Marc One

The Monitor And Recording Controller

with innovative features and a 32-bit AD/DA converter. A monitor controller with which you can also record. And both in impressive sound quality.

Monitoring and recording in highest sound quality with up to 32 bit and 768 kHz.
Create perfect mixes on speakers and also on headphones – thanks to the Phonitor Matrix.

number one in sound

For us the sound is always in the foreground. When it sounds good, we like to listen. To get such a sound, you need experience and technical finesse. We have incorporated both into the Series One. 

Full Control

The big analog volume control offers the perfect control range to adjust the monitoring volume intuitively and precisely. 

Speaker & Subwoofer – monitoring without any compromises

As a full-fledged monitor controller, Control One offers two pairs of outputs for stereo speakers. You can listen to your production via two switchable pairs of speakers. A subwoofer is also switched on and off with speaker pair A. 

In the middle position of the switch, the speakers are switched off, which is convenient because you don’t have to turn the volume control back. 

Monitor-Mix

The ratio between the analog line inputs and the digital USB input can be easily adjusted via monitor control.

In the center, all input signals are equally loud. Turned to the left, the analog stereo inputs get louder and the USB input signal gets quieter. Turned from the center to the right, the reverse happens.

Free choice – three stereo inputs

Marc One offers two analog stereo inputs (TRS and RCA) and one digital (USB).

The DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is preferably connected via USB. 

Other input devices such as CD players, mixers, microphone preamps, synthesizers or analog tape machines/tape decks can be connected to the analog line inputs.

Via DIP switch 2 a mixer stage can be activated, which mixes the two analog line inputs together. These can be recorded summed via USB. 

The best is just good enough – 32-bit DA-converter

Here, too, the Marc One sets standards. Marc One uses the premium AK4490, 32-bit DAC with AKM’s Velvet Sound®. The AK5552 is used as the analog-to-digital converter and the AK4490 as the digital-to-analog converter.

This technology makes the finest details audible thanks to its low-distortion architecture.

It supports sampling frequencies up to 768 kHz PCM (16x CD resolution) and DSD (Direct Stream Digital) playback up to DSD4 or DSD256 (11.2 MHz) resolution. 

Both the AD and DA converters offer 32-bit processing.

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

Marc One automatically synchronizes to the sampling rate applied to the USB input. No further settings on the device are necessary.

A great connection

The USB connection is Class Compliant. This means that all Mac computers and iOS devices like iPads and iPhones can use the full performance of the DA-converter without driver installation.

iOS devices require the “Apple camera adapter”. 

For Windows, a driver is only required if higher sampling rates are desired. The driver is available for download at the bottom of this page.

Line Out

The line output “Line Out” provides a mix consisting of all signals from the line inputs and the USB playback.

The monitor control adjusts the ratio between the analog line inputs and the digital USB input.

The line output has unity gain, which is a normal, unregulated output level – it is independent of the volume control.

If, for example, multiple people are to listen in via headphones, an additional headphone amplifier can be connected to the line output.

Marc One can also be easily looped into a monitoring chain without the need for another output at the playback source.

You can also send the signal to another mixer for further processing.

There are no limits to creativity here. 

Perfectly monitored

Marc One allows three different monitoring modes.
The mix can be monitored in “Stereo” or mono compatibility can be checked in “Mono”. 

A special feature is the channel swap function:

L/R > R/L

This function reverses the stereo image. Left becomes right and right becomes left.

This is especially important and extremely time-saving when you are searching your sound library for samples in video dubbing that should match a scene with direction of movement.
If the direction is not correct, you usually have to load the sample into the DAW to switch channels before you can hear if the sample fits. With the L/R > R/L function this is no longer necessary. You can now simply swap the direction of movement while prelistening samples in the library. 

The headphone output stage

Weak sound on headphones?
Not enough power?

Not here. Marc One delivers a full headphone sound – and that up to really loud.

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

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

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

The revolution in the headphone amplifier: Phonitor Matrix

The Phonitor Matrix enables mixing and mastering engineers to create perfect mixes on headphones, which will translate perfectly to all types of stereo speaker systems. 

With Phonitor Matrix you can create
perfect mixes on headphones. 

But the Phonitor Matrix is not only designed for professional use in the studio.
It also enables the hifi enthusiast to enjoy music on headphones, like if it was played back on speakers. 

How is this possible?

Music is normally produced and mixed for playback on stereo speakers.

Listening on headphones is different from listening on loudspeakers. The biggest difference is the lack of crossing signals of the sound signal from the left speaker to the right ear and from the right speaker to the left ear. 

These crossing signals are missing in conventional headphone listening, because there are no signals crossing from one side of the headphones to the other. This results in an unnaturally wide stereo stage and sound sources are not played back at their correct position in the stereo spectrum.

The SPL Phonitor Matrix can correct this false stereo image with an analog circuitry. 

The Phonitor Matrix parameters

The two main parameters of the Phonitor Matrix are Crossfeed and Angle:

• Crossfeed determines the crossing signals of the channels.
• Angle determines the opening angle of the stereo image.

To perfect the listening experience, the level of the sound sources centered in the stereo image must be attenuated when the Phonitor Matrix is activated. The result is that not only the position of all sound sources is correctly located, but also their volume. 

For the Marc One, this parameter, which we call “Center” for the Phonitor Matrix, is fixed at a -1 dB cut, which is the best choice for an authentic representation of the soundstage.

During conventional listening on headphones, our brain can compensate a certain level of false playback representation – but this is very exhausting and leads to listening fatigue. 

Perfectly adjusted

At a regular listening volume, the volume control should be in the one o’clock position.

This gives you an ideal control path for listening quieter and louder.

If active loudspeakers or power amplifiers are very sensitive, the playback can already be quite loud when the volume control is in the first third of its control range.

Activating the -10 dB DIP switch attenuates the output level to allow a wider usable range of the volume control. 

Power Supply

Good sound always starts with the power supply. This is where you lay the foundation for the performance of the entire device. Although we “only” supply a 12 V plug-in power supply unit, the secondary power supply inside generates a voltage level of +/-17 Volts for the analog audio sections with which professional levels of up to +22.5 dB can be achieved! 

An elaborate low-drop operating voltage regulation provides more “juice” and regulates cleanly even when the maximum operation voltage is reached.

Marc One delivers full power when used with the included 1.5 A power supply.

Just switch it on and enjoy the great sound. The ON-switch puts the Marc One into operation. 

Number One in Sound

With the Series One – just as with all other SPL devices – we develop not only according to plan, but also by ear from the very beginning. 

Many important components are installed on the circuit boards using Through-hole technology. This way we can ensure that we can use the best sounding components.