Audio Control Maestro M2e User manual

High Performance Pre-Ampliﬁer

Surround Processor

with Active Balanced Technology

Owners Enjoyment Manual

For those who consider

perfection possible®

22410 70th Avenue West • Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 USA

Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166

www.audiocontrol.com

Rev 1.1

SYSTEM

Home Theater

High Performance Pre-Ampliﬁer

Surround Processor

with Active Balanced Technology

Owners Enjoyment Manual

For those who consider

perfection possible®

22410 70th Avenue West • Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 USA

Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166

www.audiocontrol.com

Rev 1.1

Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166

This page was intentionally left blank. Please enjoy it!

Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166

®5

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Key Features and Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Guided Tour of the Masestro M2e

Front Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Rear Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Set-Up & Configuration

Unit Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Speaker Considerations and Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Power Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Audio Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

System Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Video Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

IR Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

12V Trigger Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Zone 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Main User Menus

Navigating the Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Inputs and Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Audio Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Zone 2 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Advanced Setup Menus

General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Speaker Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Subwoofer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Delay Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Level Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

EX Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Speaker Eq Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Video Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Digital Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Zone 2 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Input Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

HDMI Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

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Table of Contents

Operating The Maestro M2e

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Source Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Stereo Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Display Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Surround Modes

Selecting Surround Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Automation Integration

RS-232 Serial Control Protocol Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Protocol Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Command Structure and Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

IR Remote Control Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Troubleshooting

General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166

®7

Congratulations

Great attention to system design, installation, and calibration makes

the difference between an average multiplex theatre and a great movie

palace. For your own personal home theater experience, the choice of

components and attention to detail is just as critical as if you were de-

signing a professional installation. For that reason AudioControl created

the Perfection Theater components to allow enthusiasts to experience a

performance theater in their own home.

AudioControl’s passion for high quality, meticulous attention to detail

and pro sound heritage shows itself in the dozens of awards we have

won for our designs, products and service. This manual is designed to

help you get the most from your Maestro M2e pre-amp processor. Even

though you’re dying to plug it in and start pushing buttons, please take

a little time to glance over this users guide and learn about the Maestro

M2e theater surround processor. Any component that does as much as

the Maestro M2e does, deserves all the explanation it can get.

Most Important Instruction of All

Make certain the warranty card is ﬁlled out and mailed back to us. Also,

record the serial number and put your sales receipt or invoice in a safe

place. This is very important in the unlikely event that the Maestro

M2e gets a sudden illness, or for proof of ownership if somebody takes

a fancy to your theater system in the middle of the night. Insurance

companies have no imagination when it comes to components like the

Maestro M2e being part of the theater system. This concludes the nag-

ging section of this manual.

Introduction

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Key Features Of the Maestro M2e

Multiple Surround Sound Formats

A powerful 32 bit DSP processor enables the Maestro M2e to

decode all current discrete surround digital formats avail-

able for 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1. In addition your Maestro M2e has

the capabilities to process two channel signals using Dolby

Pro Logic II, Pro Logic IIx and DTS Neo to provide multi-

channel output. The ﬂash memory of your Maestro M2e

will allows it to be upgraded in the future when new for-

mats become available.

Balanced Outputs

The Maestro M2e offers balanced XLR outputs for superior

signal to noise performance when interfacing with ampli-

ﬁers with balanced inputs, like the AudioControl Pantages,

Avalon, or Savoy.

High Definition Video Inputs and Switching

Great sound is important, but you also need a great picture

to complete your performance home theater. The video

routing and switching in the Maestro M2e has it’s roots in

the broadcast studio. With high video bandwidth, you will

see even the ﬁnest details from the video sources even with

demanding 1080 and current progressive scan HDTV sig-

nals. In addition, the Maestro M2e switches high end digi-

tal video formats like HDMI for easy interface with todays

digital projection devices

AM/FM Tuner With RDS Support

The radio tuner in your Maestro M2e can receive both AM

and FM signals. In addition, the RDS (Radio Data System)

feature allows selected FM stations to display their respec-

tive names, song titles and even artists on the display of the

Maestro M2e.

Extensive Automation Integration

A touch screen or automation system is what really pulls a

high-end home theater together. It puts the full power of

the system at your ﬁngertips. The RS-232 serial port and in-

frared remote control inputs feature an extensive command

library to control all aspects of the Maestro M2e. You have

the power.

Key Features

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®9

Active Balanced Outputs

The Maestro M2e is the worlds ﬁrst theater processor

equipped with an Active Balanced Output which allows it

to output a component video signal via an RJ-45 connec-

tor onto standard Category-5 wiring and extend it up to

1000’. The signal is also “balanced” which is a method used

in professional video and audio to reject noise, hum, and

distortion that can sometimes get introduced into signal

paths. An optional (sold separately) AudioControl BVR-25 is

used to receive this balanced signal and convert it back to a

standard component video signal. This is then connected

to your projector, monitor or other video display device.

Because the Maestro M2e was designed with high perfor-

mance video in mind, the Active Balanced Output on the

Maestro M2e can accommodate high-resolution signals of

480, 720, and 1080!

Second Zone Outputs

Do you want to enjoy your home theater system in the

bedroom also? The Second Zone output of the Maestro en-

ables you to independently control the source selection and

volume to a room outside of the home theater.

AudioControl PerfectionTheater System

The Maestro M2e is part of the AudioControl Perfection

Theater System. Also included in this system are the Diva

Digital Room Correction Processor combined with the

Avalon, Pantages, or Savoy high deﬁnition ampliﬁers. To

maximize the performance of your Perfection Theater sys-

tem, we also highly recommend that you have your audio

system calibrated by a factory trained technician using

AudioControl analysis equipment. Together these compo-

nents ensure superior audio and video performance from

your Prefection Home Theater system.

Award-Winning Quality

The Maestro M2e, like all AudioControl Perfection Theater

components, is backed with a comprehensive ﬁve-year

parts and labor warranty. This comes from a company

that has been designing and manufacturing perfor-

mance audio components since 1977.

Key Features

BVR-25

Balanced Video Receiver

Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166

Front Panel Features

 Standby – The switch serves to “wake up” your Maestro M2e, provid-

ed the main power switch, located on the rear panel, is turned on.

 RDS Info – Displays the RDS (Radio Data System) text information (ie.

song name, artist, etc) provided the radio station selected is transmit-

ting it.

 FM Mute – Engages auto-muting circuit which mutes weak FM radio

signals.

 Store – Allows you to store your radio presets plus a good place to

buy groceries.

 Tuner – Allows you toggle between the two tuning modes (Tune or

Preset).

 Down/Up – Pressing these buttons allows you to scroll up and down

through various stations. In the “Preset” mode these buttons scroll

through the 30 FM stations or 10 AM stations stored in the preset

memories of your Maestro M2e.

 IR Remote Control Sensor - Behind this display is the infrared sen-

sor remote control. If the Maestro M2e is located in a system where this

window is not line-of-sight with the main listening seat; a rear panel

jack enables use of an outboard IR sensor.

  





  

Guided Tour of the Masestro M2e

Table of contents

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