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Owner’s Manual
Nº390S
CD
Processor
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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. The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of suffic
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Important Safety Instructions Please read all instructions and precautions carefully and completely before operating your Mark Levinson preamplifier. 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 that includes an earth ground connection. To prevent shock hazard, all three connections must ALWAYS be used. 3. AC extension cords are
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From all of us at Mark Levinson, thank you for choosing the Mark Levinson Nº390S CD Processor. 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. 4 “Mark Levinson” and the Mark Levinson logo are registered trademarks of 3 Oak Park Harman International Industries. U.S. patent numbers and other worldwide Bedford, MA 01730-1413 USA patents issued and pending. Telephone: 781-280-0300 Fax: 781-280-0490 www.
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Table of Contents Unpacking and Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Unpacking the Nº390S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Remove the Transport Screw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Placement of the Nº390S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Operating Voltage & Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 A Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Basic Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Loading a CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Playing a CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Random Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Navigating the Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Direct Time Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Using Learning Remote Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Teaching Nº390S Front Panel Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Teaching Other Nº390S Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Special Commands Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Care and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Specifications . . . . . .
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Unpacking and Placement Unpacking the Nº390S Unpack your Nº390S CD Processor and remove all accessories from the carton. Important! Keep all packing materials for future transport of your Nº390S. Shipping your new component in anything other than its purpose-designed packing material may result in damage that is not covered by the warranty. Included with your new Mark Levinson CD processor is a pair of knit, white gloves designed to assist you in the initial unpacking and placement of your new p
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The Nº390S is designed for continuous operation—hence the standby button on the front panel rather than a power button. However, a rear panel power switch is provided for your convenience should you want to disconnect the unit from the AC mains (as when taking a vacation, for example). Drawings are included in this manual to facilitate special installations and custom cabinetry (see Dimensions on page 61). Operating Voltage & Frequency The Nº390S CD Processor is set at the factory (internally) f
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A Quick Start . . . We recognize that many people are understandably eager to begin listening to their new components, and that reading the manual is often done (if at all) at a later time—perhaps while listening to music with the new product itself. We strongly recommend that you read this manual thoroughly, as the Nº390S CD Processor incorporates many unusual features that enhance its operation. Fortunately, we can help you get some music up and running on your system quickly, so that you may
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Although no damage is likely to result to either CD player or preamplifier, the sound will be badly distorted and the volume may be much louder than you expect.) 4a. If going direct from the Nº390S to an amplifier! See Special Functions setup on page 47 to set the Nº390S to variable output mode. 5. Power up the rest of the system, leaving the power amplifiers for last. Always turn the power amplifier(s) off first, and on last. This good habit minimizes the opportunity for unexpected tran- sients
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Special Design Features Congratulations on your purchase of the Nº390S CD Processor. The design team is confident you will enjoy the outstanding performance of the Nº390S for many years. In case you are interested in technical details, what follows is a brief outline of some of the key technologies in your new CD player. A New Generation The task of a CD player is easy to define: it must recover the correct data from the disc and convert that data to a series of analog voltages with neither ampl
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Digital Servo Control The laser mechanism used in the Nº390S uses all digital servo controls of its operations. Critical functions such as focus and tracking are handled completely in the digital domain with mathematical precision. A digital servo remains stable over time, never needing readjustment under normal conditions. Digital Input/Output The Nº390S CD player incorporates two digital inputs, allowing Versatility two external digital sources such as a laser disc player and digital cable rad
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Convenience Features Too often, high performance CD players have eschewed convenience in the hopes of seeming more “performance-oriented.” While there were good arguments for such a “minimalist” design in the days of analog turntables, the time is long gone when the audiophile needed to give up operational convenience for musical performance. After all, convenience features in a digital product are largely a matter of writing appropriate software, and have no affect on the quality of the digital
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Design of the fully balanced DAC/analog output module follows the Mark Levinson tradition of rigorous component selection. An unusual hybrid design approach incorporating both advanced Surface-Mount and “through-hole” technologies, allows us to utilize the optimum part at each location in the circuit, without the constraints on parts selection normally associated with traditional PCB assembly practices. Every active device has been painstakingly selected for top technical performance, with final
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Balanced Analog Rather than use the digital attenuator on-board the DAC, the Volume Control Nº390S incorporates a fully balanced analog volume control similar to that found in Mark Levinson separate preamplifiers. When activated (by turning on the variable output function under setup: sound), the output of the Nº390S may be attenuated in precise 0.1dB steps through most of the range. Significantly, the Nº390S maintains the full performance of its remarkable DACs at all volume levels—something im
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2. Infrared Transceiver (within display) Infrared commands transmitted from the remote control are received by a receiver behind this section of the display. Remote control of the Nº390S may be unreliable if there is not a clear line of sight between the remote control and the receiver (if the remote is far off-axis, or if the Nº390S is within a cabinet, for example). In such a case consider using a third- party IR repeater to route the signal to the IR input jack on the rear panel (see Rear Pan
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5. Time Indicator The time section of the display can be set to display any of the following four indications of time in minutes and seconds: • time elapsed in track (neither LED lit) • time elapsed on disc (time on disc LED lit) • time remaining on track (time remaining LED lit) • time remaining on disc (time on disc and time remaining LEDs lit) In effect, the Nº390S assumes you will be most interested seeing elapsed time on the current track; only departures from that assumption are denoted by
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function. For example, mode + would either: add a track to a play list; select the next digital input; advance to the next time indication; or raise the volume. Along with mode + and mode –, the mode button is also used to change the option settings. (See Special Functions.) 7. Repeat button You may choose to either repeat the entire disc (including any programs you might have entered for that particular disc) or an individual track by pressing the repeat button. From normal operation, the first
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10. mode – and mode + buttons Using these two buttons in conjunction with the mode button, any of four different Nº390S functions can be controlled from the front panel: • PROGRAM (for creating custom play lists) • INPUTS (for selecting a digital source) • TIMES (for selecting a time indication) • VOLUME* (for controlling the volume of the Nº390S*) * (Note that the volume control is only made available if the Nº390S’s variable output mode is engaged; see Special Functions for more information.)
