N-audio 8X7 Manuale utente

N-AUDIO AMPLIFIER CABINET SWITCHER

MODELS 8X7 AND 4X4

USER MANUAL

Introduction

The main function of N-audio 8X7 and 4X4 systems is to switch between ampliﬁers and cabinets

quickly without routing cables manually. It is a quick routing system that can handle up to 8 (4)

ampliﬁers, an external power attenuator, and up to 7 (4) speaker cabinets. It is a good choice

when you have a few ampliﬁers and cabinets and want to make a quick comparison between

them, or just choose your favorite guitar tone. Also, this system works great for studios or guitar

shops where a lot of equipment has to be tested or routed quickly.

The unit works with any ampliﬁer including tube ampliﬁers, solid-state ampliﬁers, and bridged

mono ampliﬁers. There are a lot of hardware and software logic built-in protections to keep your

ampliﬁers safe. The whole signal path contains relays only to give a pure tone. There is no active

electronics except for the tuner out. Special circuit implementation is used to reduce pops when

switching. There are no dead spots when switching between the ampliﬁers or the cabinets giving

perfect work on stage or studio recording.

Controls and connectors

1. A guitar input jack is input from your guitar or pedalboard.

2. The MUTE/MIDI learn button has two main functions:

- Mutes the whole system by turning off all enabled devices.

- Acts as MIDI learn for adding the current preset to a MIDI preset.

3. The ampliﬁer buttons correspond to each ampliﬁer connected to the device.

Pressing a button routes the signal from the guitar through each selected ampliﬁer.

4. The power attenuator button enables an external power attenuator.

5. The cabinet buttons send signals to cabinets.

6. The power button turns on the device.

Back panel

1. A universal IEC mains input.

2. Outputs to cabinets.

3. Send/return connectors for an external power attenuator.

4. Inputs from the speaker outputs from your ampliﬁers where normally you plug your cabinet.

5. MIDI IN and MIDI OUT connectors. MIDI out works as MIDI thru.

6. Outputs to connect the inputs of the ampliﬁers where normally you plug your guitar.

7. Guitar in input is a master input, and it disables the front input if used.

8. Tuner out output for an external tuner. This buffered output works all the time.

Getting started

The whole system uses a lot of cables. Ensure that you have the right cables for your needs:

- All signal cables between the “to ampliﬁers inputs” and the input of your ampliﬁer where

normally you connect your guitar, the inputs, and the tuner output must be guitar shielded cables.

Those cables are usually used when you connect the guitar to the ampliﬁer.

- All cables between “from ampliﬁers speaker outputs”, power attenuator send and return, and

“outputs to cabinets” must be proper speaker high current cables. Use quality 2×1.5mm2 or

2×2,5mm2 cables.

- The mains power cord is a standard IEC type. Use the provided cord.

Front panel

Connecting the whole system

Connecting the ampliﬁers

Each ampliﬁer must be connected with two cables:

1. Connect a guitar shielded cable between the input of the ampliﬁer where you normally plug

your guitar and the “to ampliﬁers inputs” jack.

2. Connect a speaker cable between the cabinet jack on the back of your ampliﬁer where

normally the external cabinet is connected and the “from ampliﬁers speaker output” jack.

The jacks numbers on the back correspond to the ampliﬁer button number on the front. Each

ampliﬁer must be connected between the same numbers on the back! The cables from the ﬁrst

ampliﬁer go to the ﬁrst “to ampliﬁers inputs” and the ﬁrst ”from ampliﬁers speaker outputs”. Do the

same procedure for all other ampliﬁers.

NEVER CONNECT ONE AMPLIFIER TO DIFFERENT JACK NUMBERS ON THE BACK!!!

Pay attention when connecting the ampliﬁers! For best performance try to separate the input

cables from the output cables having some distance between them if possible.

Connecting a guitar combo

1. Connect a guitar shielded cable between the input of the combo where you normally plug

your guitar and the “to ampliﬁers inputs” jack.

Note: to enable playing through a guitar combo, the internal protections have to be bypassed.

This could be done by enabeling one of the connected cabinet or the power attenuator.

Connecting an attenuator

The switching system supports an external attenuator if needed, connected to the speaker signal

path.

1. Connect the ampliﬁer input from the attenuator to the “to input /send/” jack

2. Connect the speaker output from the attenuator to the “from output /return/” jack.

Use only speaker cables!

Connecting the cabinets

Connect the “to cabinets” and the input jack of the cabinets with speaker cables.

There are power-on and power-off sequences that have to be used to prevent damaging your

ampliﬁers.

