HP Hewlett Packard Stereo System N315 User Manual

Op e ra ting Ma nua l  
Ma rk Levinson®  
Nº31.5  
Re fe re nc e  
CD Tra nsp ort  
Ma d riga l Aud io La b ora torie s, Inc.  
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Imp orta nt Sa fe ty Instruc tions  
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 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 li-  
censed electrician for assistance.  
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.  
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Ta ble of Conte nts  
Unp a c king a nd Pla c e me nt ....................................................................... 6  
Unp a c king the Nº31.5 ....................................................................................... 6  
Re move the Tra nsp o rt Sc re ws .......................................................................... 6  
Pla c e m e nt o f the Nº31.5 ................................................................................... 6  
Op e ra ting Volta ge & Fre que ncy ............................................................... 7  
Vo lta g e la b e l .............................................................................................. 7  
A Quic k Sta rt............................................................................................ 8  
Wa rm up / b re a k-in p e rio d ................................................................................. 9  
Sp e c ia l De sign Fe a ture s ........................................................................... 10  
A Ne w Ge ne ra tio n .......................................................................................... 10  
Dig ita l Se rvo Co ntrol........................................................................................ 10  
Outp ut Ve rsa tility .............................................................................................. 10  
Ind ustria l De sig n ............................................................................................... 11  
Conve nie nc e Fe a ture s ................................................................................... 11  
Com munic a tio ns Links .................................................................................... 11  
Se tup a nd Insta lla tion ............................................................................... 12  
Front Pa ne l ................................................................................................. 17  
Top Pa ne l ................................................................................................... 21  
CD Tra nsp ort Asse m b ly ............................................................................ 24  
The Disc Da m p e r ............................................................................................. 25  
Re moving the Disc Da mp e r ........................................................................... 25  
Disp la y ....................................................................................................... 26  
Disp la y m e ssa g e s............................................................................................. 27  
Re mote Control ......................................................................................... 28  
Ra nd o m Pla y .................................................................................................... 29  
Ana lo g Inp ut Switc hing ................................................................................... 30  
Dire c t a c c e ss to inp uts.................................................................................... 31  
Cond itions tha t Affe c t IR Pe rforma nc e ......................................................... 32  
Optimum IR re c e ption wind ow ............................................................... 33  
Re a r Pa ne l ................................................................................................. 34  
Ba sic Op e ra tion ........................................................................................ 37  
Lo a d ing a CD ................................................................................................... 37  
Te mp o ra rily ove rrid ing a p re vio usly sa ve d p ro g ra m ................................... 37  
Pla ying a ll tra c ks in ord e r ................................................................................ 37  
Be g inning p la y with othe r tha n the first tra c k............................................... 37  
Re p la ying a tra c k ............................................................................................ 37  
Ra nd o m p la y ................................................................................................... 38  
Skip p ing to a nothe r tra c k ............................................................................... 38  
Se a rc hing for a p a ssa g e ................................................................................. 38  
Previe wing a CD .............................................................................................. 38  
Using ind ic e s ..................................................................................................... 39  
Be g inning p la y a t a sp e c ific lo c a tion in a tra c k .......................................... 39  
The p a use func tio n .......................................................................................... 39  
Re p e a ting a n e ntire CD ................................................................................. 39  
Re p e a ting a tra c k ........................................................................................... 39  
Re p e a ting a sp e c ific p a ssa g e ....................................................................... 40  
Inve rting p la yb a c k p o la rity ............................................................................ 40  
Sto p p ing p la y ................................................................................................... 40  
4
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Introd uc tion to Progra mm ing .................................................................. 41  
How the Nº31.5 re me mb e rs p ro g ra m s .......................................................... 41  
Asse mb ling a ne w p ro g ra m ........................................................................... 41  
De lete Pro g ra m ming ....................................................................................... 42  
Ad va nc e d Prog ra mming ......................................................................... 43  
Revie wing a p ro g ra m ...................................................................................... 43  
Ad d ing a se le c tio n .......................................................................................... 43  
Era sing a se le c tion ........................................................................................... 44  
Te mp o ra rily ove rrid ing a p re viously sa ve d p ro g ra m ................................... 44  
Era sing a p ro g ra m ........................................................................................... 44  
Se tting Op tions .......................................................................................... 45  
Auto -Sta nd b y ................................................................................................... 47  
Ma d riga l Com munic a tions Link .............................................................. 48  
Und e rsta nd ing the Arc hite c ture .................................................................... 48  
Linke d a mp lifie rs?you a sk ........................................................................... 49  
Whic h Ca b le s Go Whe re ? .............................................................................. 50  
Using the la te st softwa re ................................................................................. 51  
Using Le a rning Re mote Controls ............................................................. 52  
Te a c hing 31.5 Front Pa ne l Co mma nd s ..................................................... 52  
Te a c hing Othe r 31.5 Comm a nd s .............................................................. 53  
sp e c ia l c omm a nd s ta b le ........................................................................ 54  
Tro ub le sho oting ......................................................................................... 55  
Ca re a nd Ma inte na nc e ........................................................................... 57  
U.S. a nd Ca na d ia n Wa rra nty ................................................................... 58  
Limite d five ye a r wa rra nty .............................................................................. 58  
Obta ining Se rvic e ..................................................................................... 59  
Sp e c ific a tions ............................................................................................ 60  
Dim e nsions ................................................................................................ 61  
5
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Unpa c king a nd Pla ce me nt  
Unp a c king the Nº31.5 Unpack your Nº31.5 Reference CD Transport and remove all accessories from the  
carton. Included with your new Mark Levinson transport 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.  
Imp orta nt!  
Ke e p a ll p a c king ma te ria ls for future tra nsp ort of your Nº31.5.  
Ship p ing your new c omp one nt in a nything othe r tha n its  
p urp ose -d e signe d p a c king ma te ria l ma y re sult in d a ma ge  
tha t is not c ove re d by the wa rra nty.  
Re move the Tra nsp ort Sc rews Protecting the finish by placing it on a soft cloth, prop up the Nº31.5 Reference  
CD Transport on its side to provide ready access to the bottom of the center sec-  
tion. Remove the transport screws from the bottom of the unit, along with the  
shipping strap that holds the lid closed during transport. (Note tha t it is nor-  
ma l for the Nº31.5 lid to “floa t” open before power is supplied to the  
unit.) Save them with all the other packing materials for future use.  
Re m ove the se  
sc re ws a nd wa she rs  
Ship p ing Stra p  
(hold s lid c lose d ,  
p rote c ts finish)  
Wa rning !  
The tra nsp ort sc rews a nd ship p ing stra p m ust b e re move d  
b e fore op e ra ting the Nº31.5, sinc e they im m ob ilize the  
tra nsp ort me c ha nism a nd lid d uring ship p ing to p reve nt  
d a ma ge. This stra p a nd the se sc rews must a lso b e re p la c e d  
b e fore ship p ing the unit.  
Pla c e me nt of the 31.5 The Nº31.5 should be placed as close as possible to your digital audio processor,  
thus keeping digital interconnect cabling reasonably short. It should be placed on  
a shelf where it is convenient to operate and receives good ventilation.  
Be sure to allow 7 inches (18 cm) of clearance above the Nº31.5 to ensure proper  
operation of the lid assembly. The Nº31.5 must also be within 3° of level from  
front to back for optimal operation of the lid. (This translates to having the front  
and back edges of the Nº31.5 within about 12" or 1.2 cm of level with each other.)  
Drawings are included in this manual to facilitate special installations and custom  
cabinetry (see Dimensions).  
6
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Ope ra ting Volta ge  
& Fre que ncy  
The Nº31.5 Reference CD Transport is set at the factory (internally) for 100V, 120V,  
200V, 220V, or 240V AC mains operation as appropriate for the country in which  
it is to be sold. (230V/50Hz only in European Union countries, in compliance  
with CE regulations.) Make sure that the label on the rear of the right tower of  
the Nº31.5 (adjacent to the power cord) indicates the correct AC operating voltage  
for your location, as attempting to operate the Nº31.5 at an incorrect voltage can  
damage the unit.  
The Nº31.5 Reference CD Transport is also set at the factory for operation on ei-  
ther 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.  
Wa rning !  
Ne ithe r the volta ge nor the line fre q ue ncy se tting ma y b e  
c ha nge d by the use r. The re a re no use r se rvic e a b le p a rts  
insid e the Nº31.5. Only q ua lifie d, a uthorize d se rvic e p e rsonne l  
ma y op e n the Nº31.5 Re fe re nc e CD Tra nsp ort, a s ha za rd ous  
volta ge s exist within the unit.  
If the AC mains voltage or frequency indicated on your Nº31.5 is incorrect, please  
contact your local, authorized Mark Levinson dealer or distributor.  
The Nº31.5 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.  
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A Quic k Sta rt…  
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 Nº31.5 Refer-  
ence CD Transport incorporates many unusual features that enhance its opera-  
tion.  
Fortunately, we can help you get some music up and running on your system  
quickly, so that you may begin enjoying your new CD transport while reading  
more about it. The goal here is simply to make some music as quickly as pos-  
sible. The following procedure assumes that the rest of your system is already  
connected (e.g., digital processor to 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 SCREWS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE Nº31.5  
If you have not done so already, remove the transport screws from the bot-  
tom of the Nº31.5 now, as per the directions on page 13. Be sure to save  
them and all packing material for possible future use. (Shipping the Nº31.5  
without proper packing material and without the transport screws in their  
proper positions may cause damage to the unit that would not be covered  
by the warranty.)  
3
CONNECT THE Nº31.5 TO AC POWER  
Connect the AC cord to the Nº31.5 at the receptacle on the rear panel (right  
tower as seen from the front), and then to your AC outlet. Then turn on the  
power switch just above the AC power receptacle. (The international sym-  
bol for on” is a single vertical line: | . Off” is symbolized by a circle: O.)  
The Nº31.5 will take a few moments to initialize and will then be ready to  
use.  
4
CONNECT A DIGITAL OUTPUT TO A MATCHING DIGITAL INPUT ON YOUR  
PROCESSOR  
The Nº31.5 supports a variety of types of digital outputs to ensure compat-  
ibility with any digital processor you might wish to use. These digital out-  
puts are found on the rear of the Nº31.5. In our experience, when fully opti-  
mized at both ends, the AES/EBU professional digital interconnection stan-  
dard is the finest available. Depending on your processor, however, you may  
find that a different interface is best in your system. It is important to use  
high quality digital cable such as Madrigal MDC-1 for AES/EBU (via XLRs),  
or MDC-2 for S/PDIF (via RCA) connections.  
8
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5
6
7
POWER UP THE REST OF THE SYSTEM, LEAVING THE POWER AMPLIFIERS  
FOR LAST  
Always turn the power amplifier(s) off first, and on last. This good habit  
minimizes the opportunity for unexpected transients reaching your loud-  
speakers.  
SELECT THE INPUTS YOU ARE USING ON YOUR DIGITAL PROCESSOR  
AND PREAMPLIFIER  
Take care that a Tape Monitor switch does not override your selection of  
the digital processors input on your preamplifier, or you will be struck by  
how quiet” your new digital source is.…  
LOAD A DISC 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.)  
Wa rm up / b re a k-in p e riod Although your Mark Levinson Nº31.5 Reference CD Transport delivers outstanding  
performance straight out of the box, you should expect to hear it continue to im-  
prove as it reaches its normal operating temperatures and its various components  
break-in.” For example, the pulse transformers* will not reach their ultimate per-  
formance until they have been driven with an actual load (meaning the digital  
output must be connected to something) for about 24 hours.  
It has been our experience that the greatest changes occur within the first few  
hours as the Nº31.5 reaches thermal equilibrium. Depending on how cold the  
31.5 was when you first connected it to AC power, full thermal equilibrium  
might take as long as a day or two, after which time 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 Nº31.5s sound  
quality is at its best. Unless your Nº31.5 was allowed to become quite chilled,  
subsequent thermal re-stabilization should not take long.  
* Pulse transformers couple the internal digital circuitry to the actual connector  
on the rear panel. The ones used in your Nº31.5 are costly and offer extraordi-  
nary performance. Even so, they exhibit this modest break in” period during  
which they improve beyond their initial performance.  
9
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Spe c ia l De sign Fe a ture s  
Congratulations on your purchase of the Nº31.5 Reference CD Transport. The  
Madrigal design team is confident you will enjoy the outstanding performance of  
the Nº31.5 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 transport.  
A New Ge ne ra tion The characteristics of an outstanding CD transport are simple to define: it must  
recover the correct data from the disc, and deliver it to the digital processor with-  
out any timing errors (sometimes called “jitter”). As simple as this sounds, achiev-  
ing it in reality has been extremely difficult—as evidenced by the significant  
sonic differences between various CD transports.  
Conventional CD transport design depends on the quality of the oscillator used  
to control the rate at which the disc itself 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 transport designs cannot improve upon this “jittery” signal, lack-  
ing a better reference. To the contrary, the various stages of signal processing be-  
tween the laser pickup and the final output can only contribute additional jitter of  
their own.  
The Mark Levinson Nº31.5 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, mechanically and electrically  
isolated crystal oscillator as a reference, the digital signal is reclocked immediately  
before the output, eliminating transport-related jitter from the digital audio signal.  
This same five part-per-million crystal oscillator controls the all-digital servo used  
to control the rate at which the disc spins.  
In effect, the design of the Nº31.5 turns the accepted status quo on its head. By  
placing the all-important reference clock in the final stage of the transports out-  
put section, and slaving the mechanical subassemblies to it rather than the other  
way around, the signal presented to the outputs of the Nº31.5 is uncontaminated  
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 Nº31.5.  
Dig ita l Se rvo Control The laser mechanism used in the Nº31.5 uses all an digital servo control. Critical  
functions such as focus and tracking are handled completely in the digital do-  
main, with mathematical precision. Whereas conventional, analog servos may re-  
quire periodic realignment for optimum performance (to compensate for the ag-  
ing of various analog components), a digital servo remains stable over time,  
never needing readjustment under normal conditions.  
