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Advanced Topics

channels are operating at maximum, an unlikely situation 
even during a really fun party. Even more unlikely is all chan-
nels 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 specifications at the end of this manual 
is a reasonable (actually conservative) power draw. Of course, 
you will want to include a margin of safety for unusual cir-
cumstances. And in the final analysis, you have to do what the 
electrical inspector tells you to do.

Gain Controls and Level Matching

What is a “Typical” setting for the amplifier gain con-

trols on the rear panel?

Everyone wants to get the full 

power out of an amplifier. How-

ever, very rarely does the setting of 

the gain control restrict the power, 

it just sets how much input voltage 

is needed to drive the amp fully. 

What the gain controls do affect is 

the quality of the sound. In general, you want amplifier gain 

controls down, e.g.. 10 o’clock, and the levels coming from the 

pre-amp to be a higher level for no hiss and superior signal to 

noise. 

What should I use the “Trim” controls in the browser 

for as compared to the rear panel gain controls?

The Trim controls are an easy to access level setting con-

trol which you can use while in the zone as compared to be-
hind the unit screwdriver in hand. The “Trim” controls allow 
minor not major adjustments. 

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 mask-
ing type of ambient sound, highly reflective, 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 

Gain Level Adjustment

30

Summary of Contents for Director D3200

Page 1: ...ocessor Ethernet Interface Control Power Amplifier Professional Installer s Gratification Guide 22410 70th Avenue West Mountlake Terrace WA 98043 USA 425 775 8461 Fax 425 778 3166 www audiocontrol com...

Page 2: ...______________________________________ Date Installed_ __________________________________ Serial Number____________________________________ Ethernet MAC Address__________________________ IP Address Dy...

Page 3: ...Control Control using a browser 8 Control and Queries via Telnet 12 Operation without an Ethernet connection 16 Hook up Guide with System Diagrams 17 An Introduction to Acoustics and Equalizers Room A...

Page 4: ...bridging 28 In wall volume controls 28 Installation of multiple units of The Director 29 Level matching and gain controls 30 Sound level SPL in large areas and unique rooms 30 Troubleshooting 32 Warra...

Page 5: ...o please read on Since we build The Director Model D3200 in the AudioControl factories in the Northwest Rainforest out side of Seattle USA we can continually improve it and our other products Similarl...

Page 6: ...m the point of view of saving electricity or from the viewpoint of less heat in the rack The Director has no equal It is VERY energy efficient during operation and equally impressive with its efficien...

Page 7: ...hat you can easily identify it when there is more than one in the system Digital Signal Sense Signal sense is digital accurate and reliable Rejoice Ground Lift Switch Here is a legal and safe way to c...

Page 8: ...omputer network cards One shows an active connection while the other LED flickers with the passage of data There is a duplicate set on the rear panel Zone Status LEDs At the bottom of the columns are...

Page 9: ...y the other two settings For safety the chassis is always connected to earth ground regardless of the switch setting Bus Inputs 1 and 2 These inputs provide two distribution busses for sending a commo...

Page 10: ...ful goes wrong Rejoice there are no internal fuses in this amplifier A Guided Tour Of The Director Model D3200 13 14 15 16 17 11 12 18 19 Master Power Switch This switch controls the main AC power Sin...

Page 11: ...below should make it clear Note Do not use any 12 volt power trigger if you are using ethernet control Guided Tour Trigger Ins Outs How Triggered LED Indicator Mini Jacks Powered Ethernet Ethernet Tri...

Page 12: ...r setting the equalization usually a one time task the browser interface is the only method Control Using a Browser General From Firefox Internet Explorer or Safari log into the built in web server in...

Page 13: ...ones in the Configuration page those new names will show here At the top of the page you can see line voltage on off status of the amplifier whether signal sense is engaged and bring up a popup page w...

Page 14: ...or each individual zone and set server and port information If you wish to have email notification in the unlikely event there is a fault this is where you enter that information Be sure and Save Sett...

Page 15: ...se to unlock those pairs You can drag the slider to the desired position with a mouse or at the base of the graphic sliders click the adjusters by the numbers Please see a later section for a dis cuss...

Page 16: ...e information on this Signal Processing web page since the information on the other pages is saved sepa rately Control Via Telnet Commands To log into The Director via Telnet you need a Telnet cli ent...

