Owner’s Manual Nº40 Media Console
Important Safety Instructions 1. Read these instructions 2. Keep these instructions. 3. Heed all warnings. 4. Follow all instructions. 5. Do not use this apparatus near water. 6. Clean only with a dry cloth. 7. Do not block ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or another apparatus that produces heat. 9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug.
FCC 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.
Table of Contents Section 1: Getting Started Document Conventions ....................................................1-1 Special Design Features ...................................................1-2 Modular Design ................................................................ 1-2 Extraordinary Flexibility ..................................................... 1-2 No-compromise Audio ...................................................... 1-4 THX Ultra2™ Processing .........................................
Table of Contents Mark Levinson Section 3: Rear Panel Operation v Video Processor Rear Panel ............................................. 3-1 Composite Inputs ..............................................................3-2 Video Input Expansion ......................................................3-3 S-Video Inputs ...................................................................3-3 Component Inputs ............................................................3-3 Video Input Expansion .............
Nº40 Media Console Table of Contents Standby button ................................................................ 4-6 Battery Compartment ....................................................... 4-6 Section 5: Menu System Overview .........................................................................5-1 Navigating The Menus ...................................................... 5-2 The About... Screen .........................................................5-5 System Locked/Unlocked ...............
Table of Contents Mark Levinson Surround Options ...........................................................5-51 Output Zones Menu ...................................................... 5-53 Main Zone Name ............................................................5-53 Default Video System ......................................................5-54 Component Options .......................................................5-54 Message Position ............................................................
1 Getting Started Document Conventions This document contains general safety, installation and operation instructions for the Nº40Reference Preamplifier Phono Modules. It is important to read this document before attempting to use this product. Please pay particular attention to safety instructions. Appears on the component to indicate the presence of non-insulated, dangerous voltages inside the enclosure – voltages that may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock.
Getting Started Mark Levinson Special Design Features Modular Design As seen from the rear panel, perhaps the most obvious characteristic of the Nº40 is its extraordinary modularity. Both the audio processor and the video processor are built on “card cage” designs that maximize hardware flexibility now and in the future.
Nº40 Media Console Getting Started stereo analog outputs, a digital audio output, and a zonespecific IR input for control purposes • 2 PHASTLink™-compatible communications ports • 2 RS-232 communications ports • 3 programmable DC triggers • 1 main zone infrared input jack Of course, an expandable, modular design does little good without some room for expansion.
Getting Started Mark Levinson Sound profiles capture the many characteristics you can define for a particular activity, and make them available at the push of a button. In fact, you can even set up the Nº40 so that you need not even push the button. Instead, you can associate a profile with either a particular type of audio signal (for example, 96 kHz PCM, Dolby Digital, etc.) or with a particular input (for example, CD, VCR, DVD, etc.).
Nº40 Media Console Getting Started Significantly, this remarkably effective jitter-rejection circuitry is used for all digital signals, on all paths. Remote and record zones also benefit from the sonic improvements of the Intelligent FIFO. Digital processing Digital processing of the signal in the main zone is performed by four powerful SHARC DSP chips. These DSPs perform 32-bit fixed point processing as well as 32-bit and 40-bit floating point processing.
Getting Started Mark Levinson Digital to analog conversion Digital to analog conversion is also done at an extraordinarily high level, as you would expect. The main zone uses a special Levinsondeveloped implementation of the Analog Devices AD1853, a new multibit Sigma/Delta converter. In fact, each of the eight main output channels uses two fully balanced channels of these DACs, in a dual differential configuration.
Nº40 Media Console Getting Started Movie sound tracks are mixed in special movie theaters called dubbing stages, and are designed to be played back in movie theatres with similar equipment and conditions. This same sound track is then transferred directly onto Laserdisc, VHS tape, DVD, etc., and is not changed for playback in a small home theater environment.
Getting Started Mark Levinson In a movie theater, film sound tracks that have been encoded with Dolby Digital Surround EX technology are able to reproduce an extra channel which has been added during the mixing of the program. This channel, called Surround Back, places sounds behind the listener in addition to the currently available front left, front center, front right, surround right, surround left and subwoofer channels.
Nº40 Media Console Getting Started BGC (Boundary Gain Compensation) If your chosen listening position results in most of the listeners being close to the rear wall, the resulting bass level can be sufficiently reinforced by the boundary that the overall sound quality “booms” too much. THX Ultra2 provides the Boundary Gain Compensation (BGC) feature to provide an improved bass balance.
Getting Started Mark Levinson The analog backplane, as discussed, rivals the finest matrix switchers used in the professional video world. In addition, the Nº40 has a standard definition digital video backplane, and a dedicated high definition digital video backplane. The standard definition digital video backplane is used for routing transcoded video signals within the Nº40 (more in a moment), and for our digital graphic user interface.
Nº40 Media Console Getting Started Installation Considerations The Nº40 Media Console requires special care during installation to ensure optimal performance. Pay particular attention to instructions included in this section and to precautions included throughout this owner’s manual. Unpacking The Nº40 Media Console is a two-component system, each dedicated to state of the art switching and processing of video and audio, respectively.
Getting Started Mark Levinson In the Nº40 Audio Processor carton: Product Registration Please register the Nº40 within 15 days of purchase. To do so, register online at www.marklevinson.com or complete and return the included product registration card. Retain the original, dated sales receipt as proof of warranty coverage. Placement and Ventilation Try to locate the video processor so that its LCD screen is at a comfortable viewing height.
Nº40 Media Console Getting Started DO NOT install either Nº40 chassis near unshielded TV or FM antennas, cable TV decoders, and other RF-emitting devices that might cause interference. DO NOT place either Nº40 chassis on a windowsill or in another location in which it will be exposed to direct sunlight. DO NOT obstruct the IR receiver/transmitter located on the right side of the video processor front panel display.
Getting Started Mark Levinson Power Requirements Mark Levinson products are factory-set for 100V, 120V, 220V, 230V or 240V AC mains operation at either 50 or 60Hz, based on the country for which they are manufactured. If you have more than one circuit feeding the system with power, please ask your electrician to ensure that they are all operating with a solid, low impedance ground reference that is the same for all products in the system.