Outp ut Ve rsa tility The Nº31.5 supports a wide variety of digital output configurations to ensure op-  
timal performance with a wide range of digital audio processors. A new comple-  
mentary driver for the balanced AES/EBU electrical output delivers outstanding  
performance to the high quality XLR connector. Single-ended S/PDIF electrical  
output is provided via an RCA connector, and the ST optical output uses a high-  
10  
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bandwidth Hewlett Packard® part for superior performance. A high quality EIAJ  
optical interface has also been included for maximum compatibility, although in  
our experience it should be the interface of last resort. (It offers the least poten-  
tial for high performance of any of the standard digital interfaces.)  
All digital interfaces have been carefully optimized to deliver the finest perfor-  
mance each interface standard allows. As a direct result, the Nº31.5 performs opti-  
mally with any digital processor, without having to resort to techniques which  
would limit its compatibility to other Mark Levinson products.  
Ind ustria l De sig n The Nº31.5 shares the striking industrial design of other Mark Levinson compo-  
nents such as the Nº30.5 digital audio processor. The combination of the hand-  
brushed, black-anodized aluminum faceplate and bead-blasted custom-machined  
buttons make operating the Nº31.5 a tactile as well as a sonic pleasure.  
A large, easily read display provides information as to the operational status of the  
31.5 from across the room, making the supplied remote control more genuinely  
useful than on products lacking such a display.  
Conve nie nc e Fe a ture s Too often, high performance CD transports have eschewed convenience in the  
hopes of seeming more performance-oriented.” While there were good argu-  
ments for such a minimalist” design in the days of analog turntables, the time is  
long gone when the audiophile needed to give up operational convenience for  
musical performance. After all, convenience features in a digital product are  
largely a matter of writing appropriate software, and have no affect on the quality  
of the digital data itself.  
For example, the Nº31.5 supports custom programs, including delete program-  
ming” wherein selected tracks are omitted from the playlist. This allows the user  
to skip the one or two songs on an otherwise good disc that have been over-  
played ad nauseam. The Nº31.5 will remember such programs for thousands of  
discs, should you want to save that many programs.  
Communic a tions Links As with all Mark Levinson 30-series components, the Nº31.5 incorporates a so-  
phisticated inter-component communications bus. Unique among high perfor-  
mance audio systems, Mark Levinson 30-series components offer a degree of sys-  
tem integration that makes even complex systems easy to use.  
For example, bringing the Nº31.5 Reference CD Transport out of standby will also  
bring the Linked digital audio processor, preamplifier and power amplifier(s) out  
of standby, and select the appropriate inputs on both processor and preamplifier  
so that a CD can be enjoyed. Even a sophisticated system with many compo-  
nents can thus offer one-button simplicity of operation.  
In short, the Mark Levinson Nº31.5 establishes a new standard for performance and  
practicality among high end CD transports and should be auditioned by anyone  
who desires the finest in digital audio.  
11  
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Se tup a nd Insta lla tion  
For your pr otection, review Impor ta nt Safety Instr uctions before you  
insta ll 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 spikes  
AC power cord  
Link cable (2m)  
Two spare 1.0-ampere slow-blow fuses  
5
• One 64" hex key (for remote control)  
1
• One 8" hex key (for feet/spikes)  
3
• One 32" hex driver (for levelling the transport)  
• Owners manual  
Save the shipping carton and all packing material. Though it may be inconvenient  
to store, it will come in handy for shipping if you move, or if the Nº31.5 needs to  
be shipped for service. If you need to ship your Nº31.5 and have lost the original  
packing materials, please contact your local dealer or distributor for the purpose-  
designed, exact replacements rather than trying to fabricate something.  
Wa rning :  
Ship p ing the Nº31.5 in a nything othe r tha n its p urp ose -  
d e signe d ship p ing ma te ria ls ma y re sult in d a ma ge tha t  
would not b e c ove re d und e r a ny wa rra nty.  
In addition to the tools we provide, you will need the following to set up your  
31.5:  
• A soft cloth or towel  
• A digital-audio cable  
1
INSTALL THE SPIKES INTO THE FEET (OPTIONAL)  
The Nº31.5 is shipped so that it rests solidly on its four rubber-covered feet,  
one under each corner of the unit. You may want to explore the potential  
sonic advantages of installing the specially designed spikes” supplied with  
the Nº31.5. These spikes are quite sharp and may damage furniture. We do  
not recommend their use unless your Nº31.5 will rest on thick tempered  
glass, or something equivalently resistant to scratches.  
If you decide to experiment with these spikes, make sure that the Nº31.5 is  
unplugged from the AC power supply and disconnected from your digital  
processor. Then place the Nº31.5 upright on a flat, stable surface. Protecting  
its finish with a soft cloth, carefully tip it so it rests on its side, not its top.  
12  
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1
Insta ll the spikes one a t a time. Using the supplied 8" hex key, remove  
the screw securing the foot to the Nº31.5s chassis. Insert the threaded end  
of 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. (Be careful not to  
overtighten it.)  
Nº31 c ha ssis  
Foot  
Sp ike  
Repeat this procedure for the other three spikes.  
2
*** REQUIRED! ***  
REMOVE THE TRANSPORT SCREWS  
If you have not already placed the Nº31.5 on its side on top of a soft cloth  
(as described in the previous step), please do so now. (See warning above.)  
Locate the two transport screws on the bottom of the Nº31.5, and remove  
them by turning them counterclockwise (no tools are necessary). When  
finished, return the Nº31.5 to its normal, upright position.  
Re m ove the se  
sc re ws a nd wa she rs  
Ship p ing Stra p  
(hold s lid c lose d ,  
p rote c ts finish)  
Imp orta nt:  
Sa ve the tra nsp ort sc rews, wa she rs, a nd ship p ing stra p with  
the p a c king ma te ria l. If you eve r ne e d to ship the Nº31.5, you  
must re p la c e the m.  
Replacing the transport screws is easiest when the Nº31.5 is level and up-  
right, with its feet supported on raised blocks and the transport screws in-  
serted from underneath.  
13  
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3
CONNECT THE Nº31.5 TO THE AC MAINS  
Insert the supplied shielded AC cord into the IEC-standard AC socket on  
the rear panel of the Nº31.5. Check to ensure that the power switch is in  
the Off” (O) position. Double-check the voltage label on the rear panel of  
the Nº31.5 to ensure that it matches the supplied AC voltage in your country.  
If the voltage indicated is incorrect, or if you wish to change the AC operat-  
ing voltage of the Nº31.5, see your Mark Levinson dealer.  
Assuming everything matches, plug the other end of the power cord into  
the AC mains and turn on the power switch (to its | position).  
To Nº31.5  
To AC m a ins  
1 = Line (ho t)  
1
2
1
2
2 = Ne utra l  
3 = Ea rth g ro und  
3
3
Note: The Nº31.5 will not achieve its sonic potential right away — sonic  
performance is close to the optimum within a day or two of normal use.  
For the best performance, you may leave the ma in p owe r switch on at all  
times, except when you wont be using your Nº31.5 for a long period. (See  
Important Safety Instructions).  
The Nº31.5 may be turned on and off without significantly affecting its lon-  
gevity. When it is turned on after being left turned off (as opposed to  
standby), allow about one hour before expecting optimal sonic perfor-  
mance. (This assumes that it remained at room temperature while off. A  
chilled transport will take somewhat longer to revive.)  
4
CONNECT A DIGITAL OUTPUT TO YOUR PROCESSOR  
To keep interconnect cabling as short as possible, place the Nº31.5 as close  
as possible to your digital processor. You may place it on a shelf or in a  
cabinet where its convenient to operate.  
As a precaution, turn off your other components (especially the power am-  
plifier). Then, using a high quality, purpose-designed digital interconnect,  
connect an output of the Nº31.5 to the corresponding input of your digital  
processor.  
5
IF YOU HAVE A MARK LEVINSON DIGITAL PROCESSOR, CONNECT THE  
COMMUNICATIONS LINK CABLE  
Mark Levinson components employ a sophisticated inter-component com-  
munications system that offers many operational advantages and user con-  
veniences not otherwise possible. If you have a Mark Levinson digital audio  
processor, connect the supplied Link cable from the processors ma ste r  
communications port to the Nº31.5s sla ve in port.  
14  
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Wa rning :  
Conne c ting the c om munic a tion p orts othe r tha n a s  
d e sc rib e d in this ma nua l ma y d a ma ge the Nº31.5 a nd / or the  
d igita l p roc e ssor, a nd will void the p rod uc ts’ wa rra ntie s.  
Assuming both the Link connection and the digital interconnection have  
been made, merely pressing p la y the first time will establish the Link be-  
tween components.  
6
PLACEMENT OF YOUR TRANSPORT  
The Nº31.5 should rest on a level, stable surface. To ensure smooth opera-  
tion of the lid, the Nº31.5 should be within about 3° of being level from  
1
front to back (the front and rear of the unit need to be within about 2" or  
1.2cm of being level with each other). Avoid placing it where it will be ex-  
posed to shocks or vibration, such as on an unstable table or near large  
loudspeakers. In general, place it as you would a turntable.  
You should also place other associated equipment so that it does not in-  
duce hum in the Nº31.5 or any other sensitive components.  
Ca ution:  
Inte rfe ring with the Nº31.5s ve ntila tion or tha t of a nothe r  
c omp one nt c ould c a use e ithe r to ove rhe a t, re sulting in  
d a ma ge to your syste m. To a llow he a t d issip a tion through a ir  
c irc ula tion, a llow 3 to 4 inc he s of c le a ra nc e a b ove the ve nts  
on the top of the Nº31.5. Neve r b loc k the ve nts on the b ottom  
of the 31.5.  
To help with special installations and custom cabinetry, drawings are in-  
cluded in this manual. (See Dimensions).  
7
LEVELLING YOUR TRANSPORT  
For the best performance, the Nº31.5s transport assembly should be level.  
• Ensuring that the unit itself is approximately level enables the  
Lid to operate as smoothly as it was designed. This requires  
1
only that the unit be within about 2" (or 1.2cm) of being level  
from front to back—hardly a stringent requirement.  
Levelling the laser/motor mechanism within the Nº31.5 yields  
the best sonic performance. Four levelling screws (one inside  
each finger well) allow you to adjust this easily.  
Press the Lid Op e n/ Close button on the top panel to open the lid of the  
3
31.5. With the supplied 32" hex driver, and using the Nº31.5s bubble level  
as a gauge, adjust one or more of these screws to bring the transport as-  
sembly to level. To lower a corner, turn the corresponding screw clockwise;  
to raise a corner, turn the screw counterclockwise. (See diagram on the next  
page.)  
15  
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Le ve lling  
sc re ws  
Bub b le le ve l  
Le ve lling  
sc re ws  
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 64" hex key, remove the two screws securing the cover  
5
of the Remote Controls battery compartment (the end opposite the projec-  
tion lens).  
Proje c tion  
le ns  
ol)  
(Re a r of  
Re m ote Contr  
+
+
Insert two AA batteries according to the symbols on the inside of the bat-  
tery compartment cover. Replace the battery compartment cover and  
screws.  
9
TURN EVERYTHING ON, AND ENJOY!  
After all connections have been made in the system, turn on the various  
components, leaving the power amplifier(s) for last.  
16  
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2
3
4
5
track  
index  
time  
display  
intensity  
display  
mode  
elapsed time  
on track  
on disc  
MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES  
time remaining  
REFERENCE  
CD TRANSPORT  
Nº 31.5  
>
repeat A  
B
preview  
program  
+
program  
standby  
repeat disc  
repeat track  
program clear  
program review  
program save  
index mode  
7
9
13  
14  
6
8
10  
11  
12  
15  
1
Front Pa ne l  
1
STANDBY  
When the Nº31.5 is connected to AC power and the main power switch on  
the rear panel is in the “| ” position (see Rear Panel), pressing this button  
takes the Nº31.5 out of standby” mode and enables the front-panel con-  
trols.  
When the Nº31.5s main power switch is first turned on (or when power is  
restored after an interruption), the Nº31.5 will be ready to operate (that is, it  
wont be in standby mode).  
Pressing sta nd by again places the Nº31.5 into standby mode and disables  
the front-panel controls. Pressing the op e n lid button will both switch the  
unit out of standby and open the lid so you may load a disc.  
While the Nº31.5 is in standby mode, the display is dark and the sta nd by  
LED flashes slowly. When the Nº31.5 is ready to operate (not in standby  
mode), the sta nd by LED remains lighted.  
Note :  
Whe n going into sta nd by, the 31.5 d e a c tiva te s its d igita l  
outp uts. With some d ig ita l p roc e ssors, this ma y re sult in a low-  
leve l “p op” on the a ud io outp uts. (Ma rk Levinson d ig ita l  
p roc e ssors d o not exhib it this p rob le m.)  
If your p roc e ssor ge ne ra te s suc h a p op, a nd if you wish to  
p reve nt this low-leve l “p op” from c oming through your  
syste ms sp e a ke rs or he a d p hone s, a djust your p re a m ps  
volume to its lowe st leve l b e fore p la c ing the Nº31.5 into  
sta nd by.  
17  
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2
DISPLAYINTENSITY  
Pressing this button varies the brightness of the display. Four brightness lev-  
els are available.  
When the Nº31.5s main power switch is first turned on (or when power is  
restored after an interruption), the display is automatically set to its second-  
brightest level.  
Pressing d isp la y inte nsity once dims the display one level; pressing it again  
dims it further; pressing it again turns the display off. Pressing d isp la y in-  
te nsity once more returns the display to its brightest level.  
d isp la y inte nsity also affects the Nº31.5s front-panel LEDs. When the display  
is turned off, however, the LEDs still glow dimly.  
3
4
5
TOP-PANEL CONTROLS  
See Top Panel.  
DISPLAY  
See Display.  
DISPLAYMODE  
This button allows you to change the type of information shown in the  
time portion of the display. (See Display.)  
