Mark Levinson No 30.6 Owners manual

Owner’s Manual

Nº30.6

Reference

Digital

Processor

R

Madrigal Audio Laboratories

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO

NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO

NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.

Marking by the “CE” symbol (shown left) indicates compliance of this device with the EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) and LVD (Low Voltage Directive) standards of the European Community.

NOTICE

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment on and off, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna;

•Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver;

•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected;

•Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

CAUTION: Changes or modifications to this equipment not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

The information contained in the manual is subject to change without notice. The most current version of this manual will be posted on our web site at http://www.madrigal.com.

Important Safety Instructions

Please read all instructions and precautions carefully and completely before operating your Mark Levinson® digital processor.

1.ALWAYS disconnect your entire system from the AC mains before connecting or disconnecting any cables, or when cleaning any component.

2.This product must be terminated with a three-conductor AC mains power cord which includes an earth ground connection. To prevent shock hazard, all three connections must ALWAYS be used.

3.AC extension cords are not recommended for use with this product.

4.NEVER use flammable or combustible chemicals for cleaning audio components.

5.NEVER operate this product with any covers removed.

6.NEVER wet the inside of this product with any liquid.

7.NEVER pour or spill liquids directly onto this unit.

8.NEVER block air flow through ventilation slots or heatsinks.

9.NEVER bypass any fuse.

10.NEVER replace any fuse with a value or type other than those specified.

11.NEVER attempt to repair this product. If a problem occurs, contact your Mark Levinson® retailer.

12.NEVER expose this product to extremely high or low temperatures.

13.NEVER operate this product in an explosive atmosphere.

14.ALWAYS keep electrical equipment out of the reach of children.

15.ALWAYS unplug sensitive electronic equipment during lightning storms.

From all of us at Madrigal Audio Laboratories, thank you for choosing your Mark

Levinson Nº30.6 Reference Digital Processor.

4	A great deal of effort went into the design and construction of this precision device. Used
	properly, it will give you many years of enjoyment.

Table of Contents

	Unpacking and Placement .........................................................	6
	Unpacking the Nº30.6 ........................................................................	6
	Placement of the Nº30.6 ....................................................................	6
	Operating Voltage.....................................................................	7
	A Quick Start….......................................................................... 8
	Break-in period ...................................................................................	9
	Special Design Features ...........................................................	10
	Powerful DSP ...................................................................................	10
	“24/96” & HDCD® ...........................................................................	10
	An Intelligent FIFO™ ........................................................................	10
	Superior isolation between sources ...................................................	11
	Fully balanced design .......................................................................	12
	HDCD® Gain-Matching ............................................................	13
	Front panel, Nº30.6 ................................................................	15
	Display, Nº30.6 .......................................................................	19
	Rear panel, Nº30.6 ..................................................................	21
	Male XLR output connector (digital) ................................................	21
	Linking connections .......................................................................	22
	Building link cables ........................................................................	23
	Female XLR input connector (digital) ..............................................	24
	Male XLR output connector (digital) ................................................	24
	Rear panel, PLS-330 ................................................................	26	5
	AC power cord polarity	27
	Setup and Installation .............................................................	28
	Nº30.6 Input Names.........................................................................	28
	Making Digital Connections ..............................................................	28
	Making Analog Connections .............................................................	29
	Making Link Connections ..................................................................	30
	Making Power Supply Connections ...................................................	30
	Naming Your Inputs ..........................................................................	30
	Linked functions .....................................................................	33
	Record link .......................................................................................	33
	Standby link .....................................................................................	33
	Alias link ...........................................................................................	34
	Play link ............................................................................................	34
	Display Link ......................................................................................	34
	Polarity link.......................................................................................	34
	HDCD Link .......................................................................................	34
	Troubleshooting ......................................................................	35
	Care and maintenance .............................................................	37
	U.S. and Canadian Warranty ....................................................	38
	90-Day Limited Warranty ..................................................................	38
	Five Year Extended Warranty ............................................................	38
	Obtaining Service ....................................................................	39
	Specifications ..........................................................................	40
	Dimensions .............................................................................	41

Unpacking and Placement

Unpacking the Nº30.6 Unpack your Nº30.6 Reference Digital Processor and PLS-330 Power Supply and remove all accessories from the cartons. Keep all packing materials for future transport.