Nº40 Media Console Getting Started While Reading the Manual... The following brief introductionto the Nº40 Media Console assumes that your installer has already programmed the system for you. For complete information on using your Nº40 and customizing it to suit your individual preferences, please continue reading this manual. We hope you will be able to do so while listening to some outstanding music on your new system.
Getting Started Surround Mode Mark Levinson Once you have selected the source and set the volume, you may find that a different surround sound processing mode would better complement the material you are playing. The surround mode knob (and the surround mode rocker switch on the remote) gives you access to all available and appropriate surround mode options, based on the nature of the signal you have selected.
Nº40 Media Console Getting Started easy. You might have two defined inputs labeled “DVD-Film” and “DVD-Music” that would automatically configure the system for either music or movies, depending on the type of disc you put in your DVD player. Zone The standard configuration of the Nº40 is as a three zone system. This means that you can have the signals from any connected source component sent to any of three different “zones,” in any combination.
2 Front Panel Operation Video Processor Front Panel Figure 2-1: Video Processor front panel. standby 2-1 1. Power (AC Mains) button 2. Input Select knob 3. LCD display 4. Zone knob 5. IR window 6. Preview button 7. Display Mode button 8. Menu Select button 9. Enter button 10.
Front Panel Operation Power (AC Mains) button Mark Levinson The power button disconnects the Nº40 video processor from the AC mains. If you plan to be away for an extended period, or have any other reason to turn the system completely off, you can either unplug your components, or use the power buttons on your various Mark Levinson components. When first connected to the AC mains, the audio and the video portions of the Nº40 have extensive self-diagnostics to run before they can respond to your commands.
Nº40 Media Console Front Panel Operation • To “cue up” the next video source prior to sending the signal to the main display; • To monitor what is happening on any Remote or Record zones (“RZones”). The behavior of the LCD display is affected by the preference setting found in the User options menu. See “Menu System” on page 5-1 for more details. Zone knob The Nº40 Media Console is a “multi-zone” system – it can manage several signals at once, as if it were several separate systems.
Front Panel Operation Mark Levinson the next level. Please refer to “Menu System” on page 5-1 for more information. IR window As with most contemporary electronic products, the Nº40 can be controlled by its included infrared remote control. (See “Remote Control” on page 4-1 for more details.) The infrared sensor is located behind the dark window on the right side of the Nº40 video processor. Unlike most consumer electronics products, the Nº40 can also emit infrared commands from this same window.
Nº40 Media Console Display Mode button Front Panel Operation Pressing this button repeatedly will toggle the LCD display of the Nº40 between always on and preview only. If you want the LCD display to reflect whatever the currently selected zone activity is, leave it in always on mode. This allows you to use the LCD display as a small second monitor, one that is quite handy when making a recording on your Record zone, while watching something else in the main theater.
Front Panel Operation Mark Levinson Once you have reached the end of any particular branch of the menu system, there will be some value assigned to the item you are editing. This could be a user preference setting, or the speaker output level calibration value, or anything else in the system. Once you have modified the value of a given menu item, you press enter to save any changes. Please refer to “Menu System” on page 51 for more information.
Nº40 Media Console Front Panel Operation Audio Processor Front Panel Figure 2-2: Audio Processor front panel. 2-7 1. Power (AC Mains) button 2. Surround Mode knob 3. Alpha-Numeric display 4. Volume knob 5. Sound Profile button 6. Display Intensity button 7. Recall button 8. Balance button 9. Mute button & LED indicator 10.
Front Panel Operation Mark Levinson your components, or you can use the power buttons on your various Mark Levinson components. When first connected to the AC mains, the audio and the video portions of the Nº40 run extensive self-diagnostics before they respond to your commands. Please wait until the standby LED indicators on both units begin to blink, indicating that they have completed their initialization procedures and are in Standby mode.
Nº40 Media Console Front Panel Operation this, turn the surround mode knob. For more information on sound profiles and their use, please refer to “Advanced Features” on page 7-1. Alpha-Numeric Display Volume Knob The central window of the Nº40 audio processor contains two rows of twelve alpha-numeric characters. This text-based display provides you with information on the selected input, the type of signal being received and/or the current surround mode, and the current system volume.
Front Panel Operation Display Intensity Button Mark Levinson Pressing this button will cycle through several levels of illumination on the front panels of the Nº40, including both the alphanumeric display and the LCD display, as well as the various LED indicators. The available brightness levels are High, Medium, Low, and Off.
Nº40 Media Console Front Panel Operation • Surrounds Adjusts the level of the surround channels, (normally at the sides of the room) relative to the other channels. • Surround Backs Adjusts the level of the surround back channels, relative to the other channels. (Note that this balance item can change depending on your speaker setup.) • L/R Balance Adjusts the overall left/right balance of the system, much as the balance control would in your car.
Front Panel Operation Mark Levinson System” on page 5-1 for information on changing the factory default setting.) Standby Button and LED Indicator When power is first applied to the Nº40 audio processor (the unit is plugged in and the AC mains switch is pressed), it initializes through a self-test and establishes communications with the Nº40 video processor.
Figure 4-1: Remote Control. 4-1 1. Navigation cluster 2. Enter button 3. Menu button 4. Input Select rocker button 5. Surround Mode rocker button 6. Volume rocker button 7. Sound Profile button 8. Balance button 9. Mute button 10. F1, F2, F3 keys 11.
Remote Control Mark Levinson 12. Standby button 13. Battery compartment (on rear-bottom of remote control) Navigation Cluster The up, down, left and right buttons are most often used to move around within the menu system of the Nº40. For example, if you want to move to the right to see a submenu under a currently selected menu item, press the right button on the remote. If you want to move down a menu to highlight a different item, press the down button.
Nº40 Media Console Remote Control Surround Mode Rocker Button The surround mode rocker button cycles through the list of available surround modes, in either direction (based on which end of the rocker you press). It duplicates the function of the surround mode knob on the front panel. As with that knob, the list of available surround modes changes depending on what type of audio signal has been selected.
