AudioControl Maestro M8, User Experience Manual

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M
aestro
M8™
Connection Tips
Even if you’re an electronics veteran, this part may seem repetitive, but
some things can never be repeated too many times.
• Turn off all components before making any connections.
• When making connections, make sure that “left goes to left” and “right
goes to right.” The obvious and time-honored way to assure this is to assign
RED plugs to Right and WHITE/GREY/BLACK plugs to the left. Yellow is
usually used for video cables or digital audio connections.
• Wherever possible, keep power cords away from signal cables (i.e., inputs
from disk players, VCRs, etc.) to prevent induced hum. Bundle all power
cords down one side of your equipment cabinet and all the signal cables
down the other.
• Use high quality interconnect cables. We’re not going to get into the de -
bate about whether $100 per meter interconnects improve the sound and
picture quality of your system. We do know from experience however that
really, REALLY cheap connections can cause problems.
• Don’t stand in a bucket of water when working with electricity.
Power Wiring
Like many of today’s intelligent home electronics, the Maestro M8 should
be plugged into an unswitched AC outlet so that it always has power. This
allows the RS-232 and remote control features to work even when the
Maestro M8 is in standby. We always recommend the use ofa high quality
surge protection device to keep all of your electronics safe from the evils of
spikes on power systems.
Audio Connections
Most of the sources will have two audio connections to the Maestro M8;
an analog 2-channel connection, a digital audio connection plus HDMI.
Whenever possible,
connect both types of audio signals to the Maestro M8.
This will provide the digital audio signal necessary for high-quality digital
surround sound along with the analog audio for tape recording plus it pro-
vides the necessary analog signals for the zone audio outputs.
Don’t worry if your satellite receiver has a coaxial digital output and the
Maestro M8 SAT input is optical. Refer to the advanced configuration sec-
tion on page 24 of this manual for more information regarding assigning a
digital input to the optical or coaxial connection.
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et
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INSTALL TIP
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