Included with your new Mark Levinson processor is a pair of knit, white gloves designed to assist you in the initial unpacking and placement of your new purchase. Please accept them as a token of our appreciation for having purchased one of our products.

Placement of the Nº30.6 The Nº30.6 should be placed as close as possible to your digital source equipment, thus keeping interconnect cabling short. We strongly recommend shelf mounting to allow for proper ventilation. The Nº30.6 is designed for continuous operation, which is why it features a standby mode rather than a full “off” mode—it is designed to be connected to the AC mains at all times for the best performance.

Three DC cables are provided to connect the PLS-330 to the Nº30.6. 6 Their lengths allow you to place the PLS-330 so that it won’t induce

hum in the Nº30.6 and other sensitive components. (The best location for the PLS-330 is often near the floor, since it does not require any day to day user interaction). Other associated equipment should also be placed so that it doesn’t induce hum in the Nº30.6 and other sensitive components.

Be sure to allow 3 to 4 inches of clearance above both the Nº30.6 and the PLS-330, to allow heat dissipation through air circulation.

Drawings are included in this manual to facilitate special installations and custom cabinetry (see “Dimensions”).

Operating Voltage

The PLS-330 is set at the factory (internally) for 100V, 120V, 220V, 230V, or 240V AC mains operation at either 50 or 60Hz. (230V/50Hz only in European Union countries, in compliance with CE regulations.) This voltage setting cannot be changed by the user. Make sure that the label on the rear panel of the PLS-330 (above the AC cord) indicates the correct AC operating voltage for your location.

If the voltage indicated on your PLS-330 is incorrect, or if you wish to change the AC operating voltage of your Nº30.6/PLS-330 as the result of moving to a different country than the one in which you purchased your digital audio processor, see your Mark Levinson dealer.

The Nº30.6/PLS-330 can be powered by a normal 15-ampere AC mains line. If other devices are also powered from the same AC line, their additional power consumption should be taken into account.

For optimal sonic performance and longevity, the Nº30.6 is designed to remain powered at all times (the standby switch merely mutes the processor’s outputs and turns off the display). There is an initial break-

in period of approximately 300 hours before the Nº30.6 achieves opti- 7 mum performance.

A Quick Start…

We recognize that many people are understandably eager to begin listening to their new components, and that reading the manual is often done (if at all) at a later time—perhaps while listening to music through the new product itself. We strongly recommend that you read this manual thoroughly, as the Nº30.6 Reference Digital Audio Processor incorporates several unusual features which enhance its operation.

Fortunately, we can help you get some music up and running on your system quickly, so that you may begin enjoying your new digital to analog converter while reading more about it. The goal here is simply to make some music as quickly as possible.

The following procedure assumes that the rest of your system is already connected (e.g., preamplifier to power amplifier, to speakers, etc.).

1 Turn off your associated components

This minimizes the opportunity for a momentary electrical surge disturbing your system while making connections. If you have a

8 large power amplifier, allow its power supply to fully discharge before proceeding (which may take as long as several minutes).

2Connect a digital source to either input 1 or 5

Inputs 1 and 5 on the Nº30.6 are configured from the factory for CD transports, the most common type of digital transport. Input 1 is an AES/EBU (XLR-type) digital input; Input 5 is an S/PDIF (RCAtype) digital input. These digital inputs are found on the rear of the center section of the Nº30.6. Use high quality digital cable such as Madrigal MDC-1 for XLR-type, or MDC-2 for RCA-type connections.

3Connect a set of analog outputs to your preamplifier

The Nº30.6 has two identical sets of balanced (XLR) analog outputs and one set of single-ended (RCA) outputs. They are found on the two towers (which house the analog circuitry). As viewed from the front, the left tower contains the Left channel and the right tower contains the Right channel. Use high quality cable such as Madrigal CZ Gel.

4Connect the power supply leads from the PLS-330 to the Nº30.6

There are three power supply leads which run from the rear of the PLS-330 to the rear of the Nº30.6. The analog DC cables for the left channel and the right channel towers use special five-pin connectors on both ends. The digital DC cable for the center section uses a two conductor connector at each end. These cables are not directional.

5Connect the AC cord to the PLS-330 and to your AC outlet

The AC recepticle for the power cord is located underneath the PLS-330, in the center of the unit. (This design reduces noise by bringing the power into the chassis precisely where it is needed, rather than routing it throughout the unit.) The Nº30.6 will take a few moments to initialize and will then be ready to use.