Remote Control Mark Levinson When a profile is selected manually using either the front panel sound profile button or the profile button on the remote control, the Nº40 will remain in that profile until either a different profile or a different input is selected. (Specifically, changes in the nature of the incoming signal that might otherwise have triggered a change in profile will be ignored, in favor of the explicit selection on the part of the user.
Nº40 Media Console Remote Control the relative volume of some subset of your speakers to meet your requirements. There is another incremental change you can make to the “balance” of Nº40 audio processing. By pressing and holding the balance button, you can alter the relative delays of the various speakers in your system.
Remote Control Light button Mark Levinson Press the Light button to illuminate the label on the Nº40 remote control with a soft blue-green light. The illuminated labelling of the remote makes it considerably easier to use in a darkened room. After a few seconds, the backlighting will turn off to conserve battery power.
3 Rear Panel Operation Video Processor Rear Panel Figure 3-1: Video Processor rear panel. 3-1 1. Composite Input Card (slot 1) 2. Video input expansion (slot 2) 3. S-Video Input cards (slots 3 – 4) 4. Component Input cards (slots 5 – 7) 5. Video input expansion 6. Video RZone expansion (slots 9 – 10) 7. Video RZone cards (slots 11 – 12) 8. Serial number label and IEC power input 9. Main S-Video output 10.
Rear Panel Operation Mark Levinson 11. Main component video outputs 12. Monitor output 13. PHASTLink- compatible control ports 14. RS-232 control ports 15. Nº40 communications port 16. DC triggers 17. IR input The Mark Levinson Nº40 Media Console uses a card cage design for several reasons. One important advantage of the card cage design is that it allows you to take advantage of hardware features if you so choose.
Nº40 Media Console Figure 3-2: Composite Input Card. video input 1 composite video 2 3 Video Input Expansion S-Video Inputs Figure 3-3: S-Video Input Card. video input 1 S video 2 Rear Panel Operation We suggest using high quality 75Ω video cables for all your video connections. Connect any composite video outputs that you plan to use from your video components to these composite video inputs on the Nº40.
Rear Panel Operation Figure 3-4: Component Input Card. video input Mark Levinson Y/G Pb/B component video These three wires contain a single luminance signal (a black-andwhite version of the picture), along with two color difference signals. The color, or chrominance, “components” of component video are sometimes called by different names, but for your purposes they all mean the same thing. Whether U or V, Cr or Cb, or Pb or Pr, it equates to the same thing: terrific quality (and three wires).
Nº40 Media Console Rear Panel Operation Figure 3-5: Video RZone Card. The RZones are counted from right to left; hence slot 11 is reserved for RZone 2, and slot 12 is reserved for RZone 1. remote zone Each card includes an S-video output, a composite video output on an RCA connector, and a dedicated infrared (IR) input that is specific to the particular zone.
Rear Panel Operation Mark Levinson delay to initialize and run some self-diagnostics, the Nº40 will be ready for initial setup and use. Please wait until their standby LEDs begin blinking together, indicating that the initialization and selftest routines are complete and the system has entered standby. The Nº40 is designed to be left in Standby when not in use, rather than completely “off.
Nº40 Media Console Rear Panel Operation video) is done automatically. All the main video outputs on the Nº40 are active at all times. Figure 3-9: Main component outputs. Connect this main component output to an appropriate display device (or external video processor) as needed. Several BNC-to-RCA adapters are include with your Nº40 in case you need them. Optionally, you can configure these connectors to have an RGBSc output (Red, Green, Blue, and composite Sync).
Rear Panel Operation Mark Levinson chain them in a similar way. These are fully bidirectional ports, and the order in which they are connected is not important. The RJ-45 cable needed for the connection between the Nº40 and other PHAST-compatible Mark Levinson components can be purchased from your Mark Levinson dealer. It can also be easily and inexpensively made to length using two RJ-45 connectors and the appropriate length (up to 100 feet/30 meters) of RJ-45 (flat, eight conductor) cable.
Nº40 Media Console Rear Panel Operation Figure 3-12: RS-232 ports pin connections. Nº40 Communications Port The two “halves” of the Nº40 (the video processor and the audio processor) need to be able to “talk to each other” in order to coordinate their efforts. The Nº40 communications port on each component is reserved for this purpose. Please connect this connector and similarly-labelled connector on the other component, using the supplied RJ-11 communications cable.
Rear Panel Operation Mark Levinson Figure 3-14: IR input tip polarity. 5-12 volts positive tip polarity Your Mark Levinson dealer can help you take advantage of these design features to maximize the versatility of your system.
Nº40 Media Console Rear Panel Operation Audio Processor Rear Panel Figure 3-15: Audio Processor rear panel. L1 AUDIO PROCESSOR S/N Made in the U.S.A. R2 L2 left surr right surr analog outputs digital out slot B MARK LEVINSON MEDIA CONSOLE Nº40 Nº40 comm. aux comm.
Rear Panel Operation Mark Levinson 13. Aux 1 and aux 2 main analog outputs (slot D) Balanced Analog Input Figure 3-16: Balanced Analog Input. analog inputs As shipped from the factory, slot 1 is normally used for a balanced analog input. This input accepts right-channel and left-channel signals from source equipment with balanced outputs.
Nº40 Media Console AES/EBU and S/PDIF on BNC Digital Inputs Rear Panel Operation As shipped from the factory, slot 5 is normally used for a digital input card that includes two AES/EBU connections on XLR and one S/PDIF connection on a BNC connector.
Rear Panel Operation Figure 3-19: S/PDIF on RCA & EIA-J. Mark Levinson 1 spdif 2 spdif 3 spdif digital inputs Connectors 1-3 on each card accept digital audio conforming to the 75Ω S/PDIF digital interface standard (via 75Ω cables equipped with RCA-type connectors) from a digital satellite receiver, compact disc, DVD or other digital source component. Connect the 75Ω S/PDIF output of your source component to either of these inputs of the Nº40, using a high quality 75Ω cable.
