DaytonAudio MA1240a User manual

User Manual
daytonaudio.com
Twelve Channel
Multi-Zone Amplifier
Model: MA1240a

(2)
Thank you for purchasing the Dayton Audio®MA1240a Twelve Channel Multi-Zone Amplifier. The versatility of the
MA1240a makes it the perfect choice for almost every type of custom multi-room audio system. Its tabletop or rack-
mountable design allows it to be integrated easily into high-end whole house audio systems.
INSTALLATION:
Dayton Audio amplifiers are designed to help deliver a great audio experience. However, where you place the amplifier can
have a large effect on the performance you receive, and the life of the unit. If you are not rack-mounting the amplifier, posi-
tion it with all feet resting on a solid level surface. Be sure that the amplifier is in a well-ventilated area and DO NOT install
the amplifier near a source of heat or in an extremely humid or wet location.
CAUTION: All connections and switching must be done with the amplifier’s power switch positioned to ‘Off’. Connect the
power cord last to be sure that the amplifier is off during all of your connections and set up.
FEATURES:
sCHANNELSSTEREOZONESINONECONVENIENTENCLOSURE
s3TABLE#LASS!"DESIGNDELIVERSSUPERIORAUDIOPHILESOUND
quality and performance
s)NDEPENDENTANDBUSINPUTSPROVIDESUNPARALLELEDmEXIBILITY
s"RIDGEABLECHANNELOUTPUTSPROVIDEADDITIONALPOWER
when needed
s)NDEPENDENTCHANNELGAINCONTROLSALLOWTHEOUTPUTOF
each speaker to be perfectly matched
s3WITCHABLE6INPUTVOLTAGE
s-ANUALAUTOORTRIGGEREDONOFFFORINTEGRATIONINTOANY
automated system
s-ULTISTAGEPROTECTIONCIRCUITRYFORRELIABILITYANDEASY
troubleshooting of audio system
s)NSTALLERFRIENDLYSETUPANDCONNECTIONS
s#ANBECONVERTEDEASILYBETWEENRACKMOUNTAND
tabletop configurations
s(EAVYDUTYSTEELCHASSISWITHBRUSHEDALUMINUMFACEPLATE
FRONT PANEL:
1. Master Power Switch / Indicator LED
Front panel pushbutton power switch turns the amplifier
on and off. When the switch is on and the indicator LED
is red, the amplifier is in standby mode. The remote turn
on switch (located on the rear) is either in the “trigger”
or “auto” position. When the LED is blue, the amplifier is
fully active. The master power switch will turn off the am-
plifier no matter which power mode has been selected.
2. Zone Status Indicators
%ACH PAIR OF CHANNELS OR ZONES HAS A BICOLOR ,%$ TO
indicate its operational status.These indicators provide quick
and easy troubleshooting of the system.If the circuitry deter-
mines that a channel must be shut down due to excessive
heat or low impedance (a short), only the channels that are
AFFECTEDWILLBETURNEDOFFCAUSINGTHEZONE,%$TOTURNRED
4HEREMAININGZONESWILLCONTINUETOOPERATEANDMAINTAINA
blue LED status. Once the condition has been corrected for
THEZONEINQUESTIONTHESTATUS,%$WILLRETURNTOBLUE
Note: 7HENTHEPOWER,%$ISREDANDTHEZONESTATUS,%$3
are not lit (off) indicates the unit is in stand by mode.


REAR PANEL:
3. BUS Line Inputs / Outputs
4HE-!AHASTWOCOMMONOR"53INPUTSTHAT
receives audio signals from standard line-level audio
SOURCESANDSENDSTHEMTOANYORALLCHANNELS4HE"53
LINEOUTPUTSAREDIRECTFEEDTHROUGHTOALLOWTHE"53
inputs to be fed to other amplifiers. Be sure to use high
quality RCA cables that feature low impedance, shielding
and high quality connectors.
4. Remote Turn-On Switch
This switch selects the turn-on stimuli that will put the ampli-
lERINREADYMODEh4RIGGERvSETTINGRELIESON6!#$#
voltage going into the trigger input to activate the amplifier.
“Auto” setting senses a signal on the RCA line-level inputs
and automatically puts the amp in ready mode. “On” setting
puts the amp constantly in ready mode so that it can be
controlled by the master power switch on the front panel.
