Mark Levinson N 333 Stereo Amplifier User Manual
Contents
1. question In general however biamping is done in one of two ways active biamplification or passive biamplification Active biamping refers to the presence of an active electronic crossover that di vides the music into two Cor sometimes more bands of frequencies These are then forwarded to separate power amplifiers and sent on directly to the appro priate drivers in the speakers The most common application of this approach is the use of a subwoofer crossover to separate the deep bass below say 80 Hz from the rest of the program material It is then amplified separately and sent to a dedicated subwoofer designed to handle those extremely low frequencies Apart from adding a subwoofer the next most common form of biamping called passive biamplification involves merely using a conventional Y adapter either balanced or single ended to provide a full range signal to two channels Male XLR Output Pin 1 signal ground Pin 2 signal non inverting Pin 3 signal inverting Female XLR Input Pin 1 signal ground Pin 2 signal non inverting Pin 3 signal inverting Male XLR Output Pin 1 signal ground Pin 2 signal non inverting Pin 3 signal inverting The outputs of these two channels are then connected to two sets of binding posts on each loudspeaker See below The loudspeaker s internal crossover con tinues to divide the frequencies appropriately among the various drivers 27 28 Pass2. 210V 220V 230V or 240V AC mains operation at either 50 or 60Hz based on the country for which they are manufactured Depending on local electrical codes and regulations the plug on the supplied AC input module may need to be re placed by a local licensed electrical contractor The maximum current require ments in amperes at these various voltages under various test conditions are listed in the table shown below Note that only 230V units are sold in the Euro pean Union countries per CE requirements 100V 120V 200V 210V 220V 230V 240V off l 09 05 047 045 043 042 Standby 2 04 1 70 1 02 971 927 887 850 On at idle 3 49 2 91 1 75 1 66 1 59 1 52 1 46 300w 8Q 18 48 15 4 9 24 8 80 8 40 8 00 7 70 600w 4Q 31 9 26 6 15 9 15 2 14 5 13 9 13 3 1200w 2Q 54 2 45 2 27 1 25 9 24 7 23 6 22 6 power ratings are continuous rms with less than 0 5 THD from 20 20 000 Hz It is important to understand that these are worst case requirements under severe test conditions which are extremely unlikely to be encountered in normal use N 333 rearpanel label The power demands that a single N 333 might conceivably make when being used to reproduce music with actual loudspeakers are substantially lower safely within the normal abilities of 100V and 120V 15 ampere lines Still for the best possible performance with extremely difficult loads we recommend installing a dedicated AC line for the amplifier with 3
3. 44 15 cm gt 0 23 lt 58 mm 1 25 x C 10 3 26 16 cm 19 11 ci 48 54 cm Installation Notes Dimensions N 331 36 Dimensions N 331 cont Installation Notes 37 AAADRIGAL Madrigal Audio Laboratories Inc 2081 South Main Street P O Box 781 Middletown Connecticut 06457 USA Telephone 860 346 0896 Fax 860 346 1540 http www madngal com ac Ke EVINSON MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES isa registered trademark of Madrigal Audio Laboratories Inc H a Harman Intemational company 630319 2 6 1998 Madrigal Audio Laboratories Inc All rights reserved Printed in U S A
4. a small amount of power which is used fo control the power up sequence Turning the CE required rear panel switch off disconnects even this small power supply you must turn this switch back on before you can enter the power up sequence described in Front Panel item 2 or before the amplifier will respond to a remote turn on command Amplifiers intended for non European markets do not have this switch somewhat simplifying operation Danger Two fast acting 30 ampere fuses are located inside the N 333 on the AC mains module The N 332 uses two 15 ampere slo blo fuses and the N 331 uses two 10 ampere slo blo fuses The protection circuitry has been de signed such that only a catastrophic failure could cause these fuses to blow As a result if you suspect that your AC fuses have blown disconnect your amplifier from the AC mains and contact your Mark Levinson dealer for as sistance Do not attempt to replace these fuses yourself Potentially dangerous voltages and current capabilities exist within your power amplifier even when disconnected from AC mains Do not attempt to open any portion of the amplifier s cabinet There are no user serviceable parts inside your power amplifier All service of this product must be referred to a qualified Mark Levinson dealer or distributor 21 22 Bridging Explained Balanced Bridging Balanced Bridging Kit Bridged Operation Your Mark Levinson amplifier has been de
5. currents of which the 300 series amplifiers are ca pable can generate significant magnetic fields which could conceivably induce noise in some sensitive components The N 333 dual monaural power amplifier dissipates approximately 350 watts of energy as heat when at idle The N 332 and N 331 dissipate about 325 and 260 watts at idle respectively It is therefore normal and perfectly safe for them to run somewhat warm They do however require free air flow around them to allow adequate heat dissipation through air circulation The top plate and heatsinks of the amplifier must be kept free from any obstruction that would reduce the free flow of ait Allow at least 4 6 inches above the amplifier and at least 2 inches to sides for adequate ventilation If the amplifier becomes too warm to touch the ventilation is inadequate Note that your new amplifier is protected against thermal damage Inadequate ventilation may cause nuisance shutdowns but should not cause per manent damage to the amplifier Mechanical drawings are included in this manual to facilitate special installations where necessary see Dimensions at the end of this manual N Important N2 333 AC mains maximum cunent requirements Operating Voltage N 333 Your Mark Levinson Dual Monaural Power Amplifier is characterized by its re markable ability to pass a musical signal with utter integrity regardless of how demanding that signal and the loudspea
