Mitchell & Johnson 800 SERIES User guide

800 SERIES
PRE & POWER AMPLIFIER
OWNERS HANDBOOK
Made in the UKMade in the UKMade in the UKMade in the UK

2
Index
Index.............................................................................................................................................. 2
Warranty…………………………………………………………………………………………...……… 3
Declaration of Conformity........................................................................................................... 4
Introduction, Environmental, WEEE, Made in the U ............................................................... 5
Installation & Safety Advice........................................................................................................ 6
PRE-AMPLIFIER INSTRUCTIONS…………………………………………………………………….. 7
Rear Panel..................................................................................................................................... 8
Front Panel…………………………………………………………………………………………..…… 9
Overview and Input Connections ………………………………………………………………….... 10
Balanced Connections………………………………………………………...…………………….… 11
Output Connections / Cables ………………………………………………………………………... 12
Front Panel Operation…………………………………………………………………………………. 13
Remote Control…………………………………………………………………………………………. 14
Setup Menu Options.......................................................................................................... 15 to 18
USB Audio…….…………….…………………………………………...……………..……….... 19 to 20
Pre-Amplifier Specifications ...................................................................................................... 21
POWER AMPLIFIER INSTRUCTIONS……………………………………………………….……….. 22
Rear Panel………………………………………………………………………………………..…….… 23
Front Panel……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 24
Overview and Input Connections………………………………………...………………………….. 25
Output Connections……………………………………………………………………………………. 26
Power Amplifier Specifications………………………….…………………………………………… 27
Rear cover and Contact details ……………………………………………………………………….28

3
PLEASE RETAIN YOUR ORIGINAL PURCHASE RECEIPT AND
PLACE IT HERE FOR SAFEKEEPING
YOUR WARRANTY PERIOD WILL COMMENCE FROM THE
DATE OF PURCHASE SHOWN ON THE RECEIPT
Warranty

4
EC Declaration of Conformity
In accordance with EN ISO 17070-1:2004
We itchell & Johnson electronics ltd of Severn Farm Industrial Estate Welshpool Powys UK in accordance with the following Directive(s): 2006/95/EC The Low Voltage Directive 2004/108/EC The Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive hereby declare that: Equipment: itchell & Johnson 800 preamplifier and 815 power amplifier are in conformity with the applicable requirements of the following standards Standard. No. Name International Equivalents BS EN60065; 2002 Electrical Safety Requirements EN60065; 2002 / IEC60065; 2001 BS EN 55020; 2002 E C Immunity EN55020; 2002 / CISPR 20; 2002 BS EN 55013; 2001 E C Emissions EN55013; 2001 / CISPR 12; 2001 BS EN 61000-3-2; 2001 E C Limits for Harmonic Emissions EN61000-3-2; 2000 / IEC61000-3-2; 2000 BS EN 61000-3-3; 1995 E C Limits for Voltage Fluctuations EN61000-3-3; 1995 / IEC61000-3-3; 1994 I hereby declare that the equipment named above has been designed to comply with the relevant sections of the above referenced specifications. The unit complies with all applicable Essential Requirements of the Directives and Standards. Signed by: .................................................................................................................................................
Name: Nia Davies
Position: anaging Director Done at: itchell & Johnson Electronics Ltd. On: 02/08/2017 17

5
Introduction
Congr tul tions on your purch se of Mitchell & Johnson 800 series products.
The Mitchell & Johnson r nge h s been p inst kingly engineered in the United Kingdom
to offer cl ss le ding perform nce.
Users should re d nd follow this instruction m nu l, p ying p rticul r ttention to the user
inst ll tion nd s fety dvice sections.
This m nu l h s been written to en ble you to chieve the very best perform nce nd m ximum
listening ple sure from your investment.
We wish you m ny ye rs of ple sur ble listening.
With best reg rds, the Mitchell & Johnson te m
Environmental Issues
Although Mitchell & Johnson electronics oper te in st ndby mode s opposed to being fully
switched off, the power dr in h s been optimised to negligible level. Contr ry to popul r udio-
phile pr ctice, we do not recommend le ving our power mplifiers perm nently powered.
All Mitchell & Johnson mplifiers h ve been designed to tt in full oper tion l specific tions nd
sound qu lity within few minutes of switch-on.
Mitchell & Johnson oper tes 100% recycling progr m. All w ste m teri ls gener ted s p rt of
the m nuf cturing process t Mitchell & Johnson re recycled vi licensed speci list comp ny.
WEEE Scheme
Disposal of Electronic Equipment in the European Union and other countries with
collection procedures:
The wheelie bin symbol on this product indic tes th t it sh ll not be tre ted s household w ste. It
should be disposed of vi collection point for the recycling of electric l nd electronic equip-
ment.
Made in the U
Your Mitchell & Johnson 800 series products were entirely designed nd m nuf ctured in the UK.