Nº40 Media Console Rear Panel Operation Connect either (or both) of the audio outputs to your intended remote zone system or audio recorder, according to your system design.These audio outputs can easily drive extremely long lengths of high quality cable; however, as with any audio signal, long cable runs really require excellent quality cable to avoid signal deterioration. Please consult with your dealer on the best choice of cable to suit your system design.
Rear Panel Operation Mark Levinson If additional DSP power should become necessary at some point in the future to perform yet more audio processing tasks, it is possible to add an additional four SHARCs to this card. However, this is not necessary at this time as the Nº40 already has a tremendous amount of DSP power. IEC Power Input & Serial Number Label Figure 3-22: Label & power plug. MARK LEVINSON MEDIA CONSOLE Nº40 AUDIO PROCESSOR S/N Made in the U.S.A.
Nº40 Media Console Figure 3-23: Front LR analog outputs. right Rear Panel Operation The pin assignments of the XLR-type male outputs conform to the international AES standard, and are as follows: left analog outputs slot A Pin 1 Signal ground Pin 2 Signal + (non-inverting) Pin 3 Signal – (inverting) Connector ground lug Chassis ground Refer to your power amplifier operating manual to verify that the pin assignments of its input connectors correspond to this description.
Rear Panel Operation Mark Levinson If you have a variety of amplifiers from different companies, particular care must be taken to ensure that all the speakers are “in phase” with each other, since some of the amplifiers themselves may invert polarity. High quality single-ended outputs on Levinson-designed RCA connectors are also provided, for compatibility with power amplifiers lacking balanced inputs.
Nº40 Media Console Aux 1 & Aux 2 Main Analog Outputs Figure 3-26:Aux 1&2 outputs. aux 2 aux 1 Rear Panel Operation All eight of the main zone analog outputs of the Nº40 audio processor are available in both balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) form. On any given channel, you can use either (or both) as dictated by your system requirements. Slot D (along the bottom of the Nº40 audio processor) provides high quality digital to analog conversion and volume control of the aux 1and the aux 2 channels.
Rear Panel Operation Mark Levinson Optional Equipment We believe that the Mark Levinson Nº40 with its standard equipment complement will meet the needs of almost every owner. However, there is ample room for further expansion of the platform, should you want to customize your Nº40 further. We have listed the optional equipment that is available, for your reference.
Nº40 Media Console Rear Panel Operation has significant on-board DSP resources for doing decoding and downmixing as needed. • Slot 12 This slot is reserved for the main zone digital signal processing and the communications with the Nº40 video processor. Although this card can be upgraded (if necessary at some point in the future), the function of the card contained by this slot will remain the same. If you need any additional input cards for your Nº40, please contact an authorized Mark Levinson dealer.
Rear Panel Operation Mark Levinson operate properly for all of your audio sources. If you need a Six Channel Analog Input Card, please contact your authorized Mark Levinson dealer.
5 Menu System Overview The Mark Levinson Nº40 Media Console includes a comprehensive and sophisticated graphical menu system that serves several critical functions: • it provides for initial configuration of the system with regard to speakers, crossover, multiple zones, and defining inputs based on your source components • it allows you to define a variety of “user options” to ensure that the system behaves the way you prefer with regard to items like maximum volume settings, how, when and where informa
Menu System Mark Levinson the system will be to start at the top, and simply work your way through. This is important, since selections you make early on affect the options you are subsequently given. For example, how you elect to use your auxiliary channels (aux 1 and aux 2) will alter many menu items further on in the menu system that pertain to adjusting and using those channels.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System Try to remember this “branch” and “leaf” idea. We will come back to it in a few moments. Using the up/down buttons on the remote control (or the zone knob on the video processor), you can move the highlighted item among any of menu items at the current level of the menu. Press the right arrow button on the remote to move into the item’s submenu.
Menu System Mark Levinson Front panel menu navigation Sometimes it is more convenient to navigate the menu system of the Nº40 from the front panel, rather than from the remote control. The controls on the front panel you need to use are as follows: • Menu The menu button on the front panel of the Nº40 video processor performs exactly as the menu button on the remote control would. • Enter The enter function performs exactly as the enter button on the remote control would.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System The About... Screen The first screen you see in the setup menu consists of a column of icons (each of which represents a major area within the setup menu) and a large field to the right of those icons that contains certain information about your Mark Levinson Nº40. We call this field of information the Nº40’s “About…” screen, since it is similar to the “About…” boxes that you see on your computer, describing whatever application you might be in at the time.
Menu System Mark Levinson Speakers Menu The first thing you need to tell your Nº40 Media Console about is the speakers with which it has to work. The Nº40 has remarkably powerful and flexible bass management capabilities that allow it to redirect deep bass away from any speaker than cannot easily reproduce it, to those that can. In addition, it can (within limits) compensate for any speakers that might be missing from what would be considered a “standard” 5.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System Note that in many systems, these speakers can be described as “side” speakers. We have elected to use the standard nomenclature as advocated by Lucasfilm for their Home THX® Audio System and Surround•EX technologies. The Nº40 supports many possible system configurations, and using industry-standard terminology should minimize any possible confusion. For example, if you have a standard 5.
Menu System Mark Levinson If there is information that would normally be presented to the aux outputs (for example, in a Surround•EX sound track), this setting will cause it to be redirected to the available pair of surround speakers to ensure that you do not miss anything in the soundtrack. Extra mono subwoofer only Select the “extra mono sub only” option for the auxiliary channels if you have a standard 5.1 channel system, but prefer to use two separate subwoofers.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System To summarize, in this setting: • The subwoofer channel becomes the right sub channel • The aux 1 channel remains unused • The aux 2 channel becomes the left sub channel. One surround back speaker If your system requires only a surround back (Sb) in addition to the standard 5.1 channels (front left, front center and front right, plus surround left and surround right, plus a subwoofer), select “one surround back” from the menu.