When a CD is loaded and ready for play, the time portion of the display  
shows the time remaining on the CD; the time re ma ining and on d isc LEDs  
are lighted.  
Press d isp la y mod e to change the time part of the display:  
time remaining on disc  
display  
mode  
time remaining on track  
elapsed time on track  
elapsed time on disc  
The information in the time portion of the display corresponds to the  
lighted LEDs to the right of the d isp la y mod e button. After play begins, the  
display will reflect the last display mode you selected.  
Along with p rogra m + (13) and p rog ra m - (14), the d isp la y mod e button  
is also used to change the link settings. (See Setting Options.)  
6
REPEATDISC  
To repeat (continuously) all tracks on a CD (or all tracks in a program),  
press this button. Note that this function and the re p e a t tra c k function are  
mutually exclusive.  
18  
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While re p e a t d isc is active, the LED above the button is lit.  
To return to normal play, press re p e a t d isc again.  
7
REPEATA-B  
This function allows you to repeat (continuously) a particular phrase or  
passage on a CD.  
While a CD is playing, press re pe a t A-B at the beginning of the passage you  
would like to repeat. At the end of the passage, press re pe a t A-B again. The  
passage you selected will repeat continuously. While re pe a t A-B is active, A  
then B will alternate appearing in the space preceding the track number on  
the display.  
To return to normal play, press re p e a t A-B again. Alternatively, you may  
press stop to leave the re p e a t A-B mode and enter stop . Directly accessing  
a point after the B” point of your A-B loop (via pressing next track, d ire c t  
time access, or d ire c t tra c k access) will cancel the re p e a t A-B loop and re-  
turn you to normal p la y mode at your selected point.  
8
REPEATTRACK  
To repeat (continuously) the track in play, press this button. Note that this  
function and the re p e a t d isc function are mutually exclusive.  
While re p e a t tra c k is active, the LED above the button is lighted.  
To return to normal play, press re p e a t tra c k again.  
9
PREVIEW  
This function allows you to play only the introduction of each track on a  
CD or in a program.  
Once a CD is loaded and ready for play, press p review. Beginning with the  
first track on the CD (or the first track in the program), the Nº31.5 will play  
the first ten seconds of the track, skip to the second track and play the first  
ten seconds of that track, and so on.  
While p review is active, the tra c k part of the display flashes. (See Display.)  
To return to normal play, press p review again, or press p la y. (See Top Panel.)  
10 PROGRAM CLEAR  
Pressing this button erases any temporary program, and also temporarily  
overrides a previously saved program. (See Programming.) After pressing  
p rog ra m c le a r, the display will show PROG CLEARED.  
Pressing p rog ra m c le a r, followed by pressing p rog ra m sa ve (12), perma-  
nently erases a program from the Nº31.5s memory and displays  
PROG DELETED in the main display.  
If you press p rog ra m c le a r when there is no program in the Nº31.5s  
memory, the display will show NO PROGRAM.  
19  
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11  
PROGRAM REVIEW  
This function allows you to review the selections in the current program.  
(See Programming.)  
Press this button once to view the first selection in your program. To view  
the next selection, press p rog ra m review again, and so on.  
After you view the last selection in the program, the display will show  
PROGRAM END.  
If you press p rogra m review when there is no program in the Nº31.5s  
memory, the display will show NO PROGRAM.  
12 PROGRAM SAVE  
Pressing this button records a program in the Nº31.5s memory. (See Pro-  
gramming.)  
After pressing p rog ra m sa ve , the display will show NEW PROGRAM,  
PROG CHANGED, or PROG DELETED (depending on your previous actions,  
which are then saved”).  
13 PROGRAM +  
Pressing this button adds a selection to a program. (See Programming.)  
Along with d isp la y mod e (5), the p rog ra m + button is used to change the  
link settings. (See Setting Options.)  
14 PROGRAM -  
Used along with p rog ra m review (11), pressing this button erases a selec-  
tion from a previously saved program without erasing the entire program.  
(See Programming.)  
Along with d isp la y mod e (5), the p rog ra m - button is used to change the  
link settings. (See Setting Options.)  
15 INDEX MODE  
When youre playing a CD recorded with indices, the Nº31.5s index mode  
allows you to use those indices to select more precisely the music you want  
to play.  
After pressing ind ex mod e before playing the CD, the display will show  
INDEX SEARCH.  
While the index mode function is active, the LED above the button flashes.  
While the Nº31.5 is in index mode, pressing next or p revious skips the laser  
pickup to the next or previous index on the CD (see Top Panel), and you  
may use the Remote Controls numbered buttons to select indices (see  
Remote Control).  
To cancel this function, press ind ex m od e again, or press stop .  
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1
3
5
7
9
2
4
6
8
Top Pa ne l  
1
LID  
The Lid covers the CD transport assembly, the mechanism that holds the  
CD during play. Its operation is controlled by the Lid Ope n/ Close button (2).  
2
LID OPEN/ CLOSE  
Pressing this button opens the Lid (1); pressing it again closes the Lid.  
Pressing Lid Op e n/ Close while a CD is playing stops play and opens the  
Lid.  
3
STOP  
Pressing this button while a CD is playing stops play. Pressing stop also can-  
cels re p e a t d isc and re p e a t tra c k, if theyre active.  
Pressing p la y (5) after pressing stop begins play again with the first track  
on the CD (or the first track in a program, if one exists).  
21  
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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 digital  
processor (via the communication ports), you may choose to  
mute the volume completely during search. (See Setting Options.)  
When you release se a rc h reve rse , play normally resumes. If you have  
reached the beginning of the disc, the Nº31.5 will stop at the beginning of  
the disc (or program, if you are playing one) and wait for your next com-  
mand.  
5
PLAY  
After a CD is loaded and the d isc d a mp e r is in place, pressing this button  
begins play with the first track on the CD (or the first track in a program).  
If you press p la y while the Lid is open, the Lid closes and play starts be-  
ginning with the first track on the CD (or the first track in a previously  
saved program). Similarly, pressing p la y while the Nº31.5 is in standby will  
cause the unit to become operational and start playing the first track on the  
disc or in the program.  
Pressing p la y while a CD is playing suspends play, returns to the beginning  
of the current track, and replays that track.  
6
7
SEARCH FORWARD  
This button works in the same way as Se a rc h Reve rse (4), except that it  
moves the laser pickup rapidly toward the end of the CD.  
PAUSE  
While a CD is playing, pressing this button suspends play; pressing it again  
resumes play at the point where p a use was first pressed. While p a use is  
active, the LED above the button is lighted and appears preceding the  
track number on the display. (See Display.)  
If left in p a use for several minutes, the transport will stop spinning and the  
laser will turn off (thereby enhancing the longevity of both). This will be  
indicated by the p a use indicator in the display (“”) flashing on and off.  
Alternatively, this exte nd e d p a use feature may be engaged by pressing and  
holding the p a use button until the indicator begins to flash in the display.  
Pressing p a use again will resume play at the point where p a use was first  
pressed, (after a short delay to allow the disc to get up to speed).  
To “cue up” the beginning of a CD or track, press p a use before pressing  
p la y (5). To begin play, press p a use again. (You may also select another  
track or index while play is suspended.)  
8
PREVIOUS  
This buttons function depends on whether or not the Nº31.5 is in index  
mode. (See Front Panel.)  
22  
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While the Nº31.5 is in index mode, pressing p revious skips” the laser  
pickup to the previous index. If index mode is inactive, pressing p revious  
skips the laser pickup to the previous track.  
Pressing p revious while a CD is playing suspends play, skips the laser  
pickup to the previous track or index on the CD (or in a program), and  
begins play there.  
If you press p revious while the first track on the CD (or in a pro-  
gram) is playing, the display will show FIRST TRACK.  
Pressing p revious before play begins skips the laser pickup to the begin-  
ning of the last track or index on the CD; pressing p la y (5) begins play  
there (temporarily overriding any existing program).  
9
NEXT  
This button works in the same way as p revious (8), except that it skips to  
the next track or index.  
While the Nº31.5 is in index mode, pressing next skips the laser pickup to  
the next index. If index mode is inactive, pressing next skips the laser  
pickup to the next track.  
Pressing next while a CD is playing suspends play, skips the laser pickup to  
the next track or index on the CD (or in a program), and begins play there.  
If you press next while the last track on the CD (or in a program)  
is playing, the display will show LAST TRACK.  
Pressing next before play begins skips the laser pickup to the beginning of  
the next track or index on the CD; pressing p la y (5) begins play there  
(temporarily overriding any existing program).  
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1
2
3
4
1
CD Tra nsport Asse mbly  
1
FINGER WELLS  
These cutouts make it easy to grasp a CD by its edges when placing it on  
or removing it from the spindle. Both right-handed and left-handed users  
are accommodated by having both diagonals available.  
LEVELLING SCREWS  
For the best performance, the Nº31.5s transport assembly should be level.  
Four levelling screws (one inside each finger well) allow you to adjust the  
transport assembly easily.  
3
With the supplied 32" hex driver, and using the Nº31.5s bubble level (3) as  
a gauge, adjust one or more of these screws to bring the transport assembly  
to level. To lower a corner, turn the corresponding screw clockwise; to raise  
a corner, turn the screw counterclockwise.  
2
SPINDLE  
This is the device that spins the CD, and on which the CD rests during play.  
The CD must be centered on the spindle, and it must be clamped to the  
spindle by the d isc d a m p e r.  
24  
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3
4
BUBBLE LEVEL  
Use this bubble level, along with the four levelling screws (1), to make sure  
that the Nº31.5s transport assembly is level.  
LASER ASSEMBLY  
This assembly contains the Nº31.5s laser pickup, the device that reads the  
underside of the CD.  
Ca ution:  
Neve r touc h or a tte mpt to c le a n the la se r a sse mb ly.  
The Disc Da mp e r  
To clamp a CD onto its spindle, the Nº31.5 uses a d isc d a mp e r held in  
place by a strong magnet:  
Disc d a m p e r  
Com p a c t d isc  
Sp ind le  
Always make sure that the disc damper is in place before closing the lid. If  
you close the lid without the disc damper in place, the display will show  
NO DAMPER and youll be unable to play the CD.  
When loading a CD for play, install the CD on the spindle, then place the  
disc damper on top of the CD.  
The CD and the disc damper must be centered on the spindle. Youll feel  
the disc dampers magnet catch” when both are centered.  
Re m oving the Disc Da mp e r  
When removing a CD from the spindle, first remove the disc damper. To  
prevent damage to the CD, gently hold it down by the edge with the tip of  
one finger while pulling up on the disc dampers knob, as shown below:  
Pull  
stra ig ht up  
on the  
d a m p e r's knob …  
…while g e ntly  
hold ing d own  
the e d g e of  
the CD  
To overcome the magnet, youll need to give it a firm pull.  
Ca ution:  
Whe n the Disc Da mp e r c la m p s the CD onto the sp ind le, its  
strong ma g ne t forc e s the a ir from b e twe e n the d a m p e r a nd  
the CD. If you d ont follow the re mova l p roc e d ure outline d  
a b ove, the CD ma y stic k b rie fly to the d a m p e rs e ne rgy-  
a b sorb ing surfa c e a fte r the ma g ne t is re le a se d. If the CD is  
stuc k to the d a mp e r whe n you re move the m from the sp ind le,  
ta ke c a re not to le t it fa ll.  
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track  
index  
time  
1
2
3
4
Displa y  
1
TRACK  
Before play begins, this part of the display shows the total number of tracks  
on the CD.  
During play, this part of the display shows the number of the track in play.  
While a program is in the Nº31.5s memory, the letter P will appear preced-  
ing the track number. A small P indicates a saved polarity setting (possible  
only when the Nº31.5 is linked to a compatible Mark Levinson digital pro-  
cessor).  
While random play is active, the letter R will appear preceding the track  
number. (See Random Play, p. 29)  
While re p e a t A-B is active, the letters A then B will alternate appearing in  
the space preceding the track number.  
While Pa use is active, | | will appear preceding the track number (as pic-  
tured above).  
While preview is active, the tra c k part of the display will flash.  
2
INDEX  
If a CD includes indices, this part of the display shows the index in play,  
beginning with 01 and increasing as the CD plays. If the CD in play doesnt  
include indices, this part of the display shows 01 throughout play. For infor-  
mation on how to use indices, see Basic Operation.  
Tracks may also be played from “Index 0. (See Setting Options.)  
3
TIME  
Before play, this part of the display shows the total playing time for all tracks  
on the CD. When play begins, this part of the display shows time-related  
information about the CD or the track.  
26  
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You may vary the nature of the information in this part of the display using  
the d isp la y mod e button. (See Front Panel.)  
4
INFRARED RECEIVER AND TRANSMITTER  
This part of the display accepts commands from the Nº31.5s Remote Con-  
trol. (See Remote Control.) When using the Nº31.5 to teach a learning re-  
mote special commands, it can also transmit IR signals. (See Using Learning  
Remote Controls.) Always keep this window clean and unobstructed.  
Disp la y me ssa ge s The display also shows a variety of messages about the Nº31.5s status and opera-  
tion. Here are some of the messages youll see, and what they mean.  
CLOSING: The Lid is in motion (closing); appears after the  
Lid Op e n/ Close button is pressed.  
FIRST TRACK: The p revious button was pressed while the first track  
on the CD (or in a program or a random sequence) was playing.  
INDEX SEARCH: The Nº31.5 is scanning the CD for indices; appears  
after ind ex mod e is pressed.  
INSERT DISC: The Lid is open; appears after the Lid has stopped  
opening.  
LAST TRACK: The next button was pressed while the last track on  
the CD (or in a program) was playing.  
NEW PROGRAM: A new program was recorded in the Nº31.5s  
memory; appears after p rogra m sa ve is pressed.  
NO DAMPER: The Lid is closed and the Disc Damper isnt installed  
on the spindle; appears after the Lid has closed.  
NO PROGRAM: Theres no program in the Nº31.5s memory; ap-  
pears after p rog ra m review or p rog ra m c le a r is pressed.  
