MA9.6K, MA9.6K DSP User Guide The Martin Experience All material © 2010. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Contents Important safety instructions...................................................................... 3 Warning notices ........................................................................................... 4 1 Installation and operation...................................................................... 7 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 2 Setup and settings using the amplifier’s front panel controls ......... 12 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.3.1 2.3.2 2.3.3 2.3.4 2.3.6 2.3.7 2.3.8 2.3.10 2.3.11 2.3.12 2.3.
.10.2 3.10.2.1 3.10.2.2 3.10.2.3 3.10.2.3.1 3.10.2.3.2 3.10.2.4 3.10.3 3.10.3.1 3.10.3.2 3.10.3.3 3.10.3.4 3.10.3.5 3.10.3.6 3.10.3.7 3.10.3.9 3.10.3.9.1 3.10.3.9.2 3.10.4 3.11 3.12 3.2 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 5 Common settings ................................................................................... 25 Source selection ..................................................................................... 25 Main delay .................................................................................
Important safety instructions Caution To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove the cover. No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel. Safeguards Electrical energy can perform many useful functions. This unit has been engineered and manufactured to assure your personal safety. Improper use can result in potential electrical shock or fire hazards.
Warning notices Location Install the amplifier in a well-ventilated location where it will not be exposed to high temperature or humidity. Do not install the amplifier in a location that is exposed to direct rays of the sun, or near to hot appliances or radiators. Excessive heat can adversely affect the cabinet and internal components. Installation of the amplifier in a damp or dusty environment may result in malfunction or accident.
speaker "bottoming out" - harsh pops or cracking distortion that indicate that the speaker voice coil or diaphragm is striking the magnet assembly. Martin Audio recommends that you use amplifiers of this power range for more headroom (cleaner sound) rather than for increased volume. Speaker output shock hazard A Martin Audio amplifier is capable of producing hazardous output voltages. To avoid electrical shock, do not touch any exposed speaker wiring while the amplifier is operating.
Introduction The totally new Martin Audio MA9.6K, & 9.6K DSP technology has changed the way the world looks at professional audio amplification. No other amplifiers come close for applications demanding high power and long term reliability. Thanks to amazing reductions in heat output along with reductions in weight and the specific high output power, MA9.6K & 9.
1 1.1 Installation and operation Unpacking Carefully open the shipping carton and check for any noticeable damage. Every Martin Audio amplifier is completely tested and inspected before leaving the factory and should arrive in perfect condition. If you find any damage, notify the shipping company immediately. Be sure to save the carton and all packing materials for the carrier's inspection. 1.2 Mounting The 9.6K & 9.6K DSP amplifiers will mount in a standard 19" rack.
If either heat sink gets too hot, its sensing circuit will reduce the output power. If the amplifier overheats, another sensing circuit shuts down its circuit to cut off power until it cools to a safe temperature. The exhaust cooling air is forced out through the rear of the chassis (see below), so make sure there is enough space around the sides of the amplifier to allow the air to escape. If it is rack mounted, make sure the exhaust air can flow without resistance.
1.5 Connecting Inputs Input connections are made via the 3-pin XLR-female type or 1/4" phone Jack connectors on the rear side of the amplifier. The figure below shows the connection of analog input for balanced and unbalanced line. You can use either configuration, but you must consider that unbalanced long lines can introduce noise in the audio system. The Link switch located in the rear panel is for direct paralleling the rear input connectors.
1.6 Connecting Outputs Warning: there are lethal voltages at the loudspeaker connectors when the amplifier is turned on. To prevent any damages turn the amplifier off before connecting the loudspeaker. Output connectors are made via Neutrik Speakon connectors. Consult the wire gauge chart to find a suitable wire gauge to minimize power and damping factor losses in the speaker cables. The outputs can also work in bridge mode.
1.7 Connecting Remote Control You can control the amplifier via the RS485 interface; the illustration shows the wiring configuration for the connection of the data cable to the RJ45 socket located on the rear panel of the amplifier. The same picture shows also the ID selection for Remote Control (in this case ID= 28); to change the ID; rotate the selectors at the desired position. All material © 2010 Martin Audio Ltd.
2 2.1 Setup and settings using the amplifier’s front panel controls Introduction The figure right shows the front panel of 9.6K, & 9.6K DSP Amplifiers. The front panel controls, in conjunction with the graphic LCD display above the buttons, give the user the total control and detailed information about the status of the amplifier. Each pushbutton has multiple functions and the display shows the current active function for each button.
2.2 The main screen The illustration below shows the main screen; this screen appears after a short presentation when the user powers on the amplifier. In the first line, after power on, "WAIT" appears; if the system parameters are normal, the display is replaced with "READY". During the normal operation the controller monitors the system parameters.