6
VERY IMPORTANT
Before connecting your new Mitchell & Johnson units to the rest of your system, ple se
ensure ll required input/output c bles re connected BEFORE inserting the m ins power
le d nd powering for the first time.
User installation and safety advice
Ple se ensure th t the m ins volt ge of your new Mitchell & Johnson devices re correct
for your region. The setting is displ yed on l bel next to the m ins power inlet.
The m ins volt ge setting is not user djust ble, therefore the product must be returned to
the de ler/m nuf cturer if ny ch nges re required.
Ensure the m ins supply is switched off t the w ll socket, or unplugged before inst lling
or moving the units.
Do not use ne r w ter, for ex mple do not pl ce potted pl nt on top of the units or llow
drinks to be pl ced ne r the units. If liquid is spilt in to the c binet, remove the m ins le ds
from the w ll immedi tely.
The products should then be returned to your de ler for s fety testing before re-use.
F ilure to do so m y result in electric shock or even fire!
Do not use the units in d mp conditions, for ex mple, outside of the house.
In the event of n electric l storm, remove the m ins power le ds from the w ll outlet.
Keep w y from direct sunlight nd other he t sources nd ensure dequ te ventil tion
round the products to m int in proper cooling.
Units MUST NOT be st cked directly on top of e ch other.
Never ttempt to open the c binets. There re no user service ble p rts inside nd doing
so will inv lid te the m nuf cturers w rr nty.
C re should be t ken to ensure there is no possibility of short circuit behind the units when
in use, for ex mple, met l fr med hi-fi units m y be h z rd.

7
800 SERIES
PRE-AMPLIFIER
INSTRUCTIONS

8
Power Inlet and fuse ratings
Ple se ensure th t the specific tion indi-
c ted dj cent to the connector is correct
for your re .
This will either be 230VAC or 115VAC.
Digital Inputs
USB Asynchronous
3 x Optic l
3 X Co-Axi l
Pre-Amp unbalanced Outputs
Outputs 1 nd 2 re for connecting
n mplifier.
T pe out is not volume controlled for
recording.
Sub out is for supplying volume
controlled feed to n ctive
subwoofer system.
Analogue Unbalanced Inputs
L belled 1 to 4.
The displ yed n me for e ch
input c n be edited in the setup
menu.
Phono input
Select ble MM/MC
In user setup menu.
Rear Panel
Phono Ground
Connect turnt ble
Ground here if fitted.
Balanced inputs
Devices such s b l nced output
CD pl yers c n be connected here.
Connections comply with Europe n
st nd rd pin pol rity wiring
Serial Number &
Safety Information
Balanced outputs
For connection to n mplifier with
b l nced inputs
Connections comply with Europe n
st nd rd pin pol rity wiring
12 volt power links
Used to link units together
for synchronised on/off

9
Input selector/Power on/off
Rot ting clockwise or nticlock-
wise will cycle through the list of
v il ble inputs.
Unused inputs c n be suspended
from the list nd required inputs
c n be re-n med in the setup
menu. See p ge 13
Information Display
Volume setting nd selected input
displ yed by def ult.
Menu selection inform tion is
displ yed when in MENU mode.
Volume nob/Menu select
Volume knob rot tes in the
convention l w y to regul te
the mplifiers volume. The
volume level is shown on the
m in displ y.
Pushing the volume knob will
en ble the menu p ge for cus-
tomising the user settings.
See p ge 15 for det ils.
Headphones
6.35mm output socket for
integr ted he dphone
mplifier.
He dphone imped nce
should be minimum of
32 Ohms.
Front Panel
Infra red receiver
Both the volume knob nd the Source knob incorpor te push switch to ch nge functions.
Pushing nd holding the volume knob for 5 seconds will toggle in nd out of the setup menu.
Pushing the Input knob will ch nge the settings in e ch setup sub menu.
Standby light
2 way power switch
See p ge13