OPENING: The Lid is in motion (opening); appears after the  
Lid Op e n/ Close button is pressed.  
P01 IS 1st: Indicates a tracks place in a program; appears after  
p rog ra m review is pressed.  
P02 02 IS 2: Indicates an indexs place in a program; appears after  
p rog ra m review is pressed.  
PROG CHANGED: Changes to a program were recorded in the  
31.5s memory; appears after p rog ra m sa ve is pressed.  
POLARITY PRG: A program including only the p ola rity inve rt func-  
tion was saved; appears after p rog ra m sa ve is pressed.  
PROG DELETED: A previously saved program was erased from the  
31.5s memory; appears after p rog ra m c le a r is pressed, followed  
by pressing p rogra m sa ve .  
PROG CLEARED: The temporary program was erased, or the previ-  
ously saved program was temporarily overridden; appears after  
p rog ra m c le a r is pressed.  
PROGRAM END: There are no more selections in the program be-  
ing reviewed; appears after p rog ra m review is pressed.  
READING: The Nº31.5 is reading track and time information from  
the CD; appears after the Lid has closed.  
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Re mote Control  
1
IR TRANSMITTER WINDOW  
1
The Nº31.5s Remote Control sends infrared (IR) commands through its pro-  
jection lens, and the Nº31.5 receives IR commands through its Remote sen-  
sor window. (See Front Panel.) If either of these lenses is obstructed, no IR  
commands can be received by the Nº31.5. If you notice IR performance de-  
teriorating, you may want to clean these lenses with a soft cloth and some  
glass cleaner. (Spray the cleaner on the cloth first, and then wipe the lens  
with the moistened cloth. Do not spray the cleaner directly on either lens, as  
this may allow moisture to migrate into the electronics behind the lens as-  
semblies.)  
R
MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES  
2
3
stop  
pause  
track  
A–B  
repeat  
2
TRANSPORT & PROGRAMMING BUTTONS  
The buttons used for routine operation of transport functions on the Nº31.5  
are grouped at the top of the remote control. They include:  
1
2
3
6
9
4
7
5
8
0
( ) reve rse sc a n: When pressed, the Nº31.5 will enter a reverse au-  
dible scanning mode similar to the familiar rewind function of  
many cassette decks, allowing a precise location within a track to  
be located.  
4
5
prg/time • index volume  
input  
mute  
(
) forwa rd sc a n: When pressed, the Nº31.5 will enter a fast for-  
ward audible scanning mode similar to the familiar fast forward  
function of many cassette decks, allowing a precise location  
within a track to be located.  
display intensity/  
mode •standby  
d/a  
polarity  
6
( ) p la y: Press to enter the p la y mode from either stop , p a use , or  
sta nd by, or to restart play at the beginning of the track currently  
playing. Pressing p la y while in an A-B loop will return you to  
point A.  
( ) stop : Press to stop the disc. The same button will operate the  
Lid if stopping the disc has no relevance (e.g., if it is already  
stopped, or if there is no disc inside the Nº31.5).  
7
( ) p a use : Press to p a use play in the current location. If left in  
p a use mode for more than two minutes, the Nº31.5 will enter ex-  
te nd e d p a use mode, shutting down both the laser and the drive  
motors to enhance longevity and reliability. Upon pressing p a use  
or p la y a second time, the disc will spin up and begin playing  
from the location where it had been paused. (You may also force  
the Nº31.5 into exte nd e d p a use mode by pressing and holding  
the p a use button for a few seconds.)  
(+) tra c k +: When pressed, this will take you to the beginning of the  
next track. Also used to add a track to a playlist when creating a  
custom program. (See Introduction to Programming.)  
28  
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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 of  
the disc between points A and B until you press A-B or stop .  
(Note that A must precede B on the disc.) Directly accessing a  
point beyond the end of your A-B loop (next, d ire c t time , or  
d ire c t tra c k) will cancel the re p e a t A-B function and return the  
31.5 to play at your selected point.  
re p e a t: Press once to enter re p e a t d isc mode (repeating the entire  
disc, or an entire playlist if one is entered). This action will illu-  
minate the re p e a t d isc LED. Press a second time to enter the re -  
p e a t tra c k mode (repeating a single track ad nauseam). A third  
press will cycle you back to normal operation, as will pressing  
stop.  
() tra c k : When pressed, this will take you to the beginning of the  
p revious track. Also used to add a track to a playlist when creat-  
ing a custom program. (See Introduction to Programming.)  
3
NUMERIC KEYPAD  
The numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 may be used to directly access in-  
dividual track numbers of discs played by the Nº31.5. For example, to go  
directly to track 13, press 1 followed by 3, and then press p la y. You do not  
have to add a 0 before a single-digit track number: 7, followed by p la y, will  
take you directly to track number 7. (In fact, if the Nº31.5 is already in play,  
simply pressing the number button will be sufficient.)  
The Nº31.5 displays a certain amount of intelligence with respect to direct  
track access. If the first number entered identifies a particular track unam-  
biguously (such as 2 on a 12-track disc), the Nº31.5 is “smart” enough to im-  
mediately move to that track. If the first number entered could be the first  
of two digits (such as 1 on a 12-track disc), the Nº31.5 will wait for a mo-  
ment to determine whether you wish to enter a second number. If not, it  
will then go to the single-digit track you selected.  
If you request a non-existent track (pressing 2, 1 on a 12-track disc, for ex-  
ample), the Nº31.5 will display NO TRACK XX (where XX is the track you  
requested that does not exist) and resume play.  
Selecting a particular track does not affect the operating mode. That is to  
say, pressing 7 while in p la y begins playing track 7; pressing 4 while in  
p a use leaves you paused at the beginning of track 4. Similarly, using direct  
track access during the playing of a program will temporarily override the  
program; pressing stop will return you to your original programmed playlist  
as though nothing had ever happened.  
Ra nd om Pla y  
Incidentally, if you press 0 followed by p la y, the Nº31.5 will enter a  
ra nd om p la y mode in which the order of the current discs playlist is  
scrambled, and then played. The first character of the display (that shows a  
P when playing a playlist) will show R to indicate ra nd om p la y. Moreover,  
placing the Nº31.5 into ra nd om p la y mode while the d isc re p e a t function  
is engaged will cause it to play the various tracks on the disc randomly in-  
definitely (until you stop it). This can be a great way to provide back-  
ground music during a dinner party, for example.  
29  
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4
PROGRAM/ TIME  
While remaining in stop , you may advance the display to any desired track  
using the tra c k and tra c k + keys. Pressing p rg m / time followed by the  
tra c k + (or tra c k ) button will add (or delete) the displayed track to that  
discs playlist.  
On the other hand, pressing p rgm / time followed by a number on the nu-  
meric keypad gives you direct time access to any point on the disc. Note  
that this time access is context-sensitive: that is, when the display is tim e  
elapsed in track mode, pressing prg/time followed by 1, 2, 3 will cue up  
the Nº31.5 at 1:23 into the current track; doing so in tim e rem ain in g on  
disc mode will cue up the Nº31.5 at 1:23 before the end of the disc.  
5
“PREAMP” FUNCTIONS  
(+) ra ise volume : Pressing this button on the Nº31.5 remote control  
will transparently and automatically raise the volume of a Linked  
Mark Levinson preamplifier, minimizing the need to juggle mul-  
tiple remotes. This function is available even when the Nº31.5 is in  
standby, in which case its display will activate long enough to  
confirm your command visually. Since this function depends on  
the ability of the Nº31.5 to pass the instruction to the Nº38S (for  
example), the two components must be connected by a Link  
cable, and operate within a system which has a master” digital  
processor. (See Setting Options for more information.)  
inp ut: Pressing this button on the Nº31.5 remote control once will  
display the current status of the input selection control, for ex-  
ample No30 on No31 (to indicate that the Nº30 or Nº30.5 digital  
processor has the Nº31.5 as its selected source). Clicking the button  
again while this information is displayed will automatically cycle  
through the various active (e.g., not named NOT USED) digital in-  
puts on a Linked Mark Levinson digital processor, minimizing the  
need to juggle multiple remotes. This function is available even  
when the Nº31.5 is in standby, in which case its display will acti-  
vate long enough to confirm your command visually. Since this  
function depends on the ability of the Nº31.5 to pass the instruc-  
tion to the processor, the two components must be connected by  
a Link cable. (See Setting Options for more information.)  
Ana log Inp ut Switc hing  
Alternatively, you may force the inp ut button to select from among  
your analog inputs on a Linked Mark Levinson preamplifier  
(assuming you have one) by:  
• Clicking on the inp ut button to display the current status  
of the input selection control. (It will show something like  
No30 on No31, for example.)  
• Pressing and holding the inp ut button until the Nº31.5 dis-  
play indicates that it is now controlling the preamplifier, by  
displaying something like No38 on No30 (for example; this  
would indicate that the No38 preamplifier has the No30  
digital processor as its selected source)  
• Then clicking the inp ut button to cycle the preamplifier  
through its active inputs (e.g., not named NOT USED)  
30  
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This function is available even when the Nº31.5 is in standby, in  
which case its display will activate long enough to confirm your  
command visually.  
You may change the inp ut button back to controlling the digital  
source selection at any time by repeating this procedure.  
Dire c t a c c e ss to inp uts  
Whenever the Nº31.5 is in either its analog- or digital-input  
switching mode (as shown by the display indicating something  
like No30 on No31 rather than its normal display), you may go  
directly to any desired input by pressing the corresponding num-  
ber button on the numeric keypad of the remote control.  
m ute : Pressing this button will engage the mute of a compatible  
Mark Levinson preamplifier without stopping the transport. Press-  
ing it a second time will restore the volume to its previous set-  
ting. This function is available even when the Nº31.5 is in standby,  
in which case its display will activate long enough to confirm  
your command visually. Since this function depends on the ability  
of the Nº31.5 to pass the instruction to the Nº38 (for example),  
the two components must be connected by a Link cable, and op-  
erate within a system which has a master” digital processor. (See  
Setting Options for more information.)  
() lowe r volume : Pressing this button on the Nº31.5 remote control  
will transparently and automatically lower the volume of a Linked  
Mark Levinson preamplifier, minimizing the need to juggle mul-  
tiple remotes. This function is available even when the Nº31.5 is in  
standby, in which case its display will activate long enough to  
confirm your command visually. Since this function depends on  
the ability of the Nº31.5 to pass the instruction to the Nº38 (for  
example), the two components must be connected by a Link  
cable, and operate within a system which has a master” digital  
processor. (See Setting Options for more information.)  
6
MISCELLANEOUS CONTROLS  
d / a p ola rity: Pressing this button on the Nº31.5 remote control will  
transparently and automatically invert the polarity of a Linked  
Mark Levinson digital audio processor, minimizing the need to  
juggle multiple remotes. Since this function depends on the ability  
of the Nº31.5 to pass the instruction to the Nº36 (for example),  
the two components must be connected by a Link cable. (See  
Setting Options for more information.)  
d isp la y mod e : Pressing this button duplicates the function of press-  
ing the mod e button on the Nº31.5, cycling through the four tim e  
mod e s (time elapsed or time remaining, either on the track or on  
the disc). Pressing and holding this button will allow you to set  
your Link options. (See Setting Options for more information.)  
31  
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inte nsity/ • sta nd by: Pressing this button momentarily cycles the  
31.5 (and any Linked Mark Levinson components) through  
their four levels of d isp la y inte nsity (bright, medium, dim, off).  
When pressed and held for about one second (denoted by the  
bold dot • ), this button will place the Nº31.5 into or out of  
sta nd by. If you continue to hold this button after the Nº31.5 en-  
ters sta nd by, it will force the entire Linked system into sta nd by.  
This function is available even when the Nº31.5 is already in  
standby, in which case its display will activate long enough to  
confirm your command visually.  
7
BATTERY COMPARTMENT  
The two AA batteries used by the Remote Control must be placed inside  
5
the compartment at the bottom of the remotes housing. Using the 64" hex  
wrench provided in your accessory kit (look inside the slot within the foam  
rubber), carefully remove the two screws on the bottom of the housing and  
insert the batteries, being careful to orient them as indicated inside the bat-  
tery compartment. Then replace the screws using the hex wrench.  
Cond itions tha t Affe c t IR communication between the Remote Control and the Nº31.5 can be affected by:  
IR Pe rforma nc e  
• Direct sunlight  
• Interior lighting  
Wall, window, ceiling, and floor treatments  
• The angle of the Remote Control relative to the Nº31.5  
If the Nº31.5 will be subject to direct sunlight, place it no more than 10 feet from  
where youll normally operate the Remote Control. Where bright sunlight virtually  
floods the room, IR communication may be inconsistent.  
In a room lighted primarily with incandescent fixtures, place the Nº31.5 no more  
than 25-30 feet (7-9 meters) from where youll normally operate the Remote Control.  
In a room with fluorescent fixtures, this range will be reduced. Where bright fluores-  
cent lighting virtually floods the room, IR communication may be inconsistent.  
IR, like visible light, reacts differently when it meets different surfaces. Carpeting  
and draperies, for example, tend to diffuse (scatter) IR and interfere with its trans-  
mission. Glossy or reflective surfaces, such as mirrors and smooth walls, bounce”  
(reflect) IR and wont interfere with its transmission. When placing the Nº31.5, it is  
important to account for potential IR bounce and diffusion. For example, in a  
room with thick carpeting, heavy draperies, and many pieces of furniture, you  
may need to place the Nº31.5 closer to where youll normally operate the Remote  
Control than you would in a sparsely furnished room with bare walls and hard-  
wood flooring.  
If possible, install the Nº31.5 directly opposite from where youll normally operate  
the Remote Control. In practice, the Remote Control will operate the Nº31.5 at up  
to 30 degrees to either side of this direct line. To either side of this line, success-  
ful IR communication will depend on bounce and ambient lighting. (Please refer  
to diagram on next page.)  