)Nh!UTOv MODE THE AMPLIlER WILL TAKE APPROXIMATELY 
minutes to return from ready to standby mode.
5. Trigger Input / Output
The trigger input is a handy feature when connecting the
AMPLIlERTOANAUTOMATEDAUDIOSYSTEM4HEMMMINI
PLUGJACKWILLACCEPTA6!#$#OUTPUTFROMANOTHER
device, or from a separate power supply. When the trigger
INPUTISENERGIZEDTHEAMPTURNSFROMSTANDBYTO/.MODE
7HENUSINGTHE-!AWITHARECEIVERWITHOUTATRIGGER
OUTPUTTHEVOLTAGECANCOMEFROMA6WALLWARTMM
tip-positive connector) plugged into the receiver’s switched
OUTLETANDTHETRIGGERINPUT4HE-!ACANALSOPROVIDE
ANOUTPUTTRIGGERVOLTAGE$# M!MAXTOTURNON
and off other devices in the audio system. When the ampli-
lERTURNSOFFSTANDBYMODETHEVOLTAGEWILLDROPTOZERO
Note 2EMEMBER THERE IS A DELAY OF APPROXIMATELY 
minutes before the amplifier goes to standby when using
the “Auto” turn-on mode.
6. Channel Gain Control
Each channel has its own independent level adjustment.
This allows the output level of each speaker to be per-
fectly matched to its area. It can also be used to limit the
maximum audio level in a certain area.
7. Bridging Switch
"Y SIMPLY mIPPING A SINGLE SWITCH TWO CHANNELS CAN BE
combined to increase the total power output.This is helpful
when extra power is needed in certain areas.
Note: The minimum impedance for bridged channels is 8
ohms. Also, please observe the proper speaker wiring when
bridging channels. Input selection and volume settings for
bridged channels will be controlled by the left channel.“BR”
ISBRIDGEDMODEANDh34vISNONBRIDGEDORSTEREOMODE
CAUTION: Only change switch positions when the
amplifier is turned off.
8. Input Selection Switch
Each channel is capable of delivering the source from
MANYINPUTS4HETHREEMAININPUTSARE"53"53
AND,).%).4HESELECTIONFORTHESEINPUTSISDONEVIA
THE)NPUT3ELECTIONSWITCHASSOCIATEDWITHEACHCHANNEL
3ELECTTHEDESIREDSOURCEINPUT3ETTHE)NPUT3ELECTION
SWITCHTO"53WILLPLAYSOURCECONNECTEDTOTHE"53
INPUT"53WILLPLAYSOURCECONNECTEDTOTHE"53
INPUTOR,).%).WILLPLAYSOURCECONNECTEDTOTHAT
CHANNELS,).%).
CAUTION: Only change switch positions when the
amplifier is turned off.
9. Speaker Output Terminals
4HE-!AUSESHIGHQUALITY0HOENIXSTYLECONNECTORS
FORTHESPEAKERCONNECTIONS5SEGAUGESTRANDED
two-conductor loudspeaker wire. Ensure that at least
INCHESOFEACHCONDUCTORARESEPARATED3TRIPAWAY
¼inch of insulation from each conductor. Connect the
appropriate conductor to each screw terminal, observing
correct polarity. Also, please observe proper speaker wir-
ing when bridging channels.
10. Individual Channel Input
All twelve channels have their own dedicated input that
allows the connection of audio sources in addition to
THECOMMON"53INPUTS4HISISUSEFULWHENUSINGTHE
-!AWITHANAUDIOMATRIXSWITCHER
11. AC Voltage Switch
4HEUNITISSETATTHEFACTORYFOR653OPERATIONSIMPLY
connect the included IEC power cord to your wall outlet.
&OR6OPERATIONMOVETHEVOLTAGESELECTORSWITCHTOTHE
6POSITION7HENOPERATINGAT6THEINTERNALFUSE
located in the IEC socket should also be changed. In most
6APPLICATIONSASEPARATEPOWERCORDWILLBEREQUIRED
and is not included.
12. IEC Power Connector
The unit comes with an IEC jack that permits removal of
THE!#POWERCORD4HISALLOWSTHEmEXIBILITYOFCHANGING
the power cord for different countries. The IEC socket
ALSOHOUSESTHEMAINFUSEHOLDER0LUGTHEPOWERCORD
supplied with the amplifier into the amplifier and wall
outlet or appropriate surge protector.
