HTD MA-1235 User manual

MA-1235 & MA-1265
12-Channel Amplifier
Owner’s Manual
HomeTheaterDirect,Inc.
ww.htd.com
ExpertSupport:
866-HTD-AUDIO(483-2834)
[email protected]

©CopyrightHomeTheaterDirect,Inc.

CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
!
!
Thelightningflashwitharrowheadsymbol,withinanequilateraltriangle,isintendedtoalerttheusertothe
presenceofun-insulateddangerousvoltagewithintheproduct’senclosurethatmaybeofsufficientmagnitudeto
constituteariskofelectricalshocktopersons.
Theexclamationpointwithinanequilateraltriangleisintendedtoalerttheusertothepresenceofimportant
operatingandmaintenance(servicing)instructionsintheliteratureaccompanyingthisappliance.
ReadInstructions
Allthesafetyandoperatinginstructionsshouldbereadbeforethe
applianceisoperated.
RetainInstructions
Thesafetyandoperatinginstructionsshouldbeadheredto.
HeedWarnings
Allofthewarningsontheapplianceandintheoperatinginstructions
shouldbeadheredto.
FollowInstructions
Alloperatinganduseinstructionsshouldbefollowed.
WaterandMoisture
Theapplianceshouldnotbeusednearwater.Forexample,neara
bathtub,washbowl,kitchensink,laundrytub,inawetbasement,or
nearaswimmingpool,etc.
Ventilation
Theapplianceshouldbesituatedsothatitslocationorpositiondoes
notinterferewithitsproperventilation.Forexample,theappliance
shouldnotbesituatedonabed,sofa,rug,orsimilarsurfacethat
mayblocktheventilationopenings.Neverplacetheappliancein
aconfinedspacesuchasabookcase,orbuilt-incabinet,unless
properventilationisprovided.
Heat
Theapplianceshouldbesituatedawayfromheatsourcessuchas
radiators,heatregisters,stoves,orotherappliancesthatproduce
heat.Positiontheapplianceatleast5”awayfromanyheat-produc-
ingequipment,includingotherHTDamplifiers.
PowerSources
Theapplianceshouldbeconnectedtoapowersupplyonlyofthe
typedescribedintheoperatinginstructionsorasmarkedontheap-
pliance.
GroundingorPolarization
Precautionsshouldbetakensothatthegroundingorpolarization
meansofanapplianceisnotdefeated.
PowerCordProtection
Routethepowercordsothatitisnotlikelytobewalkedonor
pinchedbyitemsplaceduponoragainstthem,payingparticular
attentiontotheplugs,receptacles,andthepointwherethecord
exitsfromtheappliance.
Cleaning
Unplugtheappliancefromthewalloutletbeforecleaning.Donot
useliquidcleanersoraerosolcleaners.Useaclothlightlydamp-
enedwithwaterforcleaningtheexterioroftheapplianceonly.
Non-UsePeriods
Thepowercordoftheapplianceshouldbeunpluggedfromthe
outletwhenleftunusedforlongperiodsoftime.
ObjectandLiquidEntry
Careshouldbetakensothatobjectsdonotfallandliquidsare
notspilledintotheenclosurethroughopenings.
DamageRequiringService
Theapplianceshouldbeservicedbyqualifiedpersonnelwhen:
a)thepowersupplycordortheplughasbeendamaged
b)objectshavefallen,orliquidspilledintotheappliance
c)theappliancehasbeenexposedtorain
d)theappliancedoesnotappeartooperatenormallyorexhib-
itsamarkedchangeinperformanceor
e)theappliancehasbeendropped,ortheenclosuredamaged
Servicing
Theusershouldnotattempttoservicetheappliancebeyondthat
describedintheoperatinginstructions.Allotherservicingshould
bereferredtoqualifiedservicepersonnel.
ProductServicing
Ifyoursystemfailstooperateproperly,pleasecontactHTD
directlyforfurtherassistanceat1-866-483-2834.
Additionalinformation,includingdetailedspecificationsforeach
model,canbefoundonourwebsite,www.htd.com.Thanks
againforchoosingHomeTheaterDirect!
Warranty:TheMA-1235/MA-1265carriesatwo-yearpartsandlaborwarranty.ShouldyourMA-1235/MA-1265failto
operateproperlyatanytimeduringthewarrantyperiod,HTDwillrepairorreplace(atouroption)theitembarringany
indicationofmisuseorabuse.FreighttoanHTDauthorizedfacilityispaidbythecustomer.Returnfreightispaidby
HTD.Warrantyregistrationoccurredautomaticallyatthetimeyourorderwasplaced.Thereisnoneedtocompleteor
mailinadditionalpaperwork.Priortoreturninganyitem,pleasecall1-866-483-2834toreceiveaReturnAuthorization
number.
Warning-Toreducetheriskoffireorshock,donotexposethisappliancetorainormoisture.
Caution-Toreducetheriskoffireorshock,donotremovethecoverorback.Nouserserviceablepartsinside.
Referservicingtoqualifiedservicepersonnel.
Caution-Topreventelectricshock,matchwidebladeofplugtowideslot,fullyinsert.
Safety instructions
1