32  
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Optim um IR  
re c e ption wind ow  
30 fe e t or le ss  
30˚  
30˚  
If the requirements of your installation preclude a clean line of sight between the  
31.5 and your listening position, you may want to consider using an infrared  
repeater to route the remote controls commands to the Nº31.5. Please ask your  
dealer for more information on third-party IR repeaters.  
33  
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REFERENCE CD TRANSPORT Nº 31.5  
designed and manufactured in U.S.A.  
by MADRIGAL  
S/N  
main power  
communication ports  
digital outputs  
spdif  
CLASS 1  
LASER PRODUCT  
aes/ebu  
slave  
out  
slave  
in  
eiaj  
st  
WARNING: BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO  
OPERATE THIS DEVICE, REFER TO OWNER'S  
MANUAL FOR PROPER OPERATING  
INSTRUCTIONS AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS.  
HAZARDOUS VOLTAGE AVAILABLE INSIDE;  
DISCONNECT AC  
OPENING UNIT.  
~
MAINS CABLE BEFORE  
8
1 2 3  
4
5 6  
7
9 10  
Re a r Pa ne l  
1
OPERATING VOLTAGE INDICATION  
The Nº31.5 is set at the factory (internally) for 100, 120, 200, 220, or 240VAC  
mains operation as appropriate for the country in which it is to be sold.  
Make sure that the label on the rear of the left tower (as seen from the  
rear) of the Nº31.5 indicates the correct AC operating voltage for your loca-  
tion, as attempting to operate the Nº31.5 at an incorrect voltage can damage  
the unit.  
The Nº31.5 Reference CD Transport 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 fre-  
quency.  
Wa rning !  
Ne ithe r the volta ge nor the line fre q ue ncy se tting ma y b e  
c ha nge d by the use r. The re a re no use r se rvic e a b le p a rts  
insid e the Nº31.5. Only q ua lifie d, a uthorize d se rvic e p e rsonne l  
ma y op e n the Nº31.5 CD Tra nsp ort, a s ha za rd ous volta ge s  
exist within the unit.  
2
MAIN POWER  
This switch turns the Nº31.5 on and off. The switch must be in the “| ” (on)  
position for the Nº31.5 to function. (See Setup and Installation.)  
Ca ution:  
Neve r op e ra te the ma in p owe r switc h without first ma king sure  
tha t p owe r is turne d off to your re c e ive r, inte g ra te d a mp lifie r,  
or p re a m p lifie r/ p owe r a mp lifie r.  
34  
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3
4
AC POWER CORD SOCKET  
This socket accepts AC mains power via the supplied AC power cord.  
FUSE COMPARTMENT  
The panel surrounding the ma in p owe r switch is also a hinged cover for  
the Nº31.5s fuse compartment. The Nº31.5 uses two 1.0-ampere slo-blow  
fuses (type T1A slow-blo 5x20mm).  
Wa rning !  
Neve r a tte mpt to op e n the fuse c omp a rtme nt without first  
re moving the AC p owe r c ord from the Nº31.5. If you ne e d to  
re p la c e the fuse s, a lwa ys use the sa me typ e of fuse.  
To open the fuse compartment, insert the tip of a small, flat-bladed screw-  
driver into the slot at the top edge of this panel. Gently pry open the top  
edge of the compartment cover.  
5-6 SLAVE OUT a nd SLAVE IN  
These c om m unic a tion p orts allow the Nº31.5 to “link” to certain compat-  
ible Mark Levinson components via the Madrigal Communications Link sys-  
tem (MCL). (See Setting Options.) When making these connections (which  
resemble large versions of standard U.S. telephone connectors), make sure  
that the Link cables locking tabs engage securely in the components’ com-  
munication ports.  
To set up a Linked system consisting only of transport and processor:  
1. Using a Link cable (see Madrigal Communications Link), connect  
the ma ste r port on the Mark Levinson digital processor to the  
31.5s sla ve in port.  
2. Make sure that the digital audio connection between the two op-  
erates (you should see “44.1 on the processor, indicating that it  
has locked onto the Nº31.5s output).  
3. Press p la y on the Nº31.5—thats it.  
To add multiple Mark Levinson transports to the system, simply connect the  
first Nº31.5s sla ve out port to the second Nº31.5s sla ve in port. Subsequent  
transports are connected from sla ve out to sla ve in in a daisy chain.”  
If you are linking a Mark Levinson preamplifier, it must be the last compo-  
nents in this daisy chain.” Run a Link cable from the last sla ve out port to  
the sla ve port of the Mark Levinson preamplifier. (Mark Levinson power  
amplifiers employ a different, special linking connection from the preampli-  
fier.)  
Ca ution:  
Conne c ting the c om munic a tion p orts othe r tha n a s  
d e sc rib e d in this ma nua l ma y d a ma ge the Nº31.5 a nd the  
d igita l p roc e ssor, a nd will void the p rod uc ts’ wa rra ntie s.  
35  
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7
8
9
DIGITAL OUTPUT, EIAJ OPTICAL  
This output provides the d ig ita l a ud io signa l (DAS), via optical cable  
equipped with the EIAJ-type optical connector (sometimes called  
Toslink®”) to the digital processor.  
DIGITAL OUTPUT, ST OPTICAL  
This output provides the d ig ita l a ud io signa l (DAS), via optical cable  
equipped with the ST-type optical connector (sometimes called AT&T”) to  
the digital processor.  
DIGITAL OUTPUT, S/ PDIF ELECTRICAL  
This output provides the d ig ita l a ud io sig na l (DAS) via cables equipped  
with RCA-type connectors to the digital processor.  
This input conforms to the Sony/Philips Digital Interface Standard (S/PDIF),  
which calls for a 75transmission of the DAS. Use a digital interconnecting  
cable specifically designed for the 75S/PDIF standard, such as Madrigal  
MDC-2 cable, when using this input.  
10 DIGITAL OUTPUT, AES/ EBU ELECTRICAL  
This output provides the d ig ita l a ud io sig na l (DAS) via cables equipped  
with XLR-type connectors to the digital audio processor.  
This input conforms to the Audio Engineering Society/European Broadcast  
Union (AES/EBU) professional digital audio standard, which calls for a 110Ω  
transmission of the DAS. Use a digital interconnecting cable specifically de-  
signed for the 110AES/EBU standard, such as Madrigal MDC-1 cable,  
when using this input, with pin assignments as indicated below:  
Pin 1: chassis ground (AC-coupled)  
Pin 2: non-inverted digital  
1
2
3
Pin 3: inverted digital  
Connector ground lug: chassis ground  
It has been Madrigals experience that the AES/EBU interconnection stan-  
dard offers the best quality of all digital transmission interfaces when fully  
optimized, and we recommend its use wherever possible between Mark  
Levinson components.  
However, optimizing any digital interface completely represents a significant  
engineering challenge. It is entirely possible that a different type of input  
may actually outperform a less-than-optimized AES/EBU implementation on  
some brands of digital processors. For this reason, we have gone to great  
lengths to fully optimize all four of the digital outputs on the Nº31.5. If you  
are using you Nº31.5 with a different brand of processor, we recommend  
experimenting to determine which type of input on that processor results  
in the best audible performance.  
36  
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Ba sic Ope ra tion  
Before operating your Nº31.5, become familiar with its controls and their loca-  
tions. (See Front Panel, Top Panel, CD Transport Assembly, and Remote Control.)  
Loa d ing a CD To load a CD for play:  
1. Make sure that the ma in p owe r switch is set to the “| ” position.  
2. Enable the Nº31.5s controls by pressing sta nd by.  
3. Press Lid Op e n/ Close to open the Lid.  
4. Remove the Disc Damper from the spindle.  
5. Place a CD onto the spindle, label side up. Handle the CD by the  
outer edges only.  
6. Place the Damper on top of the CD. Make sure that its centered  
and seated securely.  
7. Close the Lid by pressing Lid Op e n/ Close again.  
In a few seconds, the display will show the total number of tracks and their total  
playing time. The CD is now ready for play.  
Te m p ora rily ove rrid ing a Note: If you have previously saved a program for the CD, the letter P will appear  
p reviously sa ve d p rogra m preceding the track number on the display. (See Programming.)  
To override a previously saved program, press p rogra m c le a r; or on the Remote  
Control, press the 0 (zero) numbered key, then press p rg / time . All of the CDs  
tracks will be accessible for basic operation, but the program will still be retained  
in the Nº31.5s memory.  
Pla ying a ll tra c ks in ord e r To play all tracks on the CD, press the play button. All tracks will play in order.  
Play will stop automatically at the end of the CD.  
Be g inning p la y with othe r To begin play with a track other than the first track:  
tha n the first tra c k  
1. Before pressing p la y, press next until the number of the desired  
track shows on the display (tra c k + on the remote). If you pass the  
track you want to play, you can back up” by pressing p revious  
(tra c k on the remote). You may also select the track using the  
numbered buttons on the Remote Control.  
2. Press p la y to begin playing that track. The remaining tracks will  
play in order. Play will stop automatically at the end of the CD.  
Re p la ying a tra c k To return to the beginning of a track while its playing, press p la y. Play will be  
suspended briefly, then that track will replay followed by the remaining tracks on  
the CD.  
37  
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Ra nd om p la y 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 p la y.  
While random play is active, the letter R will appear preceding the track number  
on the display.  
To cancel random play, press Stop.  
Skip p ing to a nothe r tra c k You may skip to another track any time while a CD is playing. To move to an-  
other track, press next (tra c k + on the remote) to go forward, or p revious  
(tra c k on the remote) to go backward until the number of the track you want  
to play shows on the display. (You may also select the track using the numbered  
buttons on the Remote Control.) Play will resume as soon as the pickup reaches  
that track.  
Se a rc hing for a p a ssa ge You may search for a particular passage on the CD using Se a rc h Forwa rd  
(
)and Se a rc h Reve rse ( ). Scan the CD until the laser pickup reaches the  
passage you want to hear. The playing speed increases when you hold down  
Se a rc h Forwa rd or Se a rc h Reve rse , and the volume is reduced.  
Note: If your Nº31.5 is Linked to a compatible Mark Levinson digi-  
tal processor (via the communication ports), you have the option  
of muting the volume completely during search. (See Setting Op-  
tions.)  
As soon as you release the button, play resumes.  
If you search past the beginning (or end) of a track, the laser pickup will move  
on to the previous (or next) track.  
If you try to search forward past the end of a CD or program, the laser pickup  
will stop at the end of the last track.  
If you try to search backward past the beginning of a CD or program, the laser  
pickup will stop at the beginning of the first track. When you release Se a rc h Re -  
ve rse , play will resume beginning with the first track.  
Previewing a CD Using the Nº31.5s preview function, you may play only the introduction of each  
track on a CD, then resume normal play when you hear the track you like.  
Once a CD is loaded and ready for play, press p review. Beginning with the first  
track, the Nº31.5 will play the first ten seconds of the track, skip to the second  
track and play the first ten seconds of that track, and so on. While the p review  
function is active, the tra c k part of the display will flash.  
To resume normal play, press p review again or press p la y.  
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Using ind ic e s If a CD has indices, you may use them to begin play in the middle of a track.  
1. Press ind ex mod e . (If there was no CD in play, the display will  
show INDEX SEARCH.) After a brief delay while the transport  
searches the disc, the LED above the button will flash to indicate  
ind ex mod e .  
2. Using next and p revious (or the numbered buttons on the Remote  
Control), select an index.  
3. Press p la y to begin play at the index you selected.  
Be g inning p la y a t a You may use p rg / time on the Remote Control to begin play at a specific time—  
sp e c ific loc a tion in a tra c k whether or not it corresponds to an index.  
1. Using tra c k + or tra c k , or the numbered buttons on the remote  
control), select a track.  
2. Press p rg / tim e , then press the numbered buttons corresponding to  
when youd like play to begin. (The numbers you select will ap-  
pear in the time part of the display.)  
3. To begin play at that point, press p la y.  
Note: The time you select depends on the selection youve made  
with the d isp la y mod e button: elapsed or remaining, CD or track.  
For example, if you want to begin play one minute and thirty seconds into track  
2, first press d isp la y mod e until the e la p se d time and on tra c k LEDs light. Then  
select track 2 by pressing tra c k + or tra c k (or by entering 02). Press p rg / time ,  
enter 130, then press p la y.  
The p a use func tion To suspend play while a CD is playing, press p a use . To resume play at the same  
point, press p a use again.  
If left in p a use for several minutes, the transport will stop spinning and the laser  
will turn off (thereby enhancing the longevity of both). This will be indicated by  
the p a use indicator in the display (“| | ”) flashing on and off. Alternatively, this  
exte nd e d p a use feature may be engaged by pressing and holding the p a use  
button until the indicator begins to flash in the display. Pressing p a use again will  
resume play at the point where p a use was first pressed, (after a short delay to  
allow the disc to get up to speed).  
To “cue up” the beginning of a CD or track, press p a use before pressing p la y (5).  
To begin play, press p a use again. (You may also select another track or index  
while play is suspended.)  
Re p e a ting a n e ntire CD To repeat (continuously) all tracks on a CD, press re p e a t d isc . While the re p e a t  
d isc function is active, the LED above the button is lit. To return to normal play,  
press re p e a t d isc again.  
Re p e a ting a tra c k To repeat (continuously) the track in play, press re p e a t tra c k. While the repeat  
track function is active, the LED above the button is lit. To return to normal play,  
press re p e a t tra c k again.  
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Re p e a ting a To repeat (continuously) a specific phrase or passage on a CD, press re p e a t A-B  
sp e c ific p a ssa ge at the beginning of the passage you would like to repeat. At the end of the pas-  
sage, press re p e a t A-B again. The passage you selected will repeat continuously.  
While the re p e a t A-B function is active, A then B will appear preceding the track  
number on the display. To return to normal play without interruption, press the  
re p e a t A-B button again.  
