ARCAM MS250 Handbook

MS250

Safety guidelines

Important safety instructions

This product is designed and manufactured to meet strict quality and safety standards. However, you should be aware of the following installation and operation precautions.

1. Take heed of warnings and instructions

It is important that you:

A. read all the safety and operating instructions before

operating this speaker. B. keep this handbook for future reference. C. follow all instructions and adhere to all warnings in the

handbook or on the speaker.

2. Water and moisture

Do not use this speaker near water. The presence of electricity near water can be dangerous

– for example next to a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, in a wet basement or near a swimming pool, etc.

3. Object or liquid entry

Take care that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled, dripped or splashed into the enclosure through any

openings. Liquid-lled objects such as vases should not be

placed on the equipment.

4. Ventilation

Do not block any of the ventilation openings. Do not place the equipment on a bed, sofa, rug or similar soft

surface, or in an enclosed bookcase or cabinet, since ventilation may be impeded. We recommend a minimum distance of 50mm around the sides and top of the appliance to provide adequate ventilation.

5. Heat

Do not install the speaker near any heat producing equipment such as radiators, stoves or other appliances

(including other ampliers) that produce heat.

6. Climate

The appliance has been designed for use in moderate climates.

7. Racks and stands

Only use a rack or stand that is recommended for use with audio equipment. If the equipment is on a portable rack it should be moved with great care, to avoid overturning the combination.

8. Power sources

The unit is supplied with a market-suitable electrical plug. Do not substitute or modify the supplied plug – see your dealer if a replacement is required.

The mains socket or the connecting lead is used as the disconnect device. The MS250 must be installed in a manner that makes disconnection possible.

9. Grounding

The MS250 is Class I construction and must be connected to a socket outlet with a protective earthing connection. Ensure that the grounding means of the appliance is not defeated.

10. Power-cord protection

Power supply cords should be routed so that they are protected against being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs and the point where they exit from the unit.

11. Protection from electrical storms

Unplug the unit during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

12. Abnormal smell

If an abnormal smell or smoke is detected from the appliance, turn the power off immediately and unplug the unit from the wall outlet. Contact your dealer immediately.

13. Cleaning

Unplug the unit from the mains supply before cleaning. The case should normally only require a wipe with a soft,

dry, lint-free cloth. Do not use paint thinners or other chemical solvents for cleaning.

We do not advise the use of furniture cleaning sprays or polishes as they can cause indelible white marks if the unit is subsequently wiped with a damp cloth.

14. Servicing and repair

Refer all servicing to qualied servicing personnel.

Servicing is required when: the speaker has been damaged in any way, such as:

A. the power-supply cord or the plug has been damaged,

B. liquid has been spilled, or objects have fallen into the

enclosure, or C. the appliance has been exposed to rain or moisture, or D. the appliance does not appear to operate normally or

exhibits a marked change in performance, or E. the appliance has been dropped or the enclosure

damaged.

Safety compliance

This product has been designed to meet the IEC 60065 international electrical safety standard.

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover (or back). No user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing

to qualied service personnel.

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

The lightning ash with an 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 sufcient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

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 product.

CAUTION: In Canada and the USA, to prevent electric shock, match the wide blade of the plug to the wide slot in the socket and insert the plug fully into the socket.

