Anthem STR Operating Manual

STR PREAMPLIFIER

Operating Manual

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).

NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL

THE LIGHTNING FLASH 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
SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO CONSTITUTE A
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK TO PERSONS.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC
SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO RAIN OR
MOISTURE, AND OBJECTS FILLED WITH LIQUIDS, SUCH AS
VASES, SHOULD NOT BE PLACED ON THIS APPARATUS.

CAUTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH WIDE
BLADE OF PLUG TO WIDE SLOT, FULLY INSERT.

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 of the ventilation openings. Install 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. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or
grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with
one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two
blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the
third prong is provided for your safety. When the provided

plug does not t into your outlet, consult an electrician for

replacement of the obsolete outlet.

THE EXCLAMATION POINT WITHIN
AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE IS
INTENDED TO ALERT THE USER TO THE
PRESENCE OF IMPORTANT OPERATING
AND MAINTENANCE (SERVICING)
INSTRUCTIONS IN THE LITERATURE
ACCOMPANYING THE APPLIANCE.

CAUTION: FOR CONTINUED PROTECTION AGAINST RISK OF
FIRE, REPLACE THE FUSE ONLY WITH THE SAME AMPERAGE
AND VOLTAGE TYPE. REFER REPLACEMENT TO QUALIFIED
SERVICE PERSONNEL.

WARNING: UNIT MAY BECOME HOT. ALWAYS PROVIDE
ADEQUATE VENTILATION TO ALLOW FOR COOLING. DO
NOT PLACE NEAR A HEAT SOURCE, OR IN SPACES THAT
CAN RESTRICT VENTILATION.

10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched,
particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles and the
point where they exit from the apparatus.

11. Only use the attachments/accessories specied by the

manufacturer.

12. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table
specied by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus.
When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/
apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when
unused for long periods of time.

14. 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 apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does
not operate normally, or has been dropped.

030718 REV2

i

WARNING: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. Avoid

installing this unit where foreign objects may fall onto this unit and/or this unit may be exposed to liquid dripping or
splashing. On the top of this unit, do not place:

• Burning objects (i.e. candles), as they may cause re, damage to this unit, and/or personal injury.

• Containers with liquid in them, as they may fall and liquid may cause electrical shock to the user and/or
damage to this unit.

Apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and no objects lled with liquids, such as vases, shall be

placed on the apparatus.

Do not install this equipment in a conned space such as a case or similar. Install it away from direct sunlight, heat

sources, vibration, dust, moisture, and/or cold.

Do not cover this unit with a newspaper, tablecloth, curtain, etc. in order not to obstruct heat radiation. If the

temperature inside this unit rises, it may cause re, damage to this unit, and/or personal injury.

Install this unit near the AC outlet and where the AC power plug can be reached easily.

This unit is not disconnected from the AC power source when it is turned o. This state is called the standby mode.

In this state, this unit is designed to consume a very small quantity of power.

CAUTION: Top surface can become hot.

CAUTION: These servicing instructions are for use by qualied service personnel only. To reduce the risk of electric

shock, do not perform any servicing other than that contained in the operating instructions, unless you are qualied
to do so.

CAUTION: Changes or modications to this equipment not expressly approved by Paradigm Electronics for

compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

FCC WARNING: Changes or modications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void

the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

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 radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful

interference 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 following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and unit.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the unit is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio / TV technician for help.

ii

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR UK CUSTOMERS: DO NOT cut o the mains plug from this equipment. If the plug
tted is not suitable for the power points in your home or the cable is too short to reach a power point, then obtain an
appropriate safety approved extension lead or consult your dealer. If, nonetheless, the mains plug is cut o, REMOVE THE
FUSE and dispose of the PLUG immediately, to avoid possible shock hazard by inadvertent connection to the mains supply.
If this product is not provided with a mains plug, or one has to be tted, then follow the instructions given below:

IMPORTANT: DO NOT make any connection to the larger terminal which is marked with the letter “E” or by the safety
earth symbol or colored GREEN or GREEN AND YELLOW.

The wires in the mains lead on this product are colored in accordance with the following code:

BLUE – NEUTRAL
BROWN – LIVE

As these colors may not correspond with the colored markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows:

The BLUE wire must be connected to the terminal marked with the letter “N” or colored BLACK.
The BROWN wire must be connected to the terminal marked with the letter “L” or colored RED.

When replacing the fuse, only a correctly rated and approved type should be used, and be sure to re-t the fuse cover. If in

doubt consult a competent electrician.

iii

NOTES ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

At the end of its useful life, this product must not be disposed of with regular household waste but must be returned to
a collection point for the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. The symbol on the product, user’s manual and
packaging, point this out. The materials can be reused in accordance with their markings. Through re-use, recycling of
raw materials or other forms of recycling of old products, you are making an important contribution to the protection of

our environment. Your local administrative oce can advise you of the responsible waste disposal point.

