Page 2 - CAUTION; RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
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: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. NOTICE Th...
Page 3 - Important Safety Instructions
Important Safety Instructions Please read all instructions and precautions carefully and completely before operating your Mark Levinson com-ponent. 1. ALWAYS disconnect your entire system from the AC mains before connecting or disconnecting any cables, or when cleaning any component. 2. This product...
Page 4 - Table of Contents
4 Table of Contents Unpacking and Placement ....................................................................... 6 Unpacking the Nº31.5 ....................................................................................... 6Remove the Transport Screws ...............................................
Page 6 - Unpacking and Placement; Save them with all the other packing materials for future use.; of level from
6 Unpacking and Placement Unpacking the Nº31.5 Unpack your Nº31.5 Reference CD Transport and remove all accessories from thecarton. Included with your new Mark Levinson transport is a pair of knit, whitegloves designed to assist you in the initial unpacking and placement of your newpurchase. Please ...
Page 8 - A Quick Start...; strongly; TURN OFF YOUR ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS; mized at both ends
8 A Quick Start… We recognize that many people are understandably eager to begin listening totheir new components, and that reading the manual is often done (if at all) at alater time—perhaps while listening to music with the new product itself. We strongly recommend that you read this manual thorou...
Page 10 - Special Design Features; In effect, the design of the No31.5 turns the accepted; via
10 Special Design Features Congratulations on your purchase of the Nº31.5 Reference CD Transport. TheMadrigal design team is confident you will enjoy the outstanding performance ofthe Nº31.5 for many years. In case you are interested in technical details, whatfollows is a brief outline of some of th...
Page 11 - ad nauseam
11 bandwidth Hewlett Packard ® part for superior performance. A high quality EIAJ optical interface has also been included for maximum compatibility, although inour experience it should be the interface of last resort. (It offers the least poten-tial for high performance of any of the standard digit...
Page 12 - Setup and Installation; • One; INSTALL THE SPIKES INTO THE FEET (OPTIONAL); These spikes are quite sharp and may damage furniture
12 Setup and Installation For your protection, review Important Safety Instructions before youinstall your Nº31.5. Carefully open the shipping carton and remove the contents. You should have: • Mark Levinson Nº31.5 Reference Digital Transport• Remote control• Two AA batteries• Disc damper• Four spik...
Page 13 - Repeat this procedure for the other three spikes.; REMOVE THE TRANSPORT SCREWS
13 Install the spikes one at a time. Using the supplied 1 ⁄ 8 " hex key, remove the screw securing the foot to the Nº31.5’s chassis. Insert the threaded endof the spike through the hole in the foot into the threaded hole in the chas-sis, then turn the spike clockwise until it is finger-tight. (B...
Page 14 - CONNECT THE No31.5 TO THE AC MAINS; ) position. Double-check the voltage label on the rear panel of; The No31.5 will not achieve its sonic potential right away — sonic; switch on at all; CONNECT A DIGITAL OUTPUT TO YOUR PROCESSOR; communications port to the No31.5’s
14 3 CONNECT THE Nº31.5 TO THE AC MAINS Insert the supplied shielded AC cord into the IEC-standard AC socket onthe rear panel of the Nº31.5. Check to ensure that the power switch is inthe “Off” ( O ) position. Double-check the voltage label on the rear panel of the Nº31.5 to ensure that it matches t...
Page 15 - PLACEMENT OF YOUR TRANSPORT; Dimensions; LEVELLING YOUR TRANSPORT; within
15 Warning: Connecting the communication ports other than asdescribed in this manual may damage the Nº31.5 and/or thedigital processor, and will void the products’ warranties. Assuming both the Link connection and the digital interconnection havebeen made, merely pressing play the first time will es...
Page 16 - INSERT BATTERIES IN THE REMOTE CONTROL; Using the supplied
16 Bubble level Levelling screws Levelling screws When level, place the disc damper on the spindle, then press Lid Open/Close again to close the Lid. 8 INSERT BATTERIES IN THE REMOTE CONTROL Using the supplied 5 ⁄ 64 " hex key, remove the two screws securing the cover of the Remote Control’s bat...
Page 17 - Front Panel; STANDBY; Rear Panel
17 repeat disc repeat track program clear program review program save index mode on track on disc MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES repeat A>B preview program + program – display mode 10 8 6 7 9 5 elapsed time time remaining standby REFERENCE CD TRANSPORT Nº 31.5 1 11 12 15 13 14 display intensity 2 4 ...
Page 18 - DISPLAY INTENSITY; Top Panel; DISPLAY; DISPLAY MODE; Display; Setting Options; REPEAT DISC
18 2 DISPLAY INTENSITY Pressing this button varies the brightness of the display. Four brightness lev-els are available. When the Nº31.5’s main power switch is first turned on (or when power isrestored after an interruption), the display is automatically set to its second-brightest level. Pressing d...
Page 19 - after; REPEAT TRACK; PROGRAM CLEAR; Programming
19 While repeat disc is active, the LED above the button is lit. To return to normal play, press repeat disc again. 7 REPEAT A-B This function allows you to repeat (continuously) a particular phrase orpassage on a CD. While a CD is playing, press repeat A-B at the beginning of the passage you would ...