English

MS250

Safety guidelines .................................................. 2

Important safety instructions ...............................2

Safety compliance ..............................................2

Before you start! ................................................... 4

Using this handbook............................................4

What’s in the box? ..............................................4

Inserting the batteries into the remote control ........4

Conventions used in this document .......................5

Before making connections ..................................5

Installation & connectivity .................................... 6

Positioning the unit .............................................6

Connections on the back panel ............................. 6

General connection advice ...................................7

Connecting to a power supply ..............................7

Front-panel controls ............................................. 8

Using the CR-425 remote control .......................... 9

Operating the MS250 .......................................... 10

The menu system ............................................. 10

Switching on .................................................... 10

Playing CDs ......................................................... 11

Storing a CD on the MS250.................................. 12

Playing stored music ........................................... 14

Internet radio ..................................................... 16

Playlists .............................................................. 17

Creating a playlist ............................................. 17

Listening to a playlist ........................................ 18

Adding tracks to a playlist .................................. 18

Editing a playlist ............................................... 18

Managing your stored music library .................... 18

Creating a CD ...................................................... 20

System and User Settings ................................... 22

The Audio menu ............................................... 22

The Content menu ............................................ 22

The Display menu ............................................. 23

The Network menu ...........................................24

The Region menu ............................................. 24

The System menu............................................. 24

The Time menu ................................................ 25

The Archive music menu .................................... 25

Connecting to a network and the Internet .......... 26

Local Area network congurations ....................... 26

Testing your Internet connection ......................... 27

Advanced network conguration information ........ 27

Advanced features .............................................. 28

Zones .............................................................28

External audio sources ......................................28

Playing music stored on a portable MP3 player or other

USB storage device ........................................... 28

Playing music over the network .......................... 28

Copying music les ........................................... 29

Remote-control codes ......................................... 30

Technical specications ...................................... 31

Guarantee ........................................................... 32

On line registration ............................................. 32

Contents

Welcome, and thank you for buying the Arcam MS250. The MS250 is designed to act a central repository and

distribution system for all your digital music. It can distribute high quality music programming to multiple rooms in your house using both analogue and digital connections. It can distribute music stored on the MS250, and also music stored on computers connected to your home ethernet network.

You can use your MS250 to:

Store and catalogue your entire CD collection

Play Internet radio stations

Play CDs

Create CDs from your own music selections (‘playlists’)

Access and play music stored on your computer

network

Direct music from any source (including two external

sources, such as a DAB tuner or record deck) around

your home.

The MS250 uses very high quality digital-to-analogue conversion to ensure superb reproduction in the analogue output chain. Depending on the system settings, the stored copy of a CD will be identical to the original, with no quality loss. We hope that you have many hours of enjoyment from this product, in whichever room you choose to listen.

MS250

Before you start!

Using this handbook

This handbook has been designed to give you all the information you need to install, connect, set-up and use your Arcam MS250. The supplied remote control handset is also described.

It may be that your MS250 has been installed and set-up as part of your Hi-Fi installation by a qualied

Arcam dealer. In this case, you may wish to skip the sections of this handbook dealing with installation and setting up the unit, and move directly to the sections dealing with using the server. Use the contents list on page 3 to guide you to these sections.

Safety

Safety guidelines are set out on page 2 of this handbook. Many of these items are common sense precautions, but for your own safety, and to ensure that you do

not damage the unit, we recommend that you read them. This is a class 1 product and requires an earth connection.

What’s in the box?

Check that the following items are in the box when you receive it:

Arcam MS250

Arcam CR-425 remote control with 2 ‘AAA’ batteries — the remote control model number is

shown on the front at the bottom of the remote control;

Mains power lead appropriate for the mains supply in your area;

Product registration card and envelope.

If any of these items are missing or incorrect, please contact your Arcam dealer immediately.

Inserting the batteries into the remote control

The remote control requires 2 ‘AAA’ batteries to operate. To insert the batteries into the remote control, please follow these instructions:

1. Open the battery compartment cover on the back of the remote control.

2. Insert two AAA batteries into the battery compartment, following the polarity indications given inside the compartment itself.

3. Close the cover.

Notes on inserting the remote control batteries

Incorrect use of batteries can result in hazards such as leakage and

bursting.

Do not mix old and new batteries together.

Do not use different kinds of battery together—although they may look

similar, different batteries may have different voltages.

Ensure that the plus (+) and minus (—) ends of each battery match the

indications in the battery compartment.

Remove batteries from equipment that is not going to be used for a

month or more.

When disposing of used batteries, please comply with governmental (or

other) regulations that apply in your country or area.

Using the remote control

Please keep in mind the following when using the remote control:

Ensure that there are no obstacles between the remote control and the

remote sensor on the MS250. The remote has a range of about seven meters. (If the remote sensor is obscured, the remote control input jack on the rear panel is available. Please contact your dealer for further

information.)

Remote operation may become unreliable if strong sunlight or uorescent

light is shining on the remote sensor of the MS250.

Replace the batteries when you notice a reduction in the operating range

of the remote control.





A. Open the cover of the remote control

battery compartment

B. Insert the batteries into the remote

control





C. Close the cover of the remote control

battery compartment

English

MS250

Conventions used in this document

Zones

The MS250 supports up to four zones. The term ‘Zones’ refers to the four stereo analogue outputs supported by this product. Zone 1 corresponds to the room where the MS250 is situated: Zones 2, 3 and 4 are the other three analogue output locations.

