Madrigal Audio Mark Levinson 39 User manual

Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc.
Operating Manual
Mark Levinson®
Nº39
CD Processor

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.
WARNING: TOREDUCETHERISKOFFIREORELECTRICSHOCK,DO
NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
NOTICE
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee
that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment on and off, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna;
• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver;
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected;
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
CAUTION: Changes or modifications to this equipment not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.
The information contained in the manual is subject to change without notice. The most current version of this manual will
be posted on our web site at http://www.madrigal.com.
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 sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric
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 the appliance.
Marking by the “CE” symbol (shown left) indicates compliance of this device with the EMC
(Electromagnetic Compatibility) and LVD (Low Voltage Directive) standards of the
European Community.

Important Safety Instructions
Please read all instructions and precautions carefully and completely before operating your Mark Levinson compo-
nent.
1. ALWAYS disconnect your entire system from the AC mains before connecting or disconnecting
any cables, or when cleaning any component.
2. This product is equipped with a three-conductor AC mains power cord which includes an earth
ground connection. To prevent shock hazard, all three connections must ALWAYS be used. If your
electrical outlets will not accept this type of plug, an adapter may be purchased. If an adapter is
necessary, be sure it is an approved type and is used properly, supplying an earth ground. If you
are not sure of the integrity of your home electrical system, contact a licensed electrician for assis-
tance.
3. ALWAYS keep electrical equipment out of the reach of children.
4. AC extension cords are not recommended for use with this product. If an extension cord must be
used, be sure it is an approved type and has sufficient current-carrying capacity to power this
product.
5. NEVER use flammable or combustible chemicals for cleaning audio components.
6. NEVER operate this product with any covers removed.
7. NEVER wet the inside of this product with any liquid.
8. NEVER pour or spill liquids directly onto this unit.
9. NEVER block air flow through ventilation slots or heatsinks.
10. NEVER bypass any fuse.
11. NEVER replace any fuse with a value or type other than those specified.
12. NEVER attempt to repair this product. If a problem occurs, contact your Mark Levinson®dealer.
13. NEVER expose this product to extremely high or low temperatures.
14. NEVER operate this product in an explosive atmosphere.
15. ALWAYS unplug sensitive electronic equipment during lightning storms.

4
Table of Contents
Unpacking and Placement ....................................................................... 6
Unpacking the Nº39 .......................................................................................... 6
Remove the Transport Screw ........................................................................... 6
Placement of the Nº39...................................................................................... 6
Operating Voltage & Frequency ............................................................... 7
Voltage label .............................................................................................. 7
A Quick Start…............................................................................................ 8
Warm up/break-in period................................................................................. 9
Special Design Features........................................................................... 10
A New Generation .......................................................................................... 10
Digital Servo Control........................................................................................ 10
Digital Input/Output Versatility ....................................................................... 10
Industrial Design ............................................................................................... 11
Convenience Features ................................................................................... 11
Communications Links .................................................................................... 11
24-bit digital architecture and HDCD® compatibility................................. 12
Fully balanced design..................................................................................... 12
Balanced volume control............................................................................... 12
Front Panel, Nº39 ....................................................................................... 13
the extended pause mode............................................................................ 18
sleep timer ........................................................................................................ 18
Rear Panel, Nº39 ....................................................................................... 20
AC power cord polarity........................................................................... 20
IR input tip polarity.................................................................................... 23
Linking connections ................................................................................. 23
standard link cables.................................................................................24
amplifier link cables.................................................................................. 24
Remote Control, Nº39............................................................................... 25
Random Play.................................................................................................... 26
Analog Input Switching................................................................................... 28
Conditions that Affect IR Performance ........................................................ 28
Optimum IR reception window ..............................................................29
Setup and Installation............................................................................... 30
Connecting AC Mains .................................................................................... 30
Connecting Digital Audio Sources ................................................................ 30
Connecting the Digital Audio Outputs ......................................................... 30
Making Link Connections ............................................................................... 31
Connecting Analog Outputs ......................................................................... 31
Basic Operation ........................................................................................ 32
Loading a CD................................................................................................... 32
Playing a CD .................................................................................................... 32
Random Play.................................................................................................... 32
Navigating the Disc......................................................................................... 32
Direct Time Access .......................................................................................... 33
Pause................................................................................................................. 33
Repeat Disc ...................................................................................................... 34
Repeat Track .................................................................................................... 34
A-B Repeat ....................................................................................................... 34
Polarity .............................................................................................................. 34