6. unit is in standby Dimly lit indicates that the main power supply is completely off leaving only the supervisory supply operational Completely off indicates that the amplifier is not connected to the ac mains disengaging even the supervisory power supply If the amplifier will not turn on you should check your AC connections or have your dealer inspect the internal fuses which are not user serviceable If yours is a CE certified unit you may want to check the rear panel AC mains switch to ensure it is in the on position 15 16 Caution DUAL MONAURAL POWER AMPLIFIER N 333 S N Rear Panel Turn the volume on your preamplifier all the way down before attempting to connect anything fo your Mark Levinson power amplifier BALANCED AUDIO INPUT Accepts a signal from a preamplifier with balanced outputs via a high qual ity XLR connector If connection to the preamplifier is made with a bal anced interconnecting cable it is important to remove the shorting plugs from between pins 1 and 3 of the XLR inputs which were placed there prior to shipment from the factory Save them for possible use at a later date should you want to listen to a friend s single ended cable for example The pin assignments of this XLR type female input connector is Pin 1 Signal ground Pin 2 Signal non inverting Pin 3 Signal inverting Connector ground lug chass
7. 0 2 20 1 32 1 26 1 20 1 15 1 10 100w 8Q 7 32 6 10 3 66 3 48 3 33 3 20 3 05 200w 40 12 4 10 4 6 20 5 90 5 63 540 5 17 400w 2 21 5 18 0 10 8 10 3 9 80 9 40 8 98 power ratings are continuous rms with less than 0 5 THD from 20 20 000 Hz It is important to understand that these are worst case requirements under severe test conditions which are extremely unlikely to be encountered in normal use The power demands that a single amplifier might conceivably make when being used to reproduce music with actual loudspeakers are substantially lower Still for the best possible performance with extremely difficult loads we recommend in stalling a dedicated AC line for your amplifier The operating voltage of your amplifier cannot be changed by the user and any attempt to do so will void the warranty If you need to change the operating volt age of your power amplifiers or if the voltage indicated on the rear panel label is not available in your area contact your Mark Levinson dealer for assistance DUAL MONAURAL POWER AMPLIFIER N 333 sn MENNA BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE THIS DEVICE REFER TO OWNER S MANUAL FOR PROPER OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS HAZARDOUS VOLTAGE AVAILABLE INSIDE DISCONNECT AC MAINS CABLE O 100VAC 210VAC 240VAC BEFORE OPERNING UNIT operating voltage 50 60 Hz O 120VAC 200VAC 220VAC 230VAC mains fuses 100V and 120V 30A ABC 200V 240V
8. 0 ampere capability The operating voltage of the N 333 cannot be changed by the user and any at tempt to do so will void the warranty If you need to change the operating volt age of your N 333 power amplifiers or if the voltage indicated on the rear panel label is not available in your area contact your Mark Levinson dealer for assis tance id REFER TO OWNER INSTRUCTIONS AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS HAZARDOUS VOLTAGE AVAILABLE INSIDE DISCONNECT AC MAINS CABLE BEFORE OPERNING UNIT 10 N2 332 AC mains maximum cunent requirements Operating Voltage N 332 amp N 331 Your Mark Levinson Dual Monaural Power Amplifier is characterized by its re markable ability to pass a musical signal with utter integrity regardless of how demanding that signal and the loudspeakers used might be When called upon to do so your amplifier is capable of generating truly prodigious power levels into virtually any speaker load on either an instantaneous or a continuous basis Depending on the demands placed on your amplifier by your loudspeaker and your listening habits it may use a significant portion of the total current capabil ity of a standard 15 ampere household AC mains circuit Fortunately most instal lations do not require special attention be paid to the AC mains service If you have multiple powerful amplifiers such as you new Mark Levinson amplifier or other appliances on the same circuit that use significant current you may wan
9. 15 MDA No User Serviceable Components Inside For service contact Madrigal Audio Laboratories or an Authorized Dealer Any modifications to this equipment will void all warranties MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES INC designed and manufactured in USA 11 12 Massive Power Supply Balanced design True Voltage Source special Design Features Congratulations on your purchase of a Mark Levinson N 300 series Dual Monau ral Power Amplifier While your new amplifier is straightforward in its everyday use it includes several design features which are responsible for its outstanding performance In particular your new Dual Monaural power amplifier defies the accepted wisdom that it is impossible to design a large powerful amplifier that also has all of the finesse of the finest smaller amplifiers A few of the technical highlights that make this possible are given below Each Mark Levinson 300 series amplifier includes two large completely indepen dent power supplies one for each channel Each supply includes a high capacity low noise toroidal transformer and two large low ESR capacitors in each channel Since these are true dual monaural designs each channel has its own dedicated power supply Specifically the amplifiers use N 333 two 2450 VA transformers four 50 000 uF capacitors N 332 two 1338 VA transformers four 50 000 uF capacitors N 331 two 801 VA transformers four 44 000 uF capacitors He
10. N 333 1 80V for N 332 1 30V for N 331 E Power consumption N 333 350W 45 at idle 200W 45 in standby HM Power consumption N 332 325W X596 at idle 200W 45 in standby EM Power consumption N 331 260W 1596 at idle 110W 45 in standby E Mains voltage determined by the needs of country for which the unit was manufactured cannot be reset by dealer or user E Overall dimensions See Dimensions B N 333 Shipping weight 150 Ibs 68 2kg each B N 332 Shipping weight 150 Ibs 68 2kg each B N 331 Shipping weight 112 Ibs 50 9kg each E Connector complement four custom binding posts per channel one 3 pin XLR balanced input connector per channel one RCA input connector per channel two 1 mini jacks for remote turn on two Mark Levinson communications ports one captive high current AC mains cord N 333 only or one IEC standard high current AC receptacle N 332 N 331 E Output impedance less than 0 05Q from 20 20 000 Hz B Damping factor greater than 800 20 20 000 Hz 8Q For more information see your Mark Levinson dealer or contact Madrigal Audio Laboratories Inc PO Box 781 2081 Soutb Main Street Middletown CT 06457 USA Telephone 860 346 0896 FAX 860 346 1540 Dimensions N 333 amp N 332 9 85 gt 3 86 25 cm 3 86 N 9 8 cm 9 8 cm 45 33 34 Dimensions N 333 amp N 332 cont 18 85 47 88 cm 17 38 I lt
11. Operating Manual Mark Levinson N9 333 N2 332 Ne 331 Dual Monaural Power Amplifiers Madrigal Audio Laboratories Inc WARNING TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELEC TRIC SHOCK DO NOT EXPO SE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOTOPEN CAUTION TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE COVER NO USER SERVIC EABLE PARTS INSIDE REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSO NNEL 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 en closure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to per sons 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 Electromagnetic Compatibility and LVD Low Voltage Directive standards of the Marking by the CE symbol shown left indicates compliance of this device with the EMC European Community 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 power amplifi
