DRAGONFIRE Mini Dragon Manual

Professional near field planar magnetic monitoring system

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Mini Dragons

Professional Near Field

Planar Magnetic Monitoring System

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Summary of Contents for DRAGONFIRE Mini Dragon

Page 1 Mini Dragons Professional Near Field Planar Magnetic Monitoring System...
Page 2   “I believe in fairies, myths, Dragons.”  John Lennon”...
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Introduction Fidelity Level Direct Sound Power Mini Dragons SB-8P Subwoofer Subwoofer Setup MD-4 DSP Ampliﬁer Ampliﬁer Wiring SHD Studio Digital Preamp About Dragonﬁre Acoustics Technical Speciﬁcations Mini Dragon Speakers SB-8P Subwoofer Kimber AXIO Cabling MD-4 Ampliﬁer MD-4 DSP SHD STUDIO...
Page 4: Important Information
Important Information Please read the following information before use. In case of any questions, please contact Dragonﬁre Acoustics support. System Requirements To conﬁgure the SHD Studio Digital Preamp, you will require a Windows PC or Apple Mac OS X computer with the following minimum speciﬁcation: Windows •...
Page 5: Disclaimer/Warning
Disclaimer/Warning Dragonﬁre Acoustics (DFA) cannot be held responsible for any damage that may result from the improper use of this product or incorrect conﬁguration of its settings. As with any other product, we recommend that you carefully read this manual and other technical notes to ensure that you fully understand how to operate this product.
Page 6: Fcc Class B Statement
FCC Class B Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference. • This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Page 7: Introduction
Introduction As the culmination of +40 years of research and development in planar-magnetic manufacturing, we are conﬁdent that Dragonﬁre Acoustics Mini Dragons deﬁne the state- of-the-art in full-range, near ﬁeld stereo listening. Their unique ability to coherently excite and accelerate a light-as-air planar magnetic diaphragm translates signal-to-sound with unparalleled accuracy, precision, and mastery of the frequency, phase, and time domains.
Page 8: Direct Sound
Direct Sound Sound emanating from a conventional point source propagates outwards in all directions, diffracting and reﬂecting off traditional speaker cabinet enclosures and adjacent acoustic surfaces, causing additive peaks and subtractive nulls of interference. These reﬂections distort the frequency response, ruin the phase coherency and reduce the sound clarity of the system. ...
Page 9 5.b.) Turn the screw counter-clockwise to loosen 5.c.) Turn the screw clockwise to tighten. 6.) Check to ensure the adjusted base angles of the Mini Dragon speakers are the same by placing them next to one another and checking that the frames align ﬂush. The two speakers should now be locked at the same angle relative to the desk and listening head position. ...
Page 10 11.a) Push the thumb button on the mini XLR connector and insert the mini XLR connector into the rear mini XLR connector on the back aluminum frame of each Mini Dragon. 11.b.) Release the thumb button to lock the mini XLR connector in place with the speaker.
Page 11: Sb-8P Subwoofer
10.) The subwoofer should be positioned away from immediate surfaces so as to minimize unintended boundary loading and boosting.   11.) The subwoofer should be positioned equidistant from the listening position as on the legs of an isosceles triangle as the Mini Dragon satellite speakers positioned on your...
Page 12 desktop or speaker stands.  12.) Plug the 3-prong grounded power cable into a surge protected and ideally power conditioned electrical outlet. >For 240v European voltage, switch the rear panel red switch of the subwoofer to the 240V position.   13.) When not in use, the subwoofer will operate in a standby idle mode, consuming a minimum of electricity to detect the signal and subsequently may be left on provided the power source is properly surge protected and conditioned. ...
Page 13 “Music should strike ﬁre from the heart.”  Ludwig Van Beethoven”...
Page 14: Dsp Ampliﬁer
MD-4 DSP Ampliﬁer Housed in a matching anodized aluminum enclosure, the MD-4, is a hand-built globally adaptable 2-input/4-output ADC/DAC+DSP high-capacitance class-D ampliﬁer with balanced analog XLR and 192 kHZ PCM SPDIF< AES/EBU and USB streamer inputs. The ampliﬁer’s power factor correction linear power supply ensures universally adaptable and fully regulated AC mains operation everywhere in the world.
