MA6.8Q & MA4.8Q User’s Guide The Martin Experience All material © 2013. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
QS SERIES OPER O RATION MAN M UAL 1. CONTENT TS 2. Appro ovals ............................................................................................................... ............................... 3 3. Warnings ................................................................................................................ ............................... 4 ymbols .................................................................... ............................... 4 3.
7.7 No omadLink ne etwork and PC P editor.................................................................. ............................. 24 8. APPE ENDIX ............................................................................................................. ............................. 27 8.1 Ma aintenance ..................................................................................................... ............................. 27 8.2 FA AQ ...................................................
2. APP PROVALS This equipm ment conform ms to the requirements off the EMC ddirective 89/3 336/EEC, amended by y 92/31/EEC and 93/68/E EEC and the requirementts of the Low w Voltage Directive 73//23/EEC, am mended by 93 3/68/EEC. Standards applied: EMC C Emission EN55103-1, E3 E EMC Immun nity EN55103 3-2, E3, with S/N below 1% at normall operation le evel. Electrical Sa afety EN6006 65, Class I This equipment is tested T d and appro oved according to the U U.S.
3. WAR RNINGS 3.1 EX XPLANATI ON OF G RAPHICA AL SYMBO OLS The ligh htning symbo ol within a trriangle is inttended to alert the user to the pressence of un-insulated “dangero ous voltage” within the amplifier’s encclosure that may be of su ufficient maggnitude to con nstitute a risk of electric shockk to humans. ended to alert the user to o presence oof important operating o The excclamation point within a trriangle is inte and servvice instructio ons in the lite erature acco ompanying th he product. 3.
12. The unit is intended i to use u in a 19”” rack. Follow w the mounting instructioons. When a rack on wheels is ussed, use cauttion when mo oving the loa aded rack to avoid injury from tipping over. 13. Unplug this apparatus du uring lightnin ng storms or when unused for long peeriods of time e. nect an amplifier output in parallel or series with any other aamplifier’s ou utput. Do 14.
televisio on reception,, which can be determiined by turn ning the equ uipment on and off, the e user is encoura aged to try to correct the interference i by one or more of the folllowing meassures: r the antenna. Reorient or relocate Increase the e separation between the e equipment and receiverr. Connect the e equipment into an outle et on a circu uit different from f that to w eceiver is which the re connected. 3.3.
4. WEL LCOME 4.1 INT TRODUCT TION Thank yyou for choossing Martin Audio A Q Seri es power am mplifiers for your y sound rreinforcemen nt system installatiion. We are e confident that t you willl be very pleased p with the perform mance, conffiguration a long-term m durability o offered by the Q Series products. p flexibilityy, reliability, and This ma anual provide es a compreh hensive guid de to the feattures and functionality off Q Series amplifiers.
conceptss behind Cla ass H design ns, but here they are refined and pus shed to a higgher level to o achieve much grreater efficien ncy. The Class TD output sections wo ork in conce rt with the un nique regulated switch-m mode power supply s to opology. The e regulated PSU ensurees stable, fu ull output create a superior overall powerr amplifier to power over an extremely wide ra ange of main ns voltage lev vels. Sagging g or fluctuatiing mains vo oltage will ered to the lo oudspeakers s.
4.2.5 N NOMADLIN NK / ETHERNET CON NTROL AN ND MONITORING NE ETWORK The NomadLink network allows s easy setu p and contrrol of Q Series power amplifiers and other nted network k topology a allows autom matic detecttion and adddressing of multiple devices.. The paten amplifierrs, and is controlled from a PC C via a bridge (MA-N NET1) usin g standard TCP/IP commun nication.
5. INST TALLATIO ON 5.1 UN NPACKING G Carefullyy open the shipping ca arton and ccheck for an ny noticeable damage. Every Marttin Audio amplifierr is tested and inspected d before leavving the facttory and sho ould arrive inn perfect con ndition. If any dam mage is disco overed, pleas se notify the shipping company imme ediately. Onlly the consig gnee may institute a claim with h the carrierr for damage e incurred du uring shippin ng. Save thee carton and d packing arrier’s inspe ection.
5.4 OP PERATING G VOLTAG GE The label placed to the e right of the e mains cable e on the rearr of the ampllifier indicate es the AC mains volttage for whic ch the ampliffier is wired and approve ed: 115 V orr 230 V. Con nnect the power ccable only to the AC sourrce type refe erred to on th he label. The e warranty w will not coverr damage ng to an incorrect type of AC mains. caused by connectin Audio switch h mode amp plifiers use p primary switc ching.