12. aining ServiCe JERRPIPPEERRRRSFRCFFREFERERPREELEEFEREEETPEEFERESFEREEEERFERFELEFREFENFORFTSELRERRER 3l bs e 2e7 eve fe M 32 Dimensions N 333 amp N 332 cccccecceeesseeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenes 33 Dimensions N 331 nennen anna 35 Warning Caution Warm up break in period Unpacking Your Amplifier Under no circumstances should you consider unpacking your amplifier without adequate assistance as both personal injury and damage to the product is likely unless you follow the procedures listed below The shipping weight of your Dual Monaural Power Amplifier is over 100 Ibs 45 kg the N 333 for example weighs in at 150 pounds 68 kg Any freight this massive must be handled with extreme care to avoid injury At least two strong people are required to unpack these amplifiers safely Included with your new Mark Levinson amplifier is two pairs 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 Do not attempt to lift your power amplifier from its packing carton alone Never attempt to lift your power amplifier while bending from the waist Always stand as straight as possible and use your leg muscles lo lift your amplifier After unpacking your power amplifier keep all packing materials fo
13. avy oxygen free copper bus bars enhance the efficiency of power distribution within the amplifier and eliminate variances introduced by the wiring harnesses etc more commonly found even in high performance amplifiers High frequency power supply bypass is accomplished on individual PC boards by five compo nents of several film types The resulting uniformly low power supply impedance seen by the various circuits within the amplifier lays the foundation for both the massive power and the extraordinary finesse that characterizes the 300 series A truly balanced input topology eliminates the need for an input buffer amplifica tion stage and allows the first stage differential amplifier to be driven directly by the source Matched impedances are presented to the source and both signals travel through identical circuit paths Painstaking attention to layout of the amplifier was essential to minimize mag netic field distortions possible with such a massive power delivery system includ ing careful mirror imaging of circuits to cancel magnetic fields A balanced input signal remains balanced throughout the voltage gain stages Rejection of common mode noise and distortion is achieved in the final current gain stage The 300 series power amplifiers operate as virtually perfect textbook cases of a voltage source This is to say that they will maintain whatever the appropriate voltage might be at any moment given the demands of the music and withi
14. e terminated If you are not using these turn on inputs you may leave them both empty of any plugs This remote trigger input will be operated by a 3 12 volts DC positive polarity pulse of at least 100 milliseconds duration with tip polarity as shown below 3 12 volts for at least 100 mS Receiving such a pulse will cause the amplifier to toggle between standby and operate much like pressing the front panel standby button Sending a long term DC signal more than one second will force the amplifier into the fully off condition as does a prolonged press of the front panel but ton Your Mark Levinson dealer can help you take advantage of these de sign features to maximize your systems versatility Caution Caution SPEAKER BINDING POSTS The Mark Levinson 300 series amplifiers are equipped with custom made gold plated high current binding posts for output termination to a loud speaker system To take full advantage of the amplifiers sonic quality we recommend using high quality speaker cable please see your Mark Levinson dealer NEVER connect a power amplifier s output terminals to any device other than a loudspeaker NEVER short circuit the amplifier s output terminals NEVER connect the output terminals of one amplifier to the output terminals of another amplifier There are two recommended methods for connecting speaker cables to your amplifier A high quality spade lug or hook lug sold
15. e channel with the red normal input will later be connected to the red positive terminal of your loudspeaker 25 26 Single Ended Bridged Input Connection Balanced Y adapter Biamplification In contrast to bridged operation wherein a two channel amplifier is fooled into behaving as a single larger amplifier biamplification makes use of a two channel amplifier to drive different portions of a single loudspeaker As with bridging it offers a modular way of increasing the overall performance of your system if your loudspeakers support biamplification Since each channel of the amplifier is delivering current into its load only over a limited range of frequencies typically bass vs mids and treble several forms of distortion are reduced as compared to each channel handling the full range of musical information For this reason many loudspeaker companies are designing their products to include multiple speaker inputs since using multiple amplifiers improves the performance of their products as welD Another common use of biamplification involves adding a subwoofer along with an appropriate electronic crossover to supplement and or improve the deep bass performance of your system Always refer to the specific directions provided by your loudspeaker manufacturer prior to setting up a biamplified speaker system Any instructions contained herein cannot be substituted for those that are specific to the loudspeaker in
16. e professionals ideally suited to assist with our customers service needs If your Mark Levinson component must be serviced please contact your dealer Your dealer will then decide whether the problem can be remedied locally or whether to contact Madrigal for further service information or parts or to obtain a Return Authorization The Madrigal Technical Services Department works closely with your dealer to solve your service needs expediently Return authorization must be obtained from Madrigal s Technical Services Department BEFORE a unit is shipped for service It is extremely important that information about a problem be explicit and com plete A specific comprehensive description of the problem helps your dealer and the Madrigal Technical Services Department locate and repair the difficulty as quickly as possible A copy of the original bill of sale will serve to verify warranty status Please in clude it with the unit when it is brought in for warranty service All returned units must be properly packaged preferably in their original packing material and the proper return authorization numbers must be marked on the outer carton for identification If the packaging to protect the unit is in our opinion or that of our dealer inadequate to protect the unit we reserve the right to repackage it for return shipment at the owner s expense Neither Madrigal nor your dealer can be responsible for shipping damage due fo improp