Before making connections

Before connecting your equipment it is important to think about the following points, as these will affect your choice of connections and subsequent use of the system.

Video

Normal, everyday control of the MS250 is by remote handset (or the front panel control buttons) and the

front panel display. However, to access certain features of the MS250, you will need to connect a TV or monitor. A USB keyboard can also be added to make text entry more convenient.

Your MS250 supports three different video connection types: VGA, S-Video, or Composite video. Choose a connection that your TV/monitor supports.

Audio inputs

Two stereo line-level inputs are provided on the rear panel to allow routing and recording of analogue sources, such as a DAB tuner. The audio signal from theses inputs can be routed to any of the Zones. If you wish to listen to more than two external sources, you may wish to invest in an external switch or pre-amp to use for input selection.

Note that to connect a record deck to the MS250 you will require a phono pre-amp.

Audio outputs

The MS250 supports analogue, digital (SP/DIF) and networked audio connections.

With the possible exception of networked connections, all of these methods require you to route cables

from the MS250 to an appropriate amplier or receiver in the remote location. Analogue connections require a stereo phono cable to be routed to an amplier; digital connections require a remote receiver

or D/A converter; and networked connections require a PC or similar network audio receiver. Think carefully about the type of connection you wish to use for each remote location before starting to

equip a new multi-room installation: we recommend asking your dealer for advice at the planning stage before installation work is commissioned.

MS250

Positioning the unit

Place the MS250 on a level, rm surface. Ensure that the surface you have chosen is strong

enough to take the weight of the MS250.

Avoid placing the unit in direct sunlight or near sources of heat or damp.

Do not place the unit on top of an amplier or other source of heat.

Ensure adequate ventilation. Do not place the unit in an enclosed space such as a bookcase

or closed cabinet unless there is good provision for ventilation. The MS250 is designed to run warm during normal operation.

Make sure the IR receiver on the front panel is unobstructed, otherwise this will impair the use

of the remote control. If line-of-sight is impractical, an infrared remote repeater can be used with the rear panel IR connector.

Do not place your record deck on top of this unit. Record decks are very sensitive to the noise

generated by mains power supplies which will be heard as ‘hum’ if the record deck is too close.

Connections on the back panel

Video output

A video connection may be used to view the menus of the MS250 on a TV or computer monitor. The MS250 does not have to be connected to a video display for day-to-day use, as all basic functionality is available via the front-panel. However, to gain access to advanced functionality, for product

conguration, and for improved ease of use, a video display is required.

There are three different video outputs available from the MS250: VGA, S-Video and Composite Video.

Choose one that your display supports, connect it with a suitable cable and, if required, congure the

output to match using the ‘Display’ menu option within Settings > System.

S-Video

The S-Video output (also known as S-VHS or Y/C) is commonly supported by

display devices worldwide. Connect the S-VIDEO output of the MS250 to the S-Video input of the display device using an S-Video cable of an appropriate length.

Composite

video

If your display device offers a composite input (sometimes labelled CVBS or just

‘video’), connect this to the COMPOSITE video output of the MS250 using a 75Ω

phono cable suitable for video use.

VGA

The VGA connector is used commonly by computer monitors and is becoming increasing available on other display devices.

Note that you may connect equipment such as AV receivers in the signal path between the MS250 and the display device, so long that the connected equipment also supports the type of video signal you intend to use. For instructions on how to connect AV equipment, consult the manual for that equipment.

Digital-audio output

A digital-audio output is provided for use in Zone 1. This output always carries the audio from Zone 1

and cannot be congured for other zones.

If you have an external surround-sound decoder, receiver or D-A converter that you wish to use with the MS250, then you will need to connect it to the digital-audio output using either a co-axial or optical lead.

If possible, use the co-axial connection as this offers slightly better performance. Connect the co-axial output of the MS250 to the digital audio co-axial input of the decoder/D-A converter or receiver using a phono cable designed for digital audio interconnection.

Alternatively, connect the optical output of the MS250 to the optical input of the decoder/D-A converter or receiver using a TOSLINK optical lead.

