
Refer all servicing to Manley Laboratories.

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OPERATIONAL NOTES

SWITCHING ON

All cables should be pre- connected to the WAVE especially the EXTERNAL POWER
SUPPLY cable and interconnects to the power amps and the AC mains.
The power switch is located on the back panel of the EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLY. You
shouldn't need to turn the supply around or get yourself behind it. You should be able to "feel"
the rocker switch located next to the AC power cord. Flip the switch away from the power cord
to turn on the Wave or towards the power cord to turn off the unit.

RUNNING

It is not recommended that you leave your Wave stay permanently switched on. This only
wastes electricity and tube life. We provide a STANDBY switch which effectively turns the
Wave off. The Wave reaches peak operating condition in approximately 15 minutes.

TUBE LIFE

As with all tubes, their quality degrades with age. This is due to cathode emission, a natural
process found in all tubes. We recommend that you have your preamplifier checked every 4-5
years, depending on usage. An excessive increase in noise level can indicate the need to replace
a tube.

REPLACING A TUBE, INDICATOR LAMP or FUSE. You should read page 10 for more
details if you need more specific info. You may need a small Phillips screwdriver and the
correct replacement fuse, tube or lamp. First be sure the unit is off and remove the IEC mains
cable. Let it sit for 15 minutes to be sure all power supply capacitors are discharged otherwise
one could still get a shock even though the unit is unplugged. If you are changing a tube or
lamp, be sure that it the same number or is on the list of possible substutions. Gently wiggle the
tube around while pulling it out of the socket. Avoid bending the printed circuit board. Before
putting a new tube in, look at it. Check to see that the pins are straight and that they line up to
the socket. You should be able to gently push the tube into the socket without excessive force.

Changing these tubes should be a rare event and should be accompanied by a re-calibration.

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CONNECTING YOUR WAVE

Setting up the Wave is rather easy. Please refer to page 9 for a diagram of the back of the
Wave.

1. You will be connecting power last and turning the system on after all other connec­tions are made to prevent ugly noises as wires are connected and to prevent possible
damage to the amps and speakers. In general, it is best to make any connections
with the power amps turned down or off, Wave power off and the volume control
turned all the way down. Do not ever apply mains power to the power supply
without it first being attached to the main WAVE unit. DO NOT "HOT-PLUG" !

2. Before plugging in your interconnects first connect the Wave to its external power
supply. Verify the rocker switch on the back of the External supply is in the "0"
position which indicates OFF (1=on) and that the supply has not been powered up
in the last 1/2 hour (capacitors need time to discharge). Before we go further, keep
in mind the idea of an external power supply is to keep radiated hum far from audio
components so mounting the supply directly under or over the Wave tends to defeat
the purpose. The big cable coming out of the back of the Wave has a round 16 pin
connector that mates with a matching socket on the back of the external supply.
Line up the "flats" on the plug & socket, the plug should slide in easily, and a few
turns clockwise of the ring will lock it in.

3. On the back of the Wave connect your power amps ( or next processor) to the Wave
Outputs. For simple systems, use OUTPUT 1, L&R which are the 3rd connectors
from the left, looking at the Wave from the back. Then, feel free to connect any
analog sources, ie tuner, phono preamp, VCR, etc to the 4 stereo analog inputs
marked ANALOG 1 through ANALOG 4. The "standard" Wave has 2 pairs of
RCA phono jacks typical of most consumer hi-fi and 2 pairs of XLR jacks typical
of hi-end balanced components and pro gear. Adapters or special cables can be used
that allow one to use the XLRs with RCA phono type sources. See appendix 1 for
the details if needed. Tape recorders (with analog inputs & outputs) for intention of
recording with (or external processors) should be plugged into INSERT. This
allows recording any of the 8 inputs without a worry of a feedback howl.