RECYCLING AND REUSE GUIDELINES (Europe)

In accordance with the European Union WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directive eective August 13,

2005, we would like to notify you that this product may contain regulated materials which, upon disposal, require special
reuse and recycling processing. For this reason Paradigm Electronics Inc. (the manufacturer of Paradigm speakers and

Anthem electronic products) has arranged with its distributors in European Union member nations to collect and recycle
this product at no cost to you. To nd your local distributor please contact the dealer from whom you purchased this

product or go to our website at www.paradigm.com.

Please note that only the product falls under the WEEE directive. When disposing of packaging and other shipping
material we encourage you to recycle through the normal channels.

INFORMATION ABOUT COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF WASTE BATTERIES (DIRECTIVE 2006/66/EC OF THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN UNION) (for European customers only)

Batteries bearing any of these symbols indicate that they should be treated as “separate collection” and not as municipal

waste. It is encouraged that necessary measures are implemented to maximize the separate collection of waste
batteries and to minimize the disposal of batteries as mixed municipal waste. End-users are exhorted not to dispose
waste batteries as unsorted municipal waste. In order to achieve a high level of recycling waste batteries, discard waste
batteries separately and properly through an accessible collection point in your vicinity. For more information about
collection and recycling of waste batteries, please contact your local municipality, your waste disposal service or the point
of sale where you purchased the items.

By ensuring compliance and conformance to proper disposal of waste batteries, potential hazardous eects on human

health is prevented and the negative impact of batteries and waste batteries on the environment is minimized, thus
contributing to the protection, preservation and quality improvement of the environment.

CdHgPb

Anthem and any related party assume no liability for the user’s failure to comply with any requirements.

Anthem, AnthemLogic, ARC, Sonic Frontiers, and Paradigm are trademarks or registered trademarks of Paradigm

Electronics Inc. © Paradigm Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. The information contained herein may not be reproduced

in whole or in part without our express written permission. We reserve the right to change specications or features

without notice as design improvements are incorporated.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Before Making Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2 In-Use Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

1.3 Front Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.4 Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.5 Remote Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.6 Firmware Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

CONNECTIONS AND OPERATION

2.1 Digital Input Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.2 Analog Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.3 Local Area Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.4 12 Volt Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.5 Infra Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.6 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

SETUP

3.1 Speaker setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3.2 Bass Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3.3 Listener Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3.4 Level Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.5 Input Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.6 Analog Input Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

3.7 Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

3.8 Network / Remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

3.9 Save / Load Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3.10 System Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

3.11 USB Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

ANTHEM ROOM CORRECTION (ARC™)

4.1 Before Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

4.2 ARC Software Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

4.3 Microphone Stand Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4.4 Microphone Positioning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4.5 Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4.6 Manual Mode and Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

4.7 Advanced Subwoofer Targets . . . . . . . . . . . 30

4.8 Printing a Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

OPERATION

5.1 Power On/O and Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

5.2 Input Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

5.3 Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

5.4 Listening Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

5.5 Info Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

BIG PICTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

LIMITED WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

v

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing the Anthem STR Preamplier.

All Anthem products are engineered to recreate the passion of a live musical performance and emotional involvement
experienced in the best movie theaters by utilizing the highest level of circuit design, superior parts and manufacturing

techniques, innovative features, and intuitive ergonomics. We are condent that their inclusion in your system will
signicantly enhance your enjoyment of recordings for years to come.

1.1 BEFORE MAKING CONNECTIONS

Check that you have received all items listed below and report discrepancies to your dealer as soon as possible. In case
the unit needs to be transported in the future, keep the packing materials.

Retain the invoice that you received from your authorized Anthem dealer at time of purchase – without it,
service will not be provided under warranty.

Packing List:

• Preamplier

• Operating manual

• Remote control

• 2 AAA batteries

• USB type B cable for the USB audio input

• USB mini B cable for software updates and ARC (PC version)

• Dual-jack microphone

• 3.5mm microphone cable for ARC (mobile app version)

• IEC power cord (US / UK / EU / CN types are supplied by the factory, other types are normally provided
by the local distributor)

Additional items in Anthem Room Correction (ARC™) kit:

• USB Microphone

• Microphone clip

• Telescopic stand with boom

• USB mini B cable for the microphone

• CAT5 cable for connection to a router or network

1.2 IN-USE NOTICES

• Disconnect the power cord before connecting or disconnecting any components.

• If the unit was transported or stored in the cold, let it reach room temperature before use.

• Do not remove the top cover.

• Do not modify the product.

• Due to continuing advances, operational characteristics may change. If this manual contains discrepancies
please check www.anthemAV.com for the latest manual.

