L-Acoustics LA8 User manual

LA8 AMPLIFIED CONTROLLER
PRODUCT INFORMATION - VERSION 3.0
W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M
PRODUCT Serial Number: #________________________________

LA8 AMPLIFIED CONTROLLER
PRODUCT INFORMATION - VERSION 3.0
W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M
Document reference: LA8_PI_EN_3.0
Distribution date: October 28, 2014
© 2014 L-ACOUSTICS®. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means without the express written consent of the publisher.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read this manual
2. Follow all SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS as well as DANGER and OBLIGATION warnings
3. Never incorporate equipment or accessories not approved by L-ACOUSTICS®
4. Read all the related PRODUCT INFORMATION documents before exploiting the system
The product information document is included in the shipping carton of the related system component.
5. Environments
Use the product only in E1, E2, E3, or E4 environments according to EN55103-2 standard.
6. Radio interference
A sample of this product has been tested and complies with the limits for the EMC (Electro Magnetic
Compatibility) directive. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference
from electrical equipment. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation.
7. Power cord caution
Do not use the product if the power cord is broken or frayed.
Protect the power cord from being walked upon or pinched - particularly at the plugs and the point where the
power cord exits from the apparatus.
8. Mains supply
Only connect the LA8 (CE type) or LA8US (US type) to an AC power outlet rated 230 V, 16 A, 50 - 60 Hz or
120 V, 30 A, 50-60 Hz.
Only connect the LA8JP (Japan model) to an AC power outlet rated 100 V, 30 A, 50 - 60 Hz or 200 V, 15 A,
50-60 Hz.
9. Three-phase circuit
Verify that each phase works, in particular the neutral one.
Balance the loads between the three phases.
Never try to reproduce a 230 V circuit connecting an LA8 or an LA8US to two live wires of a 120 V three-phase
circuit.
Never try to reproduce a 200 V circuit connecting an LA8JP to two live wires of a 100 V three-phase circuit.
10. Electrical generator
You must power on the generator before powering on the amplified controllers.
Verify that the amplified controllers are turned off before powering on the generator.
11. Thermal circuit breaker
Always interconnect a thermal circuit breaker between the product and the mains.
The circuit breaker current rating depends on the mains voltage rating as follows:
16 A for 230 V or 30 A for 120 V (LA8 or LA8US), 15 A for 200 V or 30 A for 100 V (LA8JP).
12. Grounding
To plug the controller to mains only use an outlet fitted with a pin tied to ground.
Do not defeat the ground pin of the outlet as it connects the controller to earth. If the local outlet is obsolete,
consult an electrician.
The product is fitted with a grounding-type plug. Do not defeat the ground wire connecting the plug’s female
contact to the product’s chassis.

W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M
13. Plug replacement
If the AC plug on the power supply cord of this product does not match the local outlet, it must be replaced by an
appropriate one. This operation should only be performed by qualified service personnel.
Verify that the cut-off plug is withdrawn from use, as it can cause severe electrical shock if connected to an AC
outlet.
14. Lightning storm
During lightning storms, disconnect the product from the mains.
Switching the product off does not disconnect it from the mains. To do this, remove the plug from the mains
outlet.
15. Interconnections
When connecting the product to other equipment, mute all output channels. Carefully read the user manual of the
other equipment and follow the instructions when making the connections.
Do not connect a speaker output in parallel or series with any other amplifier output.
Do not connect the speaker outputs to any other voltage source, such as a battery, mains source, or power
supply, regardless of whether the product is turned on or off.
16. Over power risks
The product is very powerful and can be potentially dangerous to both loudspeakers and humans alike.
Even reducing the gain it is still possible to reach very high output power if the input signal level is high enough.
17. Operating temperature
The product operates at a room temperature between 0 °C and +50 °C.
18. Ventilation
Openings in the product chassis are for ventilation. They prevent the product from overheating and thus ensure
reliable operation. These openings must not be blocked or covered. The product must be installed in accordance
with the instructions given in this manual.
19. Heat
Do not operate the product near any heat source, such as radiators or other devices.
20. Water and moisture
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose the product to rain or moisture.
Do not use the product near water. Do not operate the product while wet.
21. Interference with external objects and/or liquids
Never push objects of any kind into the product through openings as they may touch dangerous voltage points or
short out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product.
22. Cleaning
Unplug the product from the mains before cleaning.
Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners. Clean only with dry cloth.
23. Mounting instructions
Do not place the product on an unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table. The product may fall
and be seriously damaged, and may cause serious human injury.
Any mounting of the product should follow the manufacturer’s instructions given in this manual, and
should use accessories recommended by the manufacturer.
24. Conditions which require immediate service
Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
Servicing is required when the product has been damaged in any way such as:
Power supply cord or plug is damaged,
Liquid has been spilled or an object has fallen into the product,
The product has been exposed to rain or moisture,
The product was dropped or the housing is damaged,
The product does not operate normally.

