MATRIX AUDIO X-SABRE 3 Digital Analog Converter User Manual

MATRIX AUDIO X-SABRE 3 Digital Analog Converter

Packing list

1. Product x1
2. Remote control x1
3. Power cord x1
4. Lithium battery x1

Due to regulatory restrictions, it may not be provided in some cases.

Parts and names

Front panel

1. . Power on/Standby
2. Dimmer
3. Input
4. Mute/Unmute
5. Volume-/Left arrow
6. Volume+/Right arrow
7. Filter
8. SYNC mode
9. Settings menu

Rear panel

1. Right XLRanalog output
2. Right RCA analog output
3. Left RCA analog output
4. Left XLR analog output
5. IIS-LVDS input
6. Optical input
7. Coaxial input
8. USB audio input
9. Ethernet
10. Trigger output
11. Trigger input
12. AC input

Home screen

1. Sampling rate
2. Volume ring
3. Input channel
4. SYNC mode
5. Audio format
6. Network status
7. Filter type

Remote control

1. Power on/Standby
2. Mute/Unmute
3. Volume+
4. Volume-
5. Filter
6. Working/Battery LED
7. Dimmer
8. Input
9. SYNCMode
10. Shortcut

Connections

Connect to AC power

X-SABRE 3 is compatible with AC100-120V and AC220-240V power specifications. Please make sure to select the correct voltage option to match your local power before connecting the unit to the power supply.

Asshown:

The two options llSVand 230V stand for:

• The LLC option is fit for AC100V-120V 50/60Hz
• The 230V option is fit for AC220V-240V 50/60Hz

Please use the power cable which includes an Earth wire. Ensure you have a reliable Earth wire connection to avoid an electrical shock. Please unplug the power cable if you need the unit to be disconnected from the mains completely.

Connect to the input source

You can connect the X-SABRE 3 to S/PDIF output devices via the coaxial and optical port, or connect to an audio interface from MatrixX-SPDIF 2 via the 11S-LVDS port.

Connect to active speakers or power amplifiers

The X-SABRE 3 can be connected to active speakers or amplifiers via RCA or XLR cables. To avoid damage to your devices, please turn off the active speakers or amplifiers before connecting them to X-SABRE 3.

Connect other devices via Trigger

• Trigger In
  • X-SABRE 3 accepts trigger signals from the Trigger Out of other devices. Connect X-SABRE 3 to a device with a Trigger Out to achieve the power linkage of this unit and other devices.
• Trigger Out
  • Connect X-SABRE 3 to a device with a Trigger In to achieve the power linkage of this unit and other devices.
• Cables
  • Use a non-resistance cable with 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) mono plugs for trigger connection. Do not use a cable with stereo plugs for this purpose.

Connectto network

• Connect to Ethernet
  • X-SABRE 3 supports l000Mbps Ethernet connection, a CAT-6 or higher version shielded Ethernet cable is recommended.
  • ConnectX-SABRE3 to the network router with an Ethernet cable, and let the unit in the network as shown below:
  • Enter the 13th option “Network” in the Settings menu, and select “LAN” as shown below:
  • It is recommended to set up the router as a DHCP server, the unit will be assigned an IP address automatically. After joining the network, there will be an Ethernet icon shown on the screen. As shown below:
• Connect to WLAN
  • Let the X-SABRE 3 in the network as shown below:
  • Enter the 13th option “Network settings” in the Settings menu, and select “Wi-Fi” as shown below:
  • After the network search is completed, use the “< “or” > ” touch key to select the SSID to be connected. X-SABRE 3 supports a 2.4g/5g wireless network.
  • Tap the “ ” touch-key to enter the password input interface, tap the” < ” or” > “touch-key to switch characters.” 111″ touch-key to select a character and “ ” touch-key to switch the keyboard.
  • After entering the password, select “Join” to start connecting to this wireless network.
  • After joining the wireless network, there will be a wireless network icon shown on the screen. As shown below:
  • The antennas for wireless connection are located in the area shown in the figure below, to ensure a good signal, please do not place metal objects in this area on the top of the unit.
  • When the connected Ethernet or WLAN is not connected to the internet, the Home screen will display a yellow icon, as shown below:

MA Remote App

• Install the MA Remote App
  • Install the MA Remote App for your iPad, iPhone, or Android phone.
• Add the device by scanning the QR code
  • Open the app, select “X-SABRE 3”, click “Next” and follow the prompts to enter the Scan QR Code page of the MA Remote App.
  • Tap the “ “touch key to enter the settings page when the device is powered on.
  • After tapping the ‘ > “touch-key again, the screen will display the QR code, and scan it to complete the addition of the device.
• Tutorial video for control /config
  • To control and configure the element device through MA Remote App, or playback streaming music from the element devices, please refer to matrix-digi.com/tutorials for instructions.