4. Connect digital sources with the appropriate interconnects to the Wave digital inputs
furthest to the right. There is also a digital output which is the selected source
before any de-jitter or re-clocking. NOTE, that there is a possibility of a feedback
oscillation if the recording machine is selected on the Wave front panel while in
record or the deck is in the "monitor input" or "REC & Pause" mode. This is a
situation where the digital recorder is attempting to record itself at unity gain and
oscillation is the result.

note) Panasonic DAT decks are notorious for only accepting pure consumer mode in

its S/PDIF inputs and may not "see" some sources. This is also the case if you
connected directly. The DAT's AES/EBU inputs may be a better choice.

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5. Before proceeding to the next step (power!) check that the On/Off switch is Off and the volume is
turned all the way down (anti-clockwise). Now connect the IEC power cable to the back of the
Wave's External Power Supply and then the other end to your mains wall socket.

6. Turn on the On/Off switch (to "1") and let the Wave "warm-up" for a few minutes. You should be
seeing the blue LEDs light up and some more noticably bright than others and the MUTE button
should have started out bright and probably went dim after 20 seconds - this is the warm-up
delay. You may push a few buttons at this point. Notice that when a button is pushed it toggles
from dim to bright to dim (bright = selected). Because the Wave when first turned on may be in a
random status, perhaps we should start off with some buttons in the "dim" mode. PHASE,
INSERT and MUTE should be dim. (If one of the 4 digital sources is selected and it is not
sending data, then the WAVE will automatically MUTE - try selecting A 1 to verify this)

7) Let us start off checking with a favorite CD. First select the input that you have chosen for the CD
preferably digital but analog should work. Press Play on the CD. If it is a digital input, then the

44.1 LED will be on and the Wave MUTE LED will be dim. Slowly turn up the Volume Control
and enjoy the music. Next check the other sources to verify they all work fine. From here on out,
use the STANDBY button to power down the Wave.

Troubleshooting:

It is rare that any of these initial problems occur but if they do here is some things to try.

SILENCE in ONE SIDE. Sometimes we don't get an interconnect pushed in enough for good contact

and it disconnects while we plug other wires in or move the component. Power down, check the
interconnects, re-check the above procedure. Power up and try again. If you have sound, sit back
and enjoy. If not, you may want to temporaily swap some interconnects to verify that you a) have
sound coming out the source, b) each of the interconnects is verified to be working fine, c)
everything IS plugged into appropriate jacks and/or each of the Wave's inputs seems to accept
signal.

HUM - First try the Grounding Posts on the back of the WAVE by un-strapping the two terminals

and/or connecting a wire fom either terminal to the suspect device. You can also try a mains
ground adapter if they are legal in your country. They are also called 3 pin to 2 pin adapters or
"cheaters" and are available in hardware stores. There should be ONE GROUND in your system
and only one. If two or more pieces of gear have 3 pin AC cables a ground loop can occur which
will usually cause hum. Today's power amps typically have 3 pin AC mains cables, so it is easy
to see where beween 2 power amps and the Wave, where one could have 3 grounds (at least)
connected both via interconnects and AC mains cables and that is two too many.

HISS - Usually one of the sources. This source may have a volume control that is turned down and

forcing you to turn up the volume of the Wave. Adjust the source so that it is a similar volume as
your other sources. If it seems to be the one channel of the Wave, then it is probably an input tube
(5751). Most tubes should last many years but sometimes they get noisy prematurely. To verify,
you can swap the two 5751's (with the power off) then test again. Be careful - tubes can be hot,
don't bend any pins and gently wiggle the tube to remove it or insert it. Force should not be
needed. If it wasn't a 5751, then put them back into the original locations.

NOISES. Sometimes a tube gets microphonic in shipping. This may result in a bit of "metallic ring"

in the signal or "ping" when the chassis is tapped, or even something that sounds like sputtering
RF noise. Usually gently tapping on the tube reveals the culpret and sometimes cures it.

BALANCE - The two speakers sound different - It may be the CD or source and the way it was

recorded. First try a different source. Next try swapping the inputs. Power down and swap left
and right inputs. If it is the source, then the problem will "follow" the swap. Return them to
normal (L=L). You can check all the way down the chain this way and really isolate and verify
the problem. Was it the volume control on a power amp?

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