LA8 AMPLIFIED CONTROLLER
PRODUCT INFORMATION - VERSION 3.0
W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M
25. Servicing and replacement parts
Do not attempt to service this product as removing covers may expose to dangerous voltage or other hazards.
The use of unauthorized replacement parts may result in injury and/or damage through fire, electric shock, or
other electricity-related hazards.
All service and repair work must be carried out by an L-ACOUSTICS®authorized dealer.
26. Shipping
Use the original packaging for shipping the product, unless it is mounted in a rack with the front and rear panels
fixed to the rack, as described in this manual.
SYMBOLS INDICATED ON THE PRODUCT
The product is potentially life threatening if open.
Never attempt to remove the back cover.
The lightning flashes symbols next to the SpeakON®and
CA-COM®connectors indicate that the product can generate
high output voltages that are potentially life threatening.
Always use ready-made leads to connect the product to
speakers. Never touch any exposed speaker wires while the
product is operating without first disconnecting the wires from
the product.
SYMBOLS
The following symbols are used in this document:
DANGER
This symbol indicates a potential risk of harm to an individual or damage to the product.
It can also notify the user about instructions that must be strictly followed to ensure safe installation or operation
of the product.
ELECTRICAL HAZARD
This symbol indicates a potential risk of electrical injury.
It can also notify the user about instructions that must be strictly followed to ensure safe installation or operation
of the product.
OBLIGATION
This symbol notifies the user about instructions that must be strictly followed to ensure proper installation or
operation of the product.
EQUIPMENT
This symbol indicates the equipment, tools, and spare parts required to perform a procedure.
INFORMATION
This symbol notifies the user about complementary information or optional instructions.

W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M
WELCOME TO L-ACOUSTICS®
Thank you for purchasing the L-ACOUSTICS®LA8 amplified controller. The shipping carton should contain:
-1 LA8 amplified controller
-2 rear support brackets
Each L-ACOUSTICS® product is tested and inspected before leaving the factory and should arrive in perfect condition.
After the careful opening of the shipping carton, check for any noticeable damage. If so, notify the shipping company or
the distributor immediately. Only the consignee may initiate a claim with the carrier for damage incurred during
shipping. Be sure to save the carton and packing materials to be inspected by the carrier.
Carefully read this document in order to become familiar with the product and to identify the external documents
containing essential information on installing and operating the product properly and safely. All the documents
mentioned hereafter are freely available on the L-ACOUSTICS®web site: www.l-acoustics.com.
As part of a continuous evolution of techniques and standards, L-ACOUSTICS®reserves the right to
change the specifications of its products and the content of its documents without prior notice. Please visit
the L-ACOUSTICS®web site on a regular basis to download latest updates for documents and software.
LA8 AMPLIFIED CONTROLLER
The LA8 amplified controller belongs to the generation of high-end integrated controllers entirely dedicated to the
comprehensive operation of L-ACOUSTICS®loudspeaker systems. The LA8 combines in a 2U lightweight chassis the
resources of a 2 x 4 DSP engine driving four channels of amplification delivering up to 1800 W each, a comprehensive
library of factory presets, a user-friendly front panel interface, two I/O Ethernet connection ports for network remote
control, a connection panel for audio inputs and speaker outputs, and an AES/EBU input board.
USING THE LA8
Refer to the LA8 user manual for installation and operation procedures.
MAINTENANCE
It is essential to inspect the product on a regular basis to ensure performance and safety.
Refer to the LA8 maintenance manual –level 1 for information about troubleshooting and periodic maintenance.
Follow the procedures described in this manual. If necessary use the Replacement Kits (KR) provided by
L-ACOUSTICS®.
Any maintenance operation not recommended by L-ACOUSTICS®will void the warranty. Contact
L-ACOUSTICS®for advanced maintenance.

LA8 AMPLIFIED CONTROLLER
PRODUCT INFORMATION - VERSION 3.0
W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M
EC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
L-ACOUSTICS®
13 rue Levacher Cintrat
Parc de la Fontaine de Jouvence
91462 Marcoussis Cedex
France
States that the following product:
LA8 amplified controller
Is in conformity with the provisions of:
2014/35/EC: Low Voltage Directive
2004/108/EC: Electro-Magnetic Compatibility Directive
2011/65/EU: ROHS2 Directive
Applied rules and standards:
EN60065 Safety requirements for audio, video and
similar electronic apparatus
EN55103-1 Electromagnetic compatibility - Product
family standard for audio, video, audio-visual and
entertainment lighting control apparatus for professional
use - Part 1: Emissions
EN55103-2 Electromagnetic compatibility - Product
family standard for audio, video, audio-visual and
entertainment lighting control apparatus for professional
use - Part 2: Immunity
EN50581 Technical documentation for the assessment
of electrical and electronic products with respect to the
restriction of hazardous substances
Established at Marcoussis, France,
July 15, 2014
Genio KRONAUER,
Head of electronics Department
ADDITIONAL APPROVALS
The LA8 amplified controller holds the following certificates:
CCC and cTUVus