10
Mitchell & Johnson 800 series pre-amplifier Overview
The Mitchell & Johnson 800 pre- mplifier is cl ss le ding product, c p ble of superb perform nce
t the he rt of n udiophile stereo system. It incorpor tes subst nti l number of connections for
both n logue nd digit l sources.
In ll there re 13 potenti l source connections.
Connections
Input Connections
Analogue 1-4 > The Mitchell & Johnson 800 pre- mplifiers n logue inputs should only be con-
nected to the n logue outputs (usu lly m rked left/right nd colour coded white/red) from source
component.
Balanced > High end sources often fe ture this kind of connection. It does not offer ny inherent
dv nt ge over unb l nced connections in short c bles but it does offer better sign l to noise nd
hum rejection in long c bles where the components re sited some dist nce p rt.
Phono > This is where turnt ble should be connected which dos NOT h ve n integr ted phono
st ge pre- mplifier. The Mitchell & Johnson 800 pre- mplifiers phono st ge c n be used with either
Moving M gnet or Moving Coil c rtridge. The relev nt setting is ccessible in the setup menu.
Digital
Optical 1-3 > Optic l connections re commonly used on televisions, g mes m chines nd s tellite
television receivers to tr nsfer digit l udio inform tion from one component to nother.
The m in benefit of optic l connections is th t there is no direct e rth connection between units,
thereby voiding induced hum from ground loops or switch mode power supply noise being p ssed
from one device to nother.
Co-Axial 1-3 > M ny CD pl yers, stre ming network pl yers nd extern l processors use Co-Axi l
wired connections. Theoretic lly the qu lity is superior to optic l with less jitter induced in the tr ns-
mission ch in, but in pr ctice it prob bly m kes little difference.
USB > Computer b sed music pl yb ck, if from convention l computer or medi server (just
computer hidden in box) is gener lly vi USB connection.
The Mitchell & Johnson 800 pre- mplifier h s n synchronous connection using n XMOS USB
interf ce chip. This does not require driver with Apple, Linux or Android b sed systems. However,
Microsoft devices will require suit ble driver nd setup for the interf ce to work. See p ge 19

11
Input Connections continued
Balanced.
The Mitchell & Johnson 800 pre- mplifier incorpor tes b l nced input connection vi XLR.
B l nced connections re the norm l method of connecting devices in the profession l udio world.
The udio sign l is tr nsmitted down the c ble using two sep r te conductors.
One sign l is norm l plus ph se s would be in st nd rd phono/cinch type c ble.
The second sign l is identic l but reverse (minus) ph se.
The inverted sign l is re-inverted in the receiving device m king it plus ph se.
The two sign ls re then dded together to produce the origin l source sign l.
However, ny noise or hum induced in the c ble is effectively c ncelled out.
Other th n gre ter noise rejection, there is no inherent dv nt ge to be g ined by using b l nced
connectors in domestic setting, unless the two connected devices re pl ced sever l meters p rt,
in which c se there would lmost definitely be n improvement in the tr nsmitted sign l to noise r tio
if using b l nced connector.
However, m ny users cl im th t their systems sound better if connected vi XLR type c bles.
Mitchell nd Johnson conform to the Europe n XLR connection st nd rd:-
Pin one……………...Ground.
Pin two………………Live (Hot).
Pin Three…………...Return (Cold).

12
Connections continued
Output connections
PRE OUT > Du l stereo line outputs re provided. These outputs re controlled by the pre-
mplifiers volume control nd c n be used for v riety of uses. Ex mples include feeding n
ctive subwoofer system or bi- mping, where 800 series power mplifier is used to drive the
tweeters in the loudspe kers nd nother mplifier is used to drive the woofers.
The loudspe kers must be suit ble for bi- mping. This is norm lly the c se where there re two
p irs of binding posts on the re r of the loudspe kers. It is vital to remove the links on the re r of
the spe kers, otherwise the mplifiers will be connected to e ch other, which will result in
consider ble d m ge.
Ple se cont ct Mitchell nd Johnson Ltd. for dvice.
REC OUT > This is direct output before the volume control specific lly for recording purposes
or for sending feed to second room with second mplifier setup.
This output is not volume controlled so t ke c re when connecting components to this output
SUB OUT > Stereo outputs re provided to en ble du l ctive subwoofers to be used. Multiple
subwoofers give much better room cover ge nd ultim tely run t lower level th n single sub-
woofers.
HEADPHONE OUT > A he dphone output is v il ble on the front p nel.
The output uses 6.35mm (qu rter inch) full size j ck socket.
He dphones should h ve minimum imped nce of 32 Ohms.
It is dvis ble to unplug he dphones before powering down the mplifier.
Cables
Never underestim te the import nce of good qu lity spe ker c bles. Bell wire, lighting flex or
che p free c bles will not do. C bles c n be very synergistic.
The higher the system resolution, the more e sily differences between c bles c n be discerned.

