Rane MA3 User manual
MA3
MULTICHANNEL AMPLIFIER
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MA3
MULTICHANNEL
AMPLIFIER
3
CHANNEL OUTPUT HEADROOM
POWER
POWER
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION
To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not open the unit. No user
serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualied service personnel.
e symbols shown below are internationally accepted symbols
that warn of potential hazards with electrical products.
is symbol indicates that a dangerous voltage
constituting a risk of electric shock is present
within this unit.
is symbol indicates that there are important
operating and maintenance instructions in the
literature accompanying this unit.
WARNING
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
6. Clean only with a dry cloth.
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliers) that produce heat.
9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A
grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. e wide blade or third prong is provided for your safety. If the provided plug
does not t into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
10. Protect the power cord and plug from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where it exits from
the apparatus.
11. Only use attachments and accessories specied by Rane.
12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specied by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution
when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
14. Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power supply
cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does
not operate normally, or has been dropped.
15. e plug on the power cord is the AC mains disconnect device and must remain readily operable. To completely disconnect this apparatus from
the AC mains, disconnect the power supply cord plug from the AC receptacle.
16. is apparatus shall be connected to a mains socket outlet with a protective earthing connection.
17. When permanently connected, an all-pole mains switch with a contact separation of at least 3 mm in each pole shall be incorporated in the
electrical installation of the building.
18. If rackmounting, provide adequate ventilation. Equipment may be located above or below this apparatus, but some equipment (like large power
ampliers) may cause an unacceptable amount of hum or may generate too much heat and degrade the performance of this apparatus.
19. is apparatus may be installed in an industry standard equipment rack. Use screws through all mounting holes to provide the best support.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. Apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping
or splashing and no objects lled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.
NOTE: is 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.
ese limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. is 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 harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment o and on, 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 receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
CAUTION: Changes or modications not expressly approved by Rane Corporation could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
is Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.
WARNING: is product may contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, or birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Manual-1
OPERATORS MANUAL MA3
MULTICHANNEL AMPLIFIER
Quick Start
Sure, you say, “it’s just a three channel amp, I'm in a hurry —
I don't need to read the manual.” But at least read this little sec-
tion so you really know what to expect, and your installation can
go even faster.
Be sure the amplier is o before making any connections.
Euroblocks make amplier connection easy. ey are just like
“snap on” terminal blocks that take up to 12 guage wire.
Driving the MA3 from a balanced source is recommended.
If you must drive the MA3 Input with an unbalanced source, we
recommend using a cable that has two conductors plus a shield,
and be sure to keep cable lengths as short as possible (under 10
feet [3 meters]). See the RaneNote, “Sound System Interconnec-
tion” (contained in this booklet).
Nominal speaker loads should be no lower than 4Ω per out-
put. If you are running series or parallel combinations, be sure
and check your total load impedance.
For constant-voltage distribution, consider using the optional
TF 410 or TF 407 transformers with the MT 6 rack panel.
Transformers may be used on any number of output channels
required, and one MT 6 can be used with two MA3s. If you in-
tend to use constant-voltage distribution transformers, you may
want to read the RaneNote “Constant-Voltage Audio Distribu-
tion Systems” (contained in this booklet).
If you are using small speakers that could overload with bass,
you may want to activate an internal 80 Hz Filter on each chan-
nel. e MA3 is shipped from the factory with the jumpers in
the “no lter” position, as shown in the diagram on page 4.
Once Input and Output connections are completed, be sure
all rear panel LEVEL controls are all the way counterclockwise.
Now ip the POWER switch on. After a couple of seconds,
slowly turn up each channels’ LEVEL control to the desired
gain. Maximum yields the most eective dynamic range control
for the built-in Limiter). If all is well, you will hear something
pleasant. If not, re-check connections, put on a better CD, and
read more of this manual.
WEAR PARTS: is product contains no wear parts.