Playback

Basic operations Power on and standby

• After connecting to the power supply, touch the “ ” touch key on the device. After hearing the beep for a few seconds, the screen will light up, and the LCD screen the startup bar. The first startup after connecting to the power supply will take about 30 seconds. Without disconnecting the power supply, the time of start-up will be less than seconds. Tap and hold the” ” touch-key on the unit or the remote control for about 2 seconds, or short press the” ” touch-key to enter Standby mode.

Select input source

• At the Home screen, tap “ ” the touch-key, tap the” < “and ” > “to select input channels between coaxial, optical, IIS-LVDS, USB audio, and streaming, tap the” 8 “touch-key again to confirm, and go back to the Home screen.

Volume control

• At the Home screen, tap the”< “and” > “touch-key to adjust the volume step by step, and tap and hold the touch-key to adjust the volume rapidly. The screen will display the current volume by dB.
• When the Lineout mode is set to “Fixed”, the volume cannot be adjusted, and there will be no volume ring on the Home screen.

CAUTION: “Fixed” output means that the device outputs a maximum level signal at 0dB. Before selecting this mode, make sure that your power amplifier or active speakers have been adjusted to a lower volume level. If the amplifier or speakers do not have a volume control, do NOT set it to “Fixed” output mode, otherwise, this operation may damage your devices and harm your ears.

Mute/Unmute

• Tap the” ” touch-key on the Home screen to mute the device, tap it again, or tap the”< “and” >” touch-key to unmute. It can also be unmuted by pressing the “ ” button on the remote control.

Filter setting

• At the Home screen, tap the “ “touch key to select PCM/DSD filters. Tap once to set the PCM filter, tap again to set DSD filters, use the”< “or”> “touch-key to select filters, tap the” “touch-key again to confirm it, and back to the Home screen.

Set SYNC mode

• At the Home screen, tap the “ “touch key to let the D/A chip work at synchronous or asynchronous modes. When the D/A mode is set to synchronous mode, there will be a SYNC mode icon on the screen.

Dimmer

• To avoid interference from the LED and the LCD screen tap the” ti.” touch-key on the Home screen, the LED of all the touch-keys will be turned off, and at the same time, the brightness of the LCD screen will be dimmed. Tap any touch-keys to quit Dimmer mode.

Auto stand by

• When the optical, coaxial, USB Audio, and IIS-LVDS input channel is selected, the input signal is not locked, there are not any touch-keys or remote control operations, and the duration of such state reaches the set auto standby time, then it will automatically standby.
• When the streaming input channel is selected, no playing, there is not any touch-keys or remote control operations, and the duration of such state reaches the set auto standby time, then it will automatically stand by.

Remote control

• The remote control uses a CR2032 battery, install the battery in the battery holder at the bottom of the remote control. Please note the polarity.
• Point the remote control to the IR remote receiver like in the following picture, the remote distance is about 8 meters and the battery life is about 1 year. When the battery is low, the Working indicator on the remote control flashes red, and the screen will also remind you to replace the battery.
• The remote control has a shortcut button. It can be defined as any input channels or filters in the Settings menu, which is convenient for you to quickly operate frequently used items, and it also can be set to OFF.
• If there is more than one MATRIX device in the same environment, to prevent one remote control from controlling serval devices at the same time, the remote control has 5 address codes, and these address codes can be set in the Settings menu to realize the “one to one” control between the device and the remote control.

Play music via optical, coaxial, or 11S-LVDS port

• Connect the unit to standard S/PDIF output devices via optical and coaxial, or connect to MATRIX X-SPDIF 2 via the 11S-LVDS port.
• The signal format and the sampling rate will be displayed when the signal is locked properly. Otherwise, please check whether the cables are connected reliably and the front-end device has output signals.

