Operating Manual Mark Levinson® Nº 33 Reference Monaural Power Amplifier Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc.
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.
Important Safety Instructions Please read all instructions and precautions carefully and completely before operating your Mark Levinson® power amplifier. 1. ALWAYS disconnect your entire system from the AC mains before connecting or disconnecting any cables, or when cleaning any component. 2. This product must be terminated with a three-conductor AC mains power cord which includes an earth ground connection. To prevent shock hazard, all three connections must ALWAYS be used. 3.
From all of us at Madrigal Audio Laboratories, thank you for choosing the Mark Levinson Nº 33 Reference Monaural Power 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.
Table of Contents Unpacking the Nº33 ................................................................................... 6 Handling the Shipping Crate ............................................................................ 6 Unpacking Procedure ....................................................................................... 6 Placement Considerations ........................................................................ 9 Ventilation ...........................................................
Unpacking the Nº33 Handling the Shipping Crate The shipping weight of each of your Nº33 Reference Monaural Power Amplifiers is approximately 435 pounds (198 kg). Any freight this massive must be handled with extreme care to avoid injury. At least two strong people are required (more is nice) to unpack the Nº33 amplifiers safely once they have been delivered to the appropriate location in their shipping crates.
To safely unpack the Nº33 amplifier: 1 CAREFULLY CUT THE NYLON STRAPPING AROUND THE CRATE These straps may be under some tension, and the ends may snap outward when that tension is first released. Stand to one side when cutting each nylon strap to avoid any chance of the strap contacting you. 2 REMOVE ALL CLAMPS AND THE FOUR SCREWS HOLDING THE TOP OF THE CRATE TO THE FOUR SIDES You may use a large screwdriver or a small crowbar to pry the clamps off the crate. Set these clamps aside.
Your Mark Levinson® Nº33 power amplifiers incorporate heavy duty casters to facilitate their movement. If your flooring is even slightly fragile, be advised that significant pressure is generated by the Nº33’s approximately 350 pounds (160 kg) being supported by four round casters. Before you remove the Nº33 from its shipping crate’s base, you may want to take measures to protect delicate flooring from possible damage.
Placement Considerations PRECAUTION For your protection, review “Important Safety Instructions” and “Operating Voltage” before you install your Nº33. Your Mark Levinson Nº33 power amplifiers are specifically designed to stand on the floor, and must be used as freestanding units. In most installations, locating them near the loudspeakers is best. Obviously, this approach minimizes the length of the speaker wires and necessitates longer interconnecting cables from the preamplifier to the power amplifiers.
Spiking the Amplifier Once you have established locations for your amplifiers, you may elect to immobilize them by using the four spiked “feet” included with each amplifier. These machined aluminum parts fit snugly over the heavy duty casters on the bottom of each amplifier and provide fixed, rounded points which prevent the amplifiers from rolling about on their casters. Given the weight of the amplifier, sharply pointed spikes are neither needed nor desirable.
Operating Voltage Your Mark Levinson Nº33 Reference Monaural Power Amplifier is characterized by its remarkable ability to pass a musical signal with utter integrity, regardless of how demanding that signal and the loudspeakers used might be. When called upon to do so, the Nº33 is capable of generating truly prodigious power levels into virtually any speaker load, on either an instantaneous or a continuous basis.
Nº33 AC mains current requirements 100V 120V 200V 210V 220V 230V 240V Off <.3 <.3 <.2 <.2 <.2 <.2 <.2 Standby 2.1 1.7 1.1 1 1 0.9 0.9 On, at idle 8.4 7 4.2 4 3.8 3.7 3.5 300w @ 8Ω* 14.7 12.3 7.4 7 6.7 6.4 6.1 600w @ 4Ω* 23.1 19.3 11.6 11 10.5 10 9.6 1200w @ 2Ω* 32.5 27.5 16.5 15.5 15.0 14 13.6 2400w @ 1Ω* n/a† n/a† 31.5 30.0 28.6 27.5 26 * power ratings are continuous (rms) with less than 0.5% THD, from 20-20,000 Hz.
Special Design Features Congratulations on your purchase of Mark Levinson Nº33 Reference Monaural Power Amplifiers. While your new amplifiers are straightforward in their everyday use, they include several design features which are responsible for their outstanding performance. In particular, the Nº33 Reference Monaural power amplifiers defy the accepted wisdom that it is impossible to design a large, powerful amplifier that also has all of the finesse of the finest smaller amplifiers.
ances of AC mains line and neutral), as well as from the total elimination of AC mains fluctuations and noise. As a result, the critical voltage gain stages of the Nº33 operate in a highly optimized environment, and are able to pass along significantly more low-level resolution and detail in the musical signal that they amplify.
