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AudioControl 7.1 Channel THX Ultra 2 Theater Processor Manual

7.1 channel thx ultra 2 theater processor
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Summary of Contents for AudioControl 7.1 Channel THX Ultra 2 Theater Processor

  • Page 1 Home Theater S Y S T E M ®...
  • Page 3 ®...
  • Page 4 ® Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents AudioControl Home Theater System Features ... . 1-1 Front Panel Features ....... . . 1-2 Rear Panel Features .
  • Page 6 ® Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...
  • Page 7 Main Zone ........4-1 Turning the Maestro On .
  • Page 8 7.1 Plus Theater System ® Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...
  • Page 9 When creating your own personal movie palace experience, the choice of components is just as critical. AudioControl knows how important the right equipment is and for that reason we created our Home Theater System.
  • Page 10 ® Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...

  • Page 11: Audiocontrol Home Theater System Features

    Key Features AudioControl Home Theater System The Maestro is part of the AudioControl Home Theater System. Also in- cluded in this system are the Diva Digital Room Correction Processor, the Avalon and Pantages High Definition Amplifiers and the Factory Certified System Calibration.

  • Page 12: Front Panel Features

    Front Panel Features IR Remote Control Sensor – IR Remote Control Sensor – IR Remote Control Sensor – Behind this IR Remote Control Sensor – IR Remote Control Sensor – to watch or listen to. (The menu button en- window is the infrared sensor remote control. ables you to listen to a different source than If the Maestro is located in a system where you are watching.

  • Page 13: Rear Panel Features

    Rear Panel Features Component V Component V Component Video Connections – ideo Connections – ideo Connections – ideo Connections – Component Component V Component V ideo Connections – RS232 Serial P RS232 Serial Port – RS232 Serial P ort – ort –...
  • Page 14 ® Section Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...

  • Page 15: System Configuration Questionnaire

    Installing the Maestro System Configuration Questionnaire Before you begin the system installation, there are a few things to think about. Please fill in the blanks and answer some questions to help make this process go easier. The appropriate section of the manual is referred to after each question to properly configure the Maestro.
  • Page 16 No / Yes Refer to the Home Theater System CD for CCF files of the IR codes or… Use the AudioControl MX-500 Theater System Remote (optional) Will you be controlling the Maestro with RS232 Serial Control? No / Yes...

  • Page 17: Connection Tips

    Planning your installation Connection Tips Even if you’re an electronics veteran, this part may seem repetitive, but some things can never be repeated too many times. • Don’t stand in a bucket of water when working with electricity. • Turn off all components before making any connections. •...

  • Page 18: Speaker Considerations And Placement

    Remember to consider the user when installing the Maestro in a rack. If the primary operator is taller than average you may want to put the Maestro and source units higher in the rack so they can see their front panels. The same rule applies on the shorter side.

  • Page 19: Power

    Subwoofer The subwoofer is a large speaker that provides the bottom end “kick” in the system. THX certified subwoofers are rated by the cubic volume of the room. Make certain you remember to include all spaces that open to the theater in that volume calculation.
  • Page 20 7.1 Theater System with Second Zone ® Section Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...

  • Page 21: Choosing Your Video

    Video Connections Choosing your video There are three video signal connection formats ranging from Composite (Good), S-Video (Better) and Component Component (Best). Depending on the particular source unit you may have the option of more than one of these video connec- tions.

  • Page 22: Ir Remote Control Connections

    The IR receiver input connections are wired with a 3 conductor 3.5mm jack. The signals are compatible with third-party receivers such as a Xantech No. 291-10. AudioControl does not supply the IR receivers or emitters to use with the Maestro. IR Signal...

  • Page 23: Second Zone Connections

    Since the Zone 2 outputs of the Maestro are 2 channel analog audio and composite video, you must have these signals connected from your source units to make them Plug for other AudioControl products: The available. The Maestro does not convert a digital audio Active-Balanced Series products from AudioControl enables sending high-quality signal into analog for zone 2.
  • Page 24 ® Section Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...

  • Page 25: Entering The Setup Mode

    Configuring the Maestro Multi-Function Knob There are many options to choose from when setting up the Maestro. If you haven’t already done so, we highly recommend using the Configuration Questionnaire Configuration Questionnaire Configuration Questionnaire on Configuration Questionnaire Configuration Questionnaire page 2-1. It will help you gather together the information that you will need to know to setup the Maestro’s options.

