5SLAVE AND MASTER COMMUNICATOR PORTS
These communications ports allow the Nº38 to “link” to certain compatible Mark Levinson components. (See “Linked Functions.”)
The Mark Levinson Linking system uses a Digital Audio Processor as the Master of (and central clearinghouse for) inter-component communications. Other components such as digital transports are connected to the Master as “Slaves,” and can be “daisy-chained” using their Slave In and Slave Out jacks. As the ultimate destination of all source signals, the Nº38 Preamplifier must be the final “Slave” in the chain. (In technical terms, it terminates the communications buss.) In turn, the Nº38 can serve as a master to an associated compatible Mark Levinson power amplifier—hence its “Master” communications port.
Thus, if the only other Mark Levinson Link-compatible component you have is a digital audio processor, connect its master port to the Nº38’s slave port using a “straight-through” RJ-45 cable. If there are additional Mark Levinson Link-compatible components in the system, place the Nº38 at the end of the chain by connecting the last slave out port to the Nº38’s slave port. See the diagram below for clarification.
Nº30
analog output | OR |
| Nº35 |
digital input | master |
Audio | Link |
connections | cable |
digital output | slave in |
| Nº31 |
| slave out |
| Link |
| cable |
digital output | slave in |
| Nº31 |
| slave out |
| Link |
| cable |
any input | slave |
Nº38
master
Link
cable
slave in
Link 
slave in cable slave out