While in the repeat A-B mode, the following keys behave as outlined below:  
p la y will restart play at point A (much as doing so normally re-  
turns you to the beginning of the current track).  
se a rc h reve rse will rewind” the disc back, beginning play when  
you release the button. This allows you to review the lead-in to  
your A-B section, as when learning a piece of music by ear.  
se a rc h forwa rd will “fast forward” the music as far as the “Bpoint,  
stopping there for easy access to the end of your A-B loop.  
stop will leave the re p e a t A-B mode and enter stop .  
p revious will move you to the previous track (or index if in index  
mode) whether or not it lies within the A-B loop.  
next will move you to the next track (or index if in index mode).  
If this location lies beyond the defined A–B loop, the Nº31.5 will  
leave re p e a t A–B mode, reverting to normal play.  
d ire c t tra c k access will override your A-B loop if you go beyond  
the defined A–B loop.  
d ire c t time access will also override your A-B loop if you go be-  
yond the defined A–B loop.  
Inve rting p la yb a c k p ola rity If your Nº31.5 is linked to a compatible Mark Levinson digital processor via the  
c omm unic a tion p orts, you may change the playback polarity. (See Setting Op-  
tions.)  
After loading a CD, press the p ola rity inve rt button on the digital processors front  
panel, or press d / a p ola rity on the Nº31.5s Remote Control, then press p la y. The  
CD will play with inverted polarity.  
If you want this CD to always play with inverted polarity, press p rog ra m sa ve  
before pressing p la y. The display will show POLARITY PRG, a small P will appear  
preceding the track number on the display, and inverted polarity will be saved as  
a program” for that CD. (See Programming.)  
Stop p ing p la y To stop play before the end of the CD, press Stop . The display will show the total  
number of tracks and their total playing time.  
You may also stop play by pressing Lid Op e n/ Close . In this case, play will stop  
and the Lid will open.  
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Introduction to Progra mming  
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 Nº31.5s memory.  
Before using your Nº31.5s programming features, become familiar with its con-  
trols and their locations (see Front Panel, Top Panel, CD Transport Assembly, and  
Remote Control), as well as their basic functions (see Basic Operation).  
When playing a program, the Nº31.5s basic functions operate as described in Ba-  
sic Operation, except that they work within the context of the programs playlist  
rather than the entire CD. For instance, pressing next during play skips to the  
next track or index in the sequence, whether or not it is the next track or index  
on the CD. In the same way, pressing re p e a t d isc will repeat the entire program,  
not the entire CD.  
The Nº31.5 allows up to 99 selections (tracks and indices) per program. A pro-  
gram may include both tracks and indices.  
Assembling a program is possible only before play begins.  
Note: The only programming functions that operate while a CD is  
playing are p rog ra m c le a r and p rogra m sa ve .  
How the Nº31.5 When you load a CD, the Nº31.5 assigns it a unique identification code. If you  
re me mb e rs p rog ra m s assemble a program for a particular CD and save it into the Nº31.5s memory, the  
31.5 “remembers” that CDs program.  
The next time you load that CD, the Nº31.5 will recognize the CDs identification  
code and automatically loads the previously saved program. (The letter P will ap-  
pear preceding the track number on the display.) [Note: Even if you have previ-  
ously saved a program for a CD, the Nº31.5 allows you to override it (and have  
access to all tracks on the CD) without erasing it from the memory.]  
The Nº31.5s memory can store programs for thousands of CDs. Saved programs  
remain in memory when you place the Nº31.5 into standby, when you turn off  
the main power switch — even if AC power is interrupted.  
Asse mb ling a new p rogra m To assemble a new program, make sure a disc is loaded and that the Nº31.5 is in  
stop (rather than already playing):  
1. Using the next and p revious, select the first track in your program.  
2. Add the first selection to your program by pressing p rog ra m + (on  
the Remote Control, press p rg / time , then press +).  
3. Assemble the rest of your program (up to 99 selections) by repeat-  
ing steps 1 and 2.  
4. When youve finished building your playlist:  
a. If you want to play your program without recording it in the  
31.5s memory, go on to step 5.  
b. If you want to record your program in the Nº31.5s memory,  
press p rogra m sa ve ; the display will show NEW PROGRAM.  
5. To play the program, press p la y.  
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De le te Prog ra mming If you want to play most of a CD, and just “ignore” a few tracks, you may want to  
use this shortcut:  
1. Using the next and p revious (or the numbered buttons on the Re-  
mote Control), select the first track you want to eliminate from  
your program.  
2. “Delete” the track by pressing p rog ra m .  
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each track you want to ignore.  
4. When you have finished eliminating tracks:  
a. If you want to play your program without recording it in the  
31.5s memory, go on to step 5.  
b. If you want to record your program in the Nº31.5s memory,  
press p rogra m sa ve ; the display will show NEW PROGRAM.  
5. To play the program, press p la y.  
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Ad va nce d Progra mming  
After you have created a few programs as outlined in the previous section, you  
may want to review them, add extra tracks to existing programs, or in other ways  
change the nature of what you have done. The Nº31.5 provides great flexibility in  
these regards.  
Reviewing a p rogra m To review your program before playing it:  
1. Load a CD for which youve already saved a program (the letter P  
will appear preceding the track number on the display); or load an  
unprogrammed CD, then assemble and save a program.  
2. Press p rog ra m review. The display will show the first selection in  
your program. For example, if track 3 is the first selection in your  
program, the display would show P03 IS 1st. If index 2 on track 5 is  
the first selection, the display would show P05 02 IS 1.  
Note: If you press p rog ra m review when there is no program in  
the Nº31.5s memory, the display will show NO PROGRAM.  
3. To view the next selection, press p rog ra m review again, and so on.  
Press p rog ra m review for each selection in your program. After you  
view the last selection, the display will show PROGRAM END.  
Ad d ing a se le c tion You may add a selection to the end of a previously saved program. To add a selection:  
1. Load a CD for which youve already saved a program (the letter P  
will appear preceding the track number on the display); or load an  
unprogrammed CD, then assemble and save a program.  
2. Using the next and p revious (or the numbered buttons on the Re-  
mote Control), select the track you want to add to your program.  
You may also include indices in your program. Press ind ex mod e ,  
then use next and p revious (or the numbered buttons on the Re-  
mote Control) to select an index. [Note: If your Nº31.5 is linked to  
a compatible Mark Levinson digital processor via the  
c ommunic a tion p orts, you may set the playback polarity indepen-  
dently for each track. See Setting Options. In this case,  
press the p ola rity inve rt button on the digital processors front  
panel, or press d / a p ola rity on the Nº31.5s Remote Control, before  
continuing to step 3.]  
3. Add the selection to your program by pressing p rog ra m + (on the  
Remote Control, press p rg / time , then press +).  
Note: You must press p rog ra m + (or p rg / time and +) within five  
seconds after making a selection, or the selection wont be re-  
corded.  
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each selection you want to add to your  
program. Make sure to press p rog ra m + (or p rg / time and +) after  
each selection.  
5. When youve finished adding selections, press p rog ra m sa ve ; the  
display will show PROG CHANGED. This last step is what makes  
your change permanent.  
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Era sing a se le c tion You also may erase a selection from a previously saved program. To erase a selec-  
tion:  
1. Load a CD for which youve already saved a program (the letter P  
will appear preceding the track number on the display); or load an  
unprogrammed CD, then assemble and save a program.  
2. Using the next and p revious (or tra c k + and tra c k on the remote,  
or the numbered buttons on the remote), select the track you want  
to erase from your program.  
3. Erase the selection to your program by pressing p rog ra m (on the  
remote control, press p rg / time , then press ).  
Note: You must press p rog ra m (or p rg / time and ) within five  
seconds after making a selection, or the selection wont be re-  
corded.  
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each selection you want to add to your  
program. Make sure to press p rog ra m (or p rg / time and ) after  
each selection.  
5. When youve finished adding selections, press p rog ra m sa ve ; the  
display will show PROG CHANGED. This last step is what makes  
your change permanent.  
Te mp ora rily ove rrid ing a To override a previously saved program (temporarily), press p rogra m c le a r (on  
p reviously sa ve d p rogra m the Remote Control, press the 0 numbered key, then press p rg / time ); the display  
will show PROG CLEARED.  
All of the CDs tracks will be accessible for basic operation, but the program will  
still be retained in the Nº31.5s memory. (See Basic Operation.)  
Note: If you press p rog ra m sa ve after pressing p rog ra m c le a r, the  
display will show PROG DELETED and the program will be erased  
from the Nº31.5s memory.  
Era sing a p rogra m To erase a previously saved program permanently from the Nº31.5s memory:  
1. Press p rog ra m c le a r; the display will show PROG CLEARED.  
2. Press p rog ra m sa ve ; the display will show PROG DELETED.  
Once again, this last step of pressing p rogra m sa ve is what makes your change  
permanent (as opposed to merely overriding the program this once).  
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Se tting Options  
The Nº31.5 gives you the ability to customize” its operation to suit your particular  
needs and/or preferences. One of these options pertains exclusively to how the  
31.5 itself operates: Index 0. The other options address the way in which the  
31.5 interacts with other Linked Mark Levinson components such as the Nº30.5  
Reference Digital Processor and the Nº38S Preamplifier.  
Note: To take advantage of linked functions, the various compo-  
nents must be connected via their communication ports. (See Rear  
Panel and Setup and Installation.)  
The stand-alone option that is always available addresses whether the Nº31.5 plays  
the space between tracks called “Index 0.” This space is analogous to the lead-in  
grooves” of vinyl LPs.  
Ind ex 0: When this option has been selected, pressing p la y will  
begin each track at Ind ex 0 rather than at the usual Index 1, result-  
ing in a brief countdown” to the beginning of the music.  
If you prefer all track and index operations to use Index 0 as  
the effective beginning of a given track (to hear the applause be-  
fore a song on a live recording, for example), you may select Ind ex  
0 in the Se t Options menu, described on the next page.  
There are six linked functions. These address the way in which the Nº31.5 inter-  
acts with other components within the Madrigal Communications Linking system.  
They are:  
Re c ord link (Nº30 a nd Nº30.5 only): While the Nº31.5 is selected as  
the Nº30s recording source (a CD must be in play), this link helps  
prevent you from inadvertently disrupting the recording process. If  
you attempt to use any of the Nº31.5s functions that might disrupt  
the recording process (stop , Lid Op e n/ Close , etc.), the Nº31.5 will  
block that function and its display will show RECORDING. Likewise,  
if you attempt to place the Nº30 into sta nd by, the Nº31.5 will block  
that function and Nº30s display will show RECORDING.  
To override the record link, press the function button twice.  
(For example, if you do want to stop the CD thats playing, even  
though its being recorded, press the stop button twice in succes-  
sion.)  
When the Nº31.5 is first turned on, the record link setting is off.  
Mute link: When this link is engaged, the Linked processor will au-  
tomatically mute the volume during search modes (that is, when-  
ever you press se a rc h forwa rd or se a rc h reve rse ). It has no effect  
on the remote controls mute button.  
When the Nº31.5 is first turned on, the mute link setting is off so  
you can hearing the audible cueing function provided by the  
31.5 during searches.  
Sta nd by link: This feature links the standby modes of the Nº31.5  
and the digital processor. If both the Nº31.5 and the digital proces-  
sor are in standby mode, pressing the Nº31.5s sta nd by button will  
take both components out of standby mode (making them ready  
to operate). If both the Nº31.5 and the digital processor are on”  
(not in standby mode), pressing the Nº31.5s sta nd by button will  
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place only the Nº31.5 into standby mode (since you may wish to  
listen to another input on your processor).  
When the Nº31.5 is first turned on, the standby link setting is  
on.  
Alia s link: Mark Levinson digital processors allow you to set an “in-  
put alias” for each of their sources; this alternative name appears  
on their display. The Nº31.5s alias link automatically overrides the  
alias setting for its input. When you select the Nº31.5s input, the  
processor will show No31 on its display.  
When the Nº31.5 is first turned on, the alias link setting is on.  
Pla y link: When you press the Nº31.5s p la y button, this link auto-  
matically selects the Nº31.5s input on the digital processor.  
Note: If youve connected the Nº31.5 to two or more of the  
digital processors inputs, the play link will look first for AES/EBU  
interconnection, then S/PDIF, then ST, and finally EIAJ.  
When the Nº31.5 is first turned on, the play link setting is on.  
Disp la y link: This links the d isp la y inte nsity functions of the Nº31.5  
and the digital processor. When the components are linked, both  
displays will be set to the same brightness. Pressing d isp la y inte n-  
sity on either component will affect both displays.  
When the Nº31.5 is first turned on, the display link setting is on.  
Pola rity link: This links the d / a p ola rity button on the Nº31.5s Re-  
mote Control to the p ola rity inve rt function of the digital processor.  
The polarity link also allows inverted polarity to be saved with  
a program. When inverted polarity is part of a saved program, this  
link turns on the digital processors p ola rity inve rt function. (See  
Programming.)  
The polarity link setting is always on, and cant be changed.  
In addition to the Setting Options, the Nº31.5 has the ability to play  
“Index 0,” the CD equivalent of the lead-in grooves” on an LP.  
The Nº31.5 allows you to change the Index 0 option and its six Link options to  
suit your own preferences. [Note: The polarity link setting is always on, and cant  
be changed.]  
1. Make sure that the ma in p owe r switch is set to the on” (“| ”) posi-  
tion.  
2. Enable the Nº31.5s controls by pressing sta nd by.  
Note: To change your Nº31.5s link settings, your Mark Levinson  
digital processor also must be connected (linked) and turned on.  
3. Press and hold the front-panel d isp la y mod e button and hold it  
until SET OPTIONS appears on the display. [Note: In several seconds,  
if you make no changes to the link settings, the display will go back  
into its standard mode. To return to SET OPTIONS, press and hold  
d isp la y mod e again.]  
4. Click the d isp la y mod e button a few times. The display will show  
each of your Nº31.5s options, in this order:  
INDEX 0 –  
RECORD LINK –  
MUTE LINK –  
(available even without Linking)  
(seen only when Linked)  
(seen only when Linked)  
STANDBYLINK + (seen only when Linked)  
ALIAS LINK +  
PLAY LINK +  
DISPLAYLINK +  
(seen only when Linked)  
(seen only when Linked)  
(seen only when Linked)  
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A sign beside an option indicates that it is currently off; a + sign  
indicates that it is currently on.  
