Audio Control DIRECTOR M4800 8-Channel DSP Matrix Amplifier User Manual

The Director

™

Model M4800

8 CHANNEL MULTI-ZONE NETWORK MATRIX AMPLIFIER

Installation Manual

Important Safety

Instructions

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with a dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. In-

stall in accordance with the manufacturer’s

instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such

as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or

other apparatus (including ampliers) that

produce heat.

9. Protect the power cord from being walked

on or pinched particularly at plugs, conve-

nience receptacles, and the point where

they exit from the apparatus.

10. Only use attachments/accessories speci-

ed by the manufacturer.

11. Unplug this apparatus during lightning

storms or when unused for long periods of

time.

12. Refer all servicing to qualied service

personnel. Servicing is required when

the apparatus has been damaged in any

way, such as power-supply cord or plug is

damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects

have fallen into the apparatus, the appara-

tus has been exposed to rain or moisture,

does not operate normally, or has been

dropped.

13. This apparatus shall not be exposed to

dripping or splashing, and no object lled

with liquids, such as vases or glasses, shall

be placed on the apparatus.

The lightning ash with arrowhead

symbol within an equilateral triangle

is intended to alert the user to the

presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage”

within the product’s enclosure, that may be

of sucient magnitude to constitute a risk of

electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an

equilateral triangle is intended to alert

the user of the presence of import-

ant operating and maintenance (servicing)

instructions in the literature accompanying the

appliance.

Caution: to reduce the risk of electric shock,

do not remove the top cover. There are no

user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to

qualied personnel.

This equipment has been tested and found

to comply with the limits for a Class B digital

device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules.

These limits are designed to provide reasonable

protection against harmful interference in a

residential installation.

This equipment generates, uses, and can radi-

ate radio frequency energy and, if not installed

and used in accordance with the instructions,

may cause harmful interference to radio com-

munications. However, there is no guarantee

that interference will not occur in a particular

installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interfer-

ence to radio or television reception, which can

be determined by turning the equipment o

and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct

the interference by one or more of the follow-

ing measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equip-

ment and the receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on

a circuit dierent from that to which the

receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/

TV technician for help.

CAUTION: Changes or modications to this

device not expressly approved by AudioControl

Inc. could void the user’s authority to operate

the equipment under FCC rules.

Recycling notice: If the time comes

and this apparatus has fullled its

destiny, do not throw it out into the

trash. It has to be carefully recycled

for the good of mankind, by a facility specially

equipped for the safe recycling of electronic

apparatii. Please contact your local or state

recycling leaders for assistance in locating a

suitable nearby recycling facility. Or, contact us

and we might be able to repair it for you.

Important Safety Instructions

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Table of Contents

Important Safety Instructions .......2

Introduction .......................4

Getting Started ....................8

Installation Examples ..............9

Front Panel Features ...............12

Rear Panel Features ................14

Speaker Connections ...............17

12 Volt Trigger Ins and Outs .........19

Ventilation ...................... 21

Internet Connectivity and Control ....22

Operation Tab ................... 25

Device Conguration Tab .......... 27

Zone Conguration Tab ........... 28

Home Owner Tab ................ 32

Acoustics ....................... 33

Equalization .......................34

Advanced Discussions ..............37

Troubleshooting ...................39

Block Diagram .....................41

Specications ......................42

Service ............................43

The Warranty ......................44

Installation Notes .................46

The Twist ..........................48

Based on a true story, an audio dream for a better life.

Network Settings

Default IP Address 192.168.0.249

Flowery Marketing Introduction

When a whole-house audio system de-

mands high levels of audio performance,

but the physical installation space is

limited, the AudioControl Director M4800

is an ideal solutions. Requiring only one

rack space, the M4800 produces at least

100 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms, and

200 Watts per channel into 4 Ohms. Ex-

tensive protection features prevent dam-

age to your loudspeakers.

Congratulations!

You are now installing a component which

will dramatically improve the performance

of any distributed audio system, espe-

cially those utilizing in-wall, in-ceiling,

and invisible speakers. Ethernet control,

unparalleled energy eciency, rack saving

compact design, superb sound quality and

bulletproof reliability are just a few key

features of The Director M4800.

This 8 channel power amplier provides

high levels of power, pristine sound qual-

ity, exible matrix input switching, plus a

number of installation-friendly features

that makes them the perfect product for

performance oriented audio systems. The

Director M4800 is an American-designed

and built, “set and forget” component

which will provide a lifetime of trou-

ble-free service for your multi-room audio

system.

Introduction

The Director M4800 is designed and

manufactured by AudioControl, the only

electronics company in the world that

specializes in ampliers, equalizers, signal

processors and audio analyzers. Our pas-

sion 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.

Now, as when we began, our greatest

satisfaction is our reputation for sonic

excellence and reliability among people

just like you throughout the world.

This is a professional installer’s manual.

We assume you are experienced with

multi-channel ampliers and the use of

Ethernet. The product setup, adjustment

and operation requires network access.

This manual is designed to help you get

the best out of the amplier.

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Master Reset

Hold for 3 Seconds

To Restore Defaults

50-60 Hz

400 W

115 V ~

230 V ~

Speaker Outputs: 100 W @ 8 Ohm : 200 W @ 4 Ohm : 400 W @ 8 Ohm Bridged

8 Channel DSP Matrix Amplifier

Serial

Number

Power

Disable Front Panel

LED Ladders

T10AH 250VAC

Digital Inputs Analog Inputs

CDAB

Model M4800

MAC AddressEthernet

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Features

Here are some of the features that make

The Director M4800 very unique, unlike

any other amplier:

• Digital and Analog Input Matrix

Each zone can select and play

any digital or analog input. The

high-resolution digital inputs accept

32-96 kHz, 16/24-bit digital signals.

The digital outputs can also play any

analog or digital input source.

• High Power Levels

The M4800 has 8 channels of 100

Watts each into 8 Ohms, or 200

Watts into 4 Ohms. Each channel

pair can also be run in bridged mono

at 400 Watts into 8 Ohms. Each

high-eciency amplier is made

from discrete components.

• Superior Sound Quality

Pristine sonics happens rst in all

AudioControl designs and is not com-

promised by any other feature.

• Unparalleled Energy Eciency

From the point of view of saving

electricity, the Director amplier has

no equal. It is VERY energy ecient

during operation, and equally impres-

sive during standby.

• Ethernet Control

Via a browser or Telnet commands,

you can control and query almost all

the functions, mute zones, change

source inputs, recall EQ presets,

check line voltage, display protection

logs, and get an email if something

goes wrong.

• Signal Processing

You have at your command: graphic

equalization, parametric equal-

ization, tweeter protection lters

and low frequency cuto lters. In

addition, you can set up any zone

with low-pass and high-pass channels

for a two-way setup. The equalizer

settings are ganged with left and

right channels together, or separate-

ly. Plus, there are six EQ presets per

zone to save and recall settings.

• LightDrive Anti-clipping

With durability in mind, AudioCon-

trol’s LightDrive anti-clipping pro-

tection defends the system against

clipping, distortion, damage, and

even teenage parties. The Director

M4800 feature the latest evolution of

LightDrive which adds a power-sup-

ply-tracking instantaneous dynamic

control to the smooth sound of the

traditional AudioControl LightDrive.

• Self Resetting Protection Features

Protection features are extensive and

include thermal, short circuit, clip-

ping, ultrasonic and DC oset among

others. If the fault is removed, the

Director resets. Plus, it can send you

an email if something happens.

• Pacic Northwest Heritage

We make this product in the USA,

and we are very proud of that fact.

What is more important is the care

we craft in at every step, and the

extensive knowledge we have in all

aspects of the product. Plus, we back

this up with a conditional ve year

warranty.

Complimentary Features

Features continued

• DHCP: An IP address is obtained

via DHCP by default. If a DHCP

server is not found on the network,

The Director M4800 will default to

192.168.0.249.

• UPnP: Device discovery is enabled

on The Director M4800 for ease of

connectivity from a PC.

• Numbering: In the device discovery /

UPnP window, if you are using mul-

tiple Director ampliers, you will nd

that each Director is numbered in the

sequence they were added onto the

network.

• Groups: Grouping has been enabled

for quick control of zones through

Telnet commands. Up to 4 groups can

be dened for control over Standby

and Source Selection.

• Import/Export: Exporting and Im-

porting of the amplier’s settings

– including EQ settings – has been

enabled. Now you can congure your

EQ settings as a template and apply

these to each Director M4800 ampli-

er in your system. A little rening of

those settings for each amp and you

will be in and out in no time.