Power-on sequence

1. Connect the whole setup with proper cables

2. Turn on the N-audio system

3. Turn on all ampliﬁers with a reduced master volume.

4. Try all ampliﬁers and cabinets before increasing the master volme pots.

Power-off sequence

1. Turn off all ampliﬁers

2. Turn off the N-audio system

AMP 1

To the guitar input

From the speaker

output on back

To input

From

output

Cabinets

To tuner

AMP 2 To the

guitar input

From the speaker

output on back

GUITAR CABLES

SPEAKER CABLES

321

MIDI controller

MIDI cable

Guitar

Combo

First use

Initially when you ﬁrst power on the device it is in a muted state and performs an LED sequential

test. Each cabinet button has a dual-color LED on top. The green LEDs indicate where you have

a connected cabinet. You can enable only cabinets with connected cables on the back. All others

can't be selected.

1. Choose a cabinet by pressing its button. A red LED shows the active cabinet.

2. Enable the attenuator. Skip this step if not used.

3. Select an ampliﬁer.

As a rule of thumb, always try the whole system with reduced master volume to prevent mistakes

while routing the entire system. If you can hear a signal, then you can increase the volume.

During the playing, any of the possible cabinets, the attenuator, or any of the ampliﬁers can be

selected by the front panel buttons or via MIDI. When the Mute switch is pressed, you have to

start from the beginning by selecting a cabinet.

Extra features

Using more than one cabinet in parallel

The unit can drive up to 3 cabinets in parallel simultaneously. Adding an extra cabinet is simple:

while holding a button for the ﬁrst cabinet, press another cabinet button. While holding two

cabinet buttons, press the third one. Exit this mode by pressing any of the allowed cabinet

buttons.

WARNING: Adding cabinets reduce the output impedance. Two 8 Ohm cabinets are visible by

the ampliﬁer as a 4 Ohm speaker. To use this mode, it is highly recommended to use 16 Ohm

cabinets. Using more than one 4 Ohm cabinets with a solid-state ampliﬁer may damage it!

Silent recording via an external power attenuator

In normal operation, the N-audio switcher won't turn on an ampliﬁer and the attenuator until a

cabinet is selected. This extra feature is used when you want to take a signal from the line out

without driving a cabinet. To enable this mode, press and hold the power attenuator button. Its

LED will start ﬂashing. When it stays on, it turns the attenuator on. Now the system allows

enabling an ampliﬁer without a cabinet. Exit this mode by pressing MUTE or POWER ATT.

WARNING: Use this mode only when you have a power attenuator connected to the system!

Press

and hold

Press to enable

second cabinet

Press

and hold

Press to enable

third cabinet

Press and hold until stops ﬂashingand stays on

Enable the desired ampliﬁer

Hardware and software protections

To protect the ampliﬁers the N-audio system has integrated hardware and software protections:

- Each cabinet jack has a sense circuit for detecting connected plugs. Only cabinets with

connected plugs to the back (a green LED lights) can be turned on.

- When the system works and a plug is removed from a selected cabinet, it turns into mute state.

- When a MIDI command is sent to the unit and there is a missing cabinet to the MIDI preset, it

turns into mute state.

- Each ampliﬁer has a grounded input and a resistive load connected to the output when not in

use.

- The whole system has a resistive load connected before the attenuator input to protect against

cable routing mistakes.

- Each ampliﬁer is completely galvanically isolated, allowing the use of any ampliﬁer including

bridged mono ampliﬁers. This also reduces the ground loop noise.

MIDI implementation

The N-audio system can be controlled by any MIDI controller. The MIDI controller and the unit

must use the same MIDI channel. MIDI channel 1 is default. When a MIDI command is sent to the

N-audio system the MIDI LED ﬂashes. This is a good way to test the MIDI connection between

the devices. The unit has a MIDI out connector. It acts as a MIDI thru, sending the same MIDI

commands received from the MIDI in.

Selecting a MIDI channel

1. Power off the N-audio system.

2. While holding the MUTE button, power on the unit. The MIDI and the MUTE LEDs start

ﬂashing sequentially.

3. Release MUTE button. A red LED shows the last selected MIDI channel.

4. Press one of the red buttons. Each of them responds to a speciﬁc MIDI channel. See below.

5. The selected MIDI channel ﬂashes, then the sequential LED test pass.

6. Done.

The N-audio 8X7 switcher supports all 16 MIDI channels, while the N-audio 4X4 switcher

supports 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 15, and 16 MIDI channels.

