Audio Control Maestro M8 User manual

AudioControl

Making Good Sound Great®

®®

22410 70th Avenue West • Seattle, WA 98043 USA

Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166

www.audiocontrol.com

system

Home Theater

™Maestro M8™

Home Theater Preamplifier

Surround Sound Processor

User Experience Manual

22410 70th Avenue West • Seattle, WA 98043 USA

Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166

www.audiocontrol.com

system

Home Theater

AudioControl

Making Good Sound Great®

®®

™Maestro M8™

Home Theater Preamplifier

Surround Sound Processor

User Experience Manual

4®

Maestro M8™

This page was intentionally left blank. Please enjoy it!

®Maestro M8™

table of Contents

IntroduCtIon ...............................................7

Key features and HIgHlIgHts ..................................8

a guIded tour of tHe Maestro M8

Front Panel Features .................................11

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

Remote Control ....................................14

Set-Up & Configuration ..............................18

Unit Placement.....................................18

Speaker Considerations and Placement ..................18

Power Wiring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Audio Connections..................................19

Video Connections ..................................20

navIgatIng tHe set-upMenus

Initial Display Configurations..........................23

Input Configuration .................................24

General Setup ......................................27

Auto Setup ........................................29

Speaker Types ......................................30

Speaker Distance ...................................31

Speaker Levels .....................................31

Video Inputs .......................................31

Video Outputs......................................32

Surround Modes ....................................33

Zone Settings ......................................34

Network ..........................................35

playIng audIo fIles vIa networK audIo & usb sourCes .........36

autoMatIon IntegratIon .....................................38

troublesHootIng .............................................

warranty ...................................................

speCIfICatIons ................................................

6Maestro M8™

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®7

Maestro M8™

Greetings from the rainforest

On behalf of everyone at AudioControl we want to congratulate you on

your selection of the Maestro M8 Home Theater Preamplifier Surround

Sound Processor. Whether this is your first venture into home theater or

you are a long time seasoned audio veteran, you will truly enjoy the perfor-

mance of our amazing sounding processor.

While there are many components involved in creating a truly awesome

home theater from room design, speaker placement, and ultimately system

calibration, selecting the proper products is always very critical. For that

reason AudioControl created the Maestro M8 to provide maximum enjoy-

ment and flexibility which all contribute to a truly awesome home theater

experience.

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

professional 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 M8 home theater processor. Even

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

through this user guide and learn about the Maestro M8.

Any component

that does as much as the Maestro M8, deserves all the explanation it can

get. Given the complicated nature of the Maestro M8, we also recommend

you visit our website for updates to this manual. Continued technology

changes/improvements will require more information. (www.audiocontrol.

com - click “Home Theater”)

Enjoy the experience.

Your Friends At AudioControl

IntroduCtIon

8Maestro M8™

Key Features Of the Maestro M8

While the AudioControl Maestro M8 is equipped with a large number of

features and functions that were designed to maximize your theater experi-

ence, we want to draw your attention to a few that deserve extra attention.

These will be the features you will want to mention to your friends, family

and co-workers to impress them when they ask you about the home theater

components you have auditioned.

UltraHD 4k Scaling and Pass Thru

Your Maestro M8 has been equipped to deliver stunning UHD resolution –

3840x2160 – 4 times the pixel density of a 1080p signal from any source.

Just set the resolution to 4k in the Video Settings menu connect to a 4k

UltraHD display, and then sit back and enjoy!

Video Bypass

Out of the box, the Maestro M8 is configured with the video bypass on.

This enables high definition and 3D HDMI video signals to pass through

directly to the display device, leaving the Maestro M8 to make good sound

great. With Video Bypass on, analog video inputs, such as component or

composite, will still be passed through the scaler for upconversion and

output via HDMI. Please keep in mind that when the Maestro M8 is in

Video Bypass mode, on screen volume overlays, audio mode changes, base/

treble adjustments etc…will not be displayed. Pressing “Menu” however

will engage the video scaler and yield a menu screen to your display so that

you can make adjustments if necessary.