• 8 channels of AudioControl

amplication

• Any zone can play any input source

• Ecient power ampliers and power

supplies

• Power consumption is less than 2 Watts

in standby

• Rack mountable 1U form factor

• Removable rack ears

• Light weight

• Stackable with other Director or Archi-

tect Models

• Signal sense independent for each zone

• Input assignment independent for each

zone

• Super wonderful signal processing

allows for a wide variety of EQ options

and adjustments

• 12V Master trigger usable with contact

closure or 12V external source

• 12V trigger in for each zone

• Coaxial and Optical digital inputs assign-

able to any zone

• A and B digital outputs assignable from

any analog or digital input

• Analog and digital signal-present LEDs

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Quick View

Front Panel

4. Zone Status LED

5. Zone Level LED Ladder

6. Rack Mount Ears

10. Digital Coaxial and Optical Inputs

11. Digital Signal Present LEDs

12. Zone Status LEDs

13. 12V Trigger Inputs

14. Analog RCA Line Level Inputs

15. Analog Signal Present LEDs

16. Speaker Outputs

Rear Panel

1. AC Input

2. AC Power Switch

3. AC Fuse

4. Ground Isolation Switch

5. Disable front LED Ladders

6. 12V Master Trigger In/Out

7. Ethernet Port

8. Master Reset Button

9. Digital Coaxial Outputs A and B

1. Power LED

2. Protection LED

3. Ethernet Status LEDs

12 4653

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Master Reset

Hold for 3 Seconds

To Restore Defaults

50-60 Hz

400 W

115 V ~

230 V ~

Speaker Outputs: 100 W @ 8 Ohm : 200 W @ 4 Ohm : 400 W @ 8 Ohm Bridged

8 Channel DSP Matrix Amplifier

Serial

Number

Power

Disable Front Panel

LED Ladders

T10AH 250VAC

Digital Inputs Analog Inputs

CDAB

Model M4800

MAC AddressEthernet

6 161312912 4

3 5107 8 11 1514

Getting Started

1. Turn o power to all com-

ponents before making any

connections.

2. When making connections, des-

ignate red RCA plugs as right, and

designate white, black, or grey plugs

as left. This is a good idea for all sig-

nal connections made in your audio

system. The key is consistency. Stick

with the same color coding and you’ll

reduce possible problems.

3. Whenever possible, keep power

cords away from signal cables to pre-

vent induced hum. This is especially

important if you bundle the cables to

keep the installation neat looking.

4. Use quality interconnect cables. We

know from experience that really

cheap cables can cause a multitude

of problems. They tend to break

inside or corrode, causing a loss of

signal or hum. They also have poor

shielding.

5. If you need to run the RCA audio

cables more than 20 feet, consider

using an active balanced line driver

for the signals. This will provide

better noise rejection against nasty

things like hum, spikes, local talk

radio, and metaphysical paranormal

phenomena, etc. The AudioControl

balanced line driver components

(BLD-10, BLR-10 and BLX-10) are an

excellent way to send audio over long

distances with standard Cat-5 wiring.

Check them out at audiocontrol.com.

6. If you are using the digital inputs,

and running higher resolution sam-

ple rates (96 kHz), use high-quality

digital interconnect cables.

Getting Started

7. Dance in a fairy circle at midnight, on

the rst full moon of the new year.

Ask Queen Mab for the IP address.

8. Connect The Director M4800 to the

network with an Ethernet cord, pref-

erably one in good condition without

a broken tab or covered in Marmite®.

9. Open your favorite internet browser

and open the web server within the

unit. It will show all features and

controls of the unit.

Installation Examples

The next pages show some typical instal-

lations of The Director M4800, and also

shows some of our ne AudioControl

components.

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Installation Examples

Super

Den

Living

Room

KitchenDining

Room

Family

Room

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Master Reset

Hold for 3 Seconds

To Restore Defaults

50-60 Hz

400 W

115 V ~

230 V ~

Speaker Outputs: 100 W @ 8 Ohm : 200 W @ 4 Ohm : 400 W @ 8 Ohm Bridged

8 Channel DSP Matrix Amplifier

Serial

Number

Power

Disable Front Panel

LED Ladders

T10AH 250VAC

Digital Inputs Analog Inputs

C DA B

Model M4800

MAC AddressEthernet

Sonos 4Sonos 3Sonos 2CDHD Tuner

Receiver

Zone 2

Digital Out

Digital

Out

Analog

Out

Analog

Out

Analog

Out

Digital

Out

Digital

Out

Digital

Out

Sonos 1

Bijou 600 in

Bridged Mono

Bijou 600 in

Stereo

Installation with 2 Bijou 600 Ampliers

Installation Examples

Architect 2660 (Lower FLoor)

SubMids/Highs

Master Bedroom

BedroomOce

Living Room Dining Room Hall Bath Patio

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Master Reset

Hold for 3 Seconds

To Restore Defaults

50-60 Hz

400 W

115 V ~

230 V ~

Speaker Outputs: 100 W @ 8 Ohm : 200 W @ 4 Ohm : 400 W @ 8 Ohm Bridged

8 Channel DSP Matrix Amplifier

Serial

Number

Power

Disable Front Panel

LED Ladders

T10AH 250VAC

Digital Inputs Analog Inputs

C DA B

Model M4800

MAC AddressEthernet

Sonos 2Sonos 1CD

Front

Door

Service

Entrance

HD Tuner TV

AVR

Zone 2

Digital Out

Digital

Out

Analog

Out

Analog

Out

Analog

Out

Analog

Out

Digital

Out

Digital

Out

Digital

Out

Bus A Digital Input All inputs set to Bus A

Installation with an Architect 2660

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Installation Examples

Top Secret

Underground

Super-Hero Lair

and Snooker

Room

Living

Room

KitchenDining

Room

Family

Room

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Master Reset

Hold for 3 Seconds

To Restore Defaults

50-60 Hz

400 W

115 V ~

230 V ~

Speaker Outputs: 100 W @ 8 Ohm : 200 W @ 4 Ohm : 400 W @ 8 Ohm Bridged

8 Channel DSP Matrix Amplifier

Serial

Number

Power

Disable Front Panel

LED Ladders

T10AH 250VAC

Digital Inputs Analog Inputs

C DA B

Model M4800

MAC AddressEthernet

Cable BoxHD TunerCDTV

Analog

Out

Analog

Out

Analog

Out

Digital

Out

Digital

Out

Digital

Out

Digital

Input

Sonos

Bijou 600 in

Stereo

Installation with one Bijou 600 Amplier

Front Panel

Front Panel Features

1. Power LED – This dual color LED indi-

cates when the unit is in standby, on,

or o

Red: The unit is in standby mode

and is ready to be turned on

via Ethernet or 12V triggering

Blue: The unit is on

Green: Coee brewed

OFF: The unit is powered o

2. Protection LED – This red LED will

illuminate briey during turn on/o

phases, and if a fault is detected in any

amplier or the power supply (such

as overheating, over-current, or DC

oset). If a fault is detected, then the

unit will go into its protection mode to

prevent any damage to loudspeakers,

and to allow cooling.

3. Ethernet LEDs – These indicate the

status, readiness, and willingness, of

The Director’s Ethernet communica-

tions protocol to (getting all technical

for a moment) strut its funky stu. The

green LED glows when the Ethernet

is connected and operational, and the

yellow LED blinks during data activity.

4. Zone Status LED – This dual-color

LED indicates when the zone is in fault

mode, active, or in standby.

Red: The zone has detected a fault,

such as a DC oset or a load

short circuit.

Blue: The zone is active

OFF: The zone is in standby

5. Zone Level LEDs – These three LEDs

light from the bottom to the top

depending on the zone’s output level

(-33, -20, -10 dBFS). These LEDs can be

turned o using the rear panel switch.

6. Rack Mount Ears – The unit comes

supplied with removable rack mount

ears. These allow the unit to be rack

mounted in a standard 19” wide rack,

with a 1U height. Use standard rack

mount screws and washers to secure

the unit in a rack. The unit does not

have to be supported at the rear if the

rack is located in a xed location.

To remove the rack ears (making the

unit 17” wide), rst unplug the power

cord, and then locate and undo the

four screws securing each ear to the

side of the chassis, and remove the

ears. Replace the screws securely back

into the chassis. Do not remove any of

the other screws from the chassis or

top cover. There are hazardous voltag-

es inside the unit. Keep the rack ears in

a safe place.