Menu System Mark Levinson • The aux 1 channel becomes the surround back right channel (sbr) • The aux 2 channel becomes the surround back left channel (sbl). THX recommends that these speakers be placed together, facing forward at the rear of the room for best Advanced Speaker Array effects as indicated below: Figure 5-3: Setup for 7.1 surround sound.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System We have omitted indicating where the subwoofer is located in these drawings, since no one subwoofer location is always going to be optimal in all rooms. The surround back speakers can be used to reproduce Surround•EX surround information, and other similar information on nonencoded material (such as DTS 6.1 ES). They are generally designated Sbl and Sbr for surround back left and surround back right, respectively.
Menu System Mark Levinson settings, indicated by “sub #1” and “sub #2” in the menu system when this option is selected. Surround back and left subwoofer Some installations require separate left and right subwoofers, rather than two mono subwoofers. This is partly a matter of preference, and sometimes a matter of speaker design philosophy. If your system requires this approach as well as a surround back (Sb), select “surround back & left sub” from the menu.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System over slope that ought to be used. Thus, you have independent control over the crossover characteristics for each of the following groups: • Front left and front right • Center • Surround left and surround right • Any surround back channel(s) you have elected to use. For each of these logical groups of speakers, you can select a crossover frequency from among the following: • Full range (e.g., not “crossed over” at all) • 30 Hz to 100 Hz, in 10 Hz increments.
Menu System Mark Levinson the sum of all active channels for whatever is being played in the main zone, and is a full bandwidth mono signal. An appropriate low pass filter must be applied to this signal before it is reproduced, presumably in the subwoofer’s own electronics.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System ASA back separation If you have two back speakers, the Nº40 needs to get an indication of how far apart they are in order to implement the Advanced Speaker Array technology of THX Ultra2 Cinema and THX Music Mode. You will be given the following options: • Together: Separation is less than 1 foot (<0.3m) • Intermediate: Separation is between 1 and 4 feet (>0.3–1.2m) • Apart: Separation is greater than 4 feet (>1.2m).
Menu System Mark Levinson Line with a blinking cursor on the currently active character. A keyboard with characters and operations to select is shown with one highlighted character 3. Rotate the zone knob and the input select knob (or use the up/ down arrows on the remote) to move the highlight to the desired character or operation and press enter to select it The selected character will be added to the Name Line at the cursor, and the cursor will move one space to the right.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System speaker over another, adjust the output levels of each speaker in turn to 75 dB SPL (C-weighted, slow). (The Nº40 will automatically generate appropriate test signals when you move into the section of the menu in which you can adjust output levels.) When adjusting the subwoofer level, be sure to move the meter back and forth around the listening position by at least a foot or more (or about a half-meter) to average out the local effects of room modes (standing waves).
Menu System Mark Levinson turned up fairly high, it is easy to imagine the woofer being taken beyond its limits. With the bass peak limit control, you are given an opportunity to establish a maximum volume beyond which you do not want your subwoofers to go. If you are reasonably judicious with your main volume control during listening, you do not have to perform this adjustment at all. It is provided to give you the option of imposing an artificially low upper limit on bass transients (explosions, etc.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System Sound Profile Menu This section of the Nº40 Setup Menu allows you to create customized sound profiles that suit your needs. Once defined, you can cycle through them using the profile button on the remote control or the sound profile button on the audio processor’s front panel. People often want to adjust their multichannel audio systems a bit differently, depending on the material to which they are listening.
Menu System Mark Levinson 1. Select the name menu item. 2. Press enter (or right arrow, on the remote). Invokes the keyboard window. The current name is displayed in the Name Line with a blinking cursor on the currently active character. A keyboard with characters and operations to select is shown with one highlighted character 3.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System change. The profile will then make no change to the current listening position. If all of your profiles are set to no change, then the Nº40 will power up to the first listening position and the listening position is only changed in the audio controls menu or through a direct command. Multichannel Signal The multichannel signal menu item describes what (if any) further processing you would like to have applied to a discrete multichannel signal such as Dolby Digital 5.
Menu System Mark Levinson of Dolby Pro Logic II and the mode is called Surround Plus + THX Cinema. One or two surround back speakers are required. • THX Ultra2 Cinema Use THX Advanced Speaker Array technology to create the Surround and Back channels from the surround left and surround right channels. Add THX cinema processing including RE-EQ, Timbre Matching and Adaptive Decorrelation. Two back speakers are required and it is not available for six channel streams (Dolby-EX or DTS-ES).
Nº40 Media Console Menu System The Nº40 provides a variety of processing options for two channel material. They include: • 2-ch Stereo Used to play the two-channel signal in its native state through the front left and front right speakers. Note that if you have specified a crossover and subwoofer, it will still be used in this mode. (You can change this as another part of the sound profile.
Menu System Mark Levinson rial that was not specifically encoded for Dolby Pro Logic playback. • Dolby Pro Logic II Movie with THX The same decoding as Dolby Pro Logic II Movie, but with the addition of THX post processing: re-equalization of the front channels, and decorrelation and timbre-matching of the surrounds.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System • Mono on Fronts Places the same mono information in both the left and right speakers, creating a “phantom” center image that some people prefer to using the center speaker only. • Mono Surround FetaldD0.0015 TToTws wh2.006 4.8193.3(n)-0003 Tw[(Pl)5.3(aces t b)5.
Menu System Mark Levinson The solution makes use of some specific information provided by Dolby Digital sound tracks to provide some degree of compression to reduce the dynamic range to something more appropriate to the environment. Since this feature depends on information only available within Dolby Digital sound tracks, it is only available when the Nº40 is decoding Dolby Digital.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System • 30-100 Hz A normal, complementary crossover, available in 10 Hz increments. In the normal setting, your subwoofer will reproduce whatever the main front stereo speakers are not reproducing. For example, if you change the crossover for the front left and front right speakers to 40 Hz, the subwoofer will reproduce front left and front right information below 40 Hz.
Menu System Mark Levinson If an aux use option that included a single surround back (Sb) speaker is selected, the following options are available for that speaker’s use: • Off Do not use the surround back speaker. • SurroundPlus The back speaker gets a scaled sum of the left surround and right surround channels to supplement the surround speakers.
