No320S Owner's Manual - Mark Levinson

Controls & ModesMark LevinsonSSP (Surround SoundProcessor) Mode• Allows for complete integration between the Nº 320S and amulti-channel surround sound processor.In the past, the difference between the number of channels ineach component made integration difficult.• Sending multi-channel processor output signals to a stereopreamplifier distorts calibrated processor output levels. Multichannelprocessor volume controls adjust the relative volumelevel of all channels in unison. However, stereo preamplifiervolume controls adjust the relative volume level of just thefront left and right channels, leaving the center, surround,and subwoofer channels unaffected.4-8Different techniques have been used to compensate for this,including marking a calibrated point on the preamplifier volumecontrol or using Dolby Pro Logic for volume level adjustments.But these techniques are crude, time consuming, and imprecise,resulting in an inconsistent performance at best.• Sending stereo preamplifier output signals to a multi-channelprocessor interferes with some Dolby noise reduction processing.Processors that feature Dolby Pro Logic decoding sometimesalso feature a form of Dolby noise reduction similar to theDolby B noise reduction found in cassette decks. Designed torespond to input sources based on their strength, Dolby noisereduction requires input sources to be calibrated to Dolbystandards. Variable preamplifier output signals cause Dolbynoise reduction to mis-track and, in extreme cases, Dolbycircuits to overload.SSPLINETo avoid these problems, SSP mode allows input sources topass through the Nº 320S without interference. When SSPmode is activated:• The front panel display appears as shown to the left, indicatingthat the Nº 320S is sending line-level input signals to theassociated processor.• The Gain parameter for the selected input is set to a fixedlevel of +0dB for inputs using balanced (XLR) connectors and+6dB for inputs using single-ended (RCA) connectors.• All Nº 320S volume controls – including master volume,balance, and volume-related parameters – are deactivated toprevent the Nº 320s from distorting channel balance. As aresult, the processor controls the relative volume level of allchannels while maintaining its calibrated output levels.