12 4653

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Front Panel

LED Function Table

LED Color Description

Red The unit is in standby mode

Blue The unit is on

O The unit is powered o, or all the lights are o in your town

Red The unit has detected a fault and is in protect mode*

O The unit is operating normally, or it is powered o

ZONE LEDs Color Description

Blue -10 dBFS zone output level

Blue -20 dBFS zone output level

Blue -33 dBFS zone output level

Red

The zone has detected a fault, or a smooth-jazz saxophone

solo, and is in protect mode

Blue The zone is active

O The zone is in standby

*The protection LED also comes on for a short time during

power up or down

Rear Panel

Rear Panel Features

AC section

When rack-mounting the unit,

make sure that the power cord

and the AC power switch remain

readily accessible.

1. AC Input – Connect the supplied AC

power cord securely to this input. Plug

the other end into an AC mains outlet

of the correct voltage rating for your

unit. They are either 100 -120 VAC (50

– 60 Hz) or 220 – 240 VAC (50 – 60 Hz);

look at the check box to see how your

unit has been congured. The voltage

setting is not user-settable. This unit

is a class 1 device, do not defeat the

safety ground connection or use a

power cord that does not have the

safety ground pin.

2. AC Fuse – The main power supply fuse

may be checked or replaced. Make

sure that the power cord is unplugged

from the AC mains rst. Then use a

at-headed screwdriver to undo the

fuse carrier from the fuse holder.

Inspect the fuse and replace with the

exact same type indicated on the unit.

The use of any other type of fuse may

lead to an unsafe condition. If the fuse

blows again immediately, then unplug

the power cord and contact our ne

folks in customer service. Do not open

the unit, as there are no user-ser-

viceable parts inside, and dangerous

voltages exist.

3. AC Power Switch – This switch shuts

o the main AC power. Normally the

only time you need to turn this o is

if the system is going to be shut down

for an extended period of time. Use

the Ethernet or master trigger inputs

to switch the unit between standby

and on.

Also turn the power switch o during

lightning storms, wind storms with

frequent power outages, or when a

giant asteroid is heading to the power

station again.

4. Ground Isolation Switch – This switch

selects the level of isolation between

the audio signal ground and the AC

earth ground. In normal operation this

switch should be in the GND Ground

position. If there is trouble with an AC

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Master Reset

Hold for 3 Seconds

To Restore Defaults

50-60 Hz

400 W

115 V ~

230 V ~

Speaker Outputs: 100 W @ 8 Ohm : 200 W @ 4 Ohm : 400 W @ 8 Ohm Bridged

8 Channel DSP Matrix Amplifier

Serial

Number

Power

Disable Front Panel

LED Ladders

T10AH 250VAC

Digital Inputs

Analog Inputs

Model M4800

MAC AddressEthernet

6 161312912 4

3 5107 8 11 1514

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Rear Panel

ground hum, try the other two settings

for the best operation. For safety, the

chassis is always connected to the

earth ground regardless of the switch

setting.

5. Disable Front Panel LED Ladders –

The front panel LED ladders show the

output levels of each zone. If this is

distracting, or your pets or children

keep getting hypnotized, press this

switch in to turn o the LED ladders.

This switch does not aect the Power,

Protection, or Zone Status LEDs.

6. Master Trigger – If you are not using

the Ethernet connection to turn the

unit on, then you can use the TS 1/8”

connectors or the 3-pin block connec-

tor to turn on the unit or place it into

standby mode. Any one of these three

connections can be used as a trigger

input. For example, you could have

an external device such as one of our

glorious AudioControl home theater

receivers, turn on The Director when it

is turned on.

If you are not using the Ethernet

connection to turn on The Director,

and there is no trigger voltage present

at any of these trigger inputs, then the

unit will be in standby, with all zones

muted.

LED indicator – This LED is blue when

the master trigger input is active, and

o when it is inactive.

7. Ethernet LAN Port – This standard

port allows The Director to be connect-

ed to a 10BaseT network via CAT5 ca-

bling. The unit can then be controlled

using its internal web server, acces-

sible through standard and popular

(and some unpopular) web browsers.

No external software is required to

run The Director. See the section on

Internet Connectivity and Control for

detailed information.

8. Master Reset – If things are not going

well, for example you are unable to

communicate with The Director, press

and hold down this button for more

than 3 seconds. This will reset the in-

ternal Ethernet settings and other odd

things, and hopefully lead you along

the pathway to Ethernet communica-

tions once again. Warning: Do not do

this while turning on the power switch,

because all ash memory will be

erased, and the milk in your fridge will

go bad. In this case you will have to go

to the store and get more milk, and

inquire from our ne lads in technical

support about the latest rmware le.

9. Digital Outputs – These S/PDIF digital

outputs use standard RCA coaxial

connectors.

The digital signals from each of these

outputs can be a copy of any zone’s

input pair (converted internally from

analog to digital), or a copy of the dig-

ital inputs. This is selectable using The

Director’s web page interface. For an

example, these outputs can be sent to

the digital inputs of another Director

M4800 unit.

10. Digital Inputs – There are four coaxial

and optical digital inputs, A, B, C, and

The digital signals are transferred

directly to the advanced DSP section,

and are then available to any zone or

all zones at the same time. The digital

inputs are selected for any or all zones

using The Director’s web page inter-

face.

11. Signal Present LEDs – These light

whenever a digital input signal is pres-

ent.

Zone Section

(All details are the same for each zone)

12. Zone Active LED – These will light

whenever the zone is active.

13. 12V Trigger Input – Indivdual zones

can be turned on by apply a +12Vdc

trigger voltage to these inputs.

14. Analog Inputs – These are line-level

analog RCA inputs. Analog signals

entering here from sources such as CD

players, DVD players, and TV outputs,

may be selected to play in this zone,

any other zone, all zones at once, and

the digital outputs. This extraordinary

exibility is made possible by taking

ballet lessons from an early age, and

The Director’s web server interface

menus.

Almost Done With The Rear Panel

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Zone

Status

Master Reset

Hold for 3 Seconds

To Restore Defaults

50-60 Hz

400 W

115 V ~

230 V ~

Speaker Outputs: 100 W @ 8 Ohm : 200 W @ 4 Ohm : 400 W @ 8 Ohm Bridged

8 Channel DSP Matrix Amplifier

Serial

Number

Power

Disable Front Panel

LED Ladders

T10AH 250VAC

Digital Inputs Analog Inputs

CDAB

Model M4800

MAC AddressEthernet

6 161312912 4

3 5107 8 11 1514

15. Signal Present LED – These will light

whenever an analog input signal is

present.

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Speaker Connections

16. Speaker Outputs – This 4-pin

connector allows easy connection of

two speakers for stereo operation,

or one speaker for bridged mono

operation.

Stereo Speaker Connection:

Note the polarity markings for each

pair of outputs.

The speaker impedance

should be 4 Ohms minimum in

stereo operation.

Bridged Mono Speaker Connection:

Note the polarity markings of the inner

pair of connections. In this mode, the

input signals are combined in mono,

and the power from both channels

is combined to drive a single, more

powerful, speaker.

The speaker impedance

should be 8 Ohms minimum in

bridged mono operation.

To set the output to be in mono, use

The Director’s web server Operation

menu (the rst page that shows up)

and click on the Mono box for this

zone.

Speaker Wiring

Establish a standard connection color

code and stick with it. One conductor of

the speaker wire is normally marked by

a dierent color (silver versus copper) or

there is a ribbing on one side. Typically this

marked conductor is used for the positive

(+) speaker leads. Some wires have pos-

itive and negative printed right onto the

wire jacket.

Match the polarity markings on the

unit with the polarity markings on your

speakers. If the wiring is incorrect then the

speakers will be out-of-phase, with a no-

ticeable decrease in the bass response and

less than goodly-sounding awesomeness.

See the next page for some handy

information about speaker and wiring

impedance.

Almost Done With The Rear Panel

Speaker and Wiring Impedance

Wire Gauge Run Length

25’ 50’ 100’ 250’ 500’

24 GA 1.3Ω 2.6Ω 5.1Ω 12.8Ω 25.7Ω

22 GA 0.8Ω 1.6Ω 3.24Ω 8.1Ω 16.0Ω

20 GA 0.5Ω 1.0Ω 2.0Ω 5.0Ω 10.1Ω

18 GA 0.3Ω 0.6Ω 1.28Ω 3.2Ω 6.4Ω

16 GA 0.2Ω 0.4Ω 0.8Ω 2.0Ω 4.0Ω

14 GA 0.1Ω 0.25Ω 0.5Ω 1.26Ω 2.5Ω

12 GA 0.08Ω 0.16Ω 0.32Ω 0.8Ω 1.6Ω

Speaker Wire Resistance:

Wire Gauge versus Run Length

ues in portions of their frequency range,

and speakers that are rated at unusual

impedances, for example 3.5 Ohms. The

Director M4800 is tolerant of lower im-

pedance loads, however, all good designs

use some margin of error.