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Menu System Mark Levinson • No change The trigger remains in whatever state it was in prior to switching to this sound profile. • Trigger on The trigger supplies a positive voltage to its output jack. • Trigger off The trigger supplies zero volts to its output jack. See “Audio Processor Rear Panel” on page 3-11earlier in this manual for more information on the physical requirements of the DC triggers. Delete This Profile You can create a sound profile and subsequently decide to eliminate it.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System The Define Input Menu As can be seen from the rear panel diagrams and explanations earlier in this manual, the Nº40 Media Console includes a plethora of connectors and options for hooking up source components. The Define Inputs menu specifies how you want to use the available hardware, and gives you several powerful options designed to make daily operation of the system simpler and more intuitive.
Menu System Mark Levinson 4. Repeat steps 1 - 3 to fill in the name. 5. To end the editing session, use the save or quit operations. The menu button also performs the quit operation directly. Audio The audio parameter defines which audio connection (or connections) you want to associate with this particular input. There are some cases in which you may need more than a single audio connection from a source component to the Nº40.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System 3. Rotate the zone knob (or use the up/down arrows on the remote) to select the audio input (first, second or third priority) that you want to define or edit 4. Press enter (or right arrow, on the remote) to select that input for editing. You will see a graphic of the rear panel of the audio processor, complete with all installed input cards. Connected inputs will be highlighted in blue, and the currently active input will be in yellow. 5.
Menu System Mark Levinson We also specify video input connectors verbally by a simple “slot & connector” system. The slot numbers are engraved along the edge of the top cover of each processor, and the connectors are numbered from top to bottom on each card. Thus “slot 3, connector 1” is the first connector down on the card sitting in the third slot from the left, as seen from the rear of the unit. To specify the particular connector(s) you wish associated with an input: 1. Select the video menu item. 2.
Nº40 Media Console Analog Input Offset Menu System If you have an analog connection associated with the input you are defining, you can set an analog input offset that will be implemented for that connection whenever it is used.
Menu System Mark Levinson 4. Continue to monitor the recording through one or two more loud passages to ensure that the ADC does not clip; save the new default value by pressing enter. Whenever you select this input in the future, this setting will be loaded for you to protect against harsh-sounding ADC overload.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System Some videophiles, however, might prefer to have the video signal pass through the Nº40 with a bare minimum of processing. For this reason, a video path option was included in the define inputs menu system. The options are as follows: • Normal The “pass-through” feature is turned off, and the signal is always processed internally. This option provides the smoothest operation, as the Nº40 always has control over the video.
Menu System Mark Levinson to do this is by using a test DVD such as Video Essentials, with your DVD player connected through the Nº40 with all its video input settings at their default values. For more information, contact your dealer or visit http://www.videoessentials.com/ on the Internet. Once your television is properly adjusted, you can probably leave these adjustments alone in most cases. Their default settings will work well with any properly adjusted video source component.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System Sharpness The sharpness control is an input-specific version of the same control on your television. It controls the amount of “sharpness enhancement” that is applied to the incoming signal. (Note that indiscriminate use of the sharpness control only distorts the picture by adding ringing and noise to the image.) The default value of zero can be increased by as much as 25 to accommodate source components that have limited detail capabilities, such as VCRs.
Menu System Mark Levinson Note that the tint control is only available to composite and Svideo inputs; it is not available to component inputs (and should not be needed for such sources, in any event). Video filter The video filter is a digital video noise reduction filter that is available on a source-by-source basis. It is most beneficial on sources such as analog videotape that tend to be somewhat “grainy” or noisy in appearance.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System you change your mind about deleting it, press menu to cancel the action. (You can always re-create the input if you make a mistake.) Move This Input You can change the order of your inputs in the list so that your most used ones are near the top of the list. To do so, go to the input submenu and select the following item: >>>>Move this input<<<<. A list of all of the inputs is displayed with the current input highlighted.
Menu System Mark Levinson The Audio Defaults Menu The audio defaults menu allows you to direct the Nº40 to automatically switch to a particular sound profile whenever it senses a particular type of incoming audio signal. Any sound profile selection based on the input definition described in the previous section overrides this setting. That is, if there is a conflict between what the input definition says to do, and what the signal default says to do, the input definition get priority.
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Menu System Mark Levinson to place identical information in each of two “stereo” channels, creating an oxymoron: the mono, two-channel recording. The Nº40 does not compare channels of two-channel recordings to determine whether or not they are mono. Thus the selection you make here applies only to Dolby Digital 1.0 recordings that you might find of older movies that have been transferred to DVD. A sound profile can be associated with Dolby Digital 1.0 signals.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System The User Options Menu The user options menu is where you can change many aspects of the routine operation of the Nº40 Media Console to suit your individual tastes. It also includes support for a certain amount of custom-installation options that can vary depending on associated equipment in the system. These menu items are explained below.
Menu System Mark Levinson • Absolute On a scale of 0.0 (no sound) to 80.0 (extremely loud) • Relative On a scale which is measured “plus or minus,” relative to the calibrated reference volume (established during calibration). As an example, if your calibrated reference level is 70, the display would read 0 in the relative mode when it would read 70 in the absolute mode. Most people find absolute more intuitive, while some people find relative more informative.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System • Sound profile To display the current sound profile whenever it changes. • Surround mode To display the current surround mode whenever it changes. • Input signal To display the current input signal, e.g., Dolby Digital, DTS, etc., whenever it changes. • Signal info To display information on what is being done to the incoming signal whenever it changes. You can turn any or all of these messages on or off as you see fit.
Menu System Mark Levinson • Menus & Messages Both full-fledged menus like the setup menu itself and the transitory messages as defined above will be displayed on the main output. • Menus only Messages will be suppressed from the main output, but menus will still be available. • Messages only Menus will be suppressed from the main output, but messages will still be available. • No displays Neither menus nor messages will be displayed on the main output.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System Main text position Modern video systems need to accommodate a wide variety of aspect ratios, ranging from an almost-square 1.33:1 to an extreme 2.35:1 for some movies. This wide variation of aspect ratios can sometimes lead to menus and messages being displayed on a portion of the screen you cannot actually see. To avoid this problem, the Nº40 provides a way of defining the location of the upper left corner of the reliably-visible screen.