  • Page 26: Using Presets

    Setup Menu Using Presets The Maestro features 5 Preset Configuration Memories to simplify complex operation in advanced systems. All of the Maestro settings including Source Selection, Delays, Sur- round Modes, Effects, Everything is stored in these Presets. It is very simple to recall these presets using the IR or RS- 232 control inputs.
  • Page 27 Basic Setup Menus 1. General Settings V V V V V olume Display olume Display olume Display olume Display – This controls how the system volume is olume Display displayed on the front panel and On-Screen Display (OSD). There are three options: Nor Normal mal 0 to 72 (in 1 dB steps), F F F F F ine...
  • Page 28 blue even though they are not sending an RGB signal. The RGB (Red, Green, Blue) signal format is more common in Europe. Sync on Green Sync on Green Sync on Green – This option is only available if the HQ Sync on Green Sync on Green Video is set to RGB mode.
  • Page 29 Proper delay settings should be done by a trained professional with audio test equipment such as the AudioControl Iasys HT to measure the actual sound delay timings. You can get a rough delay setting using an assistant and a tape measure. Measure the distance from the center of a speaker to the seated ear position of the main listening seat.

  • Page 30: Level Settings

    4. Level Settings It is critical to properly match the levels from each speaker to achieve a correct sound stage. The realism is totally lost if the footprints of a person walking across the screen change in volume as they move from left to center to right. We strongly recommend using a test analyzer such as our IasysHT or a sound level meter for this calibration.

  • Page 31: Thx Settings

    frequencies are cut off from the Left and Right Outputs and sent to the Subwoofer Outputs. LFE L LFE L evel evel LFE L LFE L LFE Level evel evel – Dolby Digital has a separate point one channel that includes the low frequency effects (explosions, crashes, thumps).

  • Page 32: Adv 1 - Speaker Equalization

    ASA Sur ASA Sur ASA Sur ASA Sur ASA SurrBack L/R rBack L/R rBack L/R rBack L/R rBack L/R – Advanced Speaker Array: This sets the distance between the Surround Back speakers to ensure proper soundstage imaging. It is preferable to put these speakers within 48”...

  • Page 33: Adv 3 - Digital Settings

    two separate sources (i.e. Watch the TV and listen to the Radio Tuner). Refer to page 4-2 for more information. Assigning Component V Assigning Component V Assigning Component Video Inputs ideo Inputs ideo Inputs ideo Inputs – The HQ V HQ V HQ V HQ Vid...

  • Page 34: Adv 5 - Input Trims

    L L L L L ocal OSD ocal OSD ocal OSD ocal OSD – Selects if the On-Screen Display of the zone 2 ocal OSD video output is On or Off. Zone 1 Control Zone 1 Control Zone 1 Control Zone 1 Control Zone 1 Control –...

  • Page 35: Main Zone

    Using the Maestro Now that you’ve gotten everything connected together and configured properly, it’s time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Since the Maestro gives you two inde- pendent “zones” to view and listen to your system (the Main home theater zone and the remote Zone 2) we’ll cover them separately.
  • Page 36 Navigating the Menus Selecting around the menus is a very simple and intuitive feat. 1.Press the M button to enter the Main Menu Screens Main Menu Screens Main Menu Screens Main Menu Screens. Main Menu Screens 2.Rotate the M -F -F -F -F K K K K K to select Menu 1, 2 or 3.
  • Page 37 There are three settings for the compressing: Off: No Compression Note Note Note Note Note that compression is only available in Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium: Just a little off the top Dolby Digital and some DTS recordings. For a full time compressor, check out the Diva digital High High...

  • Page 38: Simulcast Listening

    Main Menu 3 – Zone 2 V V V V V ol ol ol ol ol: Controls the current volume on the Zone 2 audio outputs. Headphone Out Headphone Out Headphone Out: Not used on the Maestro. Headphone Out Headphone Out Zone 2 A Zone 2 A Zone 2 A...

  • Page 39: Vcr And Tape Operation

    VCR and Tape Operation The Maestro has full independent recording loops for a VCR and Tape Deck. Both of these inputs allow recording a sepa- rately from the one that you are listening to. Pressing the VCR or Tape button while another source is active enables you to continue recording that source, but monitor the output of the recording deck.

  • Page 40: Thx Mode

    THX Mode When listening to a source, the THX THX button toggles between the available THX decoding modes. The modes available will change depending on the source materials encoding and the current surround mode settings on the Maestro. Refer to Section 6 on Surround Modes for more details about the THX modes.

  • Page 41: Second Zone

    Second Zone The Zone 2 outputs provide a means for listening and viewing your home theater components in another room. The source selections and volume control for this second zone is independent of the main theater zone outputs. There are several options for controlling the second zone: The Main Menu screen from the Maestro, the external RS- 232 serial control port, or the IR remote control.
  • Page 42 ® Section Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...