5
Programming the Nº39 ............................................................................. 35
Introduction to Playlists.................................................................................... 35
Assembling a Playlist........................................................................................ 36
Programming by Omission.............................................................................. 36
Saving a Playlist................................................................................................ 36
Reviewing a Playlist ......................................................................................... 36
Deleting a Track from a Playlist ...................................................................... 37
Adding a Track to a Playlist ............................................................................ 37
Overriding a Playlist .........................................................................................37
Erasing Playlists from Memory......................................................................... 38
Why Polarity Programming? ........................................................................... 38
Whole-Disc Polarity Programming ................................................................. 38
Track-by-Track Polarity Programming............................................................ 39
Overriding a Polarity Program........................................................................ 39
Special Functions...................................................................................... 40
SOUND Menu Items: ........................................................................................ 40
Fixed/Variable Volume.................................................................................... 40
Silent/Audible Cueing ..................................................................................... 41
Balance Control............................................................................................... 41
Mute Control .................................................................................................... 41
Locked Volume ................................................................................................ 41
LINK Menu items:.............................................................................................. 41
Standby link ...................................................................................................... 41
Name link.......................................................................................................... 42
Play link ............................................................................................................. 42
Display link ........................................................................................................ 42
AUX IN’s Menu items........................................................................................ 42
Changing Link Options.................................................................................... 43
Sleep Timer ....................................................................................................... 43
Using Learning Remote Controls ............................................................. 44
Teaching Nº39 Front Panel Commands........................................................ 44
Teaching Other Nº39 Commands .................................................................45
special commands table ........................................................................ 46
Troubleshooting......................................................................................... 47
Care and Maintenance ........................................................................... 49
U.S. and Canadian Warranty ................................................................... 50
Limited five year warranty ..............................................................................50
Obtaining Service ..................................................................................... 51
Specifications............................................................................................ 52
Dimensions ................................................................................................ 53
Installation Notes ...................................................................................... 54

6
Unpacking and Placement
Unpacking the Nº39 Unpack your Nº39 CD Processor and remove all accessories from the carton.
Important! Keep all packing materials for future transport of your Nº39.
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
purchase. Please accept them as a token of our appreciation for having purchased
one of our products.
Remove the Transport Screw Place the Nº39 CD Processor upside-down on a soft, clean surface. Remove the
transport screw from the bottom of the unit and save it with the packing materi-
als for future use.
transport
screw
Warning! The transport screw must be removed before operating the
Nº39, since it immobilizes the transport mechanism during
shipping to prevent damage.This screw must also be
replaced before shipping the unit.
Placement of the Nº39 The Nº37 should be placed close to your digital audio processor, thus keeping
interconnect cabling reasonably short. It may be placed on a shelf or in a cabinet
where it is convenient to operate, but should not be rack mounted, so as to leave
access to the rear panel power switch.
The Nº37 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).

7
Operating Voltage
& Frequency
The Nº39 CD Processor is set at the factory (internally) for 1100V, 120V, 200V,
220V, or 240V AC mains operation as appropriate for the country in which it is to
be sold. Make sure that the label on the rear of the Nº39 (adjacent to the power
cord) indicates the correct AC operating voltage for your location, as attempting to
operate the Nº39 at an incorrect voltage can damage the unit.
The Nº39 CD Processor is also set at the factory for operation on either 50 or
60 Hz AC line frequencies, as appropriate for the country in which it is to be
sold. It will not operate if it senses an incorrect line frequency.
Warning! Neither the voltage nor the line frequency setting may be
changed by the user.There are no user serviceable parts
inside the Nº39. Only qualified, authorized service personnel
may open the Nº39 CD Processor, as hazardous voltages exist
within the unit.
If the AC mains voltage or frequency indicated on your Nº39 is incorrect, please
contact your local, authorized Mark Levinson dealer or distributor.
The Nº39 can easily be powered by a normal 15-ampere AC mains line. If other
devices are also powered from the same AC line, their additional power con-
sumption should be taken into account.

8
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 Nº39 CD Pro-
cessor 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 begin enjoying your new CD player while reading more
about it. The goal here is simply to make some music as quickly as possible. The
following procedure assumes that you have a relatively conventional system and it
is already connected with the exception of the Nº39 (e.g., preamplifier to power
amplifier, to speakers, etc.).
1 TURN OFF YOUR ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS
This minimizes the opportunity for a momentary electrical surge disturbing
your system while making connections. If you have a large power amplifier,
allow its power supply to fully discharge before proceeding (which may
take as long as several minutes, depending on its design).
2 REMOVE THE TRANSPORT SCREW FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE Nº39
If you have not done so already, remove the knurled transport screw from
the bottom of the Nº39 now. Be sure to save it and all packing material for
possible future use. (Shipping the Nº39 without proper packing material
and without the transport screw in its proper position may cause damage to
the unit that would not be covered by the warranty.)
3 CONNECT THE Nº39 TO AC POWER
Connect the AC cord to the Nº39 at the receptacle on the rear panel, and
then to your AC outlet. Then turn on the power switch just above the AC
power receptacle. (The international symbol for “on” is a single vertical line:
|. “Off” is symbolized by a circle: O.) The Nº39 will take a few moments to
initialize and will then be ready to use.
4 CONNECT EITHER THE XLR OR THE RCAANALOG OUTPUTS ON THE
Nº39 TO AN APPROPRIATE INPUT OF YOUR PREAMPLIFIER
When properly implemented, balanced interconnection via XLR connectors
and high quality balanced cables offers superior performance, and is pre-
ferred to single-ended RCA interconnection. Both sets of outputs on your
Nº39 have been optimized to ensure maximum compatibility in a wide
range of systems. (Note that you should never connect a line-level compo-
nent such as a CD player to a phono input on a preamplifier. 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.)