17. ed by hard clipped output devices are avoided by the waveshaping action of this con trolled clip circuitry Front Panel 1 STANDBY BUTTON When power is first applied to the power amplifier if yours is a CE certi fied unit this means plugging it in and turning on the rear panel AC mains switch the amplifier remains off Pressing the front panel standby button will bring the amplifier from off to standby After a delay of ten seconds to allow the power supplies to charge and all circuitry to stabilize subse quent pressing of the standby button will toggle the amplifier between standby mode and fully on Power consumption of the N 333 the most extreme example when at idle is approximately 350 watts the equivalent of leaving a few light bulbs on When in standby the amplifiers still draw as much as 200 watts to keep the sensitive voltage gain stages warmed up and sounding their best at all times To turn the amplifier off as opposed to standby press and hold the standby button for approximately one second until the front panel indica tor light turns off To turn off even the supervisory power supply you must either unplug the amplifier from the wall or in the case of CE certified units only use the rear panel AC mains switch see below 2 INDICATOR LIGHT The indicator light shows the operational status of your N 333 Full brightness indicates that the N 33 is on and ready to be used Blinking slowly indicates the
18. er 10 11 12 13 14 ALWAYS disconnect your entire system from the AC mains before connecting or disconnecting any cables or when cleaning any component 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 AC extension cords are not recommended for use with this product NEVER use flammable or combustible chemicals for cleaning audio components NEVER operate this product with any covers removed NEVER wet the inside of this product with any liquid NEVER pour or spill liquids directly onto this unit NEVER block air flow through ventilation slots or heatsinks NEVER bypass any fuse NEVER replace any fuse with a value or type other than those specified NEVER attempt to repair this product If a problem occurs contact your Mark Levinson retailer NEVER expose this product to extremely high or low temperatures NEVER operate this product in an explosive atmosphere ALWAYS keep electrical equipment out of the reach of children ALWAYS unplug sensitive electronic equipment during lightning storms Table of Contents Unpacking Your Amplifier pe 6 Warm up break in period Ne 6 Placement Considerations ccececceeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeseeeeeeeeeseeeneeae 7 Ventilation sir nte te err AT 7 Operating Voltage N 333 unuuuss2400nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
19. er that is non original packaging Your dealer can order a new set of shipping materials for you if you need to ship your component and no longer have the original materials There will be a charge for this service We strongly recommend saving all packing materials in case you need to ship your unit some day 31 32 Specifications The correlation between published specifications and performance is unreliable Measurements of the your amplifier yield excellent results by any standards How ever only those specifications that apply to its actual operation are included here All specifications are subject to change at any time in order to improve the prod uct HM N 333 Rated power output 300 w ch continuous rms power 8Q 600 w ch continuous rms power 4Q 1200 w ch continuous rms power 2Q HM N 332 Rated power output 200 w ch continuous rms power 8Q 400 w ch continuous rms power 4Q 800 w ch continuous rms power 2Q HM N 331 Rated power output 100 w ch continuous rms power 8 200 w ch continuous rms power 4Q 400 w ch continuous rms power 2Q all above power ratings from 20 Hz 20kHz at 0 596 THD B Frequency response within 0 1 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz E Signal to Noise ratio main outputs better than 80 dB ref 1 w WB Input impedance 100kQ balanced 50kQ single ended E Voltage gain 26 8 dB EM Input sensitivity 2 83V output 130 mV all models EM Input sensitivity full output 2 25V for
20. ere you to find one that could do so However many high quality loudspeakers may require rather extreme power levels on a short term basis when reproducing music at realistic levels The 300 series amplifiers can answer these needs with impunity without any power supply sag and without altering their sonic performance in any way The resultant imperturbable nature of these amplifiers is reflected in the authority and control with which they reproduce music Your selection of any particular model depends only on the maximum power you need based on your loudspeakers listening room and listening habits Magazines and product literature have both contributed to a great deal of poorly informed discussion of class A operation over the years Unfortunately the ther mal management problems of true class A operation in a high current output stage are severe and introduce serious sonic compromises of their own For this reason the output stage of your new amplifier are not class A biased in a tradi tional fashion CAII voltage gain stages of the 300 series amplifiers are biased to operate in a full class A mode in order to keep the active devices safely within their most linear distortion free range at all times The 300 series amplifiers use a proprietary adaptive biasing scheme developed by Madrigal and first introduced in the N 33 Reference Monaural Amplifiers that delivers the sonic advantages of a Class A output stage without incurr