Installation & connectivity

ZONE4ZONE3

ZONE2ZONE1ZONE1

115–230VAC 100CVA MAX

ZONE1

COAXOPTICAL

ZONE4ZONE3

ZONE2ZONE1

S-VIDEO

COMPOSITE

VIDEO

RS232

CONTROL

VGA

KEYBOARD

ZONE2

INPUTS

DIGITAL OUTPUTS TRIGGER OUTREMOTE IN

NETWORK

BACKUP

ZONE4ZONE1

ZONE3ZONE2

OUTPUTS

AUX 1 AUX 2

OUTPUT

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

English

MS250

Analogue-audio outputs

Four stereo pairs of phono outputs are provided, one for each Zone. The volume level for each zone can be independently set. The outputs can each carry audio from different sources (stored music, CD,

Internet radio etc.), including up to two external line-level inputs (a DAB tuner, for example).

The remote-control input

The REMOTE IN input can be used to pass RC5 codes to the MS250 if it is installed in a position (or

system) where infrared cannot be used. If this is required, please contact your dealer for further

information.

Keyboard connector

Characters can be entered into an on-screen text eld using the CR-425 remote control. If you have a large number of track titles to enter by hand, however, you’ll nd that connecting an external keyboard

is much more convenient. You can connect either a PS/2 or a USB keyboad. If you are using a PS/2 keyboard, connect it to the

KEyBOARD socket before the MS250 is powered on, otherwise it may not be recognised. A USB keyboard

can be connected to one of the USB connectors on the rear panel or the USB connector on the front panel. You can connect or disconnect a USB keyboard at any time.

Backup connector (USB)

Allows you to connect a keyboard or external USB storage device to the MS250. A second USB connection is provided on the front panel.

Network (Ethernet/USB)

This is a standard Ethernet RJ45 connection allowing you to connect the MS250 to your local area

network (LAN). See the section on ‘Connecting to a network’ for further information. An additional USB

connection below the RJ45 socket is provided for future use.

General connection advice

We recommend the use of high quality screened analogue, digital and video cables, since inferior quality cables will degrade the overall quality of your system. Use only cables that are designed for the particular application as other cables will have different impedance characteristics that will degrade the performance of your system (for example, do not use cabling intended for audio use to carry video

signals). All cables should be kept as short as is practically possible.

Video and digital connections must be made with cables that are designed for this purpose, i.e., coaxial

cable with a 75Ω impedance. Using substandard cables may result in poor picture quality, such as ghost images and/or grainy picture quality (‘snow’).

Speaker cables should be kept short to ensure efcient power transmission and avoid audible distortion.

It is good practice when connecting your equipment to ensure that the mains power supply cabling is kept as far away as possible from your audio and video cables, as this will provide the best sound and picture quality . Failure to do so may result in unwanted noise in the audio and video signals.

Connecting to a power supply

Mains lead

The appliance is normally supplied with a moulded mains plug already tted to the lead. If for any

reason the plug needs to be removed, it must be disposed of immediately and securely, as it is a potential shock hazard when inserted into the mains socket.

Check that the plug supplied with the unit ts your supply and that your mains supply voltage agrees

with the voltage setting (115V or 230V) indicated on the rear panel of the unit. If your mains supply voltage or mains plug is different, or you require a new lead, please consult your

Arcam dealer.

Plugging in

Push the plug (IEC line socket) of the power cable supplied with the unit into the socket

in the back

of the unit. Make sure it is pushed in rmly.

Put the plug on the other end of the cable into your power supply socket and switch the socket on.

MS250

POWER

Press this button to switch on the MS250. The power indicator light changes from red to green. From power-on, the MS250 will take about 30 seconds to initialise; a start-up message is displayed on the front panel.

When powered-on, press this button for a second time to switch the unit off. The MS250 takes a few seconds to shut down. To avoid risk of data loss, do not remove power from the unit during this period.

LOAD

To load a CD, press LOAD (or OPEN on the remote control). The CD tray opens to accept 12cm or 8cm discs. Place the CD in the tray with the label facing uppermost. Press LOAD again (or press PLAy, or gently push the tray in 5mm) to close the tray. After a few seconds, if the CD has been found in the on-line database, the track names appear on the display.

Music control keys

These keys can be used to control CDs and stored music. Play/Pause: Press 4 to play the current music selection. Press again to pause the music. If the music

is paused, pressing Play again will resume the music from the point where it was paused. Stop: Press < to stop the current music selection. Pressing play after the music has been stopped will

resume playing at the start of the current track. Search forwards/backwards: Press 8 or 7 on the front-panel or remote control to play fast forward

or backwards. The following speeds for fast playback are available: x2, x4, x8, x16 and x32. Press the button repeatedly to cycle through the different speeds. To resume normal playback speed, press PLAy.