Play music via USB audio port

• Connect the X-SABRE 3 to a computer via a USB type-B to type-A cable, drivers need to be installed when using on a PC with Windows 7 /8/10. Find the driver installation package from
• MATRIX Audio website https://matrix-digi.com/en/downloads/, the installation process is as follows:
• Install drivers for Windows.
  • Double-click the driver installation package and click ” Next”.
  • Select the installation path and click” Install”.
  • Click “Next” after the installation is complete.
  • Click “Finish” to close the wizard.
  • There’s no need to install drivers for macOS, select “X-SABRE 3” as an audio device in System Preferences.
  • X-SABRE 3 can be connected to an iPhone or iPad via a Lightning to USB Camera Adapter. X-SABRE 3 can be connected to Android devices via an OTG adapter, but not every Android device are compatible with X-SABRE 3 via OTG connection.

AIRPLAY

• X-SABRE 3 supportsAirPlay2, when connected to your local area network, you can cast the music to the unit from your iPhone, iPad, or MAC via AirPlay. Let the iPhone, iPad, and MAC in the same network with this unit, tap the AirPlay icon in the Control Center and select “X-SABRE3-XXXX” as a playback device, then enjoy the music. The album art image will be displayed on the screen of X-SABRE 3, and the output volume can be controlled by the sender device.

Roon Ready
X-SABRE 3 has passed Roon Ready certification, you can enable and select this unit from Roon, and the audio files will be streamed to the unit bit- perfectly. The album art image of the playing track will be displayed on the device screen. You also can control the output volume, power on, and enter standby mode through the Roon controller app.

TIDAL connect
X-SABRE 3 supports TIDAL connect. When connected to the local area network, you can cast the music to X-SABRE 3 from the Tl DAL app on your mobile devices or computers. Select X-SABRE 3 in the broadcast menu in the TIDAL app, as shown below:

SpotifyConnect

• Use your phone, tablet, or computer as a remote control for Spotify. Go to spotify.com/connect to learn how.

DLNA/UPnP

• X-SABRE 3 supports DLNA/UPnP. When connected to the local area network, you can cast the music to X-SABRE 3 from DLNA/UPnP-supported apps on your mobile devices or computers.
• DLNA/UPnP is an open protocol, we cannot ensure all the DLNA/UPnP apps are compatible with X-SABRE 3.

NOTE: When playing with a higher sampling rate via the network, considering the stability and bandwidth of the wireless connection, please use the Ethernet connection first to get the best playback experience.

Settings

• At the Home screen, tap the “ ” touch-key to enter the Settings menu. Use the” < “and” > “touch-key to switch items, and tap the “ “touch-key again to enter the options of the selected item. As shown below:
• 
• You can configure the items according to the instructions on the screen.

Appendix

About MQA (Master Quality Authenticated)

• X-SABRE 3 includes an MQA full decoder, which enables you to play back MQA audio files and streams via the US B audio port or from Roon, delivering the sound of the original master recording.
• A green or blue dot beside the MQA logo indicates that the product is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and denotes provenance to ensure that the sound is identical to that of the source material.
• A green or blue dot beside the MQA logo indicates that the product is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file.
• The dot glows magenta to indicate that the unit is rendering an MQA stream or file. This delivers the final unfolding of the MQA file.

IIS-LVDS PORT

• The IIS-LVDS port of X-SABRE3 is based on a standard 19-pin HDMI connector. It uses four sets of LVDS differential signals to transmit 11S data. It supports up to 32Bit/768kHz PCM signal input and 1Bit/22.4MHz DSD signal input.
• X-SABRE 3 is compatible with 4 sets of 11S-LVDS port definitions, you can find the pin definition diagram in the “IIS-LVDS definition” option in the Settings menu.
• The PCM format is the standard IIS format, the DSD format supports native DSD and DoP (DSD over PCM).

