Mark Levinson 383 Owner's Manual
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Mark Levinson 383 Owner's Manual

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Owner' s Manual
Nº383
Integrated
Amplifier
R
MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES

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  • Page 1 Owner’ s Manual Nº383 Integrated Amplifier MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES...
  • Page 2 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.

  • Page 3: Important Safety Instructions

    Important Safety Instructions Please read all instructions and precautions carefully and completely before operating your Mark Levinson ® integrated amplifier. 1. ALWAYS disconnect your entire system from the AC mains before connecting or dis- connecting any cables, or when cleaning any component. 2.
  • Page 4 From all of us at Madrigal Audio Laboratories, thank you for choosing the Mark Levinson Nº383 Integrated Amplifier. 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.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Special Design Features of the Nº383 Integrated Amplifier ..7 why an integrated? ................7 the power supplies ................7 the preamplifier .................. 8 the volume control ................8 the power amplifier ................8 protection ..................8 the remote control &...
  • Page 6 Using the Nº383 with Learning Remote Controls ..... 35 using the teach ir menu ..............35 available ir commands ..............36 Modes of Operation ..............37 normal operation ................37 the balance mode ................37 balance control tip ................. 38 polarity .....................

  • Page 7: Special Design Features Of The Nº383 Integrated Amplifier

    Actually, we have been thinking of creating an integrated amplifier that we would want to put the Mark Levinson name on for years. But creat- ing such a product, one that does not compromise or tarnish the repu- tation of the Mark Levinson brand, required a great deal of thought and work.

  • Page 8: The Preamplifier

    All single-ended source signals are converted to balanced at the input and remain balanced up to the final current gain stage of the amplifier. In this respect as in so many others, the Nº383 emulates the topology of Mark Levinson separate components. The result is low noise, highly dynamic and detailed resolution of the music signal.

  • Page 9: The Remote Control & User Experience

    External control by IR is also offered via an eighth-inch mini- & user experience jack on the rear panel, should the Nº383 be inside a cabinet where the IR commands cannot reach. The user interface of the Nº383 is rooted in the advanced design of the Nº32 Reference Preamplifier.

  • Page 10: Construction

    Mark Levinson products. The Nº383 is built to the same high construction standards as all other Mark Levinson prod- ucts.

  • Page 11: Unpacking And Placement

    The Nº383 should generally be placed close to your source equipment, placement thus keeping interconnect cabling short. We strongly recommend mounting the Nº383 on its own shelf to allow for proper ventilation. The Nº383 is designed for continuous operation—it is designed to be continuous operation connected to the AC mains at all times for the best performance.

  • Page 12: Ventilation

    Be sure to allow 3 to 4 inches (8-10 cm) of clearance above the Nº383 ventilation to allow heat dissipation through air circulation. Drawings are included in this manual to facilitate special installations and custom cabinetry (see “Dimensions”). Caution! It is extremely important that all components in your system be properly grounded.

  • Page 13: Operating Voltage

    Make sure that the label near the AC receptacle of the Nº383 indicates the correct AC operating voltage for your location. If the voltage indicated on your Nº383 is incorrect, or if you wish to change the AC operating voltage of your Nº383 as the result of moving to a different country than the one in which you purchased your preamplifier, see your Mark Levinson dealer.

  • Page 14: A Quick Start

    (that are never around when you need them). Turn on your source component; turn on your Nº383; select the appropriate input using the Select knob; slowly raise the volume on the Nº383 to a comfortable level Congratulations! You should now be able to enjoy your favorite music while reading the rest of this manual.

  • Page 15: Front Panel

    Nº383 can remain warmed up and sounding its best at all times. It can also respond to commands from its remote control when in standby, something it obviously cannot do when disconnected from AC mains power.
  • Page 16 Polarity Indicator (sometimes inaccurately called “absolute phase”) of polarity the output of the Nº383 may be inverted via the Nº383 remote control, in which case the red LED under the word polarity (within the display window) will light as confirmation. A second...
  • Page 17 Enter Button Used in conjunction with the , the setup button enter button allows you to save changes made to the Nº383 while in setup mode. For more information on this customization, please see “Customizing Your Nº383.” Balance Button Pressing the...

  • Page 18: Sleep Timer

    Nº383 as the heart of one of the world’s most exotic sleep timers. By pressing and holding the standby button several seconds, you will see the display change to...