  • Page 43: Introduction

    Integration with Automation Introduction Part of the joy of a great home theater is that you don’t have a tray of remote controls staring at you whenever you want to watch a movie. Hidden away behind the scenes is a workhorse that takes care of the mundane tasks of turn- ing on all the components, lowering the curtains, dim- ming the lights, popping the corn, etc.
  • Page 44 controller system to send very long, complex strings of commands and get an answer back to know that all those commands were executed properly. RS-232 Serial Control You must set the external RS-232 control system serial port to match the data speed and format that the Maestro is expecting.
  • Page 45 Protocol Structure The RS-232 serial control protocol structure of the Maestro is a string of ASCII characters terminated with an ASCII Line Feed (0x0A hexadecimal). Multiple commands can be linked together on one line separated by a semicolon, but the total command string cannot contain more than 64 characters (including spaces and the Line Feed terminator).
  • Page 46 ® Section Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...

  • Page 47: Selecting Surround Modes

    Surround Modes The Maestro theater processor contains two powerful digital signal processing (DSP) ICs. These components enable the Maestro to decode multiple digital and analog multi-channel surround sound formats. Since the Maestro is fully programmable, new surround decoding formats can be incorporated as they become popular. Selecting Surround Modes There are three groups of surround processing modes in the Maestro.

  • Page 48: About Thx Cinema Processing

    by Lucasfilm Ltd. THX grew from their desire to make your experience of home theater as close as possible to what the movie director in- tended. THX engineers developed patented technologies to accurately translate the sound from the movie theater environment into the home, correct the tonal and spatial errors that would otherwise occur.
  • Page 49 and phase relationship between the surround channels. This expands the listening position and creates a more spacious surround sound stage like a larger movie theater. Advanced Speaker Array™ The Advanced Speaker Array (ASA) is a proprietary THX technology that processes the sound going to the side and rear surround speakers. This provides a more optimal surround sound experience.
  • Page 50 the standard surround channels. This additional channel provides the opportunity for more detailed imaging behind the listener and brings more depth, spaciousness and sound localization than with standard 5.1 surround encoding. THX Music For playback of multi-channel music, the THX Music Mode can be used. In this mode, the THX ASA processing is applied to the surround chan- nels to provide a wide, stable, rear soundstage.
  • Page 51 players. The SACD and DVD-A formats bypass all internal processing in the Maestro and feed directly to the amplifiers through the volume control. Since the digital processing in the Maestro is defeated, there are no mode adjustments available. The Dolby Digital and DTS encoded music disks are treated the same as surround encoded movies and have the same options.

  • Page 52: Effects Modes

    DSP Effects Modes The Maestro has several DSP effects modes to enhance playback of a two channel audio source through the surround speakers. These modes are only available on stereo audio sources. Effects Modes Music Music Music – Music surround makes full use of the additional speakers in a Music Music theater system.

  • Page 53: General

    Troubleshooting Common Problems General There are no lights on the Maestro Pressing any Source selection button on the front panel should wake the Maestro from Standby. Verify that the power cord is plugged into a live AC outlet. Verify that the Power switch on the Maestro is pressed in (On). The main front panel display is blank Press the Display button.

  • Page 54: Audio

    There is no On-Screen Display (OSD) Verify the OSD is turned on in the Maestro configuration settings. Verify that the correct input is selected on the video display or projector. The OSD is pink/red Verify that the HQ Video Mode is set to Component in the Maestro configuration settings.
  • Page 55 Cannot select Dolby Digital or DTS decoding mode The Maestro can only decode formats encoded onto the source. Normally these are marked on the packaging or liner notes of the material. Verify that the correct format is selected in the Start menu of the DVD.
  • Page 56 ® Section Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...

  • Page 57: Appendix A - Menu Tree

    Menu Tree Appendix A – Operation Menus Main Menu 1 – Input and Volume A A A A A udio udio udio udio V V V V V ideo ideo ideo ideo Stereo Stereo Stereo udio ideo Stereo Stereo V V V V V olume olume olume olume...

  • Page 58: Level Settings

    Delay Settings F F F F F ront ront ront ront ront F F F F F ront ront ront ront ront Surround round round round round Sur Surround round round round round Surround round round round round L L L L L eft Center Center Center...
  • Page 59 Advanced 3 – Digital Settings Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Optical Optical Optical Optical Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Coaxial Optical Optical Optical Optical Optical Optical D D D D D VD A A A A A V V V V V T T T T T ape...

  • Page 60: Appendix B - Using The Maestro With The Diva Room Correction Processor

    While the Maestro is a very power surround processor, some things are best left to a specialist. The Diva 24 bit digital room correction proces- sor is the part of the AudioControl Home Theater System product line up designed to take the theaters sound quality up to the next level. The Diva includes Graphic and Parametric Equalization, Digital Delays with 0.01 mS resolution, Crossover filtering, and Compressor/Limiter Dy-...