General Guidelines
PleasereadthefollowingwarningsandtipsbeforehookingupyourMA-1235/MA-1265:
-NeverconnectspeakerwireorlinelevelconnectionswiththefrontpowerbuttonintheON(in)position.Alwaysmake
yourconnectionswiththeamplifierOFF.
-OnlyusethedetachablepowercordsuppliedwithyourMA-1235/MA-1265.Itisa3-prong,groundedpowercord.
-Neverdisablethegroundwireinthepowercord.Thisisforyourprotection.
-NeverplugtheMA-1235/MA-1265intothebackofanotherelectricalcomponent.
-WehighlyrecommendpluggingtheMA-1235/MA-1265intoapowertreewithadequatesurgeprotection.
-Dualbananaplugs(soldseparately)willfitthespeakerconnectionsineachindividualchannel,butwillnotfitacrossthe
tworedpostswhenoperatingside-by-sidechannelsinbridgedmode.Weoffersinglebananaplugs(soldseparately)for
thispurpose.
2
Ifyouhaveanyquestions,wecanbereachedat...
[email protected]ortollfree1-866-HTD-AUDIO(483-2834)
Introduction
ThankyouforgivingHomeTheaterDirectthechancetowinyourbusiness!WeareconfidentyouwillfindthatHTDoffers
anoutstandingcombinationofperformanceandvalueineverythingwemake.Toensureyougetthemostoutofyournew
amplifier,pleasetakeamomenttoreadthismanualbeforeyougetstarted.Shouldyoulosethismanual,youcanalways
downloadorprintacopyfromwww.htd.com.
The MA-1235 (MA-1265) is a 12-channel, multi-use, multi-zone power amplifier that is flexible and powerful enough to
amplifyeveryspeakerinyourwhole-houseaudiosystemand/orhometheatersystem.Thisamplifierdeliversexceptionally
accuratesoundandisdesignedtodelivertrouble-freeperformanceformanyyearstocome.Eachchanneldelivers35watts
RMS(65wattsRMSforMA-1265)into8ohmsand50wattsRMS(100wattsRMSforMA-1265)into4ohmswithallchannels
driven.Inaddition,youcanchoosetobridgeadjacentchannels(eg.1and2)tocreateasingle100wattRMS(150watts
RMSforMA-1265)channel.Thisallowsforamultitudeofset-upoptionsforvirtuallyanyapplicationthatrequiresmultiple
discreetchannelsofamplification.
Thisowner’smanualisdesignedtogetyouquicklyupandrunningwithyournewsystem.Shouldyouhaveanyquestions,
weareavailablebyphone,tollfree866-HTD-AUDIO(866-483-2834)M-F8am-6pm,andbyemailat[email protected].