Your choice of speaker wire gauge and the

length of the runs, also aects the speaker

impedance load presented to the ampli-

ers. As you can see in this table, even fairly

short speaker runs can have signicant

resistance if you use a smaller wire gauge.

This can be a benet if you are paralleling

lots of speakers. The wire itself acts as

an impedance limiter, since the amplier

cannot see a speaker load lower than the

resistance of the wire. The downside of

this wire resistance is that you waste some

part of the total power available to the

speakers.

Speakers, like other resistors, when wired

in parallel “show” lower values than the

individual components. Here are two

examples for calculating speakers wired in

parallel:

Calculating Impedance

For three 8 Ohm speakers wired in

parallel (pluses connected to pluses)

the impedance is 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 = 3/8

Then take the inverse or 8/3 = 2.66 Ω

For two 8 Ohm speakers wired in

parallel (pluses connected to pluses)

the impedance is 1/8 + 1/8 = 2/8

Then take the inverse or 8/2 = 4 Ω

Often the real world is more complicated

than theory, and for speakers this is the

case. An eight Ohm speaker is not eight

Ohms at all frequencies. Plus passive

crossover networks add their own chang-

ing conditions. Be aware of speakers that

have signicant dips from “nominal” val-

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

12 Volt Trigger Ins and Outs

The Director M4800 has ve ways you can

bring the unit from standby to turn on and

be ready to serve. In addition, you can use

the triggers from The Director to turn on

more Directors or other components as

well. All this exibility can be a little daunt-

ing, so the table below should make it a

tad clearer:

* +12 volts on tip, mono jack

The following details apply if you do not

want to use the Ethernet web server to

turn on The Director M4800.

3-pin connector – To remotely turn on the

unit, use either a contact closure between

the Trigger Input and the +12V output,

or an external +12V trigger between the

Trigger In and GND terminals. The +12V

output is not designed to power other

pieces of equipment or jump start your car.

Pinout:

GND Ground

+12V Output

+12V Trigger Input

1/8” TS mono jacks – These are wired in

parallel to each other, and work in con-

junction with the 3-pin connector. Either

input can receive a +12V trigger which

will turn on the unit. This will then allow

the unused jack to output +12V that can

be used to turn-on a second unit. If the

3-pin connector is used to trigger the unit,

then both of the 1/8” jacks can be used to

provide output triggers to other units.

Pinout:

Tip = +12V Trigger Input

Sleev

e = Ground

Method How

Triggered

LED

Indicator Mini Jacks Powered*

1 Ethernet Ethernet Triggered No

2 12 volt mini plug

input* 12 v Trigger Active Yes, unused jack

3 Jumped Phoenix

connector

12 v Trigger Active Yes

Contact closure on

Phoenix connector

12 v Trigger Active Yes

12 volt input on

Phoenix

connector

12 v Trigger Active Yes

Power Up Process: When a +3 to +12V sig-

nal is sensed at the trigger input of either

of the 1/8” TS connectors, or the 3-pin

connector, the rear panel master trigger

indicator LED will change from o to blue.

All the zones will be held in standby for

about 2 seconds until the power supplies

have fully charged and performed their

self-tests. During this short process, the

front panel Power and Protection LEDs

will be red. Once this is complete, the

Power LED will turn blue and the Protec-

tion LED will turn o.

Power Down Process: As soon as a 0V

signal is sensed at the master trigger in-

puts, all zones will be muted and placed in

standby, and the rear panel master trigger

LED will change from blue to o. The front

panel Power LED will remain on, as the

main power supplies will be still energized.

If the master trigger Inputs remain at 0V

for 2 seconds, the main power supplies

will shut o; the front panel Power LED

will change from blue to red. The Protec-

tion LED will ash red once during the

power-down process.

The trigger input is biased towards

ground. This keeps the unit in standby

when nothing is connected.

If you are not using master triggering or

the Ethernet connection, then you must

install a short wire link from the +12V

output to the trigger input. To put the unit

into standby, remove the link.

Wire Link

To trigger ON with a contact closure:

Connect the contact closure between

+12V and Trigger Input

To trigger OFF with a contact closure:

Connect a 1 kΩ resistor between +12V

and Trigger Input

Connect the contact closure between

Trigger Input and GND

To use an external 12V trigger:

Connect the external ground to the

Director M4800 GND

Connect the external +12V output

voltage to the Director M4800 Trigger

Input

12 Volt Trigger (continued)

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Ventilation

This may be as good a time as any to have

“the talk” about ventilation. The Director

M4800 feature cool-running ecient

switch mode power supplies and Class D

ampliers, and they are equipped with

thermally controlled fans. They are still 8

channel ampliers, and therefore require

plenty of good ventilation to properly

cool.

Please be advised that no more

than 4 Director models may be

stacked together. Any more than

that, then a rack space above and

below is required for adequate

ventilation.

Review the heat load specica-

tions and ensure that your rack

room meets these requirements.

If the amplier should overheat, a thermal

sensor will put it into standby mode,

allowing the heatsink to cool down.

Once the amplier has cooled to a safe

operating temperature, the amplier will

reactivate. If this occurs often, identify the

cause of the problem and take corrective

action, for example:

Provide additional ventilation

Do not install in a sealed location

with limited or no airow

Install a fan in the rack

Make sure that the ampliers are not

overloaded with speaker impedances

below the recommended minimum

Check that there are no short circuits

in the speaker cables or speakers.

Note: Each zone will shut o inde-

pendently when a short circuit is

detected.

Ideal Spacing 1U rack space or more

above and below each pair

No more than four units can be stacked

without a rack space between them.

Allow 1U rack space or more above and

below each stack of four.

Internet Connectivity and Control

Setting up The Director M4800 is a breeze.

Just plug it in to an existing network and

let the DHCP server assign The Director

M4800 amplier an IP address. You should

take note of the unit’s MAC address there

on the back at this time – maybe write

down the last couple of values. After the

amp has taken an IP address from the

DHCP server (give it a few seconds), you

can scan for The Director’s MAC address

across the network using your favourite

network scanner – like Fing or Angry IP

Scanner. After you have the unit’s IP

address, type it into your browser and The

Director’s Operations page will open up.

Other than connecting to the browser

for initial set up, conguration and EQ

settings, you will be able to control the

amplier via Telnet. This is done through

the telnet port 23.

Control Using a Browser

For Microsoft operating systems:

There are multiple ways to connect to The

Director amplier. The simplest way is

to connect The Director via the Ethernet

port to a network with a DHCP server. The

Director will obtain a local address from

the DHCP server.

If no DHCP server has been enabled in

your network, or you would like to directly

connect to The Director, use an Ethernet

cable and connect the two devices togeth-

er. The default IP address of The Director

is 192.168.0.249 when a DHCP server is

unavailable, so in order to connect to The

Director M4800, you will need to give your

computer a static IP address.

In your Windows based computer, change

your computer’s IP address to a static

address of 192.168.0.x – where x is a value

between 1 through 254, but not using 249.

If you don’t know where to start to nd

out how to give your computer a static IP

address, please consult the Interwebs.

Be sure not to use a static IP address for

your computer that is in use by another

device – an IP address should be unique

across the local network – if it is not you’re

going to have a bad time.

Important Note:

DCHP is default for The Director

M4800. However, if a DCHP server

is not found, the Director’s default

IP address is 192.168.0.249. If you

aren’t using DCHP and plan to assign

static addresses, individually set the IP

address by connecting directly to The

Director with a computer rst. Never

allow two devices with the same IP

address on the network.

Internet Connectivity and Control

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Internet Connectivity and Control

For Apple/Mac Desktops and Laptops:

Your easiest method for connecting with a

Mac is to directly connect to The Director.

The default IP address of The Director is

192.168.0.249 so in order to connect to

The Director M4800, you will need to give

your computer a static IP address.

Change your Mac’s IP address to a static

address of 192.168.0.x – where x is a value

between 1 through 254, but not using 249.

If you don’t know where to start to nd

out how to give your computer a static IP

address, please consult the Interwebs.

Be sure not to use a static IP address for

your computer that is in use by another

device – an IP address should be unique

across the local network – if it is not you’re

going to have another bad time.

Communications Options

The Director’s web server “Device Cong-

uration” page has lots of communications

options you can play about with to your

own delight or at your peril. If you know

what you are doing, then you will feel

right at home.

Here are a few notes:

Server Gateway must be specied in order

to access the SNTP time server, likewise

for your email alerts to function properly.

DNS must be specied as well for the

SNTP and SMTP functions to work –

8.8.8.8 (Default) or 8.8.4.4 are public DNS

servers that the good folks at Google have

enabled for you to use.

Control Via Telnet Commands

To control The Director M4800 in an

automation network, you will need nerves

of steel, and a controller that can send and

receive telnet commands and responses.