  • Page 19: Rear Panel

    Speaker Binding Posts The Mark Levinson Nº383 is equipped with custom made, gold- plated, high-current binding posts for output termination to a loudspeaker system. To take full advantage of the amplifier’s sonic quality, we recommend using high-quality speaker cable;...
  • Page 20 External IR Input The Nº383 incorporates an infrared repeater input to facilitate a wide range of installation options. If desired, the Nº383 may be placed inside a cabinet or outside the normal line-of-sight in the listening area, with the controlling IR signal being relayed to the Nº383 by any of a number of commercially-available IR repeaters.

  • Page 21: Tip Polarity For External Ir Input

    If the appropriate 3-12V level “trigger” signal arrives at the trig- of the Nº383, it turns on. When the Nº383 turns on, it ger input passes along a trigger signal to another component. In this way, it is possible (if you like) to set up a “daisy chain” of components that can be controlled by one another (at least to some degree.)

  • Page 22: Building A Link Cable

    Nº383’s port using a “straight-through” RJ-45 cable. comm If there are additional Mark Levinson Link-compatible compo- nents in the system, place the Nº383 at the end of the chain by connecting the last port to the Nº383’s port.
  • Page 23 Refer to the operating manuals of your balanced-output line-level sources to verify that the pin assignments of their output connec- tors correspond to the Nº383. If not, wire the cables so that the appropriate output pin connects to the equivalent input pin.
  • Page 24 AC mains outlet in the wall. When power is first applied to the Nº383, it will run through an automatic initialization sequence which displays a software identi- fication code, and then enter standby.

  • Page 25: Remote Control

    At more severe angles (nearly parallel with the faceplate), try bouncing the remote’s signal off a wall or other surface instead so as to have it enter the display window of the Nº383 at a reasonable angle. Alternatively, use an external infrared receiver, placed in a more...
  • Page 26 Setup Button Duplicates the function of the button on the front panel, setup allowing you to access menu functions of the Nº383 from your lis- tening position. Enter Button Duplicates the function of the button on the front panel, enter allowing you to save changes to menu items in the Nº383 from...
  • Page 27 Inverts the (sometimes inaccurately called “absolute polarity phase”) of the outputs of the Nº383, indicated by the LED on the front panel. A second press of this button will restore the outputs to their original, non-inverting polarity. 11 Battery Compartment (on bottom of remote control)

  • Page 28: Customizing Your Nº383

    This four-step process gives you extensive control over a wide variety of setup options, and provides positive feedback that your changes have been accepted and saved for future use. The complete Nº383 Setup menu is shown below for your reference: the menu system No383 Setup...

  • Page 29: Configuring Line Level Inputs

    The Nº383’s menu system allows you to customize the way the inte- grated amplifier operates, to better suit the needs of your system and your personal preferences. We will review the following information in more detail in the coming pages, on an item-by-item basis. (Don’t worry, it isn’t really as complicated as it seems when you take it one step at...

  • Page 30: Changing Input Names

    If this seems a little complicated when you read about it, just try it on the Nº383 itself, referring to the menu system on page 29. It really be- comes intuitive quite quickly. You can take advantage of a shortcut to the settings of the specific in- input programming tip put to which you are currently listening.

  • Page 31: Using Custom Input Names

    Each input in the Nº383 can be set for one of four preamplifier gain setting input gain settings: 0 dB, 6 dB, 12 dB, or 18 dB. The concept is to use as much gain...

  • Page 32: Setting Input Offsets

    This helps to make the Nº383 behave as though each input had the preamplifier section of the integrated amplifier “all to itself.”...

  • Page 33: Setting Record Out

    IR” section, which has its own major section in this manual immedi- ately following this one. Please see that section for additional details. For now, it is enough to know that the Nº383 can teach any of its infra- red commands to a learning remote control by broadcasting the appro- priate code from its display window.

  • Page 34: Setting A Maximum Level

    5V pulse ever the Nº383’s state is changed from one to the other (similar to the output of a momentary contact switch). This menu item allows you to choose which of these two options you want, given the needs of your particular system.

  • Page 35: Using The Nº383 With Learning Remote Controls

    Nº383 Inte- grated Amplifier. In every case where a “toggle” command exists, both the normal toggle function and positive control commands for the multiple states are provided.