6Select the input you are using by pressing its front panel button

7Turn on the other components; slowly raise the volume

Congratulations! You should now be able to enjoy your favorite music while reading the rest of this manual.

9

Break-in period Although your Mark Levinson Nº30.6 digital processor delivers outstanding performance straight out of the box, you should expect to hear it continue to improve as it reaches its normal operating temperatures and its various components “break-in.” It has been out experience that the greatest changes occur within the first 25-50 hours, but that the Nº30.6 will continue to improve in sound quality for about 300 hours, after which time it remains quite constant.

The only exception to this rule is if power is removed from the unit for an extended period, allowing it to cool down. In this case you should expect a brief warm-up period before the Nº30.6’s sound quality is at its best.

		Special Design Features
		Congratulations on your purchase of the Nº30.6 Reference Digital Au-
		dio Processor. The Madrigal design team is confident you will enjoy the
		outstanding performance of the Nº30.6 for many years. In case you are
		interested in technical details, what follows is a brief outline of some of
		the key technologies in your new processor.
	Powerful DSP	Your Nº30.6 employs four powerful SHARC® digital signal processors
		to deliver exceptional flexibility and versatility. Together, they form a
		single DSP “engine” that can handle the myriad of processing duties
		required in today’s rapidly-changing world of digital audio. These du-
		ties include decoding HDCD™ and “24/96” decoding, and may be ex-
		panded to include many other signal formats over time.
	“24/96” & HDCD®	In addition to the common 16 bit at either 44.1 and 48 kHz sampling
		rates used by digital sources such as CD and DAT, your Nº30.6 also
		supports the two channel 24-bit/96 kHz signal that was defined as part
		of the DVD-Video standard (and which will certainly be included as
	10	part of a larger DVD-Audio standard when the industry agrees to such
		a thing). As of the writing of this manual, such “24/96” material is just
		beginning to become available, and we expect availability to grow
		quickly over time.
		In addition to true 24-bit capability, the Nº30.6 also incorporates High
		Definition Compatible Digital® decoding to take full advantage of the
		increased resolution available from HDCD-encoded 16-bit CDs. The
		High Definition Compatible Digital® format retains much of the reso-
		lution inherent in professional twenty bit recordings, by encoding this
		information more efficiently within the sixteen bit space available
		within the Compact Disc format.
	An Intelligent FIFO™	Unlike previous processors which were highly dependent on the quality
		of the digital signal they were fed, the Nº30.6 Reference Digital Audio
		Processor delivers outstanding performance with even less-than-ideal
		digital signals.
		“FIFO” stands for “First In, First Out.” It describes a simple buffer in
		which the digital information is stored temporarily on its way to being
		converted to analog. Just as a large water tower can provide a steady
		source of water to a small town, despite hour-to-hour variations in the
		supply of water from the well, a FIFO can provide a steady, consistent
		source of digital data to the converters which are responsible for chang-
		ing that data into music. Even if there is significant “jitter” (inconsis-

tencies in timing) in the incoming digital information, the output of the FIFO is controlled by a special clock with tremendous accuracy. The result largely eliminates the jitter and allows the musical information to be reproduced cleanly, without jitter-induced distortions.

The trouble with most FIFOs lies in their behavior when the incoming signal is poor enough to cause the “water tank” to overflow or to be emptied. Normally, a FIFO would then have to “invent” false data to fill the gap, throw away excess data, or revert to non-FIFO operation. None of these approaches are acceptable.

Of course, you could simply use an extremely large buffer. Unfortunately, this solution is a poor one.

A larger buffer implies a longer delay between when information goes in and when it starts coming back out. With laserdiscs, for example, you must keep the in/out delay small so as to keep the soundtrack synchronized with the picture on the screen. An oversized buffer would make every movie’s audio out of step with its video, an unacceptable situation. It is possible to bypass the FIFO for movies, but you then lose all of its distortion-reducing benefits.

Madrigal engineers have developed a proprietary buffer management scheme which reduces reproduced jitter to less than 20 picoseconds

while maintaining the synchronization of sound and picture in movies. 11 It employs a buffer large enough to absorb the jitter found in trans-

ports of reasonable quality, yet small enough to have impreceptible delay. The rate at which data is released from the FIFO buffer is controlled by software to track the long-term data rate of the incoming signal, allowing the buffer to absorb all the short-term variations which cause sonic degradation. This approach yields a “smart” FIFO buffering scheme which rejects virtually all incoming jitter without requiring an enormous buffer and the consequent audible delay. It also avoids the sonic penalties associated with the usual strategies used when a buffer overflows or empties.