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MA3
MULTICHANNEL
AMPLIFIER
3
CHANNEL OUTPUT HEADROOM
POWER
POWER
Speaker Connection
To reduce the risk of re, follow these instructions:
• Connect speaker wires with the amplier o.
• Use approved Class 2 wiring to connect speakers to the output
terminals.
• e recommended wire gauge is 12-18 AWG.
• Do not use damaged wires, and protect wires from damage.
• Strip wire 0.25 inch (about 6.3 mm).
• Twist the strands together.
• Fully insert the wire into the Euroblock connector.
• Tighten the screw.
• Make certain there are no loose wire strands.
• Use speakers with a power rating equal to or greater than the
rating of the amplier.
• Connection at the speaker depends on the type of connector.
Follow the instructions provided by the speaker manufacturer.
Manual-2
Front Panel Description
1Heat tunnel exhaust vents are located on the left of the unit. Large aperture vent slots are used for low noise. Air is taken in at
the back of the unit and exhausts out the front. When installed in a rack, make sure there is ample room for air to exit. e sealed
heat tunnel design does not require the use of an air lter.
2CHANNEL OUTPUT HEADROOM meters indicate the amount of remaining headroom (how much more signal can be ap-
plied before Limiting occurs).
0 dB remaining is indicated by a red indicator. When lit, any additional signal causes the Limiter to operate. It is possible to “com-
press” the signal as much as 20 dB with very little eect on sound quality. is gives the MA3 the overload characteristics of a
much larger amplier, without the use of external compressors. e MA3 was designed to be driven hard (heavily compressed
signal) so it is not necessary to buy extra power to obtain the headroom required to prevent overload.
3 dB remaining is indicated by a yellow indicator. When lit, 3 dB of additional signal may be applied before Limiting.
6 dB remaining is indicated by a green indicator. When lit, 6 dB of additional signal may be applied before Limiting.
12 dB remaining is indicated by a green indicator. When lit, 12 dB of additional signal may be applied before Limiting.
3POWER: is yellow indicator lights when power is applied to the unit. See 4below.
4POWER switch: is control obediently turns the MA3 on and o every time you poke it with your nger. Poking the top half
of the switch turns the unit on when it is o. Poking the bottom portion of the switch turns the unit o when it it on. All three
channels have turn-on and turn-o muting to reduce switching transients.
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MA3
MULTICHANNEL
AMPLIFIER
3
CHANNEL OUTPUT HEADROOM
POWER
POWER
Manual-3
Rear Panel Description
1INPUTS are balanced Euroblock connectors, one for each channel. We recommend the use of at least 18 AWG wire for reliability.
Driving the MA3 from a balanced source is recommended. If you must drive the MA3 Input with an unbalanced source, use a
cable that has two conductors plus a shield. Connect the (+) or “hot” source to the MA3 (+) Input, the ground to the MA3 (–)
Input and connect the shield to the MA3 shield input. Do not connect the shield on the source end. Shield connections go directly
to chassis ground and should not be used as signal ground. Shield connection to chassis occurs via the screw found between the
Input and Output connectors—keep this screw tight for improved EMI protection. When operating the MA3 with unbalanced
Inputs, be sure to keep cable lengths as short as possible. Refer to the RaneNote “Sound System Interconnection” (included in this
booklet) for additional information.
2LEVEL controls adjust the input sensitivity for each of the three Ampliers. e internal Limiters have maximum operating range
(most amount of limiting before input overload) when the LEVEL controls are set to maximum. For best system noise perfor-
mance, the input sensitivity may be reduced to send a “hotter” signal to the Amplier. Here we go again! You get nothing for free.
ere are always tradeos to be made (better overdrive capability or lower system noise). e choice depends on your application.
For additional information see the RaneNote “Setting Sound System Level Controls” available in the Library on our website.