  • Page 36: Available Ir Commands

    GO UNMUTE GO BALANCE EXIT BALANCE DISPLAY OFF DISPLAY DIM DISPLAY HALF DISPLAY FULL Using these commands in conjunction with a macro-capable learning remote control, you should be able to automate almost anything that the Nº383 is capable of doing.

  • Page 37: Modes Of Operation

    Modes of Operation The majority of time you spend with your Nº383 will be spent in nor- normal operation mal operation. During normal operation, the display indicates the name of the input you have selected and the listening volume (in deci- bels).

  • Page 38: Balance Control Tip

    If a particular recording is out of balance, you will have to ad- just the balance more subjectively, in stereo, as you normally have done. The Nº383 allows you to invert the polarity of the music to which you polarity are listening with the press of a button.

  • Page 39: Reset Defaults

    If necessary, it is possible to reset all of the factory default settings for reset defaults the Nº383 Integrated Amplifier so as to start again with a “clean slate.” Important Note: Resetting factory default settings causes any customization of the unit to be lost, including custom names, gain settings, offsets, etc.

  • Page 40: Using Surround Sound Processors

    Over the years, this simple fact has made combining a high quality two-channel preamp with an outboard surround sound processor ex- tremely difficult. In fact, until the Mark Levinson Nº38 was introduced in 1993, it was virtually impossible to combine the two and have the system work reliably well.

  • Page 41: The Ssp Must Not Be In A Tape Loop

    “unity gain” mode, pass- ing whatever signal enters that input through the preamplifier section of the Nº383 without changing its volume in any way. In fact, the dis- play indicates that a line-level signal is being “passed through” un- changed by showing ”...
  • Page 42 The simplest way of solving this problem is to break the video ground by using an isolation transformer on the incoming cable line, before it reaches your television or VCR. If you cannot find a 75Ω-75Ω baluns (isolation) transformer, you can easily construct one from the adaptors which probably came with your VCR and television, as shown below.

  • Page 43: Linked Functions

    Linked Functions The Nº383 has the ability to “link” several of its functions to certain compatible Mark Levinson components (such as the Nº39 CD Proces- sor, the Nº30.6 or Nº360/360S digital processors, and the Nº31.5 and Nº37 CD transports). Note: To take advantage of linked functions, you must connect the Nº383 to the other, compatible Mark...

  • Page 44: Play Link

    No360S No39 Similarly, activating a Linked Mark Levinson digital processor will se- lect the appropriate input on the Nº383 (should you be using the pro- cessor with an unlinked DAT machine, for example). Placing the Nº383 into while your Mark Levinson digital au-...

  • Page 45: Care And Maintenance

    Care and Maintenance To remove dust from the cabinet of the Nº383, use a feather duster. To remove dirt and fingerprints, we recommend isopropyl alcohol and a soft cloth. Apply the alcohol to the cloth first and then lightly clean the surface of the Nº383, going with the grain of the brushed aluminum.

  • Page 46: U.s. And Canadian Warranty

    Madrigal Audio Labo- ratories, Inc., P. O. Box 781, Middletown, CT 06457. The extended warranty for this Mark Levinson product is five (5) years five year from the date of purchase. During the warranty period, any Mark...

  • Page 47: Obtaining Service

    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 in- formation or parts, or to obtain a Return Authorization.

  • Page 48: Specifications

    The correlation between published specifications and sonic quality is unreliable. A list of numbers reveals virtually nothing. All technical measurements must be subject to quali- tative as well as quantitative interpretation. Measurements of the Nº383 yield excellent results by any standards. However, only those specifications that apply to its actual op- eration are included here.

  • Page 49: Dimensions, Nº383 Integrated Amplifier

    Dimensions, Nº383 Integrated Amplifier polarity 47.3 47.3 MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES select volume 6.55" 16.6 cm standby power display intensity setup enter balance mute 11.75" 17.975" 19.53" 29.85cm 45.66 cm 49.6 cm 17.5" 44.5 cm MARK LEVINSON Nº383 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER control ports...
  • Page 50 Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc. 2081 South Main Street, P.O. Box 781 Middletown, Connecticut 06457 USA Telephone: (860) 346-0896 Fax: (860) 346-1540 www.madrigal.com MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES is a registered trademark of Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc. a Harman International company 630379-5 © 6/2001 Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

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