User manual AUDIO ANALOGUE MAESTRO SPECIAL EDITION REV 1.0

[. . . ] Dear Audiophile, congratulations and thank you for choosing the Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE. You're now the owner of a unit that establishes a new reference point in the category of high-quality and high-versatility stereophonic products. the Maestro CD reduces Jitter problems thanks to an innovative technology developed by Audio Analogue. The technology is based on a discrete component PLL used to lock the digital signal. [. . . ] Please use only high-quality cables with gold/rhodium-plated connectors. At last, plug the power cord into the Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE inlet and into the wall outlet. Notes on the Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE power plugging The Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE has to be plugged into the electric installation grounding link to guarantee user's safety and maximize sound quality. Actually, the grounding link is the way to eliminate noise and dispersion: that's why the power cord has the grounding prong. It is preferable not to interrupt the grounding link (for example, with a two-prong adapter) unless this operation is necessary to avoid further noise and only when the Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE is connected to a grounded amplifier. Audio Analogue assumes no responsibility for damage or malfunctioning due to incorrect Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE power plugging. Powering up Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE When you plug the Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE to the power outlet and turn on the power switch on back panel, the unit automatically turns on and enters in "STANDBY" mode. This is intended to prevent the unit from suddenly turning on after power interruption. When the "STANDBY" button on the front panel or the "STANDBY CD" button on the remote controller is pressed, the Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE turns on and a presentation message is shown on the display. If nothing happens, please refer to the troubleshooting section of the present manual. The SPDIF coming from the CD Mechanism which is selected when the unit works as a CD Player and the digital signal coming from the SPDIF IN input which is selected when the unit works as a DA converter. To select the digital input for the signal path see further details in the Menu SETUP description section. In the picture, the square indicated as "S/PDIF RX" The CPLD is a circuit which has the task of selecting and sending the signal according to the mode selected by the user. The "System Clock" represents the clock which is used in the DA conversion. As indicated in the picture, this clock signal can be taken from the S/PDIF RX or from the PLL. In fact the PLL coming from the output clock of the S/PDIF RX, configures it to reduce the clock jitter further. Direct Mode ­ The SPDIF RX receives the selected digital signal which is then directly sent to the DAC. In this mode there is no up-sampling so the sample frequency remains the same along the chain until the DAC, both when the signal from the CD Mechanism is selected and when the signal from the SPDIF IN is selected. PLL Mode ­ This mode is available only when the selected digital signal is the one coming from the CD mechanism. The system clock from the SPDIF RX is sent to the PLL, which, if it can lock to it, regenerates and cleans it reducing the jitter for frequencies higher than 20Hz (according to a second order filter). This improved clock is then used to "re-synchronize" all the signals inside the CPLD. If the signals from the CPLD are then directly sent to the DAC, it will work just at 44. [. . . ] Similarly, the "DIN" preset requires the SPDIF IN signal to be selected and therefore will not be available if the current configuration is selected to the CD mechanism signal instead. This screen indicates that the digital input signal is not present or is not stable and the receiver is unable to lock it. Symptom Display is off No sound Cause Power cord plugged in incorrectly Burned-out fuses Remedy Make sure the power cord is correctly plugged into the wall outlet Check fuses in the fuse panel (after unplugging the power cord from the wall outlet) above the IEC inlet and replace them with new ones of the same type Check cords and their connections Faulty or incorrectly plugged connectors between Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE and the amplifier Incorrectly selected source on the amplifier Faulty front panel CD player works but the display is off Remote controller doesn't work Check that Maestro CD Player 192/24 DAC SE is correctly selected through the amplifier ins Contact your Audio Analogue retailer for connections check and front panel substitution No battery/ worn-out battery Place/replace battery (2 `AAA' batteries) You're standing too far or on an exceeding angle Get closer to the unit or reduce angle from the front panel If the suggested remedies should not work or the problem is not shown in the list above, please contact your local Audio Analogue retailer. All of our CD players may not be able to read some specific CD's manufactured with a unique protection system against copying. [. . . ]