13
Front Panel Operation
On/Off Switch
The On /Off switch is 3 position moment ry ction type, me ning th t it c n be pushed upw rds
or downw rds but will return to the centr l position when rele sed.
If using the 12 volt power link between the Pre- mplifier nd the Power mplifier, pushing the
switch downw rds in the norm l f shion will toggle both units on or off s required.
However, pushing the switch upw rds will power the pre- mplifier on only, re dy for he dphone lis-
tening. The power mplifier will rem in off.
Pushing the switch down once will power off the pre- mplifier.
Source Selection
Input sources re selected by rot ting the source selection knob on the front p nel, or by using
Input Up/Down on the remote. The udio will mute for fr ction of second while switching, to
prevent ny unw nted clicks, then restore to low level to void spe ker d m ge.
The low level input ch nge function c n be defe ted in the setup menu.
When AV direct is selected on the remote control, the volume initi lly returns to low level then
slowly r mps up to pre-set level for control vi the AV processor. The volume c n be m nu lly
overridden t ny time by turning the volume knob or by pushing either of the volume buttons on
the remote control.
The AV direct input connection is design ted in the setup menu.
Volume Control
The volume control uses rot ry encoder to regul te n n logue, precision resistor l dder
volume control.
This method of volume control, perm nently ensures the highest fidelity without the gr du l
degener tion of convention l motorised volume controls.
The volume control h s no effect on the t pe-output level, but does control the pre-out volume.
Pressing the Volume knob for pprox. two seconds will en ble the setup menu to be ccessed.
Ple se see p ge 15 for det ils of the setup menu options.

14
Mitchell & Johnson remote control
The remote control is designed to oper te both the prim ry functions of the
Mitchell nd Johnson pre/power nd those of Mitchell nd Johnson CD
pl yer
POWER: The top red power button toggles the unit between st ndby nd
power on.
MUTE: Pressing the MUTE button once while the system is pl ying will c use
the volume to r pidly f de to zero.
A second push of the button will restore the volume level to its previous set-
ting.
INPUT: The input buttons select the pre- lloc ted input sources s shown on
p ge 15.
VOLUME: Two buttons, + for up nd - for down, control the volume. Short
presses on the VOLUME buttons will ch nge the volume in sm ll increments.
Press nd hold the volume + or - buttons to smoothly r ise or lower the vol-
ume.
The CD control buttons llow control of v rious functions on Leem CD pl y-
er.
TRAY: Opens nd closes the CD tr y
PLAY/PAUSE: Press once to pl y the CD, press g in to p use. To resume
pl yb ck, press the PLAY/PAUSE button g in.
STOP: Pushing the STOP button will termin te the pl yb ck nd stop the CD from spining.

15
Setup Menu
1> HT DIRECT INPUT
This menu defines the input design ted s the Home The tre input. This input c n be s-
signed s the front left nd right ch nnel input source to be used in Home Cinem Set-
up, usu lly from home cinem processor or suit ble pl yer with integr ted surround
sound decoding.
Options:
1. HT Input not used.
2. HT Input xxxxxx
Expl n tion: When set to “not used”, the HT button on the remote does not function nd
the HT selection is removed from the input selection list.
When HT is set, the selected input is lloc ted to the HT direct button nd ppe rs s the
home the tre input.
The HT volume only r mps up to fixed unity g in when HT mode is en bled from the re-
mote control or from the input selection knob.
2> INPUT VOLUME DROP
Options:
1. Volume drops to low/s fe level when n input source is ch nged.
2. Volume rem ins t the current set level when n input source is ch nged.
Expl n tion: Mitchell & Johnson pre- mplifier h s l rge number of inputs, including
phono st ge, nd multiple digit l inputs
It would be possible to in dvertently switch between low volume level source such s
cl ssic l music, vi Bluetooth, to de th met l music coming from disk pl yer.
The Mitchell nd Johnson pre- mplifier c n be set to lower the volume between input
selections (option 1 bove) in order to void ny such sudden ch nges in volume.

16
Setup Menus Continued
3> DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
Expl n tion: The brightness of the displ y c n be djusted between 5% nd 95%.
The brightness will revert to high level when n vig ting menus nd revert to the User se-
lected level in norm l oper tion.
4> SET LCD OFF TIMER
Options:
1. LCD ALWAYS ON
2. OFF IN 5 SECONDS
3. OFF IN 10 SECONDS
4. OFF IN 30 SECONDS
Expl n tion: The LCD displ y c n be set to utom tic lly turn off fter preset period of
time following comm nd such s ch nging input or djusting the volume. The displ y will
re ctiv te upon such n ction then turn off following the preset period defined in the menu.