The command and response structures

of the controls provided via telnet are

in simple human language. Power on is

simply “power1” followed by a carriage

return to end the command. Command

feedback is conrmed by an echo of

the command, followed by a carriage

return, then another statement of “01”

followed by the command string, then a

carriage return and a line feed to end the

response string. If there is a value-change

like volume up, then the conrmation

response will include the new value at the

end of the string.

Telnet Session Length:

Sending a command to the The Director

opens a telnet session – nothing tricky,

just send it a command and it will respond.

The session will remain open for 4 hours,

and then close. If another command is

received within that 4 hours, then the

clock restarts. The session will close 4

hours from the time of the last command

received. If your automation system treats

such activity as dropping o the network,

then pinging it in the early AM every day is

probably a good practice.

Control Command Examples:

Increment volume by 1, in Zone 3, where

volume before the command is 51:

Command: Z3vol+<CR>

Response: Z3vol+<CR>

01Z3vol52<CR><LF>

To turn on main power:

Command: power1<CR>

Response: power1<CR>

01power1<CR><LF>

To mute or turn Zone 5 o:

Command: Z5o<CR>

Response: Z5o<CR>

01Z5o<CR><LF>

Note:

The query ZONEON? returns a descrip-

tion of the on state of all the zones,

where each zone is separated by a space.

1 equals on, and 0 equals o. So if zones

6 and 7 are on and all the other zones are

o the information will be displayed like:

0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0. Also note that the last

two values in position 9 and 10 are reect-

ing the state of the digital outputs. The re-

sponse to the query ZONEOFF? will return

the opposite values if zones 6 and 7 are o

as it is conrming that the zones are o so

that value is positive: 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1.

Please visit our delightful website for

further information and a splendid table of

control commands:

www.audiocontrol.com/

home-audio/network-ampliers/

the-director-model-m4800

(As things in the fast-paced world of

technical documentation are constantly

changing, visiting our website is one way

to make sure you have the latest informa-

tion.)

Control via Telnet Commands

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Operation Tab

This is the rst page you see when con-

necting to The Director M4800 via a web

browser.

Lock: Click the padlock logo to lock or

unlock the pages for editing. Locking will

provide protection from accidental or

not so accidental adjustments of the unit

congurations.

Firmware Version: This shows the version

number of the currently installed

rmware.

Global Settings: This section shows the

AC line voltage status, the overall tem-

perature of the unit, and allows you to

turn the power on or o, and the signal

sensing on or o. The log count is

also a link to a pop up page which will

describe the most recent events.

Operation Tab

Groups: Grouping allows for channels

to be grouped (there are 4 groups to

choose from in the tiny box) for con-

trol via telnet for simple and ecient

operations. The telnet commands

are listed on our website of destiny.

Grouping allows for quick control over

the on/o and signal source states of

each group.

Mono: Click this button to combine both

channels in this zone into mono. This

is useful if you want to connect a

single speaker, such as a subwoofer,

in bridged mono, thus combining the

power of the two ampliers into one.

Make sure your speaker’s impedance

is 8 Ohms or higher. Alternatively, you

could leave the two speakers con-

nected as normal and they will both

play the same. This can be ideal where

stereo sound is not really needed.

Operation Tab (continued)

Standby: The standby on/o buttons

control the state of each individual

channel – whether the channel is on

or not.

Input Source: Allows you to choose where

each channel pair is getting its input

source. The small drop-down menu

shows the available input sources.

Trim: Trim the levels of the zone output.

The range of adjustment is suitable for

balancing SPL in grouped zones, for

example, 3 sets of speakers grouped

for a living room. It will also serve as

a way to limit volume in a particular

zone if, for some reason, you don’t

want to use the maximum volume

setting found in the zone conguration

page. Input levels can be set using the

Device Conguration Tab.

Temperature: Provides the status of the

channel temperature.

Protection: Shows the channel protection

status.

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Device Conguration Tab

In this menu, you can rename the

amplier, rename each channel pair or

zone, rename the input sources, set the

global networking parameters, save your

settings, export your signal processing EQ

settings and conguration data as a le,

and Import previously-exported settings,

even from another Director M4800 am-

plier in the system, or pre-designed EQ

curve templates.

Be sure to select “Save Settings” after

you have completed your changes on this

page, otherwise your changes will disap-

pear and you will be snookered.

The renamed zones and input source

names will appear in the other menu tabs

and drop-down menus.

Device Conguration Tab

If you enable e-mail alerts, you are given

the option of customizing the Alerts Page

through another menu, partially shown

here:

Device Conguration Tab

Zone Conguration Tab

Equalization of each zone’s sonic good-

ness aects both channels within each

zone. First select the zone of interest

using the row of buttons along the top of

the display. Please see a later section for

a discussion of the methods and benets

of equalization, and see the notes below

regarding saving your settings. Equal-

ization can be very powerful, however it

takes some work to adjust properly, and

like makeup, it can easily be over-done. It

is much easier and more accurate, if you

have some instrumentation/audio analysis

gear. Please see our website for details of

our ne audio analyzer products that will

take the guesswork out of successfully set-

ting the EQ in each zone.

Vital Signs: This line displays a quick view

of the device name, input source,

group, zone status, temperature, and

protection status.

Speaker Calibration Prole: Each Speak-

er Prole contains equalization and

high pass / lowpass that have been

carefully chosen by certain speaker

manufacturers as the best curve for

that particular speaker model when

used with the Director M4800 am-

plier. The speaker prole is applied

in the background, and you will not

see the EQ sliders move. With the

speaker prole applied, you can still

adjust the graphic EQ to ne tune the

response to the room, and / or client

preferences. Each output zone can be

assigned a dierent speaker prole to

accommodate dierent models. Note

the speaker proles don’t come loaded

standard, but will be downloadable

from our website.

To start with, the speaker partners are:

Origin Acoustics, James Loudspeaker,

Triad Speakers, and Stealth Acoustics.

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Signal Processing Tab

We will be expanding our Speaker

Partners in the future, please watch

our website for the latest information.

There is a special Origin model that

comes pre-loaded with the Origin

Acoustics speaker proles.

Graphic EQ: Adjustment of the graphic

EQ of the selected zone is done by

dragging the EQ sliders to the desired

position, or by clicking where you want

the position/ value to be, or by clicking

the +/- buttons. Note that the sliders

can be moved down as well as up, and

this is not a sign of weakness.

Parametric EQ: In addition (or sub-

traction) to the graphic EQ sliders,

there are two separate parametric

equalizers per zone, for the ultimate

in room-acoustics problem solving

(or problem creating). Each para-

metric EQ has adjustments for the

frequency, width, and the level boost

or cut. For an example of their use, if a

certain frequency sets all the dentures

rattling in an old folk’s home, a

narrow-width lter can be tried at the

denture-rattling-onset-frequency, with

a cut in the level.

Shelving EQ: Just when you would be

forgiven for thinking “wow, that’s a lot

of EQ exibility,” wait.. there’s more.

At no extra charge, two sliders oer

bass and treble EQ adjustment of

the shelving kind. Shelving EQ, used

in combination with the graphic EQ

and parametric EQ, gives you the ne

opportunity to upset things royally, or

to be the better person, with kindness

and EQ moderation for all. Start with

the graphic EQ at, apply a bit of

shelving bass or treble EQ, and see

how that sounds. Maybe that will do.

Volume: The volume slider, as the name

suggests, was designed to hypnotize

little kittens that might be watching

the little rectangle go up and down

on your screen. The eect is quite

adorable. The slider can also be used

to set the volume in the zone. One

extra adjustment allows you to set the

maximum-allowable volume per zone,

such as teenager’s rooms, and one

adjustment sets the turn-on volume

level. The maximum level is dened as:

“That threshold volume level, which

if exceeded, brings forth the coming

of the broom-handle thumping on the

ceiling, and the loud exclamations of

“turn it down.””

High and Low Pass Filters: These 4 dif-

ferent lter types allow you to quickly

choose a design for your system,

either to set up protection from low

and high frequencies, set up a 2-way

crossover with a subwoofer and mids/

highs, or set up a bandpass lter. The

lters can also be chosen slowly, with

considerable forethought and care,

possibly while mulling things over in

your favorite comfy chair, with a cup

of tea and a plate of delicious buttered

crumpets. As each lter type is chosen,

the current high pass and low pass fre-

quencies are shown in the adjustable

boxes just below.

To prevent over-stress of speakers by

sending frequencies lower than they

are physically able to handle, use the

subsonic lter. For most inwall speak-

ers, we recommend a setting of 40 Hz

or higher. Contrary to popular thought,

higher often sounds better for this low

frequency lter. Similarly, to save the

tweeters, be conservative with the

setting of the tweeter protection lter.

