Russound MBX-AMP Faq Fact Sheet

Russound MBX-AMP & MBX-PRE FAQ Fact Sheet
MBX Series Compatibility Questions:
Can I use the MBX products with MCA-Series products?
Yes. You can use MBX products with the MCA-Series of Russound controllers: MCA-66, MCA-88, and MCA-88X. The MCA-66 and
MCA-88 are the ideal models to use. Make sure the MCA-Series are running firmware version 4.0 or higher in order for all of the
devices to work properly together. The MBX-AMP is perfect as a remote zone in any MCA system.
Keep in mind that there is no sharing of sources between an MCA controller and an MBX-AMP. This also means that it is not possible
to join rooms from a controller with remotely connected MBX-Series rooms. Other than those limitations, there are no other issues
with using an MBX product as a remote room in a controller-based system. You can access and control any room seamlessly from the
MyRussound app or XTSPlus touchscreens. There is currently a known bug when using an MBX-PRE as Source 1 on a Russound MCA-
Series controller (initial release 28/02/19). Please use the MBX-PRE on any available source from 3-8 with an MCA-Series controller
until this issue is resolved.
Can I use the MBX products with the C-Series controllers, the MCA-C3 or MCA-C5?
The MBX-PRE cannot be used as a dedicated source with the C-Series controllers: MCA-C3, MCA-C5. It is possible however for the
MBX-AMP to be used as a remote zone for a C-Series controller and the MBX-AMP will work the same as it does with the MCA-Series
controllers, i.e. no sharing of sources or joining of rooms is possible, but other than that there are no limitations in usage. The MBX-
PRE could also be used in Zone Mode with a dedicated amplifier to work in the same way as the MBX-AMP remote zone if desired.
Can I use the MBX products with my XStream products?
No, using the MBX products with Russound's XStream products is not recommended. When updating any system to
Russound's MBX-Series of products, we recommend replacing all XStream Series products with MBX-Series products.
The capabilities and the user experience are vastly different between the two. Users would not have a good experience
going from one to the other within the same system. This also means that the internal streamer of the MCA-88X
should be disabled when adding an MBX-product to the system. You may re-use that source with any other source
connected to the system other than a Russound Media Streamer. If installing a new system, the MCA-66 or MCA-88
should be the controllers used with MBX-PRE and MBX-AMP music streamers.
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