Included with MA-1235
and MA-1265
3
Product Features
(1)Powercord
PowerButton:Pressthisbuttonintoturntheamplifier“ON”.Pressthisbuttonagaintoturntheamplifier“OFF”.
PowerIndicatorLight:Thefrontbluepowerlighthastwointensities.Lowintensityindicatesthecomponentis
pluggedin,thePowerButtonispressedin,andtheamplifierisinstand-bymode.Thebluelightwillbeinlowinten-
sity/stand-bymodeuntiltheamplifiersareactivatedbasedonthesettingofthe“Powermodeswitch”foundonthe
backsideoftheamplifier.Oncetheamplifierisactivated,thebluepowerlightwillshinewithhigherintensity.
ChannelProtectionLights:Everyamplifierchannelincludesaprotectioncircuitdesignedtopreventtheamplifier
frombeingdamagedasaresultofimproperspeakerinstallation.Achannelwillgointoprotectionmodeif:1.)the
impedancefromthespeakersdropsbelow4ohms,or2.)ashortexistsacrossthepositiveandnegativelinesofthe
speakercableorconnectionpoints.Whenthishappens,theotherchannelswillcontinuetooperatenormallyanda
redlightonthefrontpanelcorrespondingtotheprotectedchannelwillturnon.Onceconditionsreturntonormal,
theaffectedchannelwillresumeoperationandtheredlightwillturnoff.
Channel Protection Lights
Every channel is designed with a “Protection Mode”.
These Red lights will turn ON when a channel goes
into “Protection Mode” and will automatically turn
OFF when the problem has been solved.
Top panel air vents allow unwanted heat to escape the inside of the amplifier chassis. For
proper ventilation, please allow at least 5 inches of open air space above this component. If the
amplifier is placed inside of a cabinet, please make sure the cabinet is well ventilated to prevent
overheating.
MA-1235
Power On/Off Button
Press “In” to turn amplifier “ON”
Press again (to OUT position)
to turn amplifier “OFF”
1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12
Power
Power Indicator Light
Low intensity = Standby
High Intensity = ON
Power mode switch determines if the component
is always on (ON), turns on when an input signal is
sensed (AUTO-ON), or turns on when triggered by
another component (TRIGGER).
5-way gold-plated binding posts for
solid connections with speaker cable.
An external fuse can be
replaced in the event of an
unexpected electrical shock
to the unit.
1/8” Input trigger jack - Turns the
MA-1235/MA-1265 ON from another
component.
1/8” Output trigger jack - Turns ON
another component from the
MA-1235’s/MA-1265’s signal.
3-prong IEC socket for
connecting the removable
power cord.
Bridge switch
Move this switch to the right to “bridge” adjacent
channels. The controls for the Even-Numbered
channels (2,4,6,8,10,12) take over in bridged mode.
2 pairs of gold-plated stereo inputs
are available to all channels.
2 pairs of gold-plated stereo outputs are available
to pass along the signals received in the two stereo inputs.
An individual gold-plated Line
input is available to each channel.
Input selection switch for determining input
source that each channel plays - choose from
input 1, input 2, or the dedicated Line input.
Select Left, Right, or Left+Right
(mono) to determine which signal from input
1 or input 2 is assigned to each channel. This
switch is bypassed when the individual Line
input is selected.
Variable Level Controls for
each channel make limiting or
balancing maximum volume levels
throughout your home easy.

Speaker Connection Examples
4
Product Features
Gold-PlatedConnections:Alllinelevelinputs,outputsandspeakerconnectionsaregold-platedforclearsignal
transfer.
MultipleInputs:AnyaudiocomponentwithastereoanalogRCA-typeoutputcanbeconnectedtotheMA-1235/
MA-1265.Twostereolinelevelinputs(In1andIn2)areavailabletoeverychannel.Plus,everychannelhasits
owndedicatedinput(LineIn).Inaddition,youcanchoosetopowereithertheleft(L)orright(R)input,orselect
asummationoftheleftandright(L+R).Thisprovidesincredibleflexibilityforselectingwhichsignaltoamplify
throughthespeaker(s)connectedtoeachchannel.
StereoOutputs:Twostereolineleveloutputs(Out1andOut2)areprovidedtoallowthestereoinputsignals(In1
andIn2)tobepassedontoadditionalequipmentasneeded.
Power-OnModes:TheMA-1235/MA-1265canbeturnedonautomaticallywhenaninputsignalorvoltagetrigger
issensed.YoucanalternativelyleavetheMA-1235/MA-1265inalways-onmode.Anoutputvoltagetriggerisalso
availableforactivatingothercomponentsastheMA-1235/MA-1265isturnedon.
LevelSettings:EachchannelhasitsownadjustableLevelknob.Usethisknobtosetthemaximumoutputlevel
foreachchannel.Thisfeatureallowsyoutoeasilybalancetheoutputvolumethroughoutyourhome.
Bestpractice:Whenusingseparatevolumecontrolsorkeypadstolocallycontrolvolumelevelwithinazone,start
withtheLevelsettingatthe12:00position(turnedabouthalf-wayup).Next,setthevolumelevelonyourrotaryvol-
umecontrol(soldseparately)ordigitalkeypad(soldseparately)toitsmaximumsettingforthespeaker(s)connect-
edtothatchannel/zone.ThenslowlyturnuptheLevelknobonthebackoftheMA-1235/MA-1265untilthedesired
maximumvolumelevelisachieved.Thisismosteasilyaccomplishedwiththeassistanceofasecondperson.Itis
acceptabletoturntheLevelknobtoitsmaximumsettingbutyoucanextendthelifeofthecomponentbyonlyutiliz-
ingasmuchpowerasnecessary.
SpeakerConnections:Speakersareconnecteddirectlytotheamplifierusingspeakercable.Forallbehind-the-
wallinstallations,CL3-ratedcableisrecommendedtocomplywithmostbuilding-codes.Speakercablecanbecon-
nectedtothe5-waybindingpostsusingbarewire,dualorsinglebananaplugs,spadeconnectorsorpins.Besure
tomaintainpolarity(Speaker+toAmplifier+,Speaker-toAmplifier-).
BananaPlug
Makesurebindingpostsaretight-
enedthenpushinbananaplug
Rotatebindingpostcounter-clockwisetoreveal
post.Stripback3/8”insulationfromcable.Tightly
twistcopperwiresandwraparoundpostasshown.
Rotatebindingpostclock-wisetotighten.
BareWire
Whenbridgingtwoside-by-sidechannels
thetopbindingpostfromtheodd-num-
beredchannelbecomesthenegativepost
andthetopbindingpostfromtheeven-
numberedchannelbecomesthepositive
post.Dualbananaplugswillnotfitacross
thesetwoposts.Singlebananaplugs,
spadeconnectors,orbarewireshouldbe
usedinbridgedmode.Thecontrolsfor
theeven-numberedchannelstakeoverin
bridgedmode.
BareWire-BridgedMode
Line In Line In
Bridged
_
_+
+
Line In Line In
Bridged
_
_+
+
THEAMPLIFIERSHOULDBEPOWEREDOFF(FRONTBUTTON)
WHENCONNECTINGORDISCONNECTINGSPEAKERCABLES