9
5 POWER UP THE REST OF THE SYSTEM, LEAVING THE POWER AMPLIFIERS
FOR LAST
Always turn the power amplifer(s) off first, and on last. This good habit
minimizes the opportunity for unexpected transients to be passed to your
loudspeakers. Another good habit is to reduce the volume on your pream-
plifier to minimum value before you restore power to the system.
6 SELECTTHE INPUTYOU ARE USING ON YOUR PREAMPLIFIER
Take care that a Tape Monitor switch does not override your selection of
the CD player’s input on your preamplifier, or you will be struck by how
“quiet” your new digital source is.…
7 LOAD A DISC IN THE DRAWER AND PRESS PLAY; SLOWLY RAISE THE
VOLUME ON YOUR PREAMPLIFIER
Congratulations! You should now be able to enjoy your favorite music while
reading the rest of this manual. (Please, do read the rest of this manual.)
Warm up/break-in period Although your Mark Levinson Nº39 CD Processor delivers outstanding perfor-
mance straight out of the box, you should expect to hear it continue to improve
as it reaches its normal operating temperatures and its various components
“break-in.” It has been our experience that the greatest changes occur within the
first 300 hours, as the Nº39 reaches thermal equilibrium and capacitors become
fully formed. After this initial break-in, its performance will remain quite constant.
The only exception to this rule is if power is removed from the unit for more
than a few minutes, allowing it to cool down. Depending on the degree of cool-
ing involved, you should expect a brief warm-up period before the Nº39’s sound
quality is at its best. Unless your Nº39 was allowed to become quite chilled, sub-
sequent thermal re-stabilization should not take long.

10
Special Design Features
Congratulations on your purchase of the Nº39 CD Processor. The Madrigal design
team is confident you will enjoy the outstanding performance of the Nº39 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 ampli-
tude nor timing errors (sometimes called “jitter”). As simple as this sounds,
achieving it in reality has been extremely difficult—as evidenced by the signifi-
cant sonic differences between various CD players.
Conventional CD player design depends heavily on the quality of the oscillator
used to control the rate at which the disc spins. This oscillator exists in an ex-
tremely “noisy” electrical environment close to the motor that spins the disc. The
electrical noise introduces timing errors in the delivery of the digital signal that
have come to be known as “jitter.” Subsequent handling of the digital audio sig-
nal in traditional CD player designs cannot improve upon this “jittery” signal,
lacking a better reference. To the contrary, the various stages of signal processing
between the laser pickup and the actual conversion to analog can only contribute
additional jitter of their own.
The Mark Levinson Nº39 leaps beyond conventional digital audio technology by
employing a proprietary, closed-loop jitter-reduction system in conjunction with a
double speed CD-ROM drive. Using a custom-made crystal oscillator with better
than five part-per-million accuracy, the digital signal is reclocked immediately be-
fore its conversion to analog, eliminating transport-related jitter from the digital
audio signal. This same crystal oscillator controls the all-digital servo used to con-
trol the rate at which the disc spins, and the digital to analog conversion process.
In effect, the design of the Nº39 turns the accepted status quo on its head. By
placing the all-important reference clock immediately prior to digital to analog
conversion, and slaving all the mechanical subassemblies to it rather than the
other way around, the signal presented to the outputs of the Nº39 is uncontami-
nated by electrically- or mechanically-induced jitter. The sonic advantages of this
design are immediately apparent in the clarity, warmth and stunning dynamic
contrasts exhibited by the Nº39.
Digital Servo Control The laser mechanism used in the Nº39 uses all digital servo controls of its opera-
tions. 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 Versatility The Nº39 CD player incorporates two digital inputs, allowing two external digital
sources such as a laserdisc player and digital cable radio to benefit from the ex-
cellent digital processor incorporated within. The two most common digital inter-
faces are supported for the widest compatibility: EIAJ (sometimes called
“TosLink™”) and S/PDIF coaxial, via an RCA connector.