The Amplifier menu diagram 2.3.1 Output attenuation The illustration below shows the Output attenuation screen. You can choose to set CH1, CH2 or both by pushing the "C1+2" button. The "+" and "-" buttons change the value of the output attenuation in the range from 0 to -30dB. Note: for the best sonic performance it is recommended that you set the attenuation to 0db (no attenuation), and select the proper gain/sensitivity from the following menu. All material © 2010 Martin Audio Ltd.
2.3.2 Gain/Sensitivity The illustration below shows the Gain/Sensitivity screen. You can choose to set CH1, CH2 or both by pushing "C1+2" button. The "+" and "-" buttons change the value of the gain. The values of gains permitted are 26, 29, 32 and 35 dB. Martin Audio strongly recommends the use of the default 32dB setting as this is the industry standard and is the basis for the limiter thresholds used in all Martin Audio loudspeaker controllers and published speaker parameters. 2.3.
digital system controllers. In such cases it is mandatory, to correctly set the parameters in the external device. 2.3.7 Gate CH1 - CH2 This function allows muting of the amplifier channels individually if the input signal amplitude is falling below the values shown in the following table. You can enable/disable the gate by pushing the on/off button.
2.3.11 Output meters In the Output meters screen you can view the values of the output signal for CH1 and CH2. Furthermore, the impedance of the load is shown on the bottom line of the screen (see illustration). Minimum output voltage for impedance measurements is 10Vrms; measurements values are stored in a logbook. Time between single impedance measurements can be up to several minutes depending on program signal. Output power is shown as maximum value every 200 ms.
2.3.15 Hardware monitor In this screen you can view details regarding the system parameters: PWRBSCH1 - PWRBSCH2 amplifier power supply voltages channel 1-2 VAUX internal auxiliary voltages If you press the "more" button you can view the remaining parameters: +5VAN auxiliary analog voltage VEXT external remote control voltage VAUX if "OK" is displayed, auxiliary voltages of the power supply are correct.
2.3.17 LCD contrast In this screen you can set the contrast of the LCD display by pushing the +/- buttons. 2.3.18 Set unlock code In this screen you can insert the numeric key to unlock the settings. The same screen appears when the “unlock” button in the main screen is pressed. There is a universal key to unlock the settings. This is 270156. 2.3.19 Service This function is factory reserved. All material © 2010 Martin Audio Ltd.
3 3.1 DSP Menu changes The addition of a KDSP board converts a standard MA9.6K to a 9.6K DSP. This can be done at the time of ordering or retrospectively at a later date. New firmware in installed which causes some reorganization of the K-Series menu.
Coarse steps are equivalent to 10 fine steps so editing will be 10 times faster. Steps are automatically repeated by keeping the – or + key pressed. 3.3 Handling local presets Up to 50 presets may be stored on the amplifier’s local memory. The current amplifier settings and KDSP board settings are stored on the local memory by using the local preset Save command. The menu will ask you to choose one of the 50 available presets, showing the preset number and name.
3.5 Handling preset names Note that the current preset name, either entered by you or loaded from the local memory or from a smartcard, is retained by the amplifier and used as starting point for a new preset saving operation. The menu will ask if you want to keep/edit that name or if you would like to edit the name of the preset that is going to be overwritten. This is useful for copying presets to or from a smartcard.
3.6 Menu locking In addition to the basic push-button locking function, a new menu locking strategy has been introduced for the DSP version of the amplifier. There are three levels of locking: All locked Information may be displayed but not altered. Presets cannot be loaded Allow safe User can change from Analog input to AES3 input with DSP into the signal path. Some common DSP parameters can be changed (AES gain trim, main delay, DSP input selection).
3.
3.10.1 Restore flat This command resets to default values all the DSP parameters after a confirmation request. Flat frequency response, 0 dB gain, + polarity, no delay, no limiters and no damping control. Input signal parameters, such as the stereo/parallel input mode and the AES3 gain trim are NOT modified. 3.10.2 Common settings These parameters are applied (identical) to both channels. 3.10.2.1 Source selection This menu allows you to choose the input selection mode.
Analogue backup mode connection: the amplifier runs with AES3 input selected, in parallel mode. In the above example diagram, the R channel of the AES3 stream is selected, which is the “Parallel from CH2” choice from Source Selection submenu. Also the L channel can be used, by selecting “Parallel from CH1”. This signal goes, through processing, to both amplifier outputs. A cable with an analogue signal identical to that provided by AES3 should be connected to IN1 of the amplifier for backup purposes.
Peaking/Bandpass/Bandstop/Allpass Lowpass/Highpass EQ Shelving 3.10.3.3 Low-pass and high-pass filters This menu sets up the crossover filters. There are 2 available filters, one low-pass (LP) filter and one highpass (HP) filter. By using both, you will obtain a band-pass response. Both traditional IIR and brick-wall linear phase FIR filters are implemented. The classic IIR crossover filters can be selected as a Butterworth, Bessel or Linkwitz-Riley shape. In the first two cases, the Freq.