5
ExampleOne:ConnectingtheAmplifiertoanadvancedwhole-houseaudiocontroller,suchastheHTDMC-86
UsetheLineOutputsontheMC-86toconnecttotheLineInputsontheamplifiersforeachzone.Weincludesix3’
shieldedstereopatchcableswiththeMC-86forthispurpose.
AmplifierSettings
Twoside-by-sideamplifiersareusedforeachzone.OnesideissettoamplifytheRightchannelof
astereosignalandtheothersideissettoamplifytheLeftsideofastereosignal.Inourdiagram,
channel1issettoamplifytheRightchannelandchannel2issettoamplifytheLeftchannelforthe
speakersinZone1.
Level:TurntherotaryLevelknoballthewayclockwisetogetthemaximumpoweroutoftheampli-
fier.YoucansettheLevelatlessthanmaximumtolimitthevolumeoutputinazone(e.g.limithow
loudachildcanplayhis/hermusic).See“BestPractices”underLevelSettingsonPage4formore
information.
InputSelectionSwitch:Setto“Line”.
L,L+R,RSwitch:Whenthe“Line”inputisused,thisswitchisinactivesothesettingisirrelevant.
However,youmightwanttosetoddnumberedchannelstoRight(R)andevenchannelstoLeft(L)
justtomakeiteasiertorecallwhichLineOutputfromtheMC-86isbeingsenttoeachchannel.
BridgeSwitch:Sinceyouarenotbridgingthetwochannels,makesuretheBridgeSwitchisoff(far
leftposition).Seetheowner’smanualfortheamplifierforinstructionsonbridgingadjacentchan-
nelstoachieveevenhigherpowerwhennecessary.
On-AutoOn-TriggerSwitch:Itisbesttosetthisswitchto“On”whichwillalwayshavetheampli-
fierreadytopoweraninputsignal,includingthedoorbellandpaging.Additionally,“AutoOn”and
“Trigger”maynotalwaysrecognizealow-levelsourcesignalcomingfromtheMC-86.
Right Left Right Left
Right Left Right Left Right Left
3’ShieldedStereoPatchCables
SpeakerConnections
Right Left
Right Left
On
AutoOn
Trigger
How to Connect and Use the MA-1235/Ma-1265