Page 17: ...if zone 2 is muted the command mute 2 causes no change 3 Use queries to verify status There is no feedback from any command 4 In general numbers outside the expected range are ignored Control Command...

Page 18: ...there is not a list of all zones in the reply eg main power the response is also terminated by a colon Inquiry Commands mute Returns which zones are muted unmute Returns which zones are unmuted bus1 R...

Page 19: ...e 0 is the current configuration not a saved memory Logging Format In response to a logging inquiry log The Director will respond with the most recent fifty events The format of the logged response is...

Page 20: ...of the unit The indicator LED will glow red Now you can trigger the unit on and off via the 12 volt trigger in a conventional fashion The slide switches at the top for each zone will select Bus 1 Bus...

Page 21: ...TheDirector Model D3200 Installer s Guide Hook Up Guide System Diagrams Using Bus Inputs to Create Larger Zones 17...

Page 22: ...Hook Up Guide System Diagrams Whole House System with Tuner Only Background Music 18...

Page 23: ...TheDirector Model D3200 Installer s Guide 19 Hook Up Guide System Diagrams Multiple Unit System with Tuner Only Background Music Tuner Triggered on Daisy Chained Bus 1...

Page 24: ...Hook Up Guide System Diagrams Using the Crossover Option 20...

Page 25: ...hat s all there would be to it But just as waves in a pond reach the bank and reflect back sound waves bounce off walls ceilings and floors reflecting rein forcing and canceling each other as shown in...

Page 26: ...treatment and the position of the speakers 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 w...

Page 27: ...is a pink noise audio file at www audiocontrol com Search for pink noise The sig nal is playing through The Director when the LED s level meter on front panel responds to the volume 5 Assuming you hav...

Page 28: ...ctor s subsonic filter cuts frequencies be low your adjustment point But if your speakers can take it a mild boost will enhance bass instruments such as Fender bass kick drum floor toms timpani and do...

Page 29: ...r 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 n...

Page 30: ...etter Com plimenting this is the Diva a powerhouse digital room cor rection system providing eight channels of acoustical control to get the most out of your home theater AudioControl also has two fiv...

Page 31: ...ood designs use some margin of error Your choice of speaker wire gauge and the length of the runs also affects the speaker impedance load presented to the amplifiers As you can see in this table below...

Page 32: ...ted using favorable assumptions Also make sure the volume control power rating is continuous not peak The continuous rating is about one third of peak What happens to the in wall volume control if the...

Page 33: ...y to prevent over loading The Director The Director itself only takes 1 milliamp to turn on What are the power requirements and BTU outputs of The Director There is more detailed information in the sp...

Page 34: ...lly What the gain controls do affect is the quality of the sound In general you want amplifier gain controls down e g 10 o clock and the levels coming from the pre amp to be a higher level for no hiss...

Page 35: ...are designed to be near the lis tener In common rooms with eight foot ceilings and other usual dimensions in wall speakers typically are not much more than eight feet from the listener In large mansi...

Page 36: ...Protection LED is Blue but none of the Zone Status LEDs are on a Defeat the Signal Sense circuit using the switch on the rear panel All of the Zone Status LEDs should turn on If they do not call the A...

Page 37: ...a Unplug the unit from AC power wait two minutes then plug back in This should reset the unit b Something rather serious has happened inside The Director Call the AudioControl factory 6 Speaker Buzzi...

Page 38: ...d in writing by AudioControl to service the The Director If anyone other than A or B messes with The Director that voids your warranty 5 The warranty is also void if the serial number is altered or re...

Page 39: ...ouble you are having with The Director You d be surprised how many people forget this 3 A return street address No PO Boxes please 4 A daytime phone number in case our technician has a question about...

Page 40: ...Block Diagram 36...

Page 41: ...rt circuit thermal ultrasonic DC offset Stable into reactive or mismatched loads Weight 39 pounds 18 kg Dimensions 17 W x 16 D x 5 25 H Rack Mounting 3U high 19 Brackets Network Connection Protcol 10B...

Page 42: ...ev B 22410 70th Avenue West Mountlake Terrace WA 98043 USA 425 775 8461 Fax 425 778 3166 e mail sound better audiocontrol com Visit us on the web at www audiocontrol com For Those Who Consider Perfect...

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