If you continue clicking d isp la y mod e after the display shows  
DISPLAYLINK+, the links are shown again beginning with INDEX 0,  
then RECORD LINK, then MUTE LINK, and so on.  
5. Stop clicking d isp la y m od e when the display shows a link you  
would like to change.  
5. To turn the link on, press the p rog ra m + button; to turn the link  
off, press the p rogra m button.  
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each link setting you want to change.  
When youve finished, wait several seconds for the display to return to its stan-  
dard mode.  
Your link settings remain in memory when you place the Nº31.5 into sta nd by,  
when you turn off the ma in p owe r switch — even if AC power is interrupted.  
Auto-Sta nd by The Nº31.5 also may be set to automatically enter standby when left in stop for a  
user-selectable period of time. As shipped from the factory, its standby function is  
manual (that is, it only enters or leaves standby when told to do so by the user).  
To change between manual and timed/automatic standby:  
1. Press and hold the sta nd by button until the display reads MANUAL.  
2. Release the sta nd by button and then click” se a rc h forwa rd to ad-  
vance the timer. Single clicks will advance it by one minute. Press-  
ing and holding the button will stream the numbers by to a maxi-  
mum of 120 minutes. Se a rc h reve rse reduces the timer delay, with  
MANUAL coming below the 1 minute mark.  
3. When you have selected the delay you desire, simply allow the  
31.5 to “time-out” and revert to a normal display.  
The Nº31.5 will display AUTO STANDBY for about one second prior to actually go-  
ing into standby as a result of the auto standby setting you have chosen.  
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Ma driga l Communica tions Link  
The information needed to take full advantage of the Madrigal Communications  
Linking system (MCL) falls into two categories: understanding the architecture  
used, and summarizing which cables are needed between which components.  
The following technical information is provided as a reference, for custom instal-  
lations and other applications where a full understanding of the MCL system is  
important. Most people never need this information. Feel free to skip this section  
unless the basic information in Rear Panel is not sufficient to your needs.  
Und e rsta nd ing The MCL system is a single-master computer bus. As such, there must be a single  
the Arc hite c ture master” component that acts as the central clearinghouse for all messages. Think  
of the master component as being like the Post Office: if the Nº31.5 needs to  
send a message to the Nº38S preamplifier (for example), it sends the message to  
the master component, which then relays it to the preamplifier. In our system (for  
a variety of technical reasons), the digital audio processor is normally designated  
as the master” for the entire chain of line-level components. (Well address  
power amplifiers in a moment.)  
This approach offers several advantages: it is quite robust and reliable; it re-  
sponds extremely quickly (fast enough to seem instantaneous to the user); many  
components may be added to the system without taking a performance hit; it  
offers excellent forward compatibility, leaving options open to add new features  
and capabilities as they become needed.  
A system such as this operates with the master” at one end of a daisy chain.”  
Subsequent components are linked together via sla ve in and sla ve out ports.  
Thus, one would begin at (say) a Nº30.5, going from its ma ste r port to (say) a  
31.5s sla ve in port; from the Nº31.5s sla ve out, continue through as many  
sla ve in/sla ve out ports as needed, until you reach the preamplifier.  
In this fashion, multiple digital transports may be easily accommodated. The digi-  
tal processor will identify which transport is connected to which digital input by  
asking each in turn to momentarily turn off its DAS (digital audio signal), then  
noting which input is affected. In this way, a single master can easily identify sev-  
eral identical transports and still avoid any confusion. (This identification process  
is called handshaking.”)  
The Mark Levinson preamplifier (Nº38 or Nº38S) serves to terminate the com-  
munications bus. Hence, it receives communications from other line-level compo-  
nents via it sla ve port. It does not have a sla ve out (since it terminates the bus,  
it must be at the end). Since there is no way for the digital processor to perform  
the digital handshake” described above, you must r ena me the inputs of the  
Nº38 or Nº38S a ppr opr ia tely (as outlined in the manual) for Linking to oper-  
ate correctly.  
Thus, for example, when the Nº31.5 is turned on, the Nº30.5 comes out of  
standby and selects the correct digital input, and instructs the Nº38S to wake up  
and select whichever input is named No30.” (The Nº38S may further instructs  
the Nº333 to come out of standby.)  
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Linke d a m p lifie rs?” you a sk The communication required between preamplifier and power amplifier(s) is  
more limited than between other components. In particular, the new 300 series  
Mark Levinson amplifiers will:  
• toggle between sta nd by and op e ra te in conjunction with the  
Nº38(S) they are Linked to;  
• when in sta nd by, all of the standby indicator LEDs (sources,  
preamp and power amps) blink in sync with one another;  
• report certain fault conditions to the preamplifier if they must shut  
down for some reason.  
For this reason, it made sense to define a somewhat simpler communications  
Link between preamps and power amps. In this case, the Nº38 or Nº38S acts as  
the master” to the power amplifier(s) slave.” Multiple amps may be daisy-  
chained via their sla ve in and sla ve out ports. The Nº38 runs this smaller net-  
work” and passes necessary information back and forth as needed.  
Hence, our seemingly confusing nomenclature on the rear panels of the various  
products. Master” is connected to Slave In, then the daisy-chain continues to  
Slave Out, to Slave In, to Slave Out, etc., until you reach the preamplifiers Slave  
input. From there, you connect the Nº38s Master to the power amps Slave In. If  
you have more than one amp in the system, daisy chain them Slave Out to Slave  
In (up to a maximum of six amplifiers). (See sample diagram below.)  
sla ve out  
display  
intensity  
R
mode  
MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES  
aes/ebu  
emphasis  
COMPACT DISC DRIVE  
Nº 37  
standby  
polarity  
invert  
Nº37  
1
2
3
4
5
6
teach ir  
sla ve in  
d ig ita l outp ut  
Link  
c a b le  
m a ste r  
d ig ita l inp ut  
display  
intensity  
R
mode  
MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES  
DIGITAL PROCESSOR  
Nº 36  
aes/ebu  
polarity  
emphasis  
Nº36  
standby  
invert  
1
2
3
4
5
6
teach ir  
a na log outp ut  
Link  
c a b le  
a ny inp ut  
sla ve  
R
MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES  
PREAMPLIFIER  
Nº38  
standby  
Nº38  
m a ste r  
Link  
c a b le  
sla ve in  
R
MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES  
Nº 333  
DUAL MONAURAL  
POWER AMPLIFIER  
Nº333  
49  
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Whic h Ca b le s Go Whe re ? Having cleared up (we hope) the conceptual difficulty with how Linking works  
and with the names of the various Link communications ports, we move on to  
the purely pragmatic: what size cables do I use? Where?  
The Link system uses standard telephone company modular connectors, similar  
to the ones used in your telephone or computer modem. All communica tions  
ca bles thr ough to the prea mplifier use a n eight-conductor fla t ca ble with  
a n eight-pin modula r plug (RJ-45) a t ea ch end . These cables are made  
straight-through,” the same way the phone company uses them: Pin #1 at one  
end is connected to Pin #1 at the other end, #2 to #2, etc. The Pins are num-  
bered from left to right as seen from the pin” side of the modular plug, as shown  
below.  
12345678  
(locking tab behind)  
Counter-intuitively, you must insert a 180° twist in the wire to build this straight-  
through” cable (since the plugs are pointing in opposite directions), as shown  
below:  
From Ma rk Le vinson d ig ita l p roc e ssor  
To Nº31.5  
Lo c king ta b  
Lo c king ta b  
8-Conductor Source Component Link Cable  
The Link between the prea mplifier a nd the first power a mplifier is dif-  
ferent: it uses a six -conductor version of the sa me idea , a s shown below:  
To Nº38 Ma ste r  
To Nº333 Sla ve In  
Lo c king ta b  
Lo c king ta b  
6-Conductor Preamp-Amp Link Cable  
If you have more than one power amplifier in the system, it is important to en-  
sure that the daisy-chain is preserved: sla ve out to sla ve in, out to in, etc.  
To minimize the chance of accidentally plugging a sla ve out to a sla ve out  
(which would damage the communications circuits), we use different sizes of  
modular connectors at each end of the power amp daisy chain. We are still using  
only six connections and therefore six conductors, but we have placed an eigh t-  
pin connector at the sla ve out end of the cable, as shown below:  
50  
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To Nº33x Sla ve Out  
To Nº33x Sla ve In  
Lo c king ta b  
Lo c king ta b  
6-Conductor Amp-Amp Link Cable  
In this case, we use pins 1-6 of the eight-pin connector in a straight-through”  
connection, and leave pins 7-8 empty.  
Using the la te st softwa re As we add features and functionality to the Link system, we sometimes need to  
update associated software. If you are Linking a system with one or more older  
components (early Nº38s, Nº30, Nº31, etc.), you may need to have your dealer  
replace a socketed EPROM in order to install the current version of that products  
software. If you think you may need new software, please contact your dealer  
with the software code numbers of all Nº30 Series units in the system. This infor-  
mation is typically shown during power-up as the word CODE followed by a  
combination of four numbers and/or letter. (Your dealer should be able to help  
you with this.)  
51  
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Using Le a rning  
Re mote Controls  
The Nº31.5 includes both an infrared receiver and an infrared transmitter. With  
this capability, it can teach” a learning remote control any commands that might  
be needed for remote operation that do not exist on the remote control itself.  
Specifically, the Nº31.5 can send these additional IR commands from its d isp la y  
window, enabling you to teach a learning remote any or all of its front- (or top-)  
panel commands, as well as some optional special commands that are available  
to solve specific installation-related problems.  
The Nº31.5 has two special modes of operation into which it may be placed in  
order to facilitate the “teaching” of remote control commands to a learning re-  
mote control. The first allows you to easily teach the commands for which there  
are corresponding front panel buttons. The second allows you to teach special”  
commands to the remote control for which there are no corresponding front  
panel buttons.  
Te a c hing 31.5 Front  
Pa ne l Comma nd s  
1
PRESS AND HOLD THE REPEAT DISC BUTTON TO ENTER THE FRONT PANEL  
TEACHING MODE  
The display will show TEACH IR to indicate that the Nº31.5 is ready to teach  
a learning remote control the infrared commands that correspond to its  
front- and top-panel buttons.  
If you change your mind, simply dont touch any button for ten seconds  
and the Nº31.5 will return to normal operation. (Hint: you may remember  
that this special hidden” feature of the Nº31.5 is accessed via a press-and-  
hold of the re p e a t d isc button by associating its use with the external IR  
“repeaters” so often used in custom installations; the functionality found  
here is of most value in such installations.)  
2
PRESS ANY FRONT- OR TOP-PANEL BUTTON TO CAUSE THE Nº31.5  
TO SEND THE CORRESPONDING IR COMMAND  
Line up the IR window of your remote control with the right side of the  
31.5 display (to the right of where seconds normally display), at a dis-  
tance of approximately 2"-6". Select the to-be-learned button on the remote,  
then press the corresponding button on the Nº31.5 to fire the appropriate IR  
code. The display will change to indicate the sending of the IR signal:  
se nd ing c od e . When it reverts to TEACH IR, it is ready to issue the next  
command to be learned.  
Most learning remotes need to be held fairly still while they learn new IR  
commands; movement can garble the received IR. If you are uncertain as to  
how to prepare your remote control for learning new commands, refer to  
the instructions provided with the remote control.  
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3
4
REPEAT THE PROCESS OF “TEACHING” NEW COMMANDS TO THE  
VARIOUS BUTTONS ON YOUR REMOTE CONTROL UNTIL ALL  
APPROPRIATE OR DESIRED FRONT PANEL COMMANDS HAVE BEEN  
LEARNED BY YOUR REMOTE  
WHEN FINISHED, EXIT THE TEACH IR MODE BY ALLOWING THE Nº31.5 TO  
TIMEOUT”  
You may wish to teach your remote control some of the Nº31.5s special  
commands (those for which there is no corresponding panel button); in  
this case, you should go directly to the next section. Otherwise, simply  
avoid pressing any buttons for about ten seconds, and the Nº31.5 will auto-  
matically return to normal operation.  
At some point, however, you should test all your newly learned” commands  
to ensure that they were learned” correctly.  
Te a c hing Othe r As mentioned above, the Nº31.5 has the capability to teach learning remote con-  
31.5 Com ma nd s trols special commands for which there are no front panel counterparts. These  
commands can be especially helpful in solving problems in certain kinds of cus-  
tom installations.  
These positive control commands in the Nº31.5 will place it into a certain mode  
of operation regardless of its current state. For example, a positive control com-  
mand to enter sta nd by will leave the Nº31.5 in sta nd by if already there, or switch  
it to sta nd by if it is currently operating. This type of positive control is especially  
helpful when you do not necessarily know the current status of the Nº31.5, as  
might be the case in a multi-room home entertainment system (for example).  
1
PLACE THE Nº31.5 IN ITS FRONT PANEL TEACHING MODE  
As explained on the previous page, you do this by pressing and holding the  
re p e a t d isc button until the display reads TEACH IR. If no further buttons  
are pressed within approximately ten seconds, the Nº31.5 will time out”  
and return to normal operation.  
2
RELEASE, THEN PRESS AND HOLD THE REPEAT DISC BUTTON A SECOND  
TIME TO PLACE THE Nº31.5 IN ITS CUSTOM IR MODE  
After about five seconds, the display will change from TEACH IR to  
IR CODE 01. This indicates that the special IR codes that do not correspond  
to front-panel buttons are now available for teaching to a learning remote  
control—including some that are designed to solve problems unique to cus-  
tom installations.  