3.10.3.6 Gain This menu changes the channel gain, from –40 dB to +15 dB, in 0.1dB steps. 3.10.3.7 Peak Limiter This menu controls the output peak limiter voltage threshold, attack time and decay time. When editing the threshold, the display shows in real-time the gain reduction due to the limiting function (GR = …dB), together with the limiting voltage referred to the input. The limiter has a look-ahead buffer, in order to soften the clipping and to minimise distortion.
3.10.3.8 Power limiter This menu controls the output power limiter which decreases the gain in order to reduce the power delivered to the load. The amplifier measures the load current to estimate the actual active power output being delivered. Given the low efficiency of electromechanical transducers (<10%), almost the same level of power is transformed into heat in the driver voice coil. This limiter is intended to avoid burning the voice coils of the drivers while exploiting their maximum performances.
WARNING: when enabled, a lowpass filter cutting around 400 Hz is automatically inserted into the chain. This feature is intended to be used only for subwoofer applications. AWG 16 16 16 14 14 14 12 12 12 Sq mm 2 x 1.5 mm2 2 x 1.5 mm2 2 x 1.5 mm2 2 x 2.5 mm2 2 x 2.5 mm2 2 x 2.5 mm2 2 x 4 mm2 2 x 4 mm2 2 x 4mm2 Length 5m 10 m 20 m 5m 10 m 20 m 5m 10 m 20 m Resistance 0.13 Ohm 0.26 Ohm 0.52 Ohm 0.08 Ohm 0.16 Ohm 0.32 Ohm 0.05 Ohm 0.10 Ohm 0.20 Ohm Typical cabling resistance.
Set Frequency = 2000 Hz Set Shape=Linkwitz-Riley (You could also experiment with shape=FIR) Set Slope=24dB/oct. Edit CH2 Go to HP Filter, set Active=ON Set Frequency = 2000 Hz All material © 2010 Martin Audio Ltd.
Set Shape=Linkwitz-Riley (or FIR) Set Slope=24dB/oct On CH2, edit Ch Delay to temporal align midrange with highs horn. On CH2, edit Gain to align levels. 3.12 Setup a bridged configuration If you already have a preset made for a non-bridged configuration, lets say for the CH2 for example, you should load the preset, then choose to edit “CH1+2, copy CH2=>CH1”. The CH1 now is identical to CH2. With this command you can also edit both channels at the same time.
MA Control Manager main screen The main screen shows all amplifiers that are part of the network and gives an instant at-a-glance overview of the entire system. Amplifier Settings Window Each amplifier can be opened and all parameters adjusted on line in real time making a complex system very straightforward to set up compared to spending hours going through each front panel menu.
The EQ Window from an MA5.2K DSP Control Manager also offers a phenomenal array of test, analysis and monitoring tools to manage any installation with unparalleled ease. A scheduler is available to switch amplifiers on or off at a specified time either daily or weekly. A record of amplifier performance including temperature can be accessed and tests run on individual amplifiers or the entire system.
4 4.1 Protection Turn-On/Turn-Off muting For about four seconds after turn-on, and immediately at turn-off, the amplifier outputs are muted. 4.2 Short circuit protection A short circuit protection system safeguards the amplifier's output transistors under short circuits and other stressful loads. It is completely inaudible when inactive. In case of short circuit, the red LED will be light-up and writing "PROT" appears in the first line of the display (see Par. 2.2 for a detailed description).
5 5.1 Maintenance Cleaning Disconnect the amplifier from the AC main source first; use a soft cloth and mild non-abrasive solution to clean the faceplate and chassis. 5.2 Service There are no user-serviceable parts in your 9.6K or 9.6K DSP amplifier. Refer servicing to qualified technical personnel. If your 9.6K or 9.6K DSP amplifier needs repair, contact your Martin Audio dealer or distributor. 5.
6 Warranty Martin Audio MA9.6K and MA9.6K DSP Amplifiers are warranted against manufacturing defects in materials or craftsmanship over a period of 4 (four) years from the date of original purchase. During the warranty period Martin Audio will, at its discretion, either repair or replace products which prove to be defective provided that the product is returned in its original packaging, shipping prepaid, to an authorised Martin Audio service agent or distributor. Martin Audio Ltd.
7 7.1 Technical notes Block diagram The illustrations below show the output stage block diagram and the power supply block diagram. All material © 2010 Martin Audio Ltd.
7.2 Thermal Dissipation Martin Audio MA9.6K & MA9.
7.3 Specification POWER REQUIREMENTS Power supply................................................................................................115-230V (-15%, +15%) (50/60Hz) Power factor.........................................................................................more than 0.95 from 500W to full power Operating temperature .................................................................................................................... 0° C, 45° C Weight....................................
7.4 Technical Drawing All material © 2010 Martin Audio Ltd.
