Decware mlb owners manual

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POWER CORD The power cord is a standard IEC removable type with ground. You may substitute after market audiophile power cords if you so choose. FUSE The fuse is located inside the IEC removable power cord jack on the back of the amplifier. To ac- cess it, remove the power cord and pry the little hidden door open. You will find the fuse holder also contains a spare fuse. Use only 3 AMP fuses. We recommend using the SLOW BLOW type. POWER SWITCH The power switch is located on the rear of the amplifier. You can tell when the switch is on be- cause the tubes will glow. There is no harm in leaving this unit on 24 hours a day if you so choose. TUBE INSTALLATION Do not power the amplifier up until you have installed all 4 tubes. The larger tube socket towards the back is for the rectifier tube. We ship this amplifier with a 5Y3GT rectifier tube. It should last for many years without problems. You may also substitute a 5AR4 rectifier or even a 5U4 rec- tifier tube. Each will slightly change the sound. The remaining three sockets are for the smaller 6N1P tubes. A 6N1P is a dual triode. The one that is located closest to the volume control in the front is set up as a buffer stage to drive the other two 6N1P tubes. It has both left and right channel information on it. If you like to experiment with tube rolling, this is the best tube to start with since it effects both channels at the same time. The remaining two 6N1P tubes are configured one per channel, so the left tube is your left channel and the right tube is your right channel. You may substitute either a 6922 or 6DJ8 tube for the 6N1P if you want to, just make sure that you make both channels the same. INPUT/OUTPUT JACKS The MLB uses a standard 1/4 stereo headphone jack for the output. It is located directly in front of the input tube on the top of the amplifier. This is where you plug your headphones into. The input jacks, located on the rear, are standard RCA type jacks. They are color coded, RED = RIGHT channel and WHITE = LEFT channel. This is where you will plug your line level source, such as a CD player, tuner, or phono-stage. IMPEDANCE SELECTOR SWITCHES The MLB uses TWO impedance selector switches, one per channel. These can be used while listen- ing. They change the output impedance of the amplifier to operate either high or low impedance headphones. Simply listen to your headphones both ways and choose which sounds best. Make sure that you always switch both channels to the same position. Many of you will find that the amplifier seems to have no problem driving your headphones in either position - this is normal. Again, simply choose the position you like the sound and performance of the best. VOLUME CONTROL Located on the front of the amplifier to adjust the level. WARNING - this amplifier has lots of out- put making it possible to damage your hearing if you turn the volume control too high. Most head- phones are efficient enough that youll never get half way before it gets too loud. Also, because

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of the low distortion of headphones, it is very easy to listen TOO loud and not realize it. Please keep this in mind because we dont want you to damage your hearing. OTHER STUFF All of the things that apply to hi-end audio gear will apply to this amplifier as well. Use good in- terconnects between the amp and your source. Like all audio gear, this unit will have to burn-in for several weeks before sounding its best. The fastest way to achieve this is to play the unit at a normal volume for 5 hours and then turn it off for at least 5 hours. Repeating this cycle 5 times will usually get you well on your way to a com- plete burn-in. Headphones can be any impedance between 30 ohms and 600 ohms. We recommend if youre just starting out that you take your headphone amp to the store with you and listen to several pair of headphones while youre there. This way you can be certain of choosing a pair that you really like. SERVICE There are no user serviceable parts inside. This amplifier runs with DC voltages of up to 500 volts. Service by unauthorized or qualified persons could result in injury or death. Always refer any ser- vice questions or need to DECWARE. Even if youve purchased this unit second hand, we will still service it at a very reasonable cost. NON-USA MODELS (220-240 VOLT) All information contained in this document applies to both USA (120) volt and non-USA (220/240) volt models. Countries with higher voltages (250 or 260 volts) should consider using a voltage transformer to reduce the voltage to at least 240 volts. JAPAN This amplifier will operate fine on 100 volts, so the USA model is recommended for JAPAN. SHIPPING Do not attempt to ship this amplifier without the proper factory foam packing container. If you do not have one, you may purchase it from DECWARE for a minimal cost. WARRANTY The MLB, like all DECWARE amplifiers, comes with a lifetime warranty to the original owner against defects in materials or workmanship. Tubes come with a 90 day warranty, even though most will get many years of use out of them. SUPPORT Support for this product can be optained by calling us during business hours, or by viewing our web site. There are support forums on our site that bring instant responses to your questions. MANUFACTURED IN THE USA by DECWARE / High Fidelity Engineering Co. 1202 N.E. Adams Street, Peoria IL 61603 (309) 671 2428 or (309) 672 1060 - fax line.