17
5> INPUT NAMES: All input n mes re fully edit ble.
Expl n tion : The re r p nel is l beled Optic l IN 1, IN 2, IN 3, etc. These re the def ult n mes
used by the firmw re, however, the displ yed n me m y be ch nged s the user requires to m ke
it e sier to identify n udio source.
For ex mple, if s tellite receiver is connected to the Optic l Input 1, this input could be ren med
to 'SAT'. Input n mes c n be up to ten ch r cters long.
EDITING AN INPUT NAME
Press the VOLUME/MENU knob for 5 seconds.
Using the VOLUME/MENU knob, loc te item 5, "INPUT NAMES" nd select by pressing.
Rot ting the VOLUME/MENU knob, loc te the input n me to be edited, g in, press the select
button.
The displ y will now show:
EDIT :<input n me>
ALIAS :<Origin l n me>
Notice th t the first letter of the input n me is fl shing s block.
To ch nge the letter, press select. The letter will now be underlined.
Rot ting the INPUT/NAV Knob will scroll through the v il ble letters nd symbols.
These re:- # ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789\-+:,.
When the required letter or symbol h s been loc ted, press the Select Button. This will return the
displ y to fl shing block. The INPUT/NAV knob c n now be used to loc te the next letter to edit.
Repe t the process until the n me is displ yed s required.
Fin lly, press the VOLUME/MENU button for 5 seconds to exit the MENU function. During the edit
process, the origin l n me ( s used on the re r p nel) is shown s ALIAS for reference.

18
6> SYSTEM RESET
Options:
1: CANCEL AND EXIT
2: LEAVE NAMES
3: FACTORY RESET
Expl n tion > Allows the system to be quickly reset to f ctory def ults.
Option 1 will not reset nd will exit the reset sub menu.
Option 2 will reset ll menu options but le ve edited input n mes.
Option 3 will reset ll menu options nd reset input n mes to def ults.
7> Phone Cartridge Selection
Options:
1: Moving M gnet C rtridge
2: Moving Coil C rtridge
Expl n tion: There re two types of phono c rtridge in common circul tion,
Moving M gnet nd Moving Coil.
Moving Coil c rtridges h ve very low output volt ge which requires n extr g in st ge
to be switched in to the circuit. This c n be chieved by selecting option two.
Setup Menus Advanced, Cont’d

19
USB ASYNCHRONOUS
CONNECTION
The USB interf ce uses n XMOS b sed solution. Linux or Apple oper ting systems will utom tic l-
ly connect for high speed udio, though the M&J unit will h ve to be selected s the udio pl yer in
the computer settings.
Windows 10 cre tors upd te lso h s the XMOS driver embedded.
E rlier versions of Windows will require driver, but we strongly recommend using Windows 10 for
high speed udio pl yb ck.
If using n e rlier version of Windows, ple se cont ct Mitchell & Johnson for dvice.

20
Introduction
Mitchell & Johnsons USB bo rd llows for st te of the rt connection vi USB.
For correct oper tion of the USB interf ce with Microsoft Windows m chines, USB driver
must be downlo ded, inst lled nd configured. Ple se see p ge 35 for instructions.
Apple OSX® nd Linux® oper ting systems do not require n ddition l driver.
They will however require their respective udio pl yb ck devices to be set to”XMOS” s
the def ult.
Asynchronous USB
In convention l USB pl yb ck scen rio, the computer v ries the speed of the digit l u-
dio stre m em n ting from it’s USB port, itself. The DAC h s no option but to sl vishly
follow this v ri ble d t r te. This is not suit ble method for producing high qu lity udio
since it results in high jitter which in turn results in high distortion.
Asynchronous USB pl yb ck requires the DAC to ccur tely regul te the d t output
speed of the computer to pr ctic lly elimin te jitter b sed distortion.
In pr ctice this is very complex t sk nd requires the computer to h ve free USB 2.0
port, connected to the DAC vi suit ble high speed USB 2.0 c ble.
Mitchell & Johnsons 800 series pre- mp uses USB high speed device which upon con-
nection, invokes the USB port’s high speed mode. This mode is only v il ble under USB
2.0.
Windows does not n tively support High d t r te udio form ts, hence the need for driv-
er to be inst lled.
UPDATE…..Windows 10 cre tors upd te now includes the XMOS driver s st nd rd.