6
ExampleTwo:ConnectingtheAmplifiertoahometheaterreceiverorstereoreceiver/component
Usethestereopre-amporauxilaryoutputsonyourreceiverand/orcomponenttoconnecttoinput1
(In1)and/orinput2(In2)and/orthededicatedLineInputsoneachchanneloftheMA-1235/MA-1265.
AmplifierSettingsforthisexample
Zones1,2,3,and4aresetuptobestereozonesthatamplifythesignalfromtheSatelliteReceiver.TheSatellitereceiver
isoftensettoauser’sfavoriteaudiochannelsothatatanytimeitcanbeheardinzones1,2,3and4.Inthissetup,“In1”
isselectedandtheoddnumberedchannelsaresetto“L”fortheleftchannelandtheevennumberedchannelsaresetto
“R”fortherightchannel.Arotaryvolumecontrol(soldseparately)isplacedintoeachzonetocontrolthevolumelevelfrom
withinthezone.
Zone5issetuptoamplifythesignalbeingsentoutofthehomeaudioreceiver’sauxiliarylineoutput.Inthisexample,“In2”
isselectedandboththeoddnumberedandtheevennumberedchannelsaresetto“L+R”.Withthissetting,allofthespeak-
ersinthiszoneareplayingthesameinformationwhichisthesumoftheleftandrightchannels.Arotaryvolumecontrol
(soldseparately)isplacedintothiszonetocontrolthevolumelevelfromwithinthezoneforallfourspeakers.Theuserjust
aseasilycouldhaveconnectedtworotaryvolumecontrolsintothiszone,oneforeachpairofspeakers.Note:Eachchannel
ontheMA-1235/MA-1265isstabledownto4ohms.Soitissafetoconnecttwo8ohmspeakerstoeachchannel.Whileit
ispossibletoconnectthreeormorespeakerstoeachchannelwiththeuseofimpedancematchingrotaryvolumecontrols
(soldseparately),itisnotrecommendedsincethevolumelevelissignificantlyreduced.
Zone6issetuptobeastereozonethatamplifiesthesignalfromthebedroomTV.Inthissetup,“Line”isselected.Inthis
example,theleftchannelfromtheTVsignalisconnectedtochannel11andtherightchannelisconnectedtochannel12.
When“Line”isselected,the“L,L+R,R”switchisinactive.However,itisusuallyhelpfultosetchannel11to“L”andchannel
12to“R”simplytohelpkeeptrackofwhateachchannelisamplifying.ARotaryvolumecontrol(soldseparately)isplaced
intothezonetocontrolthevolumelevelfromwithinthezone.Note:Iftheuserwantedtochangezone6tolistentotheSat-
ellitereceiver(aswithZones1,2,3and4),theusersimplychangestheswitchfrom“Line”to“In1”.
How to Connect and Use the MA-1235/MA-1265
Zone 1
Line Out *
SAT Optical or
Digital Coax VCR in
L R DVD Optical or
Digital Coax
Optical or
Digital Coax
RCA Output
Optical or
Digital Coax
DVD
VCR
Satellite
Receiver
Audio-Video Sources
Home Theater or Stereo Receiver
L
R
MA-1235/MA-1265
* Auxilary output, pre-amp output,
or second zone output
* NOTE: Some receivers do not have a built-in digital to analog decoder for source inputs.
These receivers require a stereo analog connection (as shown in our example with the VCR)
from each source that you want available to the line output.
RCA Output TV
L
R
RCA Output
L
R
volume
control
Left Speaker Right Speaker
Zone 4
volume
control
Left Speaker Right Speaker
Zone 2
volume
control
Left Speaker Right Speaker
Zone 3
volume
control
Left Speaker Right Speaker
Zone 5
volume
control
Left Speaker Right Speaker
Zone 6
volume
control
Left Speaker Right Speaker

HomeTheaterDirect,Inc.
www.htd.com
ExpertSupport:
Tollfree:866-HTD-AUDIO(483-2834)
[email protected]
Specifications:
ChannelsofAmplification:12(6stereo)
8ohmsRMSWattsPerChannel(allchannelsdriven)
4ohmsRMSWattsPerChannel(allchannelsdriven)
AdjacentChannelsBridged@8ohmsRMSWattsPerChannel
TotalHarmonicDistortion(THD)20Hz-20kHz
  8ohms
  4ohms
  AdjacentChannelsBridged8ohms
Dimensions(HxWxD)
NetWeight
MA-1235
35
50
100
.04%
.06%
.09%
5.75”x17”x17.5”
49lbs.
MA-1265
65
100
150
.04%
.06%
.09%
7”x17”x17.5”
55lbs.