It could save you a service call.

As there is a plethora of power

available (do not be fooled by The

Director’s lightweight appearance)

you can set up a 2-way crossover with

a subwoofer playing the lows, and a

pair of speakers paying the mids and

highs. Enable the Low Pass Mode lter

and bridge-mono the output from one

zone for your subwoofer. It will just

receive the low frequencies (in mono)

and receive the combined power

from both channels. Then use another

zone’s channel pair in stereo with

the High Pass mode selected for that

zone, to power the speakers playing

the mids and highs. Select the same

input channel for both zones. See the

system diagrams for a picture of this,

or see the video on our website of our

technical support engineers perform-

ing an interpretive dance.

Loudness: Select this for the zone for a

low frequency boost at lower listening

levels

Signal Sense: Select this, and the zone

will turn on automatically when it

senses a signal present at its selected

input.

Once you have the EQ settings just the

way you like them, you must save the

settings. Please see the details on the

next page.

Signal Processing Tab (continued)

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Saving EQ memories and Import/Export:

It is important to save your zone cong-

uration settings to a memory. If you do

not need to have multiple EQ memories

for recall, it is still necessary for the zone

congurations to be saved should the

power go out. The Save function saves all

4 zones of Signal Processing. Once these

are saved, you can export these settings

from the conguration page for back up

purposes or for making a template that

can be repeatedly used.

You may save all of the information on

this page by selecting “Save To Memory.”

All the graphic and parametric equalizer

settings as well as any crossover setting

will be retained in that number memory.

The information saved in the memory is

the information on this zone conguration

page, since the information on the other

pages is saved separately.

Saving EQ memories and Import/Export

Home Owner Tab

The home owner tab allows the customer

to operate the system, once the other

tabs have been locked to prevent access.

Home Owner Tab

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Acoustics

Magazine reviewers and audio system

owners spend much time critically apprais-

ing speakers and other audio components.

Unfortunately, a phenomenon that has a

very large eect upon sound is not easily

judged or changed. That eect is the

ACOUSTICS of the environment in which

you are listening.

Room acoustics is a complicated subject

about which hefty textbooks have been

written, and entire galaxies have gone to

war over. We simply want you to be aware

of a few basics that have a direct eect on

real time audio analysis.

As you probably learned in high school,

sound travels in waves. In an audio

system, these waves are created by the

speakers. Like waves in a pond created by

a splash, sound waves emanate from the

transducers (speakers) and spread out into

the room. If your room were innitely big,

that’s all there would be to it. But just as

waves in a pond reach the bank and reect

back, sound waves bounce o walls, ceil-

ings, and oors, reecting, reinforcing and

canceling each other as shown here:

Since sound is energy, the way it reects

depends upon the angle of the surface,

the type of material and the frequency of

the sound wave. Because your listening

position is likely to be towards the back

of the Free Field (waves shown in the

diagram), you also get part of the reect-

ed Reverberant Field as well.

Now we add the next set of complications:

Dierent frequencies of sound have dier-

ent wave lengths (a function of frequency

and the speed of sound). Each frequency’s

wavelength contributes dierently to the

Free and Reverberant Fields because they

are dierent sizes. For example, a 32 Hz

bass note has a wavelength of 35 feet,

while a 16,000 Hz note has a wavelength

just under a tenth of an inch. Tiny treble

waves can be caught and neutralized by

draperies, carpeting, upholstered furniture

and gangs of indolent Persian cats…while

gigantic bass waves simply slosh back and

forth in the room.

Another set of variables is the shape and

volume of your listening room. Large

rooms require more bass energy to excite

waves within them. Small rooms need less

energy, but reect it dierently. And then

there’s the fact that most rooms don’t

have four walls anymore, but open into

dining rooms, lofts, cathedral ceilings, etc.

All of this means that predicting sound

interaction patterns is very dicult due to

the irregularities of the room shape.

As you can see, room acoustics is an

important but complicated subject. To

learn more about room acoustics, get a

copy of AudioControl’s Technical Paper

107, “Small Room Acoustics De-Mytholo-

gized”. You can download this paper from

www.audiocontrol.com (search “De-my-

thologized”) or if you’re still into the

printed page, call us and we’ll mail you a

copy. The overall point that we’re trying to

make is that the various rooms in a home

function as gigantic mechanical equaliz-

ers, boosting or cutting certain frequen-

cies depending on size, shape, volume,

acoustic treatment and the position of the

speakers.

Acoustics

Benets of Equalization

Rarely is the room and room decor

designed to get the most out of the

audio system. In fact, almost always the

opposite is the case where the speaker

positions and sizes are dictated by some

factors which are actually contrary to

good sound. This real world situation is

where equalization can provide great

benets.

Speaker positions, furniture, and general

room layouts may cause peaks in the fre-

quency response. Fortunately these peaks

can be tamed by judicious equalization.

Also, it may be that the client has specic

tastes, such as being the most interested

in hearing voices such as cricket broad-

casts, and you can tailor the sound to

these tastes. Remember there are memo-

ries in The Director M4800, and you could

use dierent settings via the memories for

dierent sources.

At all times, though, the laws of physics

are hard to violate, although we do try our

best. Equalization cannot make terrible

acoustics sound terric, only better. If the

room has a tile oor and glass walls for

example, the best case results will still be

pretty bad by most measures. Further,

while equalization can do wonders to help

a less than perfect speaker, nothing will

make a mediocre speaker sound fabu-

lous. In other words, for best results, start

with good speakers and reasonable room

acoustics, if possible.

Note: For the absolutely

best results,

the equalizer controls on The Director

M48 0 0 should be adjusted with a real

time

analyzer such as the AudioControl

Industrial SA-4100i. Visit www.audio-

controlindustrial.com for more

analysis

products.

Equalizing the System

Before proceeding with equalizing the sys-

tem, it is a good idea to make sure every-

thing is connected and working properly.

You know how to check connections, and

here are some reminders specic to The

Director M4800, as well as the steps to

equalize.

1. Turn on the system. The Power light on

the left front panel should be blue .

2. Connect to this specic Director unit

over the network by entering its

unique IP address into a browser (Fire-

fox, Safari, Chrome are preferred).

3. Make sure the unit is turned on and

turn o signal sense in the Operation

page on the browser. On the front

panel all zone status lights should start

red and then turn to blue.

4. If any are not blue, check the Opera-

tion page to see if you need to unmute

any zones.

5. Play pink noise through the system

into the zones you are going to adjust.

If needed, there is a pink noise audio

le at www.audiocontrol.com. Search

for “pink noise”. The signal is play-

ing through The Director unit when

the LED’s level meter on front panel

responds to the volume.

6. Assuming you have wireless network

access, now grab your trusty real time

analyzer (RTA) and go into the zone

you wish to adjust.

7. Place the microphone in the middle of

the area of listening at the height of

the typical listeners head.

8. In general, use the equalizer con-

trols to lower peaks in the frequency

response rst. Peaks obscure the

surrounding sounds and lowering the

peaks will unleash overshadowed

sounds. There is more information in

the next section on equalization and

Equalization

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

AudioControl has factory training,

called Train in the Rain where we

explore this subject in depth.

You can save dierent settings to dierent

memories and see which one the clients

like. Their taste may be dierent than

yours.

Parametric and Graphic

Equalization

The graphic equalization controls in The

Director M4800 are selected to corre-

spond with the characteristics of wall and

ceiling speakers, and as such are very

eective. Graphic controls are the easiest

to tune and provide a “graphic” repre-

sentation of what the adjustments are.

Parametric equalization requires select-

ing the frequency, the bandwidth of the

control, as well as the level of adjustment,

not an easy task to get correct. In general,

parametric equalization is valuable for

very large areas of change or very narrow

areas.

Parametric equalization in The Director

M4800 is most likely best used for taming

very narrow peaks. Do not use for very

narrow dips as these dips are likely caused

by cancellations and will not respond to

equalization boost.

Here is an introduction to each of the

graphic control frequencies and what their

aect is on music.

45 Hz — Low bass. This is about the

lowest frequency which in-wall, ex-

tension and small bookshelf speakers

can achieve. Boosting it too far might

cause problems, even though The

Director M4800’s subsonic lter cuts

frequencies below your adjustment

point. But if your speakers can take

it, a mild boost will enhance bass

instruments such as Fender bass, kick

drum, oor toms, timpani and double

bass viols.

150 Hz — High bass. There’s a lot of bass

information at this frequency. In fact,

most modern music is mixed to en-

hance this area of the frequency spec-

trum. 150Hz also determines the depth

of male vocals and contains reverber-

ant information which contributes to

the spaciousness of sound. Boosting

150Hz can add “POW!” and impact to

bass or it can make the sound “bonky”

and “boomy”. This is a critical adjust-

ment with small or in-wall speakers.