21. ered to the cable or crimped with extremely high pressure is best v Spade lug Hook lug Connect a positive or red output post of the amplifier to the positive or red input terminal of the appropriate loudspeaker If biwiring repeat using the other positive or red output post of the amplifier and the positive or red input terminal of the loudspeaker Connect a negative or black output post of the amplifier to the nega tive or black input terminal of the appropriate loudspeaker If biwiring re peat using the other negative or black output post of the amplifier and the negative or black input terminal of the loudspeaker DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN the binding posts on your amplifier The unique design of these posts gives far more leverage than traditional posts You will achieve tight high contact pressure connections with only modest finger tightening and without having fo resort to special tools DO NOT FORCE the wings up and over a bent or oversized connector as this may damage the binding post If your connectors obstruct the turning of the wings slide them into place when the binding post opening is a snug fit then apply a final quarter tumr as needed fo tighten the connection 19 20 Warning Note AC MAINS CORD AND AC MAINS SWITCH Conventional IEC standard power cords cannot be used in the N 333 due to the potential current requirements of N 333 when ope
22. floor and must be used as a freestanding unit In most installations locat ing it near the loudspeakers is best Obviously this approach minimizes the length of the speaker wires and necessitates longer interconnecting cables from the preamplifier to the power amplifier The advantage to this strategy lies in the fact that the interconnecting cables carry low current signals which are more readily transmitted over distances with great accuracy than are the necessarily high current signals required by loudspeakers Note that adequate clearance for the AC cord and connecting signal cables must be left behind your amplifier We suggest leaving at least six inches 15 cm of free space behind your amplifier so all cables have sufficient room to bend with out crimping or undue strain If yours is a CE certified unit e g European market the amplifier should also be placed in such a way that the power switch on the rear panel is easily accessible This switch disconnects power from even the supervisory power supply resulting in effective disconnection of the amplifier from the AC mains Note that under these conditions the amplifier cannot respond to remote turn on commandis etc As a freestanding unit your power amplifier normally has no problem with venti lation Regardless of where you choose to locate your amplifier we advise locat ing the amplifier well away from sensitive low level components typically near the floor The massive output
23. idged amplifier 6 POWER UP YOUR AMPLIFIER Remember that your Mark Levinson power amplifier incorporates inrush protection circuitry that allows its power supply to charge up gently en hancing its longevity Plug the amplifier back into the AC mains press the standby button once to bring the amp from off to standby wait at least ten seconds and press the standby button again to bring it from standby to operate 7 REPEATTHIS PROCESS WITH YOUR OTHER AMPLIFIER S Single Ended Bridging If your preamplifier has only single ended RCA outputs a few details of bridged operation will differ from the discussion above all pertaining to the con nection of the preamp to the bridged amplifiers For this discussion we will as sume that you are using a Madrigal Single Ended Bridging Adapter Kit for each channel to be bridged Alternatively you may have custom cables built using your preferred wire and connectors being careful to follow the wiring diagram below 24 Single Ended Bridging Kit Important Male XLR Output normal Pin 1 signal ground E Pin 2 signal non inverting Single Ended Bridging Pin 3 Signal ground 9 Input Adapter pin configuration Female RCA Input Skirt signal n ground Center signal non inverting Male XLR Output inverted Pin 1 sonal ground Pin 2 signal gro Pin 3 signal Bernd inverting Bridging Output Aper not drawn to scale CAM py The normal
24. ing the substantial inefficiencies and consequent thermal problems of pure Class A op eration Uniquely this adaptive biasing scheme never allows the output devices themselves to be reverse biased This approach results in greatly reduced dy namic distortions and a sweeter sound that exhibits a greater sense of ease at all volume levels Your 300 series power amplifier will shut itself down if it senses any of a num ber of fault conditions which could cause damage to either itself or to your loud speakers These fault conditions include the presence of DC direct current at the output either over voltage or under voltage conditions on the AC mains 10 e unsafe operating temperatures in any of several critical areas within the amplifier If any of these fault conditions is sensed while the amplifier is in either standby or fully on the amplifier will shut down completely off mode not merely standby Moreover it will not turn on again until the fault condition is corrected 13 14 In addition the AC input to each transformer is fused to protect against excessive current conditions such as driving shorted outputs Inrush limiting prevents pre mature aging of power supply components during power up and switches off line once the power supply has been charged Finally your amplifier incorporates a controlled clipping circuit that prevents the output devices from saturating The harsh high frequency harmonics generat
25. is ground These pin assignments are consistent with the standards adopted by the Audio Engineering Society Refer to the operating manual of your balanced output preamplifier to verify that the pin assignments of its output connec tors correspond to your Mark Levinson amplifier If not wire the cables so that the appropriate output pin connects to the equivalent input pin SINGLE ENDED INPUTS These RCA connectors accept single ended inputs from preamplifiers with single ended RCA outputs Single ended input signals are converted to balanced signals immediately upon being received at the amplifier and are handled as balanced signals thereafter If your preamplifier does not support balanced connection to the power amplifier connect the single ended output of your preamplifier to the RCA input on the amplifier To reduce the chance of noise pickup at the other wise unterminated inverting input of the XLR insert the provided U shaped shorting strap between pins 1 and 3 of the XLR connector As delivered from the factory this shorting strap is already installed COMMUNICATIONS LINKS Your 300 series power amplifier may be controlled by a linked Mark Levinson 30 series preamplifier when the slave in communications port is connected to the master port of the preamplifier Subsequent 300 series amplifiers may be daisy chained from the first amplifiers slave out to their slave in port up to a maximum of six amplifiers to
