Related Manuals for Mola-Mola Makua
Summary of Contents for Mola-Mola Makua
- Page 1 Makua the preamplifier User’s Manual Mola Mola Kattegat 8 9723 JP Groningen The Netherlands +31 50 526 4993 info@mola-mola.nl www.mola-mola.nl...
- Page 2 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Please read this manual before operating the device Packing list Your product was shipped with the items checked below. Please verify that you find all items mentioned in this list before you start setting up: Item Shipper’s signature...
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Page 3: Welcome
So we decided that our preamp should be complete. Very complete. The basic Makua Preamplifier is an extremely transparent gain stage and a programmable routing matrix. The chassis has ample room to fit in optional extras, most notably a DAC and a phono stage. -
Page 4: Table Of Contents
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Table of contents Welcome ........................3 Table of contents ......................4 List of tables ....................... 5 List of figures ......................5 Important Safety Instructions ..................6 Connections & Controls ....................8 Rear ........................... 8 Front .......................... 9 DIGIN module (optional) ..................... -
Page 5: List Of Tables
Figure 9: Phono Stage Page..................25 Figure 10: List of Phono Stage EQ Curves..............28 Figure 11: The Makua will show up on the Audio settings page in Roon ......29 Figure 12: Fill in Zone Name ..................29 Figure 13: Click on Configure Device to go to the Makua webpage ........ -
Page 6: Important Safety Instructions
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Important Safety Instructions Mola Mola gaat er van uit dat u deze Engelstalige tekst volledig begrijpt. Als u hier moeite mee heeft kunt U contact opnemen met Mola Mola. Op verzoek sturen wij u een vertaling toe. - Page 7 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual 9. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. 10. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
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Page 8: Connections & Controls
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Connections & Controls Rear Figure 1: Rear panel overview Function Notes Analogue inputs, balanced 5 stereo pairs Analogue inputs, unbalanced 5 stereo pairs Analogue Outputs 2 parallel stereo pairs for bi-amping Trigger Outputs 4 programmable outputs... -
Page 9: Front
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Front Figure 2: Front panel overview Function Notes Volume control knob With indicator LED Power LED 1 LED, white or dim red Preset indicator LED 6 LEDs, white Presets 6 push buttons Table 2: Front panel overview... -
Page 10: Setting Up
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Setting Up Installation This product relies on free convection of air along the sides and top for cooling. Avoid placing magazines, books or other objects on top of the product as this acts as thermal insulation. Installation inside a cupboard is permissible provided at least 30cm (12”) of free space above the product and 10cm (4”) around the sides is respected. - Page 11 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Output connections Two pairs of XLR outputs are provided for the purpose of bi-amping. Both pairs are completely identical. No RCA outputs are provided because Mola Mola considers balanced (XLR) connections to be fundamentally superior. If you need RCA outputs to interface with a power amp that lacks balanced inputs, most commonly available adapter cables or plugs will work fine.
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Page 12: Basic Operation
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Basic operation Factory Preset Mode Your preamplifier comes factory-programmed as a simple line amplifier. In this mode: The leftmost button selects the leftmost source (source 1) and so on and the rightmost button is used for Roon (if the DAC option is fitted). So for now, think of the preset button simply as input select buttons. -
Page 13: Premium Ir Remote Control Operation
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Powering Down You can turn the preamp off (place in standby mode) by holding any of the 6 buttons until the device powers down (about 1 second). Premium IR Remote Control Operation The group of six buttons on the remote control mirrors the front panel buttons. Pushing any of them will power the device on and/or engage the associated preset and/or mute the unit. - Page 14 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Mute Click on the speaker indicator to mute or unmute. The speaker indicator and volume slider bar will turn red when muted. - 14 -...
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Page 15: Advanced Control And Programming
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Advanced Control and Programming The factory preset only operates the most basic features of your preamplifier. The architecture is much more powerful, as the signal path diagram shows. Signal Path Phono (option) Var EQ and Gain... -
Page 16: Programmability
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Programmability Every thinkable combination of routing and processes can be rolled together for direct access through any of the 6 presets. Say for instance that you have 2 turntables, each fitted with a different cartridge (most records sound best with an elliptical or VDH stylus but dynagroove cuts positively require a conical stylus). -
Page 17: The Mola Mola Remote App
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual The Mola Mola Remote app The control app for your preamplifier is available in the Apple App store Google Play store. The app will attempt to contact your preamp and should find it as long as it is within reach and plugged in. -
Page 18: Figure 6: Home Page, Preset 1 Is Selected
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Home Page The home page is the regular remote control, as outlined in the section about basic operation. Move the slider at the bottom of the home page to change volume. The + and – buttons can also be used to adjust the volume in small steps. Click on the speaker indicator to mute or unmute. - Page 19 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Status DAC If a preset with a digital input is selected, the status of the DAC will be shown above the volume bar on the home page. Input type shows the incoming audio format, PCM or DSD.
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Page 20: Figure 7: Preset Page, Input 1 Is Selected
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Preset Page Here you can select the input channel and whether the XLR or RCA inputs are to be used. Usually you will want to leave the latter option at “switch” so that the toggle switch on the rear panel controls this. - Page 21 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual You can edit the name of the preset. Wait until the check appears in the right corner of the Preset name field. The new name will automatically be shown on the home page buttons. There are three types of analogue sources: Line, Phono and Direct.