Menu System Mark Levinson • Enter The enter function performs exactly as the enter button on the remote control would. • Zone knob The Nº40 video processor’s front panel zone knob (the knob adjacent to the menu and enter buttons) operates in the same fashion as the up/down buttons on the remote control, allowing you to either move up and down in a menu list, or to increment/decrement a value of a menu item.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System Triggers 1, 2, 3 Each of the three DC triggers provided on the rear panel of the Nº40 Video Processor can be programmed in two regards: output level and activation condition: • Output Either 5 volts or 12 volts across the output jack, continuously present when “on;” 0 volts across the output jack when “off.
Menu System Mark Levinson Selected modes are indicated by a change in the color and a + next to their names. Two channel This allows you to choose which modes are available, when a two channel input, such as PCM from a CD player or Dolby 2.0 is being processed. Select this option in the menu and then select each desired surround mode. Selected modes are indicated by a change in the color and a + next to their names.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System Output Zones Menu The last major area of the setup menu system is the Output zones menu. In it, you specify certain details of the output signals of the Nº40, which can vary by zone. For example, the main zone may need a global audio delay in order to maintain “lip sync” with the video.
Menu System Mark Levinson • cap Toggles the characters between capital and small letters • save Saves the current Name Line and returns to the menu • quit Returns to the menu without saving the Name Line • ––> Moves the cursor one space to the right • <–– Moves the cursor one space to the left. 4. Repeat steps 1 - 3 to fill in the name. 5. To end the editing session, use the save or quit operations. The menu button also quits.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System that uses RGB information with a separate, composite sync connection. If you require this sort of output for your television, please use a BNC-to-SCART adapter cable (ask your dealer about this if you do not have one), connecting the RGB BNCs as indicated on the rear panel of the Nº40, and connecting the sync cable to the C sync (composite sync) output (which is actually another copy of the composite video signal).
Menu System Mark Levinson The goal here is to make sure you can always see the information you want to see from the Nº40, while minimizing the chances of obscuring information from other components. Message Backdrop Audio Delay 5-56 On-screen messages can be presented in either of two ways: • None – using white message text on a transparent background, to maximize the visible video “behind” the message.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System • Left/right audio A normal, stereo signal in which information from the left side of the room goes to the left speaker, and information from the right side of the room goes to the right speaker. Center channel information is split equally between both speakers so as to create a “phantom” center channel image.
Menu System Mark Levinson The name of your RZone can be up to twelve characters long (e.g., “Bedroom,” “Kitchen,” “Den,” or “Record”). We suggest use names that will be obvious to all who use the system. This name is entered with the keyboard window. To do so: 1. Select the name menu item 2. Press enter (or right arrow on the remote). This displays the keyboard window. The current name is displayed in the Name Line with a blinking cursor on the currently active character.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System • NTSC video is used for audio/video zones (either record or remote) that will be used with NTSC video signals. This setting establishes the format of the independently-generated on screen display used for this particular zone. • PAL video is used for audio/video zones (either record or remote) that will be used with PAL video signals. This setting establishes the format of the independently-generated on screen display used for this particular zone.
Menu System Mark Levinson Dolby downmix The last item in the RZone menu determines the type of Dolby downmix you prefer in this zone when you elect to have a multichannel recording “mixed down” to only two channels. Your choices are: • Left/right audio A normal, stereo signal in which information from the left side of the room goes to the left speaker, and information from the right side of the room goes to the right speaker.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System • 16:9 Bottom The last line of text is just above the bottom of a wide screen 16:9 television screen when in its linear letterbox mode; this amounts to a “safe picture area” for this application that ensures you can read all the text, no matter how you set the aspect ratio of your television. • 4:3 Bottom The last line of text is just above the bottom of a standard 4:3 television screen, just inside the “safe picture area.
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Nº40 Media Console Menu System • Mono Center The mono signal is formed by summing the left and right channels. The result is sent out the center speaker only. • Mono on Front Speakers The mono signal is formed by summing the left and right channels. The result is sent out all three front speakers (L,C,R). • Mono Surround The mono signal is formed by summing the left and right channels. This mode uses all available loudspeakers to add additional ambience to create a larger soundfield.
Menu System Mark Levinson • NEO:6 Cinema with THX The same decoding as NEO:6 Cinema, but with the addition of THX post processing: re-equalization and timbre matching filters. • NEO:6 Music Expands stereo non-matrix recordings into the five- or sixchannel layout in a way which does not diminish the subtlety and integrity of the original stereo recording. If you have chosen the THX recommended speaker layout of a 7.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System • THX Surround EX Use Dolby Pro Logic II matrix processing to create the surrounds and back channels from the surround left and surround right channels. Add THX cinema post processing. If the multichannel signal is DTS, then DTS NEO:6 is used instead of Dolby Pro Logic II and the mode is called Surround Plus + THX Cinema. One or two surround back speakers are required.
Menu System Mark Levinson adjusted “forward” to get a better balance. Likewise, if a stereo recording is somewhat too “mono” or “narrow” sounding, it can be adjusted toward the rear to get a more enveloping, immersive result. the neutral setting is recommended as a starting point. • Panorama Extends the front stereo image to include the surround speakers for an exciting “wraparound” effect with side wall imaging. In most cases, this would be set to off.
Nº40 Media Console Menu System • Surrounds Adjusts the level of the surround channels, (normally at the sides of the room) relative to the other channels. • Surround Backs Adjusts the level of the surround back channels, relative to the other channels. (Note that this balance item can change depending on your speaker setup.) • L/R Balance Adjusts the overall left/right balance of the system, much as the balance control would in your car.
6 Using the RZones RZones are the secondary zones that give you the flexibility and power to extend the value of your source components beyond one main room. The standard configuration of the Nº40 is as a threezone system, one Main zone and two RZones. This means that you can have the signals from any connected source component sent to any of the three different “zones” in any combination.
