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34

Benefits 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 
benefits.
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 specific 
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 D2800, and you could 
use different settings via the memories for 
different 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 terrific, only better. If the 
room has a tile floor 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 

D28 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 specific to The 
Director D2800, 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 specific 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 off 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 
file 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 first. 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

Содержание The Director D2800

Страница 1: ...The Director Model D2800 8 CHANNEL MULTI ZONE NETWORK DSP AMPLIFIER Installation Manual ...

Страница 2: ...he 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 qualified 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 harm...

Страница 3: ...d Outs 19 Ventilation 21 Internet Connectivity and Control 22 OperationTab 25 Device ConfigurationTab 27 Zone ConfigurationTab 28 Home Owner Tab 32 Acoustics 33 Equalization 34 Advanced Discussions 37 Troubleshooting 39 Block Diagram 41 Specifications 42 Service 43 The Warranty 44 Installation Notes 46 The Dance 48 2018 AudioControl Inc all rights reserved Based on a true story an audio dream for ...

Страница 4: ...allation friendly features that makes them the perfect product for performance oriented audio systems The Director D2800 is an American designed and built set and forget component which will provide a lifetime of trouble free service for your multi room audio system Introduction The Director D2800 is designed and manufactured by AudioControl the only electronics company in the world that specializ...

Страница 5: ...ail if something goes wrong Signal Processing You have at your command graphic equalization parametric equal ization tweeter protection filters and low frequency cutoff filters 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 s...

Страница 6: ...configure your EQ settings as a template and apply these to each Director D2800 ampli fier in your system A little refining of those settings for each amp and you will be in and out in no time 8 channels of AudioControl amplification Any zone can play a local or bus source Efficient power amplifiers and power supplies Power consumption is less than 2Watts in standby Rack mountable 1U form factor R...

Страница 7: ...gger Inputs 15 Analog RCA Line Level Inputs 16 Analog Signal Present LEDs 17 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 MasterTrigger In Out 7 Ethernet Port 8 Master Reset Button 9 Digital Coaxial and Optical Bus A Inputs and LED 1 Power LED 2 Protection LED 3 Ethernet Status LEDs 1 2 4 6 5 3 8 Channel DSP Amplifier...

Страница 8: ... 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 Bus A digital inputs...

Страница 9: ...m Kitchen Dining Room Family Room 8 Channel DSP Amplifier Model D2800 Sonos 4 Sonos 3 Sonos 2 CD Receiver Zone 2 Analog Out Analog Out Analog Out Analog Out Analog Out Digital Out Analog Loop Out Sonos 1 Bijou 600 in Bridged Mono Bijou 600 in Stereo Installation with 2 Bijou 600 Amplifiers ...

Страница 10: ...ving Room Dining Room Hall Bath Patio 8 Channel DSP Amplifier Model D2800 Sonos 2 Sonos 1 Front Door Service Entrance TV AVR Zone 2 Analog Out Analog Out Analog Out Analog Out Analog Out Digital Out Analog Loop Out Bus B Analog Input All inputs set to Bus B Installation with an Architect 2660 ...

Страница 11: ...d Super Hero Lair and Snooker Room Living Room Kitchen Dining Room Family Room 8 Channel DSP Amplifier Model D2800 Cable Box HD Tuner CD TV Analog Out Analog Out Analog Out Analog Out Digital Out Analog Loop Out Analog Input Sonos Bijou 600 in Stereo Installation with one Bijou 600 Amplifier ...

Страница 12: ...ual 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 offset 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 off using the rear panel switch 6 Rack Mount Ears T...

Страница 13: ...has detected a fault and is in protect mode Off The unit is operating normally or it is powered off 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 Off The zone is in standby The protection LED also comes on for a ...

Страница 14: ...eplace 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 fine 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 off the main AC power Normally the on...

Страница 15: ...its internal web server acces sible through standard and popular and some unpopular web browsers No external software is required to runThe 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 withThe Director press and hold down this button for more than 3 seconds This will rese...

Страница 16: ...CA inputs Analog signals entering here from sources such as CD players DVD players andTV outputs may be selected to play in this zone any other zone all zones at once and the digital outputs This extraordinary flexibility is made possible by taking ballet lessons from an early age and The Director s web server interface menus 16 Signal Present LED These will light whenever an analog input signal i...

Страница 17: ...ation To set the output to be in mono use The Director s web server Operation menu the first 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 different color silver versus copper or there is a ribbing on one side Typically this marked conductor is used for...

Страница 18: ...ire gauge This can be a benefit if you are paralleling lots of speakers The wire itself acts as an impedance limiter since the amplifier 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 individua...

Страница 19: ...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 12VTrigger 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...

Страница 20: ... will be still energized If the master trigger Inputs remain at 0V for 2 seconds the main power supplies will shut off the front panel Power LED will change from blue to red The Protec tion LED will flash 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 c...

