SPL Marc One

You can monitor your production via two switchable speaker pairs. A subwoofer is also switched on and off with speaker pair A.

When the switch is in the centre position, the speakers are switched off, which is practical because you don't have to turn the volume control back.

You can adjust the volume ratios at lightning speed using the monitor control. In the centre position, all input signals are equally loud. To the left, the analogue stereo inputs are louder and the USB input signal is quieter. Turned from the centre to the right, the reverse happens. This allows you to set the correct volume ratios quickly and intuitively.

Two analogue stereo inputs and one digital USB input can be connected to the Marc One. The DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is preferably connected via USB.

Other players such as CD players, mixing consoles, synthesizers or an analogue tape machine/tape deck can be connected to the analogue line inputs.

The converter chip used is the premium AK4490, which belongs to the new generation of premium 32-bit DACs and is equipped with AKM's Velvet Sound®. This technology makes the finest details audible thanks to the low-distortion architecture.

Sampling frequencies of up to 768 kHz PCM (16 times CD resolution) and DSD (Direct Stream Digital) playback up to a resolution of DSD4 or DSD256 (11.2 MHz) are supported.

This qualifies the Marc One for the highest resolution audio playback currently available.

The USB connection is Class Compliant. This means that all Mac computers and iOS devices such as iPads and iPhones can utilise the full performance bandwidth of the AD/DA converter without installing a driver. iOS devices require the Camera Adapter. A driver is required for Windows, which you can download at the bottom of this page.

The selected input signal is output unchanged at the Line Out. This means that the Marc One can be looped between devices without "losing" an output.

If, for example, several people are to listen in via headphones, a headphone amplifier or a headphone distribution amplifier can simply be connected to the Line Out.

You can also record the signal in analogue form or send it to a mixer for further processing.

The Marc One offers three monitoring modes. The default setting in the centre is "Stereo". To check the mono compatibility, set the switch to "Mono". The special feature is the channel swap function: L/R > R/L

reverses the stereo image. L/R becomes R/L. This is particularly important and extremely time-saving if you are looking for samples in the video dubbing that should match a scene with a direction of movement.

If the direction is not correct, you normally have to load the sample into the DAW for channel swapping and swap the channels there before you can hear and judge whether the sample matches the picture.

With the L/R > R/L function, this is no longer necessary. You can now swap the direction of movement in the sample library during pre-listening.

The output stage of the headphone amplifier is designed as a push-pull amplifier in Class AB operation. The bipolar transistors share the amplification of the positive and negative half-wave, which produces a higher amplification and a higher output voltage than in Class A operation, in which only one transistor amplifies both half-waves.

The output stage transistors are thermally coupled and therefore run particularly coherently, which contributes to a consistent and stable sound image.

The power supply has a buffer circuit with low source resistance and thus ensures generous current reserves even when operating low-impedance headphones.

The Phonitor Matrix has three setting parameters in the largest configuration: Crossfeed, Speaker Angle and Centre Level.

In the Marc One, the centre level is preset to -1 dB and the speaker angle to 30°. These are the most commonly used values.

The crossfeed function determines the crosstalk between the channels, the so-called interaural level difference. The intensity of the crossfeed is infinitely variable.

At the beginning of the control path, the function is not in the audio path. It is only switched on by adding it via a relay (hysteresis circuit). The audio signal therefore does not pass through the crossfeed stage if this is not desired.