W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M
LA8 SPECIFICATIONS
GENERAL
Output power
EIA (1% THD, 1 kHz, all channels driven)
8 Ω
4 or 2.7 Ω
4 x 1100 W RMS
4 x 1800 W RMS
4 x 1300 W peak
4 x 2500 W peak
Max output voltage
150 V (Peak voltage, no load)
Circuitry
Class D
Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
SHARC 32 bit, floating point, 96 kHz sampling rate
Frequency range
20 Hz-20 kHz (±0.15 dB at 8 Ω)
Distortion THD+N
< 0.05 % (20 Hz-10 kHz, 8 Ω, 11 dB below rated power)
Output dynamic range
107 dB (20 Hz-20 kHz, 8 Ω, A-weighted)
Amplification gain
32 dB
Noise level
-67 dBV (20 Hz-20 kHz, 8 Ω, A-weighted)
Channel separation
> 85 dB (at 1 kHz)
Damping factor
> 600 (8 Ω, 1 kHz and below)
Mains input power
and current draw
(all channels driven)
Maximum output power
Mains input power and current draw
Load
Nb. of driven
channels
Power
per
channel
1/3 Output
Power (-5 dB)
1/8 Output
Power (-9 dB)
IDLE
Standby
4 Ω
4
1800 W
22 A / 3100 W
11 A / 1500 W
0.5 A /
115 W
< 0.1 A /
12 W
8 Ω
4
1100 W
15 A / 1950 W
10 A / 1300 W
Current values given for a mains rated at 230 V. Multiply by 2 for 120 V, 1.15 for 200 V and 2.3 for 100 V.
If the voltage outsides a plus or minus 10 % range the maximum power is no longer guaranteed.
Mains ratings
LA8 & LA8US
LA8JP
120/230 V AC (±10 %), 50-60 Hz
100/200 V AC (±10 %), 50-60 Hz
Operating temperature
Room temperature
Inside controller
from 0 °C to +50 °C
from 0 °C to +85 °C
Circuits protection
temperature monitoring of transformers and heat-sinks
inrush-current limitation
mains supply failure and over-voltage detection
output DC protection
output over current protection
Transducers protection
L-DRIVE thermal and over excursion protection
Fans
2 fans, temperature-controlled speed
Fans noise (free field, 1m)
At minimum speed
At maximum speed
24 dBA
42 dBA
Indicators
4 meters including Load, Signal, Level and Clip LED
L-NET presence LED
4 mute LED
Output Connectors
2 x 4-point SpeakON®
1 x 8-point CA-COM®
OUT1/2 and OUT3/4
OUT1 to OUT4
L-NET connectors
2 x Fast Ethernet RJ45 (in/out)

LA8 AMPLIFIED CONTROLLER
PRODUCT INFORMATION - VERSION 3.0
W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M
ANALOG INPUT
Connectors
Input
Link
2 Neutrik®female XLR3, IEC 268, ESD protected
2 Neutrik®male XLR3, IEC 268, ESD protected
Input
impedance
22 kΩ (balanced)
Max input level
22 dBu (balanced, THD 1 %)
Latency
3.9 ms
Digital
conversion
two cascaded 24 bit A/D converters (130 dB dynamic range)
DIGITAL INPUT
Connectors
Input
1 Neutrik®female XLR3, IEC 268, ESD protected
Link
1 Neutrik®male XLR3, IEC 268, ESD protected, electronically
buffered, failsafe relay
USB
1 Mini-B type female USB, reserved for future applications
Supported
input formats
Standard
AES/EBU (AES3) or coaxial S/PDIF (IEC 60958 Type II)
Sampling frequency (Fs)
44.1, 48, 64, 88.2, 96, 128, 176.4, or 192 kHz
Word length
16, 18, 20, or 24 bits
Input gain
Adjustable from -12 dB to +12 dB by 0.1 dB steps
Latency
3.84 ms (upon user selection, independent of the input sampling frequency)
Sample Rate
Converter
(SRC)
Sampling frequency
96 kHz (SRC referenced to the amplified controller internal clock)
Word length
24 bits
Dynamic range
140 dB
Distortion (THD+N)
< -120 dBfs
Bandpass ripple
±0.05 dB (20 Hz-40 kHz, 96 kHz)
AES/EBU to
ANALOG
fallback
Switchover conditions
no clock
loss of lock
CRC error
bipolar encoding error or data slip
Constant delay
yes (upon user selection, independent of input Fs)
Constant level
yes (upon user setting of AES/EBU in gain, independent of input Fs)
Revert to AES/EBU
manual user selection
PHYSICAL DATA
Dimensions
(H x W x D)
88 (2U) x 483 x 420 mm / 3.5 (2U) x 19 x 16.5 in
Weight
12.2 kg / 26.9 lb
Finish
black and anthracite gray

W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M
MAINTENANCE RECORD
Product Serial Number: #________________________________
Date
Inspection / Service / Repair
Executed by

LA8 AMPLIFIED CONTROLLER
PRODUCT INFORMATION - VERSION 3.0
W W W . L - A C O U S T I C S . C O M