Страница 21: ...ier should overheat a thermal sensor will put it into standby mode allowing the heatsink to cool down Once the amplifier has cooled to a safe operating temperature the amplifier 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 airflow Install a fan in t...

Страница 22: ... local address from the DHCP server If no DHCP server has been enabled in your network or you would like to directly connect toThe Director use an Ethernet cable and connect the two devices togeth er The default IP address ofThe Director is 192 168 0 249 when a DHCP server is unavailable so in order to connect toThe Director D2800 you will need to give your computer a static IP address In yourWind...

Страница 23: ... 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 Config uration page has lots of communications options you can play about with to your own delight or at your peril If you k...

Страница 24: ...ork 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 off Command Z5off CR Response Z5off CR 01Z5off CR LF Note The query ZONEON returns ...

Страница 25: ...tection from accidental or not so accidental adjustments of the unit configurations FirmwareVersion This shows the version number of the currently installed firmware 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 off and the signal sensing on or off The log count is also a link to a pop up page which will de...

Страница 26: ...ll both play the same This can be ideal where stereo sound is not really needed Standby The standby on off buttons control the state of each individual channel whether the channel is on or not OperationTab continued 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...

Страница 27: ...ed settings even from another Director D2800 am plifier 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 getting all technical for a moment snookered The renamed zones and input source names will appear in the other menu tabs and drop down menus Device Configura...

Страница 28: ...igns This line displays a quick view of the device name input source group zone status temperature and protection status Speaker Calibration Profile Each Speak er Profile 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 D2800 am plifier The speaker profile is ...

Страница 29: ...ir use if a certain frequency sets all the dentures rattling in an old folk s home a narrow width filter 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 flexibility wait there s more At no extra charge two sliders offer bass and treble EQ adjustment of the shelving kind Shelving EQ used in ...

Страница 30: ...lter It could save you a service call As there is a plethora of power available do not be fooled byThe 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 filter and bridge mono the output from one zone for your subwoofer It will just receive the low frequencies in mono and re...

Страница 31: ...all 4 zones of Signal Processing Once these are saved you can export these settings from the configu ration 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 SaveTo Memory All the graphic and parametric equalizer settings as well as any crossover setting will be retained in that number memory The information...

Страница 32: ...32 Complimentary Blank Page for notes about that Rock Opera you are working on ...

Страница 33: ...ations Different frequencies of sound have differ ent wave lengths a function of frequency and the speed of sound Each frequency s wavelength contributes differently to the Free and Reverberant Fields because they are different 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 ne...

Страница 34: ...zer such as theAudioControl IndustrialSA 4100i Visit www audio controlindustrial comformore 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 specific toThe Director D2800 as well as the steps to equalize 1 Turn on the system...

Страница 35: ...ick drum floor 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 ...

Страница 36: ...speakers are stressed and in some cases heat up shortening its life In other words both the tweeter protec tion and subsonic filter are very important tools Experiment with higher subsonic filters and lower tweeter protection settings than you might think from the published specifications of the speaker If you do these experiments with higher lower settings most likely you will find the system act...

Страница 37: ...lt output use a relay to prevent over loadingThe Director The Direc tor itself only takes 1 milliamp to turn on What are the power requirements and BTU outputs ofThe Director More detailed information is shown in the specifications 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...

Страница 38: ...n 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...

Страница 39: ...s 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 off The protection LED should turn off after a short while Verify that any ventilation holes have ...

Страница 40: ...ay helps prevent prematurely muting during quiet passages or song changes 8 The unit is on but you cannot trigger it off 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 D280...

Страница 41: ...ams Time Align Delay Local Analog Inputs DAC ADC Parametric Graphic EQ High Pass Low Pass Filters Volume Gain Gain Gain BUS A Analog Inputs BUS A BUS A LOCAL INPUT SELECT BUS B BUS B BUS A Digital Inputs Limiter Amplifiers Speaker Outputs BUS B Inputs BUS A Loop Outputs ADC ...

Страница 42: ...z sample rate 16 24 bit depth AC Power Requirements Standby 1 9 Watts Idle main power on all channels off 41Watts All channels 1 8th power 186Watts Full Power 20 A residential service limited 1800Watts BTU hr Output Standby 6 5 BTU hr Idle main power on all channels off 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 ...

Страница 43: ...other components you are using Is it an intermittent problem that only occurs on the first 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 ki...

Страница 44: ...ice 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 five years otherwise the warranty is limited to one year 4 Our warranty covers AudioCont...

Страница 45: ...y we have no obligation express or implied We make no warranty of mer chantability or fitness 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 profits or damage to other parts of your system by hoo...

Страница 46: ...46 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 ...

Страница 47: ...47 Installation Manual Model D2800 THE DIRECTOR ...

Страница 48: ...48 Hurrah you are done Manual PN 913 150 0 Rev A Dance like nobody is watching 2 1 4 3 7 8 5 6 ...

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