Fast playback is not available for MP3/WMA tracks. Skip track: To start a CD with a track other than the rst, press / or 0 to locate the desired track. To select another track at any time during play, press / or 0.

Menu navigation keys

These keys allow navigation of the MS250 menu system – they match the cursor keys on the remotecontrol. Use the up-down-left-right keys to move the menu highlight to the item of interest, then press

OK to open or select the highlighted item.

DISPLAy

This key changes the brightness of the display. Press repeatedly to reduce the brightness in steps from full brightness to off. Press once more to restore to full brightness.

ZONE

Press the Zone button to select the zone you wish to view or control. There are four output zones, which in a typical installation will be routed to different rooms in the house. The zone number is shown on the display along with the audio settings for that zone. You can route different audio sources to different zones. For example, you can play a stored CD in one zone and Internet radio in another zone at the same time.

USB connector

The front panel USB connector is in addition to the two USB connectors on the back panel of the MS250.

It allows easier access to the MS250 for playing music or transferring music les from portable music

sources.



POWER

LOAD

OKHOME ZONE

DISPLAY





Front-panel controls

To put the unit into stand-by, press the power button on the remote control. The display is dimmed and shows the time and date.

English

MS250



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 





  

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

If the remote control receiver (located on the right of the frontpanel window) is not ‘visible’ to the remote control hand-set, then the remote control will not work! Either locate the unit differently, or take advantage of the remote control input on the rear of the player (consult your dealer for further information on this option).

Using the CR-425 remote control

DISP (display)

Cycles the brightness of the front panel display.

There are several brightness levels to choose

from, including switching the display off.

Record

Press this button to begin recording a CD to

hard drive or recording line input..

0–9 keypad

This allows text entry of characters and numbers, as on a mobile phone.

On genre, artists, album or track lists these also

lter based on the rst character.

Back Use this key to navigate back to the previous menu page.

The key is also used to delete characters when editing text entries.

MUTE Stops sound output of the currently selected zone.

Volume +/–

Adjusts the volume (output level) of the currently

selected zone.

OPEN

Opens and closes the disc tray

Page Up/Down

Scrolls through long lists a page at a time.

Cursor pad and OK button

Use the cursor pad to navigate within a menu page.

Conrm your selection with the OK button.

Playback control

Pause (

;

), Play (4) and Stop (<).

Fast play and Skip track

Play fast (7

) and Skip tracks

) in both directions.

Source selection

Press these buttons to select the internal

CD player, Internet radio, or the devices connected to the AUX 1 or AUX 2 inputs.

Standby

Press Standby to toggle the standby state of the MS250.

ZONE

Press ZONE to cycle through a display of what each zone is currently playing.

SETUP

Press this button to access the

MS250’s ‘Setup’ menu.

HOME

Press this button to access the

MS250’s ‘Home’ menu.

Menu shortcuts

Press these buttons to navigate directly to the appropriate menu when choosing stored music.

Normal/Caps/Numbers shift Press to change alphanumeric setting when entering text.

Red

If a CD is in the tray then this closes the tray

and records the CD to hard drive and plays

the CD at the same time.

Blue

Go to ‘Now Playing’ screen

Green

If a CD is in the tray then this closes the tray

and plays the CD without identifying it rst.

yellow

Toggles the on screen display on/off

MS250

Operating the MS250

The menu system

The MS250 is controlled using its menu system. This is best viewed on a TV or a computer monitor, connected as described on page 6. The menu system is also displayed front panel display which is

sufcient for day-to-day control.

Navigation around the menus is performed using either the remote control or the buttons on the front panel. The remote control includes useful shortcut keys and is easier to use.

The front panel display acts as a ‘window’ on the menu system showing a (necessarily) restricted view of

the whole. Use the up, down, left and right keys to navigate to each corner of the menu displayed. The picture below shows an example.

The picture below shows how this works.

Switching on

The front panel display shows the power on message. After about 30 seconds, the MUSIC SOURCE home page appears:

Note: The front panel display is shown here for completeness. For clarity, only the TV/Monitor display is shown in the rest of this section. Note that most of the features may be operated using the front panel buttons to navigate, using information shown on the front panel display.

Any time you wish to return to this page, you can do so by simply pressing HOME on the remote or on the front panel.

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