CAUTION: DO NOT plug the amplifier’s power cord into
ASWITCHEDOUTLETSUCHASWHATISPROVIDEDONSOME3UR-
round Receivers. If you wish to have the amplifier turn on
when the Receiver is powered up, use one of the power
modes, such as Trigger or Audio.
CLOSE UP OF CONNECTIONS


-!
Warranty Information
Dayton Audio®products are constructed by industry experts, and are thoroughly tested before shipment. Dayton Audio®products are warranted for the period of one
year. This warranty is limited to manufacturer defects, either in materials or workmanship. Dayton Audio®is not responsible for any consequential on inconsequential
damage to any other unit or component or the cost for installation or extraction of any component of the audio system. In the rare case of a product failure, please
CONTACTYOURPLACEOFPURCHASEORCALLOUR#USTOMER3UPPORT$EPARTMENTAT
Warranty Limitations
There are no other warranties, either express or implied, which extend the foregoing, and there are no warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular
purpose. The warranty will not cover incidental or consequential damage due to defective or improper use of products. This includes but is not limited to burnt
voice coils, overheating, bent frames, holes in the cone, or broken lead wires.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.
Non-Warranty Service:)FNONWARRANTYSERVICEISREQUIREDTHEPRODUCTMAYBESENTTOTHE#OMPANYFORREPAIRREPLACEMENTTRANSPORTATIONPREPAIDBYCALLING
FORDETAILSCOMPLETEINSTRUCTIONSANDSERVICEFEECHARGES
NOTES ABOUT HUM:
7HILETHE-!AHASBEENDESIGNEDTOMINIMIZETHEPOSSIBILITY
of hum in the audio system, it is still possible that a hum will occur
in rare circumstances. Its safety grounding can create a path for
SMALLAMOUNTSOF(ZENERGYTOTRAVELTROUGHTHELINELEVELAUDIO
system.While not dangerous, this energy can cause difficulty with
the auto signal sensing circuit, and at the very least will interfere
with the quiet enjoyment of your system.The first course of action
should be trying to make sure that all of the audio components are
connected to either the same electrical outlet, or at least into the
SAMECIRCUITBRANCH.EXTCABLE46SYSTEMSARENOTORIOUSLYTHE
culprit, so be sure to try disconnecting all coaxial feeds that are
connected to the system. If this solves the problem, install a coaxial
line isolator and reconnect the system. In the very worst case, a
LINELEVELAUDIOISOLATORTRANSFORMERCONNECTEDTOTHELINEINOFTHE
amplifier will usually solve the problem.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Rated Power Output: 7ATTSPERCHANNEL2-3ATOHMS
Bridged Power Output: 7ATTSPERCHANNEL2-3ATOHMS
(8 ohm minimum)
Input Sensitivity: M6FORFULLOUTPUTWITHALLLEVEL
controls at max.
Input Impedance:+OHM
Frequency Response: (ZTOK(Z
Distortion: 4($(ZK(Z 7OHM
Distortion (Bridged): 4($(ZK(Z 7OHM
Channel Crosstalk: D"
Signal to Noise Ratio:D"!WEIGHTED
Efficiency:
Power Requirements:6!#(Z(Z
Stand-By Power Rating:67*
Auto Turn-On Sensitivity: M6
Dimensions: v7Xv(INCLUDINGFEETXv$
Weight: LBS
* The MA1240a complies with the ENERGY STAR and CE EuP directive.
TYPICAL 6 ROOM INSTALLATION
Important Safety Instructions
4OREDUCETHERISKOFELECTRICSHOCKDONOTREMOVECOVER.OUSERSERVICE-
able parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel. To reduce the risk
of fire and shock do not expose unit to rain or moisture. The unit should be
connected to an earth grounded AC electrical socket. The unit should be
OPERATEDINAWELLVENTILATEDAREA-INIMUMCLEARANCEISINCHESFROMTHE
ventilation openings.
Note:5NITISSETATTHEFACTORYFOR6OPERATION"ESURETOCHANGETHEFUSE
!RATINGBEFORESWITCHINGTO6OPERATION
© Dayton Audio®,AST2EVISED