Page 21 - LID
21 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Top Panel 1 LID The Lid covers the CD transport assembly, the mechanism that holds theCD during play. Its operation is controlled by the Lid Open/Close button (2). 2 LID OPEN/CLOSE Pressing this button opens the Lid (1); pressing it again closes the Lid. Pressing Lid Open/Close ...
Page 22 - SEARCH REVERSE; PLAY; PREVIOUS
22 4 SEARCH REVERSE Holding this button down during play moves the laser pickup rapidly to-ward the beginning of the CD, and provides audible cueing. ☛ If your Nº31.5 is connected to a compatible Mark Levinson digitalprocessor (via the communication ports), you may choose tomute the volume completel...
Page 23 - NEXT
23 While the Nº31.5 is in index mode, pressing previous “skips” the laser pickup to the previous index . If index mode is inactive, pressing previous skips the laser pickup to the previous track . Pressing previous while a CD is playing suspends play, skips the laser pickup to the previous track or ...
Page 24 - CD Transport Assembly; FINGER WELLS; With the supplied; SPINDLE
24 1 1 4 3 2 CD Transport Assembly 1 FINGER WELLS These cutouts make it easy to grasp a CD by its edges when placing it onor removing it from the spindle. Both right-handed and left-handed usersare accommodated by having both diagonals available. LEVELLING SCREWS For the best performance, the Nº31.5...
Page 25 - To clamp a CD onto its spindle, the No31.5 uses a; held in; and you’ll be unable to play the CD.; To overcome the magnet, you’ll need to give it a firm pull.
25 3 BUBBLE LEVEL Use this bubble level, along with the four levelling screws (1), to make surethat the Nº31.5’s transport assembly is level. 4 LASER ASSEMBLY This assembly contains the Nº31.5’s laser pickup, the device that reads theunderside of the CD. Caution: Never touch or attempt to clean the ...
Page 26 - TRACK; Random Play; INDEX; Basic Operation; TIME
26 time track index 1 2 3 4 Display 1 TRACK Before play begins, this part of the display shows the total number of trackson the CD. During play, this part of the display shows the number of the track in play. While a program is in the Nº31.5’s memory, the letter P will appear preced- ing the track n...
Page 27 - INFRARED RECEIVER AND TRANSMITTER; Remote Control
27 You may vary the nature of the information in this part of the display usingthe display mode button. (See Front Panel .) 4 INFRARED RECEIVER AND TRANSMITTER This part of the display accepts commands from the Nº31.5’s Remote Con-trol. (See Remote Control .) When using the Nº31.5 to teach a learnin...
Page 28 - IR TRANSMITTER WINDOW; Spray the cleaner on the cloth first, and then wipe the lens; TRANSPORT & PROGRAMMING BUTTONS; rewind
28 Remote Control d/a polarity input mute volume A–B intensity/ •standby display mode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 2 stop pause track 3 5 6 1 7 repeat prg/time MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES R • index 4 1 IR TRANSMITTER WINDOW The Nº31.5’s Remote Control sends infrared (IR) commands through its pro-jection lens...
Page 29 - Introduction to Programming.; NUMERIC KEYPAD
29 A-B : Press once to establish a beginning point (point A ) for an end- less playback loop. The display will flash the letter B to indicate that it is ready to accept your designated ending point (point B ). Once this has been done, the Nº31.5 will repeat the segment ofthe disc between points A an...
Page 31 - MISCELLANEOUS CONTROLS
31 This function is available even when the Nº31.5 is in standby, inwhich case its display will activate long enough to confirm yourcommand visually. You may change the input button back to controlling the digital source selection at any time by repeating this procedure. Direct access to inputs When...
Page 32 - and held; BATTERY COMPARTMENT
32 intensity/•standby : Pressing this button momentarily cycles the Nº31.5 (and any Linked Mark Levinson components) throughtheir four levels of display intensity (bright, medium, dim, off). When pressed and held for about one second (denoted by the bold dot •), this button will place the Nº31.5 int...
Page 34 - OPERATING VOLTAGE INDICATION; This switch turns the No31.5 on and off. The switch must be in the “
34 main power REFERENCE CD TRANSPORT Nº 31.5designed and manufactured in U.S.A.by MADRIGAL S/N slave out slave in eiaj st spdif aes/ebu communication ports digital outputs W A R N I N G : B E F O R E A T T E M P T I N G T OOPERATE THIS DEVICE, REFER TO OWNER'SM A N U A L F O R P R O P E R O P E R A ...
Page 35 - and; SLAVE IN
35 3 AC POWER CORD SOCKET This socket accepts AC mains power via the supplied AC power cord. 4 FUSE COMPARTMENT The panel surrounding the main power switch is also a hinged cover for the Nº31.5’s fuse compartment. The Nº31.5 uses two 1.0-ampere slo-blowfuses (type T1A slow-blo 5x20mm). Warning! Neve...