26. ive biamping wiring diagram Caution Care amp Maintenance To remove dust from the cabinet of your amplifier use a feather duster or a lint free soft cloth To remove dirt and fingerprints we recommend isopropyl alcohol and a soft cloth Dampen the cloth with alcohol first and then lightly clean the surface of the amplifier with the cloth Do not use excessive amounts of alcohol that might drip off the cloth and into the amplifier At no time should liquid cleaners be applied directly to the amplifier as direct application of liquids may result in damage fo electronic components within the unit 29 90 Day Limited Warranty Five Year Extended Warranty 30 U S and Canadian Warranty This Mark Levinson product is warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety 90 days from the date of purchase To extend the warranty of this Mark Levinson product return the war ranty registration card along with a copy of the original receipt of purchase to Madrigal Audio Laboratories Inc P O Box 781 Middletown CT 06457 The extended warranty for this Mark Levinson product is five 5 years from the date of purchase During the warranty period any Mark Levinson component ex hibiting defects in materials and or workmanship will be repaired or replaced at our option without charge for either parts or labor at our factory The warranty will not apply to any Mark Le
27. kers used might be When called upon to do so your amplifier is capable of generating truly prodigious power levels into virtually any speaker load on either an instantaneous or a continuous basis Depending on the demands placed on the amplifier by your loudspeaker and your listening habits it is possible although unlikely for the capabilities of your electrical service to become the limiting factor in the performance of your sys tem As a result the N 333 has been designed to be capable of taking advantage of dedicated high current AC mains supplies which cannot limit its performance For compatibility with existing household outlets a standard three prong 15 am pere plug is provided on the captive high current AC mains cable If you decide to use a dedicated higher current 30 ampere line for your N 333 the only thing that needs to be changed is the AC plug itself When it comes to high current AC wiring such as the N 333 is capable of using building regulations and electrical codes vary from region fo region and even from one municipality to the next For this reason it is impossible for us to anticipate the requirements of your area with regard fo high current AC hookups If you plan to install a dedicated high current AC line for your N 333 please review this section carefully and then contact a local electrical contractor for advice The Mark Levinson N 333 amplifiers may be factory set for 100V 120V 200V
28. leg of the Madrigal Single Ended Bridging Input Adapter will be marked with a red stripe to indicate positive polarity and the inverted leg will be marked with a black stripe to indicate inverted polarity corresponding to the red and black terminals of your loudspeaker The Balanced Bridging Output Adapter is simply a single heavy gauge bus bar used to strap two of the output ground terminals together This establishs a com mon reference for the amplifier and completes the circuit that includes the loud speakers Do not attempt to operate your amplifier in a bridged mode without first strapping the black output terminals together Failure to establish a common ground reference between the two channels can damage your amplifier by forcing significant currents to flow where they do not belong To bridge your Mark Levinson amplifier using a single ended RCA input signal follow these steps 1 DISCONNECT YOUR AMPLIFIER FROM EVERYTHING Start with your amplifier totally disconnected from inputs outputs and AC power It is always best to power down an amplifier before changing con nections here you are also changing its basic configuration 2 CONNECT THE SINGLE ENDED BRIDGING INPUT ADAPTER TO THE AMP S INPUTS Connect the two male XLRs to the inputs of your amplifier noting which XLR is marked red and which is black You may want to standardize on Red is Right to avoid confusion although it makes no difference to the amplifier Th
29. n the rated voltage output of the amplifier without any particular regard for the current demands of the loudspeaker Because of this voltage source characteristic the 300 series amplifiers double their power output every time the loudspeaker impedance is cut by half For ex ample the N93335 continuous rated power is 300 watts per channel at 8Q 600 watts per channel at 4Q 1200 watts per channel at 2Q assuming the electrical circuit in the wall can support these extraordinary power levels A continuous 2 2 Adaptive Biasing of the Output Stage Extensive Protection test of the N 333 at maximum power requires about 45 amperes at 120V The laws of physics refuse to be cheated Long term you cannot deliver more power into the speaker than you can pull from the wall Thirty two TO 3 output transistors are distributed in the heatsinks of the N 333 to conduct and control the flow of its remarkable power capabilities to the loud speaker There are eight matched complementary pairs of output transistors in each channel of the amplifier Similarly the N 332 uses 24 TO 3 output transistors in six matched complementary pairs of output transistors for each channel and the N 331 uses 16 TO 3 output transistors in four matched complementary pairs of output transistors for each channel No known high quality loudspeaker can absorb the continuous full power capa bility of the N 333 Nor would you want to be present in the room w
30. n preamplifier via this communications link If this occurs the preamplifier will display the number of the amplifier at fault AMP1 being the first amplifier in the daisy chain AMP2 being the second amplifier and so on The preamplifier will also indicate the nature of the fault condition with one of the following codes Code Fault Condition HOT thermal shutdown DCO uncorrectable DC offset If upon first connecting your Link cables the system does not automatically toggle the amplifiers from the preamp you may have to cycle power not standby but actual AC power once to alert the system as to the presence of the newly established Links REMOTE TURN ON INPUTS Additional remote turn on jacks provide compatibility with a wide range of products to facilitate remote turn on and turn off in systems which do not include a Mark Levinson 30 series preamplifier which would normally use the Mark Levinson Communications Link described above These 3 5 mm mini jacks allow other components to bring the power amplifier in and out of standby Two such mini jacks are provided to allow daisy chain ing of multiple amplifiers If this method of control is used for the amplifier s the last mini jack in the chain must be terminated with a dummy 1 4 plug that is an empty plug must be inserted into the final 14 3 5 mm jack Even if only a single amplifier is controlled in this fashion the extra mini jack must b
31. nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnannnnnannnnnnn 8 N2 333 AC mains maximum Current requirements 8 N 333 rearpanel label sse netten 9 Operating Voltage N 332 amp N933 es 10 N2 332 AC mains maximum curent requirements esses 10 N 33L AC mains maximum Current requirements 1 N2 332 33 rearpanel label sse tnnt 1 Special Design Features decernere ertet ttn renes 12 Massive Power Supply Ne D Balanced design ema eee eee ee RE ES D Tue Voltage Source Ne D Adaptive Biasing of the Output Stage Ne 13 Extensive Protection a nnne nnn nnne ens B duae 15 Rear PONG wiv 16 Remote tum on tip polarity sss eene nnn nnne nnn 18 Bridged Operation eris cernerent rte rrr detener 22 Bridging Explained u en etd ah edna 22 Balanced Bridging ss 22 Balanced Bridging Kit ener nnn nn 22 Balanced Bridged Input Connection sss eene 23 Single Ended Bridging nennen 24 Single Ended Bridging Kit sse 25 Single Ended Bridged Input Connection sss 25 BiCIMplifiCOOM em 27 Balanced Y adapter unnennnnesensennennnonnnnnannnnnnannnnnnnnnnnnnnonnnennannnnennnn 27 Passive biamping wiring diagram essen nnn 28 Care amp Maintendnce eite eei i eiie aaa ect irse tes 29 U S and Canadian Warranty pp 30 Obt
32. ou may use either the upper or the lower black output terminals Connect one end of the Bal anced Bridging Output Adapter to a black output terminal on one side of the amplifier and then connect the other end to a black output terminal on the other side of the amplifier The two connections should be side by side rather than one above the other Make sure these connection are snug and secure 4 CONNECT YOUR LOUDSPEAKER WIRE ACROSS TWO SIDE BY SIDE RED OUTPUT TERMINALS In this case you may use either the upper or the lower red output termi nals Connect the positive red binding post of your loudspeaker to the red output terminal associated with the red normal side of the Input Adapter Connect the negative black binding post of your loudspeaker to the red output terminal on the other side of the amplifier the one associ ated with the black inverted side of the Input Adapter Following this connection convention preserves the polarity of the signal sent to the loudspeaker In practice the most important thing is to be con sistent throughout the system as inconsistency will result in out of phase loudspeakers In turn this results in unstable imaging and poor bass repro duction The effect is not dangerous but neither is it subtle 5 CONNECT ONE OUTPUT CHANNEL OF YOUR PREAMPLIFIER TO THE IN PUT OF YOUR BRIDGED AMPLIFIER The female XLR at the junction of the Balanced Bridging Input Adapter is now the single input to this br
33. ound terminals together This establishs a com mon reference for the amplifier and completes the circuit that includes the loud speakers Important Do not attempt to operate your amplifier in a bridged mode without first strapping the black output terminals together Failure to establish a common ground reference between the two channels can damage your amplifier by forcing significant currents to flow where they do not belong To bridge your Mark Levinson amplifier using a balanced input signal follow these steps 1 DISCONNECT YOUR AMPLIFIER FROM EVERYTHING Start with your amplifier totally disconnected from inputs outputs and AC power It is always best to power down an amplifier before changing con nections here you are also changing its basic configuration 2 CONNECTTHE BALANCED BRIDGING INPUT ADAPTER TO THE AMP S INPUTS Connect the two male XLRs to the inputs of your amplifier noting which XLR is marked red and which is black You may want to standardize on Red is Right to avoid confusion although it makes no difference to the amplifier The channel with the red normal input will later be connected to the red positive terminal of your loudspeaker Balanced Bridged Input Connection 3 CONNECT ONE END OF THE BALANCED BRIDGING OUTPUT ADAPTER TO TWO SIDE BY SIDE BLACK OUTPUT TERMINALS All Mark Levinson amplifiers have two sets of output terminals per channel wired in parallel for convenience when biwiring Y
34. r future transport In the event that you need to ship your amplifier only the original purpose designed shipping carton is acceptable Any other method of shipping this heavy product will almost certainly result in damage to the amplifier dam age that would not be covered by the warranty Carefully inspect your amplifier for possible damage due to shipping If you dis cover any contact your Mark Levinson dealer immediately Although your Mark Levinson 300 series power amplifier delivers outstanding performance straight out of the box you should expect to hear it continue to im prove as it reaches its normal operating temperatures and its various components break in It has been our experience that the greatest changes occur within the first 25 50 hours but that the amplifier 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 allowing it to cool down In this case you should expect a brief warm up period before the amplifiers sound quality is at its best Fortunately you will never have to repeat the full 300 hour break in period PRECAUTION Ventilation Placement Considerations For your protection review Important Safety Instructions and Operating Voltage before you install your amplifier Your Mark Levinson 300 series power amplifier is specifically designed to stand on the
35. rating into low impedance loads The highest available current rating for an IEC standard three conductor connector such as is used on most stereo equipment in cluding other Mark Levinson products is 16 amperes Instead the N 333 incorporates a high current AC cord which is attached directly to the ampli fier itself Conventional IEC standard power cords are used in the N 332 and N 331 since their lower rated power reduces their worst case current requirements when operating into low impedance loads Your new Mark Levinson amplifier has been safety tested and is designed for operation with a three conducftor power cord Do not defeat the third pin or earth ground of the AC power cord In CE certified units intended for European use an AC mains switch is lo cated adjacent to the power cord on the rear panel of the amplifier This switch may be used to disconnect the supervisory power supply from the AC mains without having to actually unplug the amplifier from the wall out let Since this small supervisory supply controls the main power supply s access to AC power shutting down the supervisory power supply also dis connects the main supply from AC If you plan to be away for an extended period or have any other reason to turn the amplifier completely off you may either unplug the amplifier or Gn the case of CE units you may use the AC mains switch When first connected to the AC mains the amplifier normally draws
