M2TECH MARLEY DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / Preamp USER MANUAL REV. 1.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 Warning! Changes or modifications not authorized by the manufacturer can invalidate the compliance to CE regulations and cause the unit to be no more suitable to use.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 The label above, printed on the product case, indicates that the product, when no more usable, can’t be treated as generic garbage, but must be disposed of at a collection point for recycling of electrical and electronic equipment, in compliance with the WEEE regulation (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment).
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 Dear customer, Thank you for purchasing MARLEY. What you have is a first rate dual headphone amplifier with preamp and line outputs. MARLEY also includes many unique features conceived to obtain the best audio performance out of any headphone or source.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 INDEX 1. Unpacking and Placing the Unit.............................................................................. 9 2. Front Panel ........................................................................................................... 11 3. Back Panel............................................................................................................ 13 4.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 1. Unpacking and Placing the Unit Lay the box on a table and open it by separating it from the external paperwork and removing or cutting the adhesive tape seal. The following items are included: • • • One MARLEY; One wall wart; This manual. Should one or more item be missing, please contact your dealer.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 2. Front Panel Figure 1 1) On/off/mute/menu escape button. Push this button to turn the MARLEY on when it’s off. When the MARLEY is on, a short push will toggle muting, unless the menu has been previously accessed: in the latter, a short push will cause immediate menu escape and configuration changes discard. A prolonged button push while the MARLEY is on will cause it to switch-off. 2) Display.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 the menu is accessed, the display shows the selected menu item and the current value associated to it. 3) Encoder. Allows for accessing and navigating the menu, as well as volume setting. It may be rotated and pushed. Please read chapter 6 for details on its use.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 3. Back Panel Figure 2 4) Inputs. Connect stereo music sources to these two inputs. Gold-flashed RCA sockets. Black indicates left channel, red indicates right channel. 5) Tape output. Connect the input of a tape recorder or other recording device to this output to record the selected source. Gold-flashed RCA sockets. Black indicates left channel, red indicates right channel. 6) Preamplifier output.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 7) Output for single-ended headphone connections. Connect the jack of a headphone set to each of these two outputs. It is possible to use one output or both outputs at the same time. These two connectors should be used as alternative to the balanced headphones connector (item 8). 6,35mm (1/4”) stereo socket. 8) Output for balanced headphones connection.
M2Tech marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 4. Connecting and Powering the Unit WARNING: All connections between the MARLEY and other equipment must be made when all units are off. Failing to do so may cause damage to the MARLEY and/or other units. Please refer to chapter 3, “Back Panel”. Connect one or two high-level stereo audio sources (CD/SACD/DVD player, DAC USB, tuner, preamplifier) to the inputs (Figure 2, 4).
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 the power supply must be connected to the dedicated connector on MARLEY‘s MARLEY back panel (Figure 2, 9). Be sure to make this connection with the MARLEY disconnected from any power source and with the MARLEY disconnected from any other device that may have its power source turned on. WARNING: When the dedicated power supply (optional) is used, DO NOT connect the wall wart also.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 5. Cleaning the Unit The MARLEY should be cleaned with a soft, damp cloth. Do not use alcohol nor other types of cleaning fluids as they could damage the unit. Avoid fluids from dropping or leaking through the venting grid holes. Fluids of any type poured into the venting holes will void your warranty. Be careful not to scratch the Plexiglas front screen.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 6. Using the Marley At power up, the MARLEY observes a start-up heating period lasting a few seconds, during which the flashing writing in Figure 3 is displayed. HEATING UP POWER AMPLIFIERS Figure 3 Once heating is completed, some general information about MARLEY operation will appear on the display, as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 6.1. Volume Setting Volume setting is performed by encoder knob rotation (Figure 1,3). Depending on the output configuration, it is possible to set one or two volumes. When the MARLEY is configured in balanced mode, the two stereo amplifiers which are used in this mode are bridged and make for a single balanced amplifier.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 alternative, after a few seconds past the encoder rotation the unit automatically reverts to “idle” status. 6.2. Muting Toggle The MARLEY is provided with a feature (muting) which allow for lowering the volume 20dB without touching the encoder knob. This feature is useful when user needs to listen to another person for a moment, or while changing music programs in the source, etc.
M2Tech marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 INPUT SELECT INPUT:1 Figure 7 It is possible to select input 1 or input 2 by rotating the encoder knob. To confirm the chosen input the encoder must be pushed: this way, the input is selected and the unit reverts to “idle” status.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 Figure 8 Left channel level will be increased with respect to right channel’s by rotating the encoder knob counter clockwise. Right channel level will be increased with respect to left channels by rotating the encoder knob clockwise. To confirm the selected balance setting, push the encoder: the balance setting will be stored and the unit will revert to “idle” status.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 The desired output mode is selected by rotating the encoder knob: “DUAL SINGLEEND” or “BALANCED”. To confirm the selected output mode, push the encoder knob: the output mode will be set and the unit will revert to “idle” status.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 VOLUME DISPLAY DECIBELS Figure 10 The desired volume display mode is selected by rotating the encoder knob: “DECIBELS” or “STEPS”. To confirm the selected volume display mode, push the encoder: the volume display mode will be set and the unit will revert to “idle” status.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 Auto switch-off time is user selectable (30 to 240 minutes in 30 minutes steps); the auto switch-off function may be disabled. To do any of the two, it is necessary to push the encoder five times in balanced mode or six times in dual single-ended mode: The auto switch-off selection feature is then accessed as shown in Figure 11.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 AUTO-OFF DISABLED Figure 12 6.8. Display Dimming The MARLEY display backlight intensity may be set in four different levels, depending on user’s preference. Moreover, it’s possible to set an “automatic” mode in which the display is always of except, for a few seconds, when the unit is operated by the user.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 Optionally, if the user changes her/his minds and goes for keeping the display backlight intensity previously set, she/he only needs to push the button to the left of the front panel (Figure 1, 1) or avoid doing any other action on the unit: after a few seconds, the MARLEY automatically reverts to its “idle” status without changing the display backlight intensity. 6.9.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 6.10. Switch-Off The MARLEY may be turned off by a long push on the button on the left of the front panel (Figure 1, 1). After a few seconds, the advice shown in Figure 15 appears. POWERING-DOWN RELEASE BUTTON Figure 15 Once the button is released, the unit switches off and may be turned on again by a new short push on the button.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 7. Balanced Drive and Single-ended Drive Most headphones are fitted with a 3-pole cable (and related connector), one of which is used for common return, one for left channel send and the third one for right channel send. Optionally, some headphones are provided with a 4-pole cable and connector: two poles for left channel drive and two poles for right channel drive.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 cannot interfere each other anymore and the best performance may be obtained by the transducers used. Despite the common belief, no specific driver technology takes a specific advantage from balanced drive: any pair of speakers, be they dynamic, electrostatic, electret or isodynamic, will give better performance when balance-driven.
M2Tech marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.0 – NOVEMBER 2013 8. Technical Specifications Inputs: ............................................... 2 line level on gold-flashed RCA sockets Outputs: ............................................ 2 6,35mm (1/4”) stereo jacks 1 4-pin female XLR socket Preamp out on gold-flashed RCA sockets Tape out on gold-flashed RCA sockets Supply input: ..................................... 5.5/2.
marley DUAL-DRIVE CLASS-A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER / PREAMP M2Tech www.m2tech.biz REVISION 1.