The Intelligent FIFO operates at all sampling rates, improving the quality of every connected digital source component.

Superior isolation One of the advantages of a separate digital audio processor is that you between sources can take the money which might have otherwise been spent on several built-in D/A converters and put it into one, superior processor which

will enhance the performance of all the transports with which it is used. Ironically, many outboard processors fail to live up to this potential due to interference between their various digital inputs.

The Nº30.6 provides outstanding isolation between its inputs, realizing the full potential of the various digital transports with which it is used.

In fact, every source has its own dedicated digital interface receiver. As a result, the selected input effectively has the Nº30.6 “all to itself” for its conversion to analog.

Fully balanced design The Nº30.6 is fully balanced in both the analog and digital domains. All digital filtering and processing is implemented in a balanced configuration, and conversion to analog is accomplished in two opposing polarity 24-bit converters per channel.

This approach maintains the integrity of the signal, reducing the opportunities for music-destroying noise and digital artifacts to enter the signal path.

We strongly recommend the use of quality balanced interconnects such as Madrigal’s CZ Gel-1 for the best performance. The improvements are both measurable and readily audible.

12

		HDCD® Gain-Matching
		Some HDCD-encoded recordings are mastered at a level which is notice-
		ably lower (6 dB) than conventional recordings, to allow for greater dy-
		namic peaks. To avoid unexpected changes in average volume when going
		from one disc to another, the Nº30.6 can automatically reduce the volume
		of all recordings by six decibels. To remind you of of when it is in this
		mode of operation, the Nº30.6 will display the input’s name and “6 dB
		PAD” when locking on a digital input signal in the HDCD AUTO mode.
		In our listening tests, we have determined that the only sonically transpar-
		ent gain-matching technique is to raise the volume of the preamplifier by
		the requisite 6 dB when playing those few discs that require it. All other de-
		sign options introduce a compromise in sound quality.
For Best Performance:		We strongly recommend that you use the HDCD
		MANUAL gain-matching in your Nº30.6 digital audio
		processor.
		If you are using the Nº30.6 with a Mark Levinson preamplifier, simply	13
		name the appropriate input on the preamplifier “No30” (explained in the
		preamp manual), and connect the two products with a Communications
		Link cable. (If you have a Nº32 Reference Preamplifier, you can select the
		name “Nº30.6,” since that preamp has enough extra characters to show the
		entire name of the processor.) When you have done so, the Nº30.6 will tell
		the preamplifier to change its volume setting as necessary to compensate
		for differing CD mastering techniques, and you never have to think about
		it. (The preamp’s display will show “HD+6” to indicate a change required by
		the HDCD recording being played through the Nº360S; it will revert to nor-
		mal and show “HD+0” when you return to conventional recordings. Older
		Nº38 and Nº38S preamplifiers may require a new EPROM to take advantage
		of this feature.) This technique ensures that you always get the best possible
		sound from your system, without any unexpected changes in level, regard-
		less of the recordings you play.
		If you are using the Nº30.6 with any other preamplifier, follow the steps
		below. (You will have to adjust the volume on some HDCD recordings
		manually.)

1Press and hold the digital record select button on the front panel

After a few seconds, the display will change to show NAME= and the current name of the selected input. When you let go, it will still show NAME= and the current name of the input. (Ignore this for now. You’ll learn how to rename your inputs to match your sources later on in this manual.)

2press the polarity button so the display shows “HDCD MANual”

Repeatedly pressing the polarity button will toggle the display between “HDCD AUTO” (meaning that the Nº360S automatically lowers its volume on conventionally-mastered discs) and “HDCD MANUAL” (meaning that gain-matching is turned off; HDCD-encoded discs will still be decoded properly). If you try to change from one to the other while a Nº380 is Linked, the Nº30.6 will display “No38 ACTIVE!” (indicating that the equipment already knows what to do).

Using manual gain-matching ensures that the HDCD digital filter always operates at its maximum resolution, although you may now have to manually turn up the volume on some HDCD recordings, beyond your usual settings.

14