Lend Me Your Ears

According to OSHA, any exposure in excess of

 

 

 

 

Exposure to extremely high

 

 

noise levels may cause per-

these permissible limits could result in some hear-

 

 

manent hearing loss.

ing loss. To ensure against potentially dangerous

 

 

Individuals vary considerably

exposure to high sound pressure levels, it is recom-

in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, but

mended that all persons exposed to equipment

nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed

capable of producing high sound pressure levels

to suffi-

 

 

 

 

(such as this

ciently

Duration Per Day

Sound Level dBA,

Typical

amplification

intense

In Hours

Slow Response

Example

system) use

noise for a

8

90

Duo in small club

hearing protec-

period of

6

92

 

tors while this

4

95

Subway Train

time. The

unit is in op-

3

97

 

U.S.

 

eration. Ear

2

100

Very loud classical music

Government’s

plugs or pro-

1.5

102

 

Occupa-

1

105

Patrice screaming about deadlines

tectors in the

tional

0.5

110

 

ear canals or

Safety and

0.25 or less

115

Loudest parts at a rock concert

over the ears

Health Ad-

 

 

 

 

must be worn

 

 

 

 

ministration (OSHA) has specified the permissible

when operating this amplification system in order

noise level exposures shown in this chart.

to prevent a permanent hearing loss if exposure is

 

 

 

 

in excess of the limits set forth here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing a Mackie Designs power amplifier! We appreciate your vote of confidence for the folks in Woodinville who specialize in awesome and affordable audio. The Mackie Designs M•800 power amplifier is designed to fulfill the amplification needs of almost any type of application. It boasts a wealth of features you’d expect to pay extra for — like low cut filtering, constant directivity equaliza- tion, speaker-protecting limiter, and ultra-clean power, to name a few.

Perhaps the most important feature of the FR Series™ power amplifiers is the attention to detail in every aspect of the design. At Mackie, we know what it takes to be roadworthy. After all, our equipment has traveled all over the world under the worst of conditions, and we’ve applied what we’ve learned to the mechanical design of our amplifiers.

Roadworthiness is only part of the picture. We know that reliability is paramount to sound reinforcement. That’s why we use double-sided thru-hole-plated fiberglass printed circuit boards. That’s why our engineers have subjected the amplifier to the most rigorous and fiendish tests imaginable, to fine-tune the design and extend its limits beyond those of ordinary amplifiers.

Fast Recovery — where the “FR” comes from — is more than a buzzword. It is based on real, proven design principles. The result is an amplifier that performs better than conventional designs when presented with adverse conditions. One of the most difficult things for a power

amplifier to handle is clipping. Conventional designs use lots of negative feedback to provide stability and lower distortion. When clipping occurs, this “feedback” causes high-frequency sticking, keeping the amplifier “latched” in the clipping state longer than necessary. This results in painfully audible distortion. Our Fast Recovery design eliminates this high-frequency sticking and allows the amplifier to remain stable when powering highly reactive loads at high volume levels.

You may wonder why a power amp even needs an owner’s manual. After all, you just plug in a few cables and power it up. Well, it’s almost that simple. There’s just a few things that we’d like you to be aware of, and we’ll discuss those right away — please see the Quick Start on the next page.

Then go ahead and read the entire manual. The M•800 amplifier has a wealth of useful features, and each of them is explained in loving detail.

Please write your serial number here for future reference (i.e., insurance claims, tech support, return authorization, etc.):

Purchased at:Date of purchase:

Part No. 820-079-00 Rev. B 3/2000

3

©2000 Mackie Designs Inc., All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.