Experiment with it.

300 Hz and 700 Hz — High and low mid-

range. These controls directly aect

the sound of instruments and vocals.

These bands also determine the

speaker’s presence (whether the music

sounds far away or close in). Small

speakers often produce too much mid-

range, so these controls can be turned

down slightly during your initial experi-

mentation. Consider reducing 700Hz

if you are only using your extension

speakers for background music.

2500 Hz — Treble. Female vocals and the

“edge” of instruments such as guitars,

snare drums, saxes, violins, etc. are

found in this range. If accentuated too

much (by boosting this control) sounds

in the 2500Hz range can seem harsh

and fatiguing to the ear due to exces-

sive output by the speaker or because

of live, reective room acoustics.

12 kHz — High treble. The ne detail,

texture and sheen of music is found

here. The breathiness of vocals, the

“sheen” of cymbals, the high over-

tones of piano and strings. Actually,

there’s audible music information up

to 20,000Hz on some CDs and most

adult’s hearing is still pretty good at

15,000Hz. We’ve chosen 12,000Hz be-

cause it provides more useful control

to compensate for room acoustics and

common small-speaker deciencies.

Parametric and Graphic EQ

Subsonic and Tweeter

Protection Filters

The Subsonic (aka High Pass) lter and

Tweeter Protection (aka Low Pass) lter

are adjusted on the signal processing web

page along with equalization. Their func-

tion is simply to make the speakers sound

better, play louder, and last longer.

All speakers have frequency response

limitations. For the best performance, we

want to operate speakers in their linear

zone, that is the frequencies where their

sound reproduction is not compromised

by mechanical limitations.

If you do operate speakers near or at their

mechanical limits, sound is compromised

and parts of the speakers are stressed and,

in some cases, heat up shortening its life.

In other words, both the tweeter protec-

tion and subsonic lter are very important

tools. Experiment with higher subsonic

lters, and lower tweeter protection

settings, than you might think from the

published specications of the speaker.

If you do these experiments with higher/

lower settings, most likely, you will nd

the system actually sounds much better

than pushing the frequency limits. For

sure the speaker will be less stressed and

last longer.

Presets

On The Director M4800, there are six

memories if you wish to have dierent

congurations. Those memories are saved

on the zone conguration tab. When sav-

ing a memory, you are saving all the zone

conguration page settings (equalization

and lters).

Subsonic and Tweeter Protection

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Advanced Discussions

In Wall Volume Controls

What happens to the in-wall volume con-

trol if the amplier power is greater than it

can handle?

It will not be pretty but then again no

one will die. Typically, the magnetics of

the volume control will be over taxed,

saturate and thereby become a lower

impedance than rated. This will en-

courage The Director amplier to put

out even more power possibly putting

the amp into protection. If not this

extreme, there is an excellent chance

the volume control saturation will

damage the sound quality. The upshot

is use a volume control with a margin

of safety.

Installation of multiple units

Can you stack units of The Director M4800

on top of each other without an air space

in between?

You can stack a maximum of 4 units

on top of one another, and allow a free

rack space above and below.

Ideally, 2 units can be stacked with a

free space above and below, as this

will improve the ventilation to the

units.

May you daisy chain or y-cord audio and

power trigger connections?

Daisy chaining audio is easy as there

are Loop output jacks, which can be

used to drive the next amplier.

For power control, it is easiest to have

an Ethernet connection to each unit.

The 12 volt mini jacks are powered to

turn on another unit when the main

unit is on (not standby). If you need

more than 15 milliamps current on the

12 volt output, use a relay to prevent

over loading The Director. (The Direc-

tor itself only takes 1 milliamp to turn

on.)

What are the power requirements and

BTU outputs of The Director?

More detailed information is shown in

the specications section. In general,

we feel a conservative, real life design

criteria is 1/8th power. This will be

a quite loud listening level for most

rooms and assumes all zones driven at

the same time. You will be amazed at

how cool The Director is at this level.

One rule does not t all situations, so

apply your knowledge of the particular

circumstances involved. Also, see the

section below on unique rooms and

SPL.

How many units may I put on one 15

amp breaker?

It depends. Since you are limited to

1500 watts per device by most codes,

there should be a separate 15 amp

circuit for each unit.

The circumstances where The Director

M4800 draws maximum power are

very rare outside of an engineering

lab. Maximum power is using a sine

wave input which has at least a third

higher energy density than music.

This would mean that all channels are

operating at maximum, an unlikely

situation even during a really fun party.

Even more unlikely is all channels on

multiple units operating at full output.

You know the system better than we

do, so it is your decision. If the only

use is background music, then the

one-eighth power in the specications

is a reasonable (actually conserva-

tive) power draw. Of course, you will

want to include a margin of safety for

unusual circumstances. And in the

nal analysis, you have to do what the

electrical inspector tells you to do.

Advanced Discussions

What should I use the “Trim” controls in

the browser for?

The Trim controls are an easy-to-ac-

cess level setting control which you

can use while in the zone. The Trim

controls allow minor not major adjust-

ments.

Unique Rooms and SPL in Large Areas

Are there any special considerations for

bathrooms?

Bathrooms are irregular rooms, rooms

within a room, with high ambient

background noise, often with noise

masking type of ambient sound, highly

reective, and often fairly large. If

you pause and think about that for a

moment, these are some of the more

challenging rooms.

Commercial noise masking systems

rely on “white noise” which sounds

remarkably like a bathroom exhaust

fan and like the sound of water in a

shower-both of which are louder than

the background noise level in the other

parts of the house. So if the client

wants to rock out in the bathroom,

and particularly the shower, you need

to have speakers very near to them.

Modern day larger bathrooms need

more than two speakers for these

reasons.

What about large rooms as well as

rooms where the listener is far from the

speakers?

Typical in-wall speakers are designed

to be near the listener. In common

rooms with eight foot ceilings and

other usual dimensions, in-wall speak-

ers typically are not much more than

eight feet from the listener. In large

mansions, the game changes. Twenty

foot ceilings are normal and typical

speakers are too far away to provide

the client much SPL (sound pressure

level). There are in-wall speakers

designed for these longer “throw” dis-

tances. In general, larger rooms with

more height require more speakers

and speakers with tighter “directivity”

to get party-level SPL. In this case,

also, size matters and bigger speakers

are better.

Do you bite your thumb at us Sir?

I do bite my thumb sir.

Advanced Discussions (continued)

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Troubleshooting

Many problems can be eliminated by

re-checking the wiring and settings of the

unit. If a problem cannot be solved using

the guide below, please call the AudioCon-

trol team for further assistance, or e-mail

us at [email protected]

1. No Sound

a. Verify the Power LED is Blue.

b. Verify Protection LED is O.

c. Verify Zone Status LED is Blue.

d. Verify that the correct input has

been selected in the web server

menus

e. Verify the source unit is operating.

f. Check the speaker connector plugs

on the rear panel are secure.

g. Unplug the power cord and check

the AC Power Fuse on the rear

panel.

2. Protection LED is o, but none of

the Zone Status LEDs are on:

a. Defeat the signal-sense circuits

using the signal sense switch on the

web server Operation tab. All of the

zone status LEDs should turn on.

If they do not, call AudioControl’s

customer service.

b. Verify the source unit is operating.

c. Increase the preamp volume if sig-

nal sense is engaged, or just going

steady.

3. Channel Status LED is Red:

a. Check speaker leads for a short.

Swap speaker connectors on rear to

see if the problem moves with the

wires.

b. If the unit is excessively hot, turn

down the volume and allow it to

cool o. The protection LED should

turn o after a short while. Verify

that any ventilation holes have not

become blocked.

c. The speaker impedance may be too

low. Use an ohmeter to measure

the impedance on the speaker

wires.

4. Speaker channels are cutting in and

out:

a. If using external volume controls,

check that they can handle the

power output.

b. Make sure the speaker impedance

is not less than 4 Ohms, or 8 Ohms

when used in bridged mono.

c. There may be a short in the wires.

Suspect a short if the problem hap-

pens only at the highest volumes.

5. Protection LED is Red:

a. Disconnect power from the unit

for 3 to 4 minutes and reconnect to

power.

b. Disconnect all speaker wires. If

it still turns red, and the unit has

cooled, something rather serious

has happened inside the unit. Call

AudioControl’s lonely folks in cus-

tomer service.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting (continued)

6. Speaker Buzzing or Crackling at high

volume:

a. Reduce any preamplier/equalizer

low-frequency boost.

b. Turn o your “Sounds of the

Pacic Northwest” chainsaw and

bacon-frying CD.