Using the RZones RZone User Interface Mark Levinson The RZones can be controlled from the front panel of your Nº40, from the main zone remote control, or from a remote IR input on the video RZone card. Front panel RZone interface The zone knob controls which “zone” you are either monitoring or controlling at any point in time. One turn of the zone knob will call up an on-screen list of your zones (Main Zone and RZones) with the names you give them in setup.
7 Advanced Features The Mark Levinson Nº40 Media Console is a remarkably powerful and flexible control center for even the most advanced home entertainment system. Products such as this appeal to “power users” who demand the highest possible performance and functionality. Yet they also appeal to people who simply enjoy owning fine products in general, whether they be consumer electronics or fine automobiles.
Advanced Features Patterns of Use Mark Levinson As you live with the system for a while, you may notice certain patterns of use emerging. For example, you may use the balance control to add a little emphasis to the surround and subwoofer channels during action movies to make it more exciting, and then go back to “normal” balance for music because the exaggerations no longer appeal to you. One of the most powerful concepts in the Nº40 is the sound profile.
Nº40 Media Console Advanced Features • The listener position would be focused squarely on your favorite chair • 2-channel signals would be set to be reproduced as 2-ch Stereo (which could even turn off the unused amplifiers if you have them Linked and have set “inactive linked amps” accordingly) • Switch your main front speakers to full range, or perhaps lower the stereo HPF (crossover frequency) for two-channel music as compared to what you might prefer for movies • The screen trigger would be set
Advanced Features Mark Levinson Input association You can associate individual profiles with particular inputs in the define inputs menu. If you almost always listen to Compact Discs in stereo surround, associate the appropriate profile to your CD input. If there is a particular recording that you prefer to hear differently, you are free to change things as you like. The association is a default setting that will be implemented when you first select the input.
Nº40 Media Console External Control Systems Advanced Features The Nº40 has powerful tools that allow a remarkable degree of automation of the system, including ancillary products that can be controlled by the Nº40’s three DC triggers. However, as powerful as it is, it cannot be a replacement for a full home automation system such as AMX, Crestron, or PHAST.
8 Troubleshooting & Maintaining Startup Sequence Refer any service problems to your Mark Levinson dealer. Before contacting your dealer, however, check to see if the problem is listed here. If it is, try the suggested solutions. If none of these solves the problem, contact your Mark Levinson dealer. The normal startup sequence for the Nº40 Media console is as follows: Video Processor When power is provided to the unit, the power LED turns on and stays on.
Troubleshooting & Maintaining Mark Levinson LEDs should begin to blink together, indicating that the system is ready to be turned on and used. • Check the Nº40 communications cable between the two processors. They must be able to communicate in order to operate properly. No sound or picture, and the LED is blinking slowly. The Nº40 is in standby. Press either front panel standby button to change to a fully operational mode.
Appendix Specifications Audio Processor Connectors 6 S/PDIF electrical on RCA inputs 1 S/PDIF electrical on BNC input 2 AES/EBU electrical on XLR inputs 4 EIAJ optical inputs 1 balanced stereo pair on XLR input 6 single-ended stereo pairs on RCA inputs 6 single-ended multichannel analog on RCA inputs (optional) 8 balanced on XLR outputs 8 single-ended on RCA outputs 2 remote zone audio outputs (each include 1 single-ended stereo RCA output and 1 S/PDIF RCA output) 1 Nº40 comm and aux comm on RJ-11 connecto
Appendix Mark Levinson Digital to Analog Converter Type Maximum Output (XLR) 12V rms Maximum Output (RCA) 6V rms Dynamic Range > 98dB Analog Filter Low-level Linearity Volume Range Volume Resolution A-2 Balanced 24/192 multibit Σ∆ Maximum Audio Input Level Digital Audio Input Impedance Analog Audio Output Impedance Bessel-tuned, linear phase to 40kHz Deviation less than 1dB to -100dB FS (1kHz, 20 bit data, 80kHz measurement bandwidth) 80dB user/100dB system 0.1dB steps above 20.0 in display 1.
Nº40 Media Console Differential phase (pass-through) Differential phase (through decoder) Differential gain (passthrough) Differential gain (through decoder) Available trigger current Power Consumption Operating Environment Operating Voltage Operating Frequency Overall Dimensions Shipping Weight Appendix <0.2° <1° <0.3% <3% 120mA @ 5V per outlet 60mA @ 12V per outlet Audio Processor: Approx 70W Video Processor: Approx.
Appendix Mark Levinson Declaration of Conformity Application of Council Directive(s): 89/336/EEC and 73/23/EEC, as amended Standard(s) to which Conformity is Declared: • EN 55013 : 2003 • EN 61000-3-2 : 2000 • EN 55020 : 2002 • EN 61000-3-3 : 2002 • EN 55022 : 1998 • EN 60065 : 1998 Manufacturer: Harman Specialty Group 3 Oak Park Bedford, MA 01730-1413 USA A-4 The equipment identified here conforms to the Directive(s) and Standard(s) specified above.
Nº40 Video Processor Dimensions Figure A-1:Nº40 Video Processor side, top/bottom, and front views.
Nº40 Audio Processor Dimensions Figure A-2: Nº40 Audio Processor side, top/bottom, and front views.
Appendix Mark Levinson Figure A-4: Rack mount instructions Part 2 A-8 Each mounted Nº40 processor rack mount kit occupies five standard rack units of height, for a total of ten rack units for the system.
Nº40 Media Console Appendix Video Processor Hookup Chart Please use the following graphic to help keep track of where you have connected various components. It will make defining your inputs to work the way you want them to work much easier. Figure A-5: Nº40 Video Processor rear panel.
Appendix Mark Levinson Audio Processor Hookup Chart Please use the following graphic to help keep track of where you have connected various components. It will make defining your inputs to work the way you want them to work much easier. Figure A-6: Nº40 Audio Processor rear panel.
3 Oak Park, Bedford, MA, 01730-1413 USA | Telephone: 781-280-0300 | Fax: 781-280-0490 | www.marklevinson.com Customer Service Telephone: 781-280-0300 | Sales Fax: 781-280-0495 | Service Fax: 781-280-0499 Product Shipments: 16 Progress Road, Billerica, MA 01821-5730 USA Part No.