HDMI Inputs and Outputs

The Maestro M8 is equipped with numerous, individual audio and video

inputs and outputs, including a large number of HDMI (High-Definition

Multimedia Interface) inputs and outputs. The new generation HDMI

inputs will allow the Maestro M8 to interface with Blu-Ray players, satel-

lite and cable decoding boxes plus traditional DVD players that also have

HDMI connectors. HDMI is an uncompressed all digital interface standard

used on many home theater products. This format can be used for sending

audio, video, and control signals over short

distances.

The dual HDMI outputs are assignable to al-

low for priority switching via the display de-

vice. Component and composite signals can

also be automatically upconverted, scaled

to their maximum potential resolutions and

output through the HDMI ports.

Key features and HIgHlIgHts

AudioControl

®9

Maestro M8™

2 Channel Balanced Audio Inputs

Pristine audio fidelity is had in all modes of the Maestro M8. This is height-

ened by the unique balanced two channel inputs found on the back panel

for the BD and AV inputs. The inputs are paralleled inputs with the RCA’s

so no discrete input selection is required other than analog. So if you are

using a 2 channel source, such as the Oppo BDP-105, you have a perfectly

paired source and processor to harness a pure listening mode.

Dolby™ Volume

A constant annoyance for home theater users has been the significant

differences in volume levels as you switch between channels or sources on

your televisions and in your home entertainment systems. Variances in vol-

ume levels in DVD and Blu-ray Disc™, digital music files, compact discs,

and broadcast entertainment programming each compound the problem,

forcing you to reach for the remote controls to adjust. Dolby Volume lets

you select a preferred listening level and enjoy all of your entertainment

sources at the same volume level. For complete information on Dolby Volume

go to

www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/technology/hometheater/dolby-volume.html

Multiple Surround Sound Formats

The Maestro M8 supports the latest surround codecs of Dolby True HD

and DTS-HD Master along with traditional formats of Dolby Digital 5.0

and DTS High Resolution. A powerful 32 bit DSP processor enables the

Maestro M8 to decode all current discrete surround digital formats avail-

able for 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1. In addition your Maestro M8 has the capabilities

to process two channel signals using Dolby Pro Logic II, Pro Logic IIx and

DTS Neo to provide multi-channel output.

Audio Return Channel (ARC)

Connect either of the 2 HDMI outputs to an HDMI 1.4 display device

ARC (Audio Return Channel) enabled input to receive the audio signals

from the sources connected directly to the display. The ARC source selec-

tion on your Maestro M8 is labeled Display.

Multi-Zone Operations For 2nd Zone

Since we know your audio and experiences may extend beyond one room,

the Maestro M8 is equipped with outputs for a secondary zone. This means

you could be enjoying your home theater in one room and another member

of the family could be listening to their favorite CD in another room. The

Second Zone is also equipped with a video output so you can expand your

video options even more.

Key features and HIgHlIgHts

10 Maestro M8™

Key features and HIgHlIgHts

Inputs For Networked Audio and USB Sources

The Maestro M8 is designed to operate with most of today’s traditional

source units, like CD and DVD players. Additionally it can receive au-

dio signals over a computer network via an Ethernet input or from a USB

source. You will want to contact a professional audio integrator for more

information on properly using these functions.

Extensive Automation Integration

An automation system is what really pulls most high-end home theaters

together. It puts the full power of the system at your fingertips. While

the Maestro M8 will operate with a number of IR remote controls, it is

equipped with a dedicated RS-232 control (labeled “Control”) and an

extensive command library to control all aspects of the Maestro M8. Us-

ing this port requires a fair amount of programming and automation skills

which are typically best done by professional custom installations compa-

nies. Check out the AudioControl dealer locator on our web site for more

info: www.audiocontrol.com

Award-Winning Quality

The Maestro M8, 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 in the USA since 1977.

We Want to Hear From You

Before you get too entrenched in the features of your Maestro M8, we

encourage you to take a moment and visit the AudioControl web site at

www.audiocontrolregistration.com and register your new Maestro M8. It

allows us to keep a record of your purchase of the Maestro M8. Needless to

say when you are in the pleasure business like we are, we love to hear from

our customers so feel free to include some comments. You will also want

to keep your own record of 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 M8 needs to be serviced 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 M8 being part of the theater system. This concludes the “gentle

reminder” section of this manual.

Table of contents

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