7. There is no audio input signal, but

the Zone Status LEDs are still blue:

a. Check the signal-sense switches in

the unit’s web server tabs. If they

are not engaged, the zone status

LEDs will stay on as long as the

master trigger is enabled.

b. The zone status LEDs stays on for

2 minutes (depending on music

volume) after the audio signal has

stopped. This delay helps prevent

prematurely muting during quiet

passages or song changes.

8. The unit is on but you cannot trigger

it o

• The unit will stay on if either the

12v master trigger is on, or jum-

pered on.

9. Is an in-wall volume control rated at

100 Watts (continuous) adequate?

• Just barely is the simple answer. Go

for one with a higher rating if you

want a reliable long-lasting system.

Though the Director M4800 is rated

at 100 Watts, it is a conservative

number, and it can put out more

power if only a few channels are

driven. In contrast to the conserva-

tive rating of the Director M4800,

the wall volume control may be

rated using favorable assump-

tions. Also make sure the volume

control power rating is continuous

not peak. The continuous rating is

about one-third of peak.

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Block Diagram

Block Diagrams

Time Align

Delay

Analog

Inputs

1 - 4

DAC

ADC

Parametric

Graphic EQ

High Pass /

Low Pass

Filters

Volume

Gain

Digital

Inputs

1-4

Limiter

Amplifiers

Speaker

Outputs

1 - 4

S/PDIF

Outputs

A - B

Stereo Matrix

Specications

M4800 Specications

Output Power

Per Channel ............................................ 100 Watts @ 8 Ohm, 200 Watts @ 4 Ohm

Bridged Mono .......................................................................... 400 Watts @ 8 Ohm

Signal to Noise Ratio ............................................................. > 97 (A wtd, ref full output)

Crosstalk ............................................................................................... > 80 dB @ 1 kHz

Damping Factor ......................................................................................................> 300

Gain ....................................................................................................................... 33 dB

Analog Input Sensitivity ....................................1 Vrms for full output, level at maximum

DAC Specications ............................................32 – 96 kHz sample rate, 16/24 bit depth

AC Power Requirements

Standby ................................................................................................... 1.9 Watts

Idle (main power on, all channels o) ......................................................... 41 Watts

All channels 1/8th power .......................................................................... 186 Watts

Full Power (*20 A residential service limited) ......................................... 1800 Watts

BTU/hr Output

Standby .................................................................................................. 6.5 BTU/hr

Idle (main power on, all channels o) ..................................................... 140 BTU/hr

All channels 1/8th power ....................................................................... 270 BTU/hr

Full Power (*20 A residential service limited) ....................................... 1560 BTU/hr

Dimensions

Height ...................................................................................................... 1.75” (1U)

Width (ears on) ................................................................................................19.0”

Width (ears o) ................................................................................................ 17.0”

Depth ..............................................................................................................15.8”

Weight ............................................................................................................ 15 lbs

Network Settings

Default IP Address ...........................................................................192.168.0.249

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Service

What to do if you need service

First, if you need service, it is probably

best to go and see a trained health care

professional.

If the Director M4800 needs service, then

please contact AudioControl, either by

e-mail or phone. We will verify if there is

anything wrong in the system that you can

correct yourself, or if it needs to be sent

back to our factory for repair.

Please include the following items when

returning the unit:

1. A copy of your proof of purchase. No

originals please. We cannot guarantee

returning them to you.

2. A brief explanation of the trouble you

are having with the unit. (You’d be

surprised how many people forget

this.) If you can supply a really detailed

description of the problem, this would

be so much better, and our service

technicians may add you to their

Christmas Card list. Please include

any notes about the system and other

components you are using. Is it an

intermittent problem that only occurs

on the rst full moon of Spring?

3. A return street address. (No PO Boxes,

please).

4. A daytime phone number in case our

technicians have a question about the

problem you are having, or if they are

just feeling lonely.

5. Package the unit in the original

packaging if you still have it, and if the

cat hasn’t had three litters of kittens

in the box. Use great care and plenty

of good packing materials to protect

the unit and prevent it from moving

about inside the box. Do not use loose

materials like packing peanuts or real

peanuts.

You are responsible for the freight charges

to us, but we’ll pay the return freight back

as long as the unit is under warranty. We

match whatever shipping method you

use to send it to us, so if you return the

unit overnight freight, we send it back

overnight. We recommend United Parcel

Service (UPS) for most shipments.

Repair service is available at:

Attention: Service Department

22410 70th Avenue West,

Mountlake Terrace,

WA 98043 USA

Phone 425-775-8461

FAX 425-778-3166

e-mail: sound.great@audiocontrol.

com

The Warranty

In just the same way as being covered in

honey and thrown into a dark pit full of

hungry woodchucks, people are scared of

warranties. Lots of ne print. Months of

waiting around. Well, fear no more. This

warranty is designed to make you rave

about AudioControl. It’s a warranty that

looks out for you and your client, plus

helps you resist the temptation to have

your friend Sparky, who’s “good with elec-

tronics,” try to repair your AudioControl

product. So go ahead, read this warranty,

then register the information at www.

audiocontrol.com/product-registration

and include your comments.

Our warranty has conditional conditions!

“Conditional” doesn’t mean anything

ominous. The Federal Trade Commission

tells all manufacturers to use the term

to indicate that certain conditions have

to be met before they’ll honor the war-

ranty. If you meet all of these conditions,

AudioControl will, at its discretion, repair

or replace any AudioControl products

that exhibit defects in materials and/or

workmanship during the warranty on your

product for ve (5) years from the date

you bought it, and we will x or replace it,

at our option, during that time.

Here are the conditional conditions:

1. You must fully register your purchase

within 15 days of the purchase date

by going to the AudioControl product

registration page at www.audiocon-

trol.com/product-registration. Failure

to register your product will negate

the warranty.

2. You need to hold on to your sales

receipt! All warranty service requires

original sales receipt documentation.

The warranty only applies to the

original purchaser from an authorized

AudioControl dealer. Note: Products

purchased from unauthorized dealers

are not covered under warranty.

3. If an authorized AudioControl dealer

installs your AudioControl product,

the warranty is ve years, otherwise

the warranty is limited to one year.

4. Our warranty covers AudioControl

products that have been installed

according to the instructions in the

installation manual.

5. You cannot let anybody who isn’t:

(A) the AudioControl factory; or (B)

somebody authorized in writing by

AudioControl service your AudioCon-

trol product. If anyone other than (A),

or (B) messes with your AudioControl

product, the warranty is void.

6. The warranty is void if the serial num-

ber is altered, defaced or removed,

or if your product has been used

improperly. Now that may sound like

a big loophole, but here is what we

mean by this: Unwarranted abuse is:

(A) physical damage (don’t use your

product to level your dining room

table); (B) improper connections (120

volts into the RCA jacks can fry the

poor thing); (C) sadistic things! This

is the best product we know how to

build, but for example if you mount it

to the front bumper of your car, drop

it over the Niagara Falls or use it for

Clay Pigeon shooting practice, some-

thing will go wrong.

Assuming you conform to 1 through 6, and

it really isn’t all that hard to do, we get the

option of xing your product or replacing

it with a new one at our discretion.

In the event that your product is out of

warranty or not covered under our warran-

ty you may request to have any damage

repaired at our normal “Out of Warranty”

repair cost.

Please Remain Calm

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Please Remain Calm

Legalese Section

This is the only warranty issued by Audio-

Control. This warranty gives you specic

legal rights, and you may also have rights

that vary from state to state. Promises of

how well your AudioControl product will

work are not implied by this warranty.

Other than what we’ve said we’ll do in this

warranty, we have no obligation, express

or implied. We make no warranty of mer-

chantability or tness for any particular

purpose. Also neither we nor anyone else

who has been involved in the develop-

ment or manufacture of the unit will have

any liability of any incidental, consequen-

tial, special or punitive damages, includ-

ing but not limited to any lost prots or

damage to other parts of your system by

hooking up to the unit (whether the claim

is one for breach of warranty, negligence

of other tort, or any other kind of claim).

Some states do not allow limitations of

consequential damages.

Installation Notes

Installation:

Installer:

Zone Room Source

1/2

3/4

5/6

7/8

1/2

3/4

5/6

7/8

Notes/Poems/Sagas/Odes

Installation Notes

Installation Manual

Model M4800

THE DIRECTOR

™

Hurrah, you are done!

Manual PN 913-144-0 Rev A1

The Twist

The Twist Again

(like we did last summer)

Audio Control DIRECTOR M4800 8-Channel DSP Matrix Amplifier

Product's Documents

Installation Manual

Specifications

Audio Control DIRECTOR M4800 Questions and Answers