miniDSP NANOAVR 8X8 User Manual
NANOAVR 8X8
User Manual
miniDSP Ltd, Hong Kong / www.minidsp.com / Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 1
Revision
Description
Date
1.0
Initial version
26 Jan 2014
1.1
Corrected package contents and
time delay; links to app notes
11 Feb 2014
1.2
Additional items added to
Troubleshooting
12 Mar 2014
1.3
Ethernet connectivity.
30 June 2014
1.4
Bass management information
added, support portal link added.
28 Jul 2014
Revision history
miniDSP Ltd, Hong Kong / www.minidsp.com / Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 2
CONTENTS
Important Information ......................................................................................................................................... 5
System Requirements ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Disclaimer/Warning ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Warranty Terms ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Package Contents ............................................................................................................................................ 6
1 Product Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 7
2 Installation and setup .................................................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Hardware connectivity ......................................................................................................................... 8
2.1.1 HDMI input and output ................................................................................................................. 8
2.1.2 DC Power ...................................................................................................................................... 9
2.1.3 USB ............................................................................................................................................... 9
2.1.4 Ethernet ..................................................................................................................................... 10
2.2 Software installation .......................................................................................................................... 11
2.2.1 Windows .................................................................................................................................... 11
2.2.2 Mac OS X .................................................................................................................................... 12
3 Configuring the nanoAVR ............................................................................................................................ 13
3.1 Connecting to the nanoAVR ................................................................................................................ 14
3.1.1 USB ............................................................................................................................................. 14
3.1.2 Ethernet ..................................................................................................................................... 14
3.1.3 Options ....................................................................................................................................... 14
3.2 Global settings.................................................................................................................................... 15
3.3 Configure signal routing ..................................................................................................................... 16
3.4 Output channel setup ......................................................................................................................... 17
3.4.1 Channel label .............................................................................................................................. 17
3.4.2 Gain control and level monitoring ............................................................................................... 17
3.4.3 Parametric EQ............................................................................................................................. 18
3.4.4 Crossover settings....................................................................................................................... 20
3.4.5 Compressor ................................................................................................................................ 22
3.4.6 Time delay .................................................................................................................................. 22
3.4.7 Invert and mute .......................................................................................................................... 23
3.5 Bass management .............................................................................................................................. 23
3.6 Working with configurations .............................................................................................................. 25
3.6.1 Selecting a configuration ............................................................................................................ 26
3.6.2 Saving and loading configurations ............................................................................................... 26
3.6.3 Restoring to defaults................................................................................................................... 27
3.7 Keyboard Shortcuts ............................................................................................................................ 27
4 Using the nanoAVR ...................................................................................................................................... 28
4.1 Status indicators ................................................................................................................................. 28
4.2 Front panel controls ........................................................................................................................... 28
4.3 Infrared remote control ...................................................................................................................... 29
5 Acoustic measurement ................................................................................................................................ 30
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5.1 What is acoustic measurement? ......................................................................................................... 30
5.2 Performing acoustic measurements ................................................................................................... 31
5.3 Adjusting equalizer settings ................................................................................................................ 32
5.3.1 Manual method .......................................................................................................................... 32
5.3.2 Automated method .................................................................................................................... 33
6 Additional information ................................................................................................................................ 34
6.1 Specifications ..................................................................................................................................... 34
6.2 Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................................. 35
6.3 MCU Firmware upgrade ..................................................................................................................... 36
6.4 Obtaining Support .............................................................................................................................. 36
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please read the following information before use. In case of any questions, please contact miniDSP via the
support portal at minidsp.desk.com.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
To configure the nanoAVR, you will require a Windows PC or Apple Mac OS X computer with the following
minimum specification:
Windows
PC with 1GHz or higher processor clock speed. Intel® Pentium®/Celeron® family, or AMD K6®/AMD
Athlon®/AMD Duron® family, or compatible processor recommended.
512 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher
Keyboard and mouse or compatible pointing device
Microsoft• ® Windows® Vista® SP1/ XP pro SP2/Win7/Win8.1
Microsoft• ® .NET framework v3.5 or later
Adobe AIR environment (latest version)
Adobe Flash player (latest version)
Mac OS X
Intel-based Mac with 1 GHz or higher processor clock speed
512 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher
Keyboard and mouse or compatible pointing device
Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
Adobe AIR environment (latest version)
Adobe Flash player (latest version)
Both Platforms
For USB connectivity:
USB 2.0 port
For Ethernet connectivity via LAN:
Ethernet router with spare 100 Mbps port
For direct (ZeroConf) Ethernet connectivity:
Ethernet port on computer with 100 Mbps capability. (Apple Macs: a Thunderbolt port with a Thunderbolt to
Ethernet adapter.)
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DISCLAIMER/WARNING
miniDSP cannot be held responsible for any damage that may result from the improper use of this product or
incorrect configuration of the nanoAVR settings. As with any other product, we recommend that you carefully
read this manual and other technical notes to ensure that you fully understand how to operate this product. The
nanoAVR is a powerful tool, and misuse or mis-configuration, such as incorrectly set gains or excessive boost,
can produce signals that may damage your audio system.
As a general guideline, you should perform the initial configuration of your nanoAVR before enabling audio
through any connected output device or amplification. Doing so will help ensure that the software is correctly
configured.
Finally, note that the nanoAVR is a very flexible device, and many of the questions we receive at the tech
support department are already answered in this user manual and in the online application notes on the
miniDSP.com website. So please take the time to carefully read this user manual and the online technical
support. Thanks for your understanding!
WARRANTY TERMS
miniDSP Ltd warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one
year from the invoice date. Our warranty does not cover failure of the product due to incorrect connection or
installation, improper or undocumented use, unauthorized servicing, modification or alteration of the unit in any
way, or any usage outside of that recommended in this manual. If in doubt, contact miniDSP prior to use.
PACKAGE CONTENTS
Your nanoAVR package contains:
One nanoAVR DSP unit
Universal 5 VDC power supply with interchangeable power pins
One USB cable for computer connectivity
One Ethernet cable
One HDMI cable
Printed Quick-start Guide
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1 PRODUCT OVERVIEW
The nanoAVR is a 2-input HDMI 1.4a switch combined with a sophisticated digital audio signal processor (DSP).
The onboard floating-point SHARC processor combined with miniDSP’s signature audio processing and user
interface software allows real time tuning and mixing of eight channels of uncompressed linear PCM (LPCM)
audio.
In its most typical application, the nanoAVR connects between an HDMI source such as a Blu-ray player and an
A/V receiver, providing an unmatched level of audio tuning flexibility for home theater applications. The second
HDMI input allows connection of other devices such as media streaming devices, gaming consoles, computerbased media players, and so on. Video from the selected input is switched directly to the output, with no video
processing applied to the signal.
The diagram below illustrates a typical usage of the nanoAVR. In this example, a Blu-ray or DVD player is
connected to HDMI input 1 and a streaming media player to HDMI input 2. The HDMI output is connected to an
A/V receiver, which in turn drives the display device and powers a suite of loudspeakers and a subwoofer.
Computer connectivity (not shown in this