- Page 22 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual obsolete pin-3 hot wiring scheme. Note that the sonic effect of this is exceedingly subtle so when in doubt, simply leave those two buttons off. The four Trigger buttons correspond to the four trigger outputs on the rear panel. They are always on by default, which is the best setting if you only use them to turn your power amplifiers on.
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Page 23: Figure 8: About Page
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual About Page Clicking on the gear symbol in the top right corner of the home page will direct to the About page. Click on the Check for updates button to check if there is new firmware available. - Page 24 In case the DAC option is fitted, the DAC will be kept locked with the last used digital source when switching to a preset with an analogue source. This functionality is only supported on Makua’s with hardware version 2.2 or higher.
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Page 25: Setting Up And Controlling The Phono Stage
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Setting Up and Controlling the Phono Stage If you marked the source as Phono, clicking on phono settings on the source page will land you at the Phono settings page. Changes made to the phono setup only effect the selected preset. - Page 26 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual MM/MC selection In order to ensure maximum sonic transparency the phono stage has separate Moving Coil (MC) and Moving Magnet (MM) input stages, in contrast with most other phono stages that simply add a gain stage in MC mode.
- Page 27 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual EQ Curves In the early days of vinyl (and certainly shellac) almost every record label had their own EQ curve. Oddly enough they sometimes kept them secret in an early attempt at vendor lock-in, to force music lovers to buy their record player from the label’s parent company.
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Page 28: Figure 10: List Of Phono Stage Eq Curves
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Figure 10: List of Phono Stage EQ Curves. - 28 -... -
Page 29: Roon
First time use Before you can use the Makua in Roon, it must be enabled first. To do this go to Settings and then select the Audio page. The Makua will show up within a minute after powering up as a Roon Ready device (figure 12). -
Page 30: Figure 13: Click On Configure Device To Go To The Makua Webpage
Figure 13: Click on Configure Device to go to the Makua webpage Or you can enter the IP address in your browser. The IP address of the Makua is visible under Audio Device in Zone Settings or on the Audio settings page. -
Page 31: Dac
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual The DAC option contains 5 digital audio inputs: USB, Optical (Toslink), AES/EBU (XLR), Network and Bluetooth (SBC, AAC, APTX, LDAC). The supported formats are shown in Table 3. Only the USB and Network inputs support the playback of DoP (DSD over PCM) and Native DSD. -
Page 32: Drivers And Updates
Firmware update The DIGIN module and the PWM DAC module contains firmware which can be updated. The PWM DAC module can only be updated on Makua’s with hardware version 2.2 or higher. The update tool is available for download on the download page of Mola Mola: (www.mola-mola.nl). -
Page 33: Troubleshooting
To prevent this set Headroom adjustment to -6dB in Roon. Makua is not shown in Roon: The Roon Core and the Makua must be connected to the same network. Roon Ready functionality is only applicable if the PWM DAC module and network module are fitted. -
Page 34: Audio Performance Data
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Audio performance data Item Symbol Unit Notes Input level (7.75 Vrms) Output level Vout Input impedance 100k Output Impedance Zout Noise voltage 1.9µ Unweighted at unity gain Gain range Gain resolution 0.2* *better than 0.2 dB... -
Page 35: Audio Performance Data Phono Stage
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Audio performance data Phono Stage Item Symbol Unit Notes Input noise (MC) 0.35 nV/rtHz Input noise (MM) pA/rtHz Sensitivity 5000 µV Distortion (THD, IMD) Not measurable using current test equipment, number is an estimate based on performance... -
Page 36: Audio Performance Data Dac
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Audio performance data DAC Item Symbol Unit Notes Output level Vout Signal to Noise Ratio Bandwidth Distortion (THD, IMD) -140 Not measurable using current test equipment, number is an estimate based on performance of the discrete gain... -
Page 37: Technical Data
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Technical data Item Value Notes Supply voltage 90-135 / 180 – 270 Volt AC/47-63Hz Auto Switching Power Consumption 50 Watt Dimensions 435mm*110mm*340mm (W x H x D) Weight 18 kg Table 8: Technical Data - 37 -... -
Page 38: Annex I: Rc5 Codes
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Annex I: RC5 Codes The Device Code is 16. Command Primary Code Alternative Code Mute Volume Up Volume Down Presets 1…6 1…6 Power on/off Next Source Previous source Table 9: RC5 Codes 10 consecutive repeats (no change in the T bit, i.e. holding the button depressed) of Mute or 1…6 powers the device down. -
Page 39: Annex Ii: Serial Commands
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Annex II: Serial Commands Connection The preamplifier can also be operated via the RS232 protocol. The DB9 connector is RS232 fixed at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity. No echo is given. End-of-line is CR. - Page 40 Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual 0, 1 or 2 XLR/RCA input. 0=as set by toggle switch, 1=XLR, 2=RCA. 0 or 1 Phono (1) or line (0) input 0 or 1 Mute 0 or 1 Invert left channel phase 0 or 1...
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Page 41: Revision History
Makua Preamplifier User’s Manual Revision History Revision Description Date Initial draft 29-05-2013 Revised and expanded 20-05-2014 Added app screenshots 03-09-2014 Added option checkboxes 28-10-2014 Updated standard remote and screenshots 11-09-2015 Correct imperial free space value 23-02-2018 Added iOS app Added DIGIN module...
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