Technical Specifications

• Hardware platform
  • CPU: NXP i.MX 6Quad 4x Cortex-A9 @l.2GHz
  • D/A Chip: ES9038PRO
  • Clock Source: Crystek CCHD-950
  • Digital Input
• Coaxial & Optical:
  • PCM 16-24Bit /44.lkHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 76.4kHz, 192kHz
• DSD 2.8MHz (DoP)
• IIS LVDS:
  • PCM 16-32Bit /44.lkHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz,
  • 192kHz, 352.SkHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz
  • DSD 2.8M Hz, 5.6M Hz, 11.2M Hz (DoP)
  • DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.4MHz (Native)
• USB Audio:
  • PCM 16-24B it /44.lkHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, l 76.4kHz,
  • 192kHz, 352.SkHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz
  • MQA 16-24B it /44.lkHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz,
  • 192kHz, 352.SkHz, 384kHz MQA Studio or MQA stream
• DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz (DoP)
• DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.4MHz (Native)
• Line output
  • XLR DN R : 134d B A-weighting
  • TH D+N: <0.000100/o@lk, <0.00025%@20Hz-20kHz
  • Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz ±0.05 -3dB@86kHz
  • Channel Crosstalk: >-lSldB
  • Output Level: 4.8VRMS
• RCA
  • DNR: 128dB A-weighting
  • TH D+N: <0.000150/o@lk, <0.00025%@20Hz-20kHz
  • Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz ±0.05 -3dB@86kHz
  • Channel Crosstalk: > -138dB
  • Output Level: 2.4VRMS
• Network
  • LAN: 10/100/lO00BASE-T
  • Wi-F i: 2.4GHz/5GHz
  • MA Player
  • Controller app: MA Remote App
• Local Playback:
  • Format Supported: MP3, WMA, WAV, AIF, AIFC, AIFF, AAC, FLAC, OGG, APE, ALAC, M4A, DSF, DFF, CUE
  • PCM 16-24Bit/44.lkHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz,352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz
  • MQA 16-24Bit/44.lkHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.SkHz, 384kHz MQA or MQA Studio stream
  • DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.4MHz
• Roon Ready:
  • PCM 16-24 Bit/44.1 kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, l 76.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.BkHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz
  • MQA 16-24 Bit/44.1 kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, l 76.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.BkHz, 384kHz MQA or MQA Studio stream
• DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.4MHz
• AirPlay 2, DLNA/UPnP, TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, vTuner, and Radio Paradise, the audio specs depend on the service provider.

POWER SUPPLY

• Voltage: 230V position is fit for AC 220V-240V 50/60Hz 115V position is fit for AC 100V-120V 50/60Hz
• Standby Power Consumption: <4W Maximum
• Power Consumption: <33W

Other specifications

• Weight: 3.4kg{7.49pounds)
• Dimension:
  • Width: 310 mm {12.20 inches)
  • Depth: 218 mm {8.58 inches)
  • Height: 43 mm {1.69 inches)
  • For improvement purposes, specifications are subject to changes without prior notice.

Precautions

• This product is for indoor use only.
• For full ventilation, it is recommended to reserve a space larger than 5 cm around the device.
• Do not cover the air vents with stuff such as papers, tablecloths, and curtains to obstruct ventilation.
• Do not place stuff with flame, such as lighted candles, on the device.
• If the device is used in tropical areas, please be careful to prevent insects from entering the machine through the air vents.
• The device must not be subject to water droplets or splashes. Please do not place kinds of stuff filled with liquids such as vases and cups on or near the device.
• Do not put stuff around the device power plug and the AC power socket, to disconnect the power supply easily when needed.
• The product with the Hi-Res Audio logo conforms to the High-Resolution Audio standard defined by the Japan Audio Society. This logo is used under license from Japan Audio Society.
• MQA and the Sound Wave Device are registered trademarks of MQA Limited. ©2016
• Being Roon Ready means that Matrix network players transparently discover and connect to Roon without any configuration, and bit-per-feet audio is delivered from Roon to your network player.
• The Spotify Software is subject to third-party licenses found here: https://www.spotify.com/connect/third-party-licenses.
• www.matrix-digi.com.
• Matrix Electronic Technology Co., LTD
• +86-29-86211122
• Room 206 Block B, #58 Mingguang Rd,
• Xi’an, China
• support@matrix-digi.com.

References

• Spotify - Connect
• Third Party Licenses | Spotify for Developers

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