If you adjust the volume while mute is engaged, the preamplifier will adjust its volume from the muted level, and disengage the mute function. This approach prevents an unpleasant surprise when, having increased the volume while muted, someone un-mutes the system.

The factory default setting of the mute circuit is -20 dB. (See “Customizing Your Nº383” for information on changing the factory default setting.)

11Standby Button

The standby button toggles the Nº383 between normal opera- tion and standby, wherein the display is turned off, the outputs are disconnected, and all controls are inoperable. All critical circuitry remains powered-up during standby to ensure immediate, opti- mal performance when you are ready to listen to music.

The LED above the standby button will blink slowly when the Nº383 is in standby, indicating that power is still being provided to the unit.

sleep timer The standby button includes a special function that allows you to use the Nº383 as the heart of one of the world’s most exotic

18sleep timers. By pressing and holding the standby button for several seconds, you will see the display change to SLEEP -OFF-; subsequent clicks of standby will cycle through a list of sleep timer settings ranging from OFF through four hours, in 30 minute increments. Having selected the setting you want to use, simply allow the Nº383 to “time out” for the display to return to normal.

Setting the sleep timer to 1hr 0min for example, will cause the Nº383 to enter standby after an hour, at which point it will also return the sleep timer’s status to OFF (so as to avoid unintentional interruptions of your music at a later time). You may use the sleep timer function as often as you like, but you will have to set it as you want it to behave each time. The default setting is OFF.