3OUTPUTS: Connect the speaker(s) or transformer(s) to each of the three channels by means of the Euroblock connectors with 12
to 18 AWG wire. See Speaker Connection on page Manual-1.
4 IEC cord socket: is connector accepts a standard IEC 3-conductor line cord (included with 120V units). Plug this into a
grounded 3-prong AC outlet of 120 VAC (or 230 VAC if the MA3 is internally wired for 230V operation).
5Heat tunnel air intake: e fan draws air in through the nger guard on the rear of the unit. e air ow is directed down a
sealed heat tunnel and exhausts through front panel vents. No lter is required as air ow is directed through an unobstructed
sealed tunnel and will not contaminate internal circuitry.
OUTPUT POWER
PER CHANNEL
40 WATTS / 8Ω
60 WATTS / 4Ω
12-18 AWG — USE CLASS 2 WIRING
LEVEL
+
-
+
-
+
+
+
+
-
-
-
-
+
+
+
-
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-
+
-
+
-
+
-
10
0
LEVEL
LEVEL
10
0
10
0
MA3
WARNING
TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK DO
NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. DO
NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS
INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
AVIS
RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE — NE PAS OUVRIR
CH 3
CH 2
CH 1
OUTPUTS
INPUTS
CHANNEL 1
CHANNEL 2
CHANNEL 3
120 V
50/60 Hz 360 WATTS
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC RULES. OPERATION IS SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING
TWO CONDITIONS: (1) THIS DEVICE MAY NOT CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE, AND (2) THIS DEVICE
MUST ACCEPT ANY INTERFERENCE RECEIVED, INCLUDING INTERFERENCE THAT MAY CAUSE
UNDESIRED OPERATION. THIS CLASS B DIGITAL APPARATUS COMPLIES WITH CANADIAN ICES-003. CET
APPAREIL NUMÉRIQUE DE LA CLASSE B EST CONFORME ÀLA NORME NMB-003 DU CANADA.
COMMERCIAL AUDIO
EQUIPMENT 24TJ
R
MADE IN U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
34 21 5
Manual-4
80 Hz Highpass Filters
Internal jumpers allow independently selecting 80 Hz,
2nd-order Butterworth Filters for each channel. ese Filters are
useful when using small bookshelf speakers or small constant-
voltage distribution transformers.
e MA3 is shipped from the factory with the jumpers in the
“no lter” position, as shown in the diagram below. Moving the
jumper to the other position activates the 80 Hz lter. is op-
eration requires removing the top cover and should only be done
by qualied service personel with the unit unplugged.
©Rane Corporation 10802 47th Ave. W., Mukilteo WA 98275-5000 TEL 425-355-6000 FAX 425-347-7757 WEB rane.com
TF 410 & 407 Transformers
e MT 6 rack panel holds up to six transformers installed
on the back, in any combination. Transformers are sold
individually:
• e TF 407 is a 40W, 70.7 V transformer with 0.5 dB
insertion loss at rated power and a frequency response of 50
Hz to 15 kHz, ±1 dB.
• e TF 410 is a 40W, 100 V transformer with 0.5 dB insertion
loss at rated power and a frequency response of 50 Hz to 15
kHz, ±1 dB.
The MA3 is shipped with the internal 80 Hz High-
pass filters in the bypassed position.
DISTRIBUTED DISTRIBUTED DISTRIBUTED
70 V 70 V 70 V
ZONE 3
ZONE 2
ZONE 1
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MA 3
MULTICHANNEL
AMPLIFIER
3
CHANNEL OUTPUT HEADROOM
POWER
POWER
MT 6
MULTICHANNEL
TRANSFORMER
TF 410
LEFT RIGHT ZONE 2
OR
ZONE 1
OR
MONOMONO
EXPAND
8 Ω8Ω 70 V
DISTRIBUTED
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MA 3
MULTICHANNEL
AMPLIFIER
3
CHANNEL OUTPUT HEADROOM
POWER
POWER
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