Page 38 - Stop
38 Random play Using the Remote Control, you may have the Nº31.5 play tracks totally at random.To do this, press the 0 (zero) numbered key, then press play . While random play is active, the letter R will appear preceding the track number on the display. To cancel random play, press Stop . Skipping ...
Page 41 - Introduction to Programming
41 Introduction to Programming Rather than playing an entire CD, you may choose to play only certain selections.To do this, you create a “program” (or playlist) and store it in the Nº31.5’s memory. Before using your Nº31.5’s programming features, become familiar with its con-trols and their location...
Page 43 - Advanced Programming
43 Advanced Programming After you have created a few programs as outlined in the previous section, youmay want to review them, add extra tracks to existing programs, or in other wayschange the nature of what you have done. The Nº31.5 provides great flexibility inthese regards. Reviewing a program To...
Page 45 - twice
45 Setting Options The Nº31.5 gives you the ability to “customize” its operation to suit your particularneeds and/or preferences. One of these options pertains exclusively to how theNº31.5 itself operates: Index 0. The other options address the way in which theNº31.5 interacts with other Linked Mark...
Page 46 - INDEX 0 –
46 place only the Nº31.5 into standby mode (since you may wish tolisten to another input on your processor). When the Nº31.5 is first turned on, the standby link setting is on . ■ Alias link: Mark Levinson digital processors allow you to set an “in- put alias” for each of their sources; this alterna...
Page 48 - Madrigal Communications Link; extremely
48 Madrigal Communications Link The information needed to take full advantage of the Madrigal CommunicationsLinking system (MCL) falls into two categories: understanding the architectureused, and summarizing which cables are needed between which components.The following technical information is prov...
Page 49 - See sample diagram below.
49 “Linked amplifiers?” you ask The communication required between preamplifier and power amplifier(s) ismore limited than between other components. In particular, the new 300 seriesMark Levinson amplifiers will: • toggle between standby and operate in conjunction with the Nº38(S) they are Linked to...
Page 50 - All communications; -Conductor Source Component Link Cable; pin
50 Which Cables Go Where? Having cleared up (we hope) the conceptual difficulty with how Linking worksand with the names of the various Link communications ports, we move on tothe purely pragmatic: what size cables do I use? Where? The Link system uses standard telephone company modular connectors, ...
Page 53 - PLACE THE No31.5 IN ITS FRONT PANEL TEACHING MODE
53 3 REPEAT THE PROCESS OF “TEACHING” NEW COMMANDS TO THEVARIOUS BUTTONS ON YOUR REMOTE CONTROL UNTIL ALLAPPROPRIATE OR DESIRED FRONT PANEL COMMANDS HAVE BEENLEARNED BY YOUR REMOTE 4 WHEN FINISHED, EXIT THE TEACH IR MODE BY ALLOWING THE Nº31.5 TO“TIMEOUT” You may wish to teach your remote control so...
Page 55 - Troubleshooting; THE DISPLAY IS LIT, BUT THERE IS NO OUTPUT
55 Troubleshooting In general, refer any service problems to your Mark Levinson dealer. Before con-tacting your dealer, however, check to see if the problem is listed here. If it is, trythe suggested solutions. If none of these solves the problem, contact your MarkLevinson dealer. 1. THE Nº31.5 WON’...
Page 56 - THE LINKED FUNCTIONS DON’T WORK.; then; THE REMOTE CONTROL DOESN’T OPERATE THE No31.5.
56 6. THE LINKED FUNCTIONS DON’T WORK. ✓ Try to SET OPTIONS (press and hold display mode ). Once you have SET OPTIONS in the display, click on display mode a couple times. If the display never advances beyond INDEX Ø , then your Link connection is not active. Check your Link cables. ✓ There is no “m...
Page 57 - Care and Maintenance
57 Care and Maintenance To remove dust from the cabinet of the Nº31.5, use a feather duster. To removedirt and fingerprints, we recommend isopropyl alcohol and a soft cloth. Caution! Always apply the isopropyl alcohol to the soft cloth and thenwipe the Nº31.5 with the dampened cloth. Never pour or s...
Page 58 - This Mark Levinson; The; This warranty is applicable in the United States and
58 U.S. and Canadian Warranty 90-Day Limited Warranty This Mark Levinson ® product is warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from the date ofpurchase. To extend the warranty of this Mark Levinson product , return the war- ranty...
Page 59 - Obtaining Service
59 Obtaining Service We take great pride in our dealers. Experience, dedication, and integrity makethese professionals ideally suited to assist with our customers’ service needs. If your Mark Levinson component must be serviced, please contact your dealer.Your dealer will then decide whether the pro...
Page 60 - Specifications
60 Specifications The correlation between published specifications and sonic quality is unreliable. Alist of numbers reveals virtually nothing. All technical measurements must be sub-ject to qualitative as well as quantitative inter pretation. Measurements of the Nº31.5 yield excellent results by an...
Page 62 - Installation Notes; Software Code Version:
62 Installation Notes Software Code Version: _______ Sent in Warranty Registration? Yes / No