1

1.3 FRONT PANEL

1

1

Display

2

Setup menu access and selection conrmation

3

Previous input or item

4

Volume control and menu navigation

5

Next input or item

6

Mute

7

Power

2 3

4

5 6 7

2

1.4 REAR PANEL

1

20

19

Power cord inlet (IEC C18 type)

1

2

USB DAC input (Windows PCs need to have XMOS driver installed)

3

AES/EBU digital audio input

4

Coaxial digital audio inputs

5

Optical digital audio inputs

6

Factory use

2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9

10

11

12

131415161718

7

ARC and rmware upgrades via PC

8

ARC, rmware upgrades, and control via Ethernet

9

RS-232 (serial) connection for control

10

12V DC / 50 mA trigger output

11

IR input

12

Phono ground terminal

13

Moving coil phono input

14

Moving magnet phono input

15

Analog RCA inputs (RCA 3 and RCA 4 can be congured for Home Theater Bypass)

16

Balanced XLR inputs (also congurable for Home Theater Bypass)

17

Balanced XLR outputs (fronts and 2 subs in mono or stereo)

18

Line outputs (xed-level, suitable for a headphone amp or recording device)

19

Subwoofer outputs (2, mono or stereo)

20

Left/Right RCA outputs

3

1.5 REMOTE CONTROL

Power – On

1

Setup menu

2

3

Power – Standby

4

Navigation

5

Input

6

Info (pertaining to input and output)

7

Listening Modes (mono/stereo)

8

Levels (sub, bass, treble, balance)

9

Mute

10

Volume

1 2 3

4

7

5

6

8

10

9

11

4

1.6 FIRMWARE UPDATES

The STR series supports software updates via network or mini-USB cable through the ARC (Anthem Room Correction) software.

For more information on downloading this software please see section 4.1 of this manual.

STR rmware updates will help keep your products up to date as Anthem introduces new features and performance

enhancements over the lifecycle of the product.

In order to initiate a rmware update open “ARC-2 Manual Mode” in the start menu.

To begin select “Tools->Firmware Update” from the taskbar.

A dialog window will open asking you to select the device you wish to update.

5

A dialog will open asking you whether you would like to manually select an update le.

NO - Automatic Updates (Network Only)

For automatic network updates your STR will need to be connected to a router with an internet connection.

If you have an active internet connection you may select “No” and the STR will search online for the latest version of rmware.

The update will begin and the unit will restart once complete.

YES - Manual Updates (Network or mini-USB)

For manual updates by network or mini-USB cable you will need to download the rmware le from anthemav.com.

Go to https://www.anthemav.com/support/latest-software.php and scroll to the STR product. Click download. The le
will download as a .zip le and must be extracted. Once extracted you may nish the update process.

After selecting “Yes” you must browse to the folder you have saved the rmware (.upd extension) le and select it. The update

will begin and the unit will restart once complete.

6

CONNECTIONS

2.1 DIGITAL INPUT CONNECTIONS

Stereo digital audio sources can be connected using AES/EBU, coaxial or optical cable. The PCM stereo format up to
24-bit / 192 kHz is supported by all digital inputs. If using sources that have an option for selecting between PCM and

Bitstream or Dolby Digital audio output, select PCM.

A personal computer can also be connected to the asynchronous USB DAC input. Stereo PCM up to 32-bit / 384 kHz, and
DSD format up to 5.6 MHz are supported through this connection. Simply connect your computer and use media playing
software on it to have music playing through your system. If using a Windows PC, the USB DAC driver must rst
be downloaded from our web site and installed. With Mac OS, just plug and play.

2.2 ANALOG CONNECTIONS

Balanced XLR connection oers the highest analog transmission quality, particularly over long cable lengths because it
rejects noise and hum pickup. Two such inputs are provided using the conventional pin-2 positive conguration. There are

also four RCA line inputs.

For phono, there are two inputs. Be sure to use the correct one otherwise level will be aected and treble response may
be altered. The MM input is suitable for turntables using moving-magnet and high-output moving-coil phono cartridges.
The MC input uses input impedance and gain tailored to low-output moving-coil cartridges. As well, connect the ground
wire from the turntable to the screw terminal next to the phono inputs to prevent excessive hum.

The subwoofer jacks are labelled “L” and “R” but if the system uses one subwoofer, it can be connected to any subwoofer

output jack.

2.3 LOCAL AREA NETWORK

A local network connection is required for IP control. Simply connect your router using CAT5 cable. Anthem Room
Correction can be congured using the network or USB-connected personal computer.

2.4 12 VOLT TRIGGER

If another system component has a trigger input it can be activated by the STR Preamplier. Connect the trigger output using a
cable with 3.5mm mini plugs. The STR Preamplier provides exible trigger options. Through the setup menu, you can specify

the conditions for enabling triggers.

2.5 INFRA RED

An external IR receiver allows the remote control to be used from another location in your home – connect the STR Preamplier
from an external IR hub to the IR IN jack. Most standard IR repeater kits can be used but to avoid problems test compatibility

before installing permanently.

2.6 POWER

Connect the power cord to the STR Preamplier and the power source. After connecting power, wait at least 5 seconds before

pressing the power button.

7