36. signed to be extremely versatile Should your needs change or grow over time you may wish to add additional power by one of two means Bridging or Biamping We will discuss bridged op eration first Bridging refers to the act of reconfiguring the circuitry in both the left and right channels of your amplifier to act as though it were a single much larger amplifier Of course you will need a second bridged amplifier for stereo more for multi channel sound as in home theater applications Bridging is accomplished by sending a normal signal to one channel and an in verted signal to the other In this configuration one channel will always be push ing when the other is pulling By connecting the loudspeaker leads across the left and right red output terminals the amplifier can now deliver twice the nor mal voltage to the loudspeaker Working together this way the two amplifier chan nels can deliver almost four times the power to a speaker that a single channel could deliver on its own Bridged operation is particularly beneficial with low sensitivity high impedance loudspeakers 8Q or higher that have a greater need for voltage than for current It is not recommended for loudspeakers that have an impedance significantly be low 4Q as the speaker s impedance is split by the two halves of the amplifier Thus the bridged amplifier sees a 2Q load when connected to a 4Q loud speaker Prolonged delivery of high power le
37. t to consider having a dedicated AC line installed for your home entertainment sys tem For compatibility with existing household outlets a standard three conductor 15 ampere IEC standard detachable AC mains cable is provided for use with your amplifier Mark Levinson power amplifiers may be factory set for 100V 120V 200V 210V 220V 230V or 240V AC mains operation at either 50 or 60Hz based on the coun try for which they are manufactured Depending on local electrical codes and regulations the plug on the supplied AC input module may need to be replaced by a local licensed electrical contractor The maximum current requirements at these various voltages under various test conditions are listed in the tables shown below Note that only 230V units are sold in tbe European Union countries per CE requirements 100V 120V 200V 210V 220V 230V 240V Off l 09 05 047 045 043 042 Standby 2 04 1 70 1 02 971 927 887 850 On at idle 3 24 2 70 1 62 1 54 1 47 1 41 1 35 200w 8Q 12 8 10 7 6 38 6 07 5 80 5 54 5 31 400w 4O 21 8 18 2 10 9 10 7 9 89 9 46 9 06 800w 20 37 8 31 6 18 9 18 0 17 2 16 5 15 8 power ratings are continuous rms with less than 0 5 THD from 20 20 000 Hz N2 331AC mains maximum cunent requirements N 332 331 rearpanel label 100V 120V 200V 210V 220V 230V 240V off l 09 05 047 045 043 042 Standby 1 08 0 90 0 54 0 52 0 49 0 47 045 On at idle 2 6
38. tal to support multi amped systems for example communication ports e remote turn on SLs slave out slave in A straight through six conductor Link cable with six conductor modular connectors on both ends is used to connect the preamplifier to the first power amplifier Such a cable is made counter intuitively by incorporating a 180 twist into the cable before terminating it as shown below lt To N 38 Master To N 33 Slave In Locking tab Locking tab A different Link connector configuration is used for the daisy chain of one amplifier to the next to minimize the opportunity for mis wiring In effect this cable is identical to the one between preamplifier and power amplifier except that it uses pins 1 through 6 of an eight conductor modular connec tor at one end as shown on the next page To N 33x Slave Out To N 33x Slave In 5 Locking tab Locking tab Note that the pins are numbered 1 through 8 from left to right when the locking tab is down and the metal contacts are pointing away from you When connected in this manner the power amplifiers will be toggled be tween standby and fully on when the preamplifier goes between standby and fully on 17 18 Remote tum on tip polarity In addition should a fault condition cause any amplifiers protection cir cuitry to activate it can report the nature of the problem to a linked Mark Levinso
39. vels into such a low impedance cre ates a great deal of heat that needs to be dissipated Of course your amplifier is protected against overheating but having an amplifier shut itself down even tem porarily can put a damper on the evenings entertainment If your preamplifier has balanced outputs you should use them For this discus sion we will assume that you are using a Madrigal Balanced Bridging Adapter Kit for each channel to be bridged Alternatively you may have custom cables built using your preferred wire and connectors being careful to follow the wiring dia gram below Male XLR Output normal RS Pin 1 signal groun Balanced Bridging Pin 2 signal non inverting Input Adapter Pin 3 signal inverting pin configuration Pin 1 signal ground Pin 2 signal non inverting Pin 3 signal inverting 2 do not connect shield Female Xi nou Ns 2p Male XLR Output inverted Pin 1 not used floated Pin 2 signal inverting Pin 3 signal non inverting Bridging Output Adapter not drawn to scale The normal leg of the Madrigal Balanced Bridging Input Adapter will be marked with a red stripe to indicate positive polarity and the inverted leg will be marked with a black stripe to indicate inverted polarity corresponding to the red and black terminals of your loudspeaker The Balanced Bridging Output Adapter is simply a single heavy gauge bus bar used to strap two of the output gr
40. vinson component that has been misused abused or altered Any Mark Levinson component not performing satisfactorily may be returned to the factory for evaluation Return authorization must first be obtained by either calling or writing the factory prior to shipping the component The factory will pay for return shipping charges only in the event that the component is found to be defective as above mentioned There are other stipulations that may apply to shipping charges There is no other express warranty on this component Neither this warranty nor any other warranty express or implied including any implied warranties of mer chantability or fitness shall extend beyond the warranty period No responsibility is assumed for any incidental or consequential damages Some states do not al low limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts and other states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages so that the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state This warranty is applicable in the United States and Canada only Outside of the US and Canada please contact your local autho rized Mark Levinson distributor for warranty and service information Important Warning Obtaining Service We take great pride in our dealers Experience dedication and integrity make thes
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