Page 15: Ampliﬁer Wiring
  Manufactured in the USA and with over past 25 years of experience, the AKM Velvet sound converters are designed to balance the amount of information, intensity, musicality, emotion, and focus of the original sound source through a combination of technical measurements and human listening tests.
Page 16 11) Turn the Neutrik NL4 connector 30 degrees clockwise and release the spring loaded thumb-latch to lock into place. Input Connector Options The MD-4 ampliﬁer is equipped with four input connector options: 1x SPDIF coaxial input (for consumer applications) 1x AES/EBU via balanced XLR (for professional applications) 2xXLR for a balanced analog stereo signals 1x USB type-B connector for direct audio streaming from a computer using the ampliﬁer’s XMOS chipset.
Page 17 5.) If using a Windows computer, a driver is required and may be downloaded from the support section of Dragonﬁre Acoustics’ website. 6.) When using the ampliﬁer’s USB streamer, volume to the system is controlled directly from the computer. Before playback check to ensure the volume of the system is set to low and gradually raise it using the computer’s master volume control to achieve a safe and comfortable listening level.
Page 18 Picture showing USB Streamer Input (blue) and Neutrik NL4 output connectors (white and black sub, brown and black Mini Dragons Picture showing USB Program (blue), SPDIF (white) and Neutrik NL4 output connectors (white and black sub, brown and black Mini Dragons...
Page 19 The MD-4 includes an integrated digital signal processing (DSP) chip with up to 140 programmable ﬁlters. As a factory default the DSP has been programed to handle essential crossover functions to integrate the Mini Dragon speakers with the SB-8P subwoofer.
Page 20 “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
Page 21: Shd Studio Digital Preamp
  Cables     The Mini Dragon System comes with stock cables included in the base price. Premium Kimber AXIOS Cables are available as an upgrade. Custom lengths may be requested with an additional cost per foot.    Kimber AXIOS cables are braided with 16 x 24 AWG of super-pure Copper conductors per channel, and FEP dielectric insulation, the cable geometry lowers reactive losses and DC resistance while shielding the signal from electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Page 22: Technical Speciﬁcations
Technical Speciﬁcations Mini Dragon Speakers System: Planar magnetic near ﬁeld monitor Transducer Type: New generation dipole planar Magnetic Structure: Proprietary double-sided magnet array for the highest magnetic induction in the industry of 1.8 Tesla Magnet Type: high temperature N48H Neodymium...
Page 23: Sb-8P Subwoofer
SB-8P Subwoofer System: Compact high-output active subwoofer Transducer Type: 8” custom high-speed high-excursion low-distortion woofer 8” high-excursion passive radiator tuned for 30 Hz bass extension Power: 180W RMS Frequency Response: 30 to 300 Hz Input Signal: Subwoofer line level or speaker output from MD-4 Ampliﬁer Controls: Volume, phase, auto on/off power, Sub/LFE Finish: Piano black gloss AC Power: Universal 110-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz...
Page 24: Dsp
1x USB Type B for Firmware Update and Snowbird Audioweaver Programming Outputs: 2x 2-channel Neutrik NL4 Power Rating per channel (RMS @1% THD @230 VAC) 16 ohm: 125W 8 ohm: 245W 4 ohm: 270W Peak: 1000W @ 4 ohm Output Circuitry: UMAC Class D - full bandwidth PWM modular with ultra low distortion Output Voltage: 70 Vp / 140 Vpp (unloaded) Ampliﬁer Gain: 26 dB Signal To Noise-Ratio: >119 dB (A-weighted, 20 to 20,000 Hz, 8 ohm load)
Page 25: Shd Studio
Selection Switch: Toggle UP USB Toggle Middle SPDIF Toggle Down Analog Balanced XLR Power Requirements: 15v bipolar for analog and 7.5 V for digital Clock Speed: 450 MHz Computation: 277,700 MFLOPS Architecture: “Super” Harvard Filter Signal-to-noise performance: +60 dB over normal ﬁlter Sampling Rate: UP/Down Conversion to 96 kHz PCM Bit Depth: 24-bit Available Parametric Filter: 120 FIR &...
Page 26 Digital Audio Inputs Digital audio source selectable from IR remote or Front panel, up to 216 kHz sample rate: ○ AES/EBU on Neutrik 3-pin female XLR / Isolated with digital audio transformer ○ SPDIF on RCA connector / Isolated with digital audio transformer ○...