3
PRESS THE REPEAT DISC BUTTON REPEATEDLY TO ADVANCE TO THE  
DESIRED FUNCTION  
The table on the next page lists the various commands that are available for  
the Nº31.5 for which there is no front-panel equivalent. In some cases, they  
represent positive controlalternatives to commands which normally toggle  
between two settings (such as standby and operate). In other cases, they  
represent functions which exist only on the remote control. In the second  
column are the designations that will be displayed to indicate that the  
31.5 is ready to fire the corresponding IR code.  
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Pressing re p e a t d isc will advance you to the next command in the table;  
when you reach the end of the list, the Nº31.5 will return to the beginning.  
If no button is pushed for more than ten seconds, the Nº31.5 will “time out”  
and return to normal operation.  
sp e c ia l c om ma nd s ta b le  
Comma nd  
Disp la y  
OPERATE  
positive operate”  
positive standby”  
STANDBY  
positive stop w/o moving lid”  
positive display intensity to off”  
positive display intensity to medium”  
positive leave pause”  
STOP, NO LID  
DISPLAY OFF  
DISPLAY MED  
UNPAUSE  
positive enter pause”  
PAUSE  
positive “turn off repeat”  
positive “turn on index mode”  
positive “turn off index mode”  
positive open lid”  
REPEAT OFF  
INDEX ON  
INDEX OFF  
OPEN LID  
positive close lid”  
CLOSE LID  
RANDOM PLAY  
single-button random play”  
switch to analog-input switching mode ANALOG MODE  
switch to digital-input switching mode DIGITAL MODE  
4
MOMENTARILY PRESS THE DISPLAY INTENSITY BUTTON TO TRANSMIT THE  
SELECTED IR CODE  
Line up the IR window of your remote control with the right side of the  
display of the Nº31.5, at a distance of approximately 2"-6". Select the to-be-  
learned button on the remote, then fire the selected code from the Nº31.5  
by pressing d isp la y inte nsity. The Nº31.5s display will show se nd ing c od e  
during the IR transmission.  
(If you are uncertain as to how to prepare your remote control for learning  
new commands, refer to the instructions provided with the remote control.)  
5
REPEAT THE PROCESS OF “TEACHING” NEW SPECIAL COMMANDS  
UNTIL ALL DESIRED COMMANDS HAVE BEEN LEARNED BY YOUR  
REMOTE CONTROL.  
If you take longer than approximately ten seconds between button pushes,  
the Nº31.5 will time out and return to normal operation. If this occurs, re-  
turn to step #1 in this section. You may cycle through the entire list by  
pressing re p e a t d isc repeatedly.  
6
WHEN FINISHED, RETURN TO NORMAL OPERATION BY ALLOWING THE  
31.5 TO TIME OUT”  
The Nº31.5 will “timeout” and return to normal operation after approxi-  
mately ten seconds.  
54  
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Trouble shooting  
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, try  
the suggested solutions. If none of these solves the problem, contact your Mark  
Levinson dealer.  
1.  
THE Nº31.5 WON’T FUNCTION, AND THE DISPLAY IS DARK.  
The unit is is standby. Press the sta nd by button.  
The Nº31.5 isnt plugged into the AC mains or the main power  
switch isnt turned on.  
The wall socket, adapter, or extension cord is faulty.  
Theres a tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse in the wall outlets  
circuit.  
A fuse is blown in your Nº31.5 (contact your Mark Levinson  
dealer).  
2.  
3.  
THE DISPLAY IS LIT, BUT THERE IS NO OUTPUT  
The proper source isnt selected on your digital processor.  
The proper source isnt selected on your preamplifier.  
The interconnecting cables are connected incorrectly or are faulty.  
THE Nº31.5 DISPLAY READS “NO DISC”  
There is no disc in the drawer for the transport to read.  
The disc is upside down and therefore cannot be read.  
The disc has loaded improperly and cannot be read—open the  
drawer, ensure that the disc is placed properly in the drawer, and  
try again.  
4.  
5.  
6.  
THE Nº31.5 DISPLAY READS “NO DAMPER”  
There is no damper in the transport well; reopen the lid and  
place the damper on the disc.  
The damper is incorrectly positioned; center it on the CD  
spindle.  
The lid was interrupted before it could close, and therefore could  
not sense the dampers presence; remove the obstruction and al-  
low the lid to close.  
THE Nº31.5 WON’T PLAY A CD INSERTED IN THE PLAYER.  
The CD is inserted upside down. Be sure to insert it shiny side  
down (label side up).  
There may be condensation (moisture) on the laser pickup. This  
can happen if the Nº31.5 is moved from a cold environment  
(such as a warehouse or a shippers truck) to a warm, humid one.  
Set the m ain p ower switch to its "| " position, and leave it on for  
at least one hour to warm up, then try playing a CD again.  
WHEN A CD IS PLAYING, THE SOUND "SKIPS."  
The CD is severely scratched or dirty.  
The Nº31.5 is on an unstable surface or is too close to your  
speakers.  
55  
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6.  
THE LINKED FUNCTIONS DON’T WORK.  
Try to SET OPTIONS (press and hold d isp la y mod e ). Once you  
have SET OPTIONS in the display, click on d isp la y mod e 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 master” on the Link system: a Mark Levinson digital  
processor normally serves as central clearinghouse of information  
being passed from one component to the next. Without it, the  
Linking system cannot work.  
The digital audio cable is disconnected, or is connected incor-  
rectly (in which case the d isp la y link function would continue to  
work correctly, but many others would not work).  
Try turning off/disconnecting AC power from both the processor  
and the Nº31.5. After several seconds, restore AC power to the  
digital processor, then turn on the Nº31.5s ma in p owe r switch.  
You may have older versions of the system software in your asso-  
ciated Mark Levinson components which do not fully support all  
Setting Options.  
Mark Levinson components normally display a code”  
number when powering up that corresponds to the version num-  
ber of their software. (On the Nº31.5, you can also display this  
number by pressing and holding the stop button.) Write down the  
code number for each component. With this information, your  
dealer can determine whether you need to update some software  
in your system. If so, new EPROMs will be provided at no charge.  
7.  
THE REMOTE CONTROL DOESN’T OPERATE THE Nº31.5.  
The Remote Control is at the wrong angle relative to the Nº31.5,  
and the Nº31.5 cant receive the signal.  
The sensor window on the front panel of the Nº31.5 is dirty or  
blocked.  
The Remote Controls projection lens is dirty.  
Fluorescent lighting or sunlight is interfering with the operation  
of the Remote Control.  
The Remote Controls batteries are weak and need to be replaced.  
The Remote Controls batteries are installed incorrectly.  
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Ca re a nd Ma inte na nce  
To remove dust from the cabinet of the Nº31.5, use a feather duster. To remove  
dirt and fingerprints, we recommend isopropyl alcohol and a soft cloth.  
Ca ution!  
Alwa ys a p p ly the isop ropyl a lc ohol to the soft c loth a nd the n  
wip e the Nº31.5 with the d a m p e ne d c loth. Neve r p our or sp ra y  
eve n sma ll a mounts of a ny liquid d ire c tly on the Nº31.5, a s  
d oing so ma y a llow the liquid to re a c h the c irc uitry insid e the  
unit. Any liquid insid e the unit p ose s a ha za rd to b oth the use r  
a nd to the unit, a nd m ust b e a void e d.  
Make sure that the Remote sensor window on the front panel and the Remote  
Controls projection lens are kept clean and dust-free.  
Fluorescent lighting and sunlight may interfere with the operation of the Remote  
Control. Avoid placing the Nº31.5 near fluorescent lamps or in direct sunlight.  
When the Remote Controls batteries need to be replaced, use only AA batteries;  
always replace both batteries at the same time. If you dont plan to use the Re-  
mote Control often, remove the batteries. When not used for an extended period,  
even leakproof” batteries can leak corrosive acids that will damage the Remote  
Control (and will void the warranty).  
A CD, handled carefully, will last indefinitely. A warped, dusty, or scratched CD  
can cause playback problems, including audible skipping or other noises. Handle  
a CD by the outer edges only; if necessary, support it with your index finger at  
the center hole.  
When youre finished playing a CD, always return it to its plastic case. Store your  
CDs where they wont be exposed to direct sunlight, high humidity, or extremely  
high or low temperatures.  
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U.S. a nd Ca na dia n Wa rra nty  
90-Da y Limite d Wa rra nty 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 of  
purchase. To extend the warranty of this Mark Levinson product, return the war-  
ranty registration card along with a copy of the original receipt of purchase to  
Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc., P. O. Box 781, Middletown, CT 06457.  
Five Ye a r Exte nd e d Wa rra nty The extended warranty for this Mark Levinson product is five (5) years from the  
date of purchase. During the warranty period, any Mark Levinson component ex-  
hibiting defects in materials and/or workmanship will be repaired or replaced, at  
our option, without charge for either parts or labor, at our factory. The warranty  
will not apply to any Mark Levinson component that has been misused, abused  
or altered.  
Any Mark Levinson component not performing satisfactorily may be returned to  
the factory for evaluation. Return authorization must first be obtained by either  
calling or writing the factory prior to shipping the component. The factory will  
pay for return shipping charges only in the event that the component is found to  
be defective as above mentioned. There are other stipulations that may apply to  
shipping charges.  
There is no other express warranty on this component. Neither this warranty nor  
any other warranty, express or implied, including any implied warranties of mer-  
chantability or fitness, shall extend beyond the warranty period. No responsibility  
is assumed for any incidental or consequential damages. Some states do not al-  
low limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts and other states do not  
allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so that  
the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.  
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights  
which vary from state to state. This warranty is applicable in the United States and  
Canada only. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, please contact your local, autho-  
rized Mark Levinson distributor for warranty and service information.  
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Obta ining Se rvice  
We take great pride in our dealers. Experience, dedication, and integrity make  
these 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 problem can be remedied locally, or  
whether to contact Madrigal for further service information or parts, or to obtain  
a Return Authorization. The Madrigal Technical Services Department works  
closely with your dealer to solve your service needs expediently.  
Imp orta nt!  
Re turn a uthoriza tion must b e ob ta ine d from Ma d riga l’s  
Te c hnic a l Se rvic e s De p a rtme nt BEFORE a unit is ship p e d for  
se rvic e.  
It is extremely important that information about a problem be explicit and com-  
plete. A specific, comprehensive description of the problem helps your dealer and  
the Madrigal Technical Services Department locate and repair the difficulty as  
quickly as possible.  
A copy of the original bill of sale will serve to verify warranty status. Please in-  
clude it with the unit when it is brought in for warranty service.  
Wa rning !  
All re turne d units must b e p rop e rly p a c ka ge d (p re fe ra b ly in  
the ir origina l p a c king ma te ria l), a nd the p rop e r re turn  
a uthoriza tion numb e rs must b e m a rke d on the oute r c a rton  
for id e ntific a tion. If the p a c ka ging to p rote c t the unit is, in our  
op inion or tha t of our d e a le r, ina d e qua te to p rote c t the unit,  
we re se rve the right to re p a c ka ge it for re turn ship me nt a t the  
owne rs exp e nse. Ne ithe r Ma d riga l nor your d e a le r c a n b e  
re sp onsib le for ship p ing d a ma ge d ue to imp rop e r (tha t is,  
non-origina l) p a c ka ging.  
Your dealer can order a new set of shipping materials for you if you need to ship  
your component and no longer have the original materials. There will be a  
charge for this service. We strongly recommend saving all packing materials in  
case you need to ship your unit some day.  
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Spe c ific a tions  
The correlation between published specifications and sonic quality is unreliable. A  
list of numbers reveals virtually nothing. All technical measurements must be sub-  
ject to qualitative as well as quantitative interpretation.  
Measurements of the Nº31.5 yield excellent results by any standards. However,  
only those specifications that apply to its actual operation are included here.  
Direct digital output, XLR:  
Direct digital output, RCA:  
Direct digital output, ST:  
Direct digital output, EIAJ:  
Mains voltage:  
AES/EBU 110, 3.5V  
S/PDIF 75, 0.5V  
Hewlett-Packard® ST optical  
Sharp® EIAJ optical  
100V, 120V, 200V, 220V, 240V,  
factory set for destination country only  
50 or 60 Hz,  
Mains frequency:  
factory set for destination country only  
36 watts maximum  
Power consumption:  
Overall dimensions:  
Shipping weight:  
See Dimensions  
63 lbs. (28 kg)  
Connector complement:  
1 male XLR-type connector  
1 female RCA-type connector  
1 ST-type optical connector  
1 EIAJ-type optical connector  
2 RJ45 connectors  
1 IEC mains connector  
(with built-in fuse holder)  
Ma d riga l p rovid e s a n owne r-tra nsfe ra b le, five ye a r limite d wa rra nty on a ll Ma rk  
Levinson p rod uc ts within the U. S. a nd Ca na d a ONLY. Wa rra nty a nd se rvic e  
p olic ie s outsid e the U. S. a nd Ca na d a a re se t by the loc a l, a uthorize d  
d istrib utor a nd a re a p p lic a b le in the c ountry of p urc ha se ONLY. Ma d riga l  
p rod uc ts a re d e sig ne d to op e ra te a t se t volta ge s a p p rop ria te for the c ountry  
of sa le a nd ma y b e d a ma ge d if op e ra te d a t the wrong volta ge.  
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Dime nsions  
19.375"  
49.21 cm  
5.560"  
14.12 cm  
1.100"  
2.79 cm  
11.861"  
30.13 cm  
13.726"  
34.86 cm  
12.261"  
31.14 cm  
11.93"  
30.30 cm  
5.432"  
13.80 cm  
.308"  
.782 cm  
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Insta lla tion Note s  
Software Code Version:  
_______  
Yes / No  
Sent in Warranty Registration?  
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Ma d rig a l Aud io La b o ra to rie s, Inc .  
2081 So uth Ma in Stre e t, P.O. Bo x 781  
Mid d le to wn, Co nne c tic ut 06457 USA  
Te le p ho ne : (860) 346-0896  
Fa x: (860) 346-1540  
R
MADRIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES  
is a re g iste re d tra d e m a rk o f Ma d rig a l Aud io La b o ra to rie s, Inc .  
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