MIDI programming

1. Connect a MIDI cable between the MIDI Out of the MIDI controller to the MIDI In of the

N-audio system.

2. Enable the desired devices from the front buttons to add them to a speciﬁc preset.

3. Press and hold the MUTE/MIDI learn button until the MIDI LED starts ﬂashing.

4. Send a MIDI command from the MIDI controller. The MIDI LED will stop ﬂashing.

5. Done!

If you want to cancel the procedure, press the MIDI button while MIDI led ﬂashes.

Note: If a MIDI preset is sent to the unit and one or more cabinets from the preset are

missing, their LEDs ﬂash and the unit goes to MUTE.

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.7 Ch.8 Ch.9 Ch.10 Ch.11 Ch.12 Ch.13 Ch.14 Ch.15 Ch.16

MIDI channels

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.9 Ch.12 Ch.13 Ch.15 Ch.16

MIDI channels

Factory defaults

If you want to delete all programmed MIDI presets from the unit, follow this procedure:

1. Power off the unit.

2. While holding the MUTE button, power on the unit. The MIDI and the MUTE LEDs start

ﬂashing sequentially.

3. Release MUTE button.

4. MIDI LED ﬂashes and the sequential LED test passes.

5. Done. All MIDI presets are deleted.

Factory defaults procedure deletes only the user presets keeping the latest saved MIDI channel.

A few words about the impedance and restrictions

There is a lot written about impedance mismatch using tube ampliﬁers. You can ﬁnd many topics,

videos and information on what is possible and what is not. Here are a few quick tips and

limitations about the impedance and the impedance mismatch based on the type of the ampliﬁer.

Solid-state ampliﬁers

Most solid-state ampliﬁers work with any impedance between 4 and 16 Ohm. Usually, they have

a minimum listed impedance. Try to keep away from it. Increasing the impedance will reduce the

power. Usually, it is good to use 4 or 8 Ohm cabinets. Keep in mind when using more than one

cabinet simultaneously! This will reduce the impedance. When using more than one cabinet it is

highly recommended to use 16 Ohm cabinets. The bridged mono ampliﬁers and some of the

modern class D ampliﬁers can work with impedance down to 2 Ohm, but this is not common for all

other class AB ampliﬁers. Read the ampliﬁer manual for its specs. The only rule using solid-state

ampliﬁers is to keep the impedance above or at least at 4 Ohm.

Tube ampliﬁers

The tube ampliﬁers have output transformers that match the output impedance of the power

tubes to the impedance of the connected speaker. Most of the tube ampliﬁers have an impedance

selector on the back giving the ﬂexibility to use any cabinet with a different impedance. It is good

to match the impedance of the cabinets with the impedance of the ampliﬁers. Using mismatched

impedance won't blow your ampliﬁer, but it will change slightly the tone. If you want to use an

ampliﬁer and a cabinet with mismatched impedance, try to keep the ratio between the impedance

with just one step: 4 and 8 Ohm or 8 and 16 Ohm. Avoid using a 4 Ohm ampliﬁer to a 16 Ohm

cabinet or a 16 Ohm ampliﬁer to a 4 Ohm cabinet. It is possible to use 4 Ohm ampliﬁer for 8 Ohm

cabinet or 8 Ohm ampliﬁer for 16 Ohm cabinet. Keep in mind the impedance when using more

than one cabinet! In this case, it is good to use 16 Ohm cabinets and 8 Ohm ampliﬁers. When

some impedance mismatch is used, reduce the master level by 20-30% from its maximum for

safety. The table below shows different mismatched impedance restrictions:

Ampliﬁer impedance Speaker impedance

4Ω8Ω16Ω

Acceptable

Perfect Not good

4Ω

4Ω8Ω16Ω

Acceptable Perfect

Not good

8Ω

16Ω

4Ω8Ω16Ω

Acceptable

Perfect

Acceptable

What is in the box

The N-audio 8X7 and 4X4 switchers comes with a mains IEC cable and user manual. The 4x4

unit has optional 1U mounting brackets sold separately.

Technical speciﬁcations

Dimensions: 8X7 system: 19" 1U rack unit W:48.2cm, H:4.5cm D:13cm

4X4 system: W:30cm, H:4.5cm, D:13cm

Available brackets for 19" 1U rack installation

Weight: 8X7 system: 2kg

4X4 system: 1.3kg

Mains power supply: Universal mains power supply 90-260VAC

Power consumption: Max 10W @ 110VAC, Max 5W @ 230VAC

Input impedance: 10 Meg. No active buffers though the signal path

Tuner output impedance: 10 kOhm

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