6. QUI CK GUIDE E OVERVIIEW 6.1 FR RONT PAN NEL OVER RVIEW The amp plifier’s front panel prese ents the perfo ormance and d fault condittion indicatorrs, power and remote switchess, and a removable dust-filter cove er. Four leve el potentiom meters locateed behind th he cover provide individual atttenuation forr the four am mplifier chann nels. Range is 0 dB to - innfinity. The 12 o’clock 0 dB attenua ation. position indicates -10 ove the dust--filter cover, loosen the th humbscrew at a the far leftt.
Common LED’s on the t front panel: P Power on (Green) P Power Avera age Limiter acctive (PAL) (Red) ( N NomadLink network n activve (Blue). e network is connected, c tthe blue Nom madLink LED D will illuminaate even whe en mains When the power is not n connecte ed. NomadLi nk receives phantom pow wer from thee network supplied by the MA-NET1. 6.2 RE EAR PANE EL OVERV VIEW 6.2.
6.3 NO OMADLINK K / ETHER RNET NET TWORK S ETUP The amplifier includ des, as a sta andard featu ure, internal facilities forr the NomaddLink monito oring and control n network. All features of the t NomadL Link network are accessible via a PC C running prroprietary MA Net Control softw ware. A single rack space A-NET1, acccepts the TCP P/IP data e network brridge, the MA mputer and converts it tto the Noma adLink protoc cols.
7. OPE ERATION AND PER RFORMAN CE 7.1 INT TRODUCT TION The follo owing sectio ons provide comprehensi c ive information on ampliffier connecti on, setup, operation, o and perfformance. The detailed information i i ncluded here e is essentia al to realizingg the full functionality of the Q Series amplifiers. 7.
7.3.2 H HEADROO M, SENSIT TIVITY AN ND VPL / GAIN G SETT TINGS The inp put amplifier and limiterr system is designed to t accommo odate extrem mes of perfo ormance. Typicallyy, exceeding g maximum in nput by mucch as +10 dB B will only res sult in a 1% iincrease in distortion. d The follo owing schem matics illustra ate how the adjustable VPL V and Gain circuitry aaffect input sensitivity s and outp put power: The tablles to the lefft of the draw wing below, sshow input sensitivity for MA6.
7.4 AU UDIO INPU UT AND O UTPUT C ONNECTI ONS, SET TUP AND FEATURE ES 7.4.1 B BALANCED D / UNBALANCED IN NPUT CON NNECTION N Four ele ectronically balanced b Ph hoenix-type inputs are available. a Fo ollow the +,–– and Groun nd labels when co onnecting the e input signal. If an unbalanced co onnection is desired thiss can be ach hieved by su umming the minus (“COLD”) and nd using the + terminal a as the “HOT T” signal.
The unique adjusta able input ga ain feature o of the Q Se eries makes it easier too attain the optimum eadroom and d signal-to-n noise ratio in n the signal path. A weaak signal at the input balance between he equire the ga ain to be raised in order tto achieve maximum m output power w with the lowes st signalmight re to-noise ratio. A “hott” input signa al, however, would requirre a lowering g of the gain to avoid sen nding the e or Current clipping.
The VPL L allows you to set the co orrect maxim mum output peak p power for f optimum pperformance e with the connecte ed speakerss. The correc ct setting de epends on th he system ty ype (lo-or hi--impedance)) and the specific load conneccted to the channel. c Sincce each cha annel can be configured to deliver either very p OR high current d draw at low impedances s, it is impoortant to set the VPL high volltage peak power correctlyy.
7.5 PR ROTECTIO ON, FAULT TS AND W WARNINGS S 7.5.1 IN NTRODUC CTION The Q S Series ampliifiers incorpo orate a soph histicated an nd comprehe ensive set off protection features. Faults a and warningss are indicatted on the ffront panel and a reported d via the No madLink network for indicatio on on the MA A NetControl GUI. 7.5.
If you ben nch test the amplifier a usin ng a continuo ous, full scale sine-wavee input above e 10 kHz, the VHF protection will w activate and preven nt measurem ment of full peak outpu ut power. w be muted long before maximum output power is attained.) To measure e the true (Output will peak output power, use u a burst signal. s 7.5.4 D DC PROTE ECTION DC prottection is implemented on o each outtput to preve ent damage to connecteed loudspeak kers.
Tempera ature measu urements will continue a at 6 second intervals. Th he output wiill un-mute when w the channel or power su upply returns to a safe op perating temp perature. 7.5.8 P POWER AV VERAGE LIMITER L (P PAL) The Pow wer Average Limiter (PAL L) controls th he current-drrawing relatio onship betweeen the powe er supply and the mains inlet. PAL limits the maximu um average power cons sumption acccording to th he power at the PSU will not ove erload.
8.6.2 L LEVEL ADJJUST Level ad djust potentio ometers (one e per chann el) are locatted behind th he removablee dust filter cover on the amp plifier’s front panel. p With the dust cove er in place it is not possib ble to adjust tthe level setttings. The pote entiometer’s operational range is 0 d dB to -Infinity y in 21 steps s. Attenuatioon is logarithmic, with 12 o’clocck position being b -10 dB. See table to o the right wiith incrementts.
7.7 NO OMADLINK K NETWO RK AND P PC EDITO OR 7.7.1 N NOMADLIN NK NETWO ORK IN TH HE AMPLIF FIERS All Q Se eries amplifie ers are equip pped with the e proprietary y NomadLink k network intterface. This includes two Neu utrik EtherCon housed RJ J45 connecti ons: one IN and one OUT. Use stan ndard straigh ht Cat5 Ethe ernet cables w onnectors to connect thee amplifier to o the MAwith RJ45 co NET1 ne etwork bridge e or to daisy-chain multip ple amplifiers s.
If any cable e format or connection o other than Cat5 C (or bette er) and RJ455 is utilized, network performancce may be compromised c d. In this eve ent Martin Audio A cannoot guarantee e that the NomadLinkk network will be fully ope erational. 7.7.
7.7.4 E ETHERNET T NETWOR RK CABLE E LENGTH S The con nnection bettween the MA-NET1 M an d your PC is a standarrd Ethernet network run nning the TCP/IP protocol. Ca able distance es between M MA-NET1 an nd your PC follow f standaard rules for Ethernet systemss. Contact your IT expe ert for more details. d 7.7.5 M MA NETCO ONTROL EDITOR The MA A NetContro ol editor is a proprieta ary software application for monitooring and co ontrolling networke ed Q Seriess power amp plifiers.
8. APP PENDIX 8.1 MA AINTENAN NCE During n normal operration your Q Series am mplifier will provide trou uble-free serrvice. The only o user maintenance require ed is to periodically vacuu um clean the e foam dust filters behind the front grille. e extreme ca ases it may be b necessarry for authorized service personnel tto clean the inside of In some the amp plifier. These e conditions usually occu ur after prolo onged use in n extreme ennvironments such as those ussing “cracked d oil” smoke machines.
8.3 BE ENCH TES ST THE AM MPLIFIER All Martiin Audio amp plifiers are highly advancced devices which incorp porate variouus features (e.g. VHF make it impo protectio on and Powe er Average Limiter) L that m ossible to verify maximum m performan nce when performiing a standard bench-tes st with contin nuous, full-sc cale sine-wav ve signals. We therrefore highlyy recommend that you take the tim me to read our o documeent: “Amplifie er testing procedure”, found att www.martin n-audio.
All M Material © Marttin Audio Ltd.
9. TEC CHNICAL SPECIFIC S CATIONS Followin ng are the Q Series techn nical specificcations. Thes se figures arre accurate aat the time of o printing but plea ase note tha at all figures s are subjecct to change without nottice. For thee most accu urate and current information available, a ple ease visit ww ww.martin-audio.com. ual values fo or Q Series amplifiers Individu MA6.8Q MA4.8Q Number o of channels perr amplifier 4 4 Total Pow wer Limit 6800 W 4800 W Max.
® Common NomadLink k Network; Pow wer Average Lim miter (PAL™) 2); Power on Per chann nel Signal pres sent / High impedance; -10 dB aand -4 dB outpu ut signal; Voltage Peak Limiter (VPL); Current Peakk Limiter (CPL): Very High Frequency (VHF); High tem mperature; Faullt; Mute Operating voltage, 230 V / 115 V nomina al 5) Minimum p power-up voltag ge, 230 V / 115 V Power Ave erage Limiter 2) 130-265 V / 65-135 V 171 V / 85 V Yes Soft start / Inrush power Yes / max.
10. WA ARRANTY Y Generall This pro oduct is manu ufactured by y Martin Audiio, and it is warranted w to be free from m any defects s caused by comp ponents or fa actory workm manship, und der normal use u and serv vice, for a peeriod of two (2) years from datte of purchasse from an au uthorized Ma artin Audio dealer.