• the presence of DC (direct current) at the output • either over-voltage or under-voltage conditions on the AC mains • unsafe operating temperatures in any of several critical areas within the amplifier • sustained output current in excess of 80 amperes (which would occur only in the event of a dead short across the outputs). If any of these fault conditions is sensed while the amplifier is in either standby or fully on, the amplifier will shut down completely (off mode, not merely standby).
R MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES REFERENCE M O N AU R A L AMPLIFIER Nº 33 2 1 Front Panel 1 STANDBY BUTTON When power is first applied to the Nº33 power amplifier, and assuming the rear panel AC mains switch is set to its on position, the amplifier remains completely off. Pressing the front panel standby button will bring the amplifier from completely off to standby.
1 PUSH 2 slave out slave in c o m m u n i c a t i o n s remote turn-on jacks p o r t s 3 4 5 Rear Panel Caution! Turn the volume on your preamplifier all the way down before attempting to connect anything to your Mark Levinson Nº33. 1 SINGLE-ENDED INPUTS These RCA connectors accept single-ended inputs from preamplifiers with single-ended (RCA) outputs. Both inverting and non-inverting inputs are provided.
use, the amplifiers will operate out of phase with each other, resulting in a loss of bass and poor imaging. Although the best form of balanced interconnection is via a balanced cable and XLR connectors, it is possible to operate the Nº33 in a balanced configuration by using both inverting and non-inverting RCA inputs simulataneously. This approach is generally less desirable, however, since separate single-ended cables will be more susceptible to noise pickup than a single balanced cable.
To Nº38 Master To Nº33 Slave In Locking tab (any Mark Levinson transport) slave out display intensity R mode aes/ebu polarity invert 1 MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES emphasis 2 3 4 5 6 teach ir COMPACT DISC DRIVE Nº 37 standby Locking tab A different Link connector configuration is used for the “daisy-chain” of one amplifier to the next, to minimize the opportunity for mis-wiring.
Your Mark Levinson dealer can help you take advantage of these design features to maximize your system’s versatility. 4 Caution! SPEAKER BINDING POSTS The Mark Levinson Nº33 is equipped with custom made, gold-plated, highcurrent binding posts for output termination to a loudspeaker system. To take full advantage of the Nº33’s sonic quality, we recommend using highquality speaker cable; see your Mark Levinson dealer.
Warning! High current AC wiring regulations vary from one location to another—do not attempt to connect the Nº33 to your AC mains power without consulting a qualified local electrical contractor. (See Operating Voltage in this manual for more information.) The Mark Levinson Nº33 has been safety-tested and is designed for operation with a three-conductor power cord. Do not defeat the “third pin” or earth ground of the AC power cord.
Care & Maintenance To remove dust from the cabinet of the Nº33, 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 Nº33. Caution! 22 At no time should liquid cleaners be applied directly to the Nº33, as direct application of liquids may result in damage to electronic components within the unit.
U.S. and Canadian Warranty 90-Day Limited Warranty This Mark Levinson® product is warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. To extend the warranty of this Mark Levinson product, return the warranty registration card along with a copy of the original receipt of purchase to Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc., P. O. Box 781, Middletown, CT 06457.
Obtaining Service We take great pride in our dealers. Experience, dedication, and integrity make these professionals ideally suited to assist with our customers’ service needs. If your Mark Levinson component must be serviced, please contact your dealer. Your dealer will then decide whether the problem can be remedied locally, or whether to contact Madrigal for further service information or parts, or to obtain a Return Authorization.
Specifications The correlation between published specifications and performance is unreliable. A list of numbers reveals virtually nothing. All technical measurements must be subject to qualitative as well as quantitative interpretation. Measurements of the Mark Levinson Nº33 yield excellent results by any standards. However, only those specifications that apply to its actual operation are included here. All specifications are subject to change at any time, in order to improve the product.
Dimensions: Nº33 2.875" 7.3 cm 12.75" 32.3 cm 2.875" 7.3 cm 7.0" 17.8 cm PUSH R 5.0" 12.7 cm MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES REFERENCE MONAURAL AMPLIFIER Nº 33 27.06" 68.74 cm 31.0" 78.74 cm .81" 2.06 cm 14.0" 35.6 cm 9.75" 24.8 cm 3.125" 7.94 cm 30.0" 76.2 cm 31.0" 78.74 cm 31.0" 78.74 cm 26 9.75" 24.
Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc. 2081 South Main Street, P.O. Box 781 Middletown, Connecticut 06457 USA Telephone: (860) 346-0896 Fax: (860) 346-1540 http://www.madrigal.com/ R MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES is a registered trademark of Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc. a Harman International company 630133-5 © 6/1998 Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