  • Page 61: Appendix C - Rs-232 Serial Control Protocol Commands

    Appendix C – RS-232 Serial Control Protocol Commands You must set the external RS-232 control system serial port to match the data speed and format that the Maestro is expecting. If these settings are not correct, the Maestro will not respond to the com- mands.
  • Page 62 Protocol Structure The RS-232 serial control protocol structure of the Maestro is a string of ASCII characters terminated with an ASCII Line Feed (0x0A hexadeci- mal). Multiple commands can be linked together on one line separated by a semicolon, but the total command string cannot contain more than 64 characters (including spaces and the Line Feed terminator).
  • Page 63 General Commands Command Description Parameters Parameter Values Power On/Off ?zPWRx See table Mute On/Off ?zMUTx See table Force Analog zFANx See table Effect Mode Selection ?EFFy Valid y values are: 0=off, 1=Music, 2=Party, 3=Club, 4=Hall, 5=Sport, 6=Church, 7=Increment to next effect THX Mode Selection ?THXy Valid y values are: 0=Off, 1=THX Cinema,...
  • Page 64 Main Commands Command Description Parameters Parameter Values Volume ?zVOLy Valid values for y are” –53 to +19 Preset select PREy Valid values for y are: 1 to 5 Audio source select ?zAUDi See table for values Video source select ?zVIDi See table for values Stereo Direct ?DIRix...
  • Page 65 Basic Setup Commands Command Description Parameters Parameter Values Volume display VDSy Valid values for y are: 0=Normal, 1=THX Ref, 3=Fine Max Volume zMXVy Valid values for y are: -33 to +19 Max On Volume zMXOy Valid values for y are: -53 to +19 Delay Units DYUy Valid values for y are: 0=Feet,...

  • Page 66: Appendix D - Ir Remote Control Codes

    Here is a table of the commands available including all discrete function commands. There is a full copy of these IR commands in Pronto CCF format included on the AudioControl Home Theater System Support CD included with the Maestro.

  • Page 67: Appendix E - Factory Theater Calibration Service

    Appendix E - Factory Theater Calibration Service An integral part of the AudioControl Home Theater system is the acoustical calibration of the system. Especially in systems where the power of the Diva room correction processor is used. To help with this task, AudioControl offers a Factory Theater Calibration Service.
  • Page 68 ® Section Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...

  • Page 69: Warranty

    3.The Maestro must have originally been purchased from an autho- rized AudioControl dealer. You do not have to be the original owner, but you do need a copy of the original sales receipt or invoice.

  • Page 70: What To Do If You Need Service

    Legalese Section This is the only warranty given by AudioControl. This warranty gives you specific legal rights that vary from state to state. Promises of how well the Maestro will perform are not implied by this warranty. Other than what we have covered in this warranty, we have no obligation, express or implied.

  • Page 71: Maestro Theater Surround Processor Specifications

    Weight ......... . 30 lbs Copyright 2003 AudioControl, All Rights Reserved ®...
  • Page 72 ® Section Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...
  • Page 73 12 Volt Trigger 1-3 D D D D D 12V Trigger 2-8 Delay Settings 3-5 480i 2-7 Delay Units 3-3 480p 2-7 Digital Settings 3-9 7.1 2-4 Dim 4-6 75 ohm 2-7 Dimension 4-3 A A A A A dipole 2-4 Direct 1-2, 4-2 Access 3-10 Display Brightness 1-2, 4-6...
  • Page 74 I I I I I N N N N N Iasys HT 3-5 Navigating 4-2 IasysHT 8-4 null modem 5-2 Independent Recording 4-5 O O O O O Input Configuration 2-7 Input Trims 3-10 Off 4-6 Integration 5-1 Operation Menus 8-1 interconnect cables 2-3 optical 2-5 IR commands 8-10...
  • Page 75 S S S S S THX Music 6-4 THX Ref 3-3 S-Video 2-7 THX Settings 3-7 SACD 1-3, 6-4, 6-5 THX Surr. EX 3-4, 3-7 Sat + Sub 3-6 THX Surround EX 6-3 Satellite speakers 3-4 THX surround EX 2-4 Saving 3-2 THX Ultra 2 Cinema 6-3 SCART 3-3...
  • Page 76 ® Section Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166...
  • Page 77 Lucasfilm, Ltd. Copyright 2003 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. AudioControl is a wholly owned division of Electronic Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc. AudioControl is a registered trademark Electronic Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc. “For those who consider perfec- tion possible”, Maestro, Diva, Avalon, and Pantages are trademarks of...
  • Page 78 ® 22410 70th Avenue West Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 USA 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166 ©2003 AudioControl. All rights reserved. www.audiocontrol.com P/N 9130710...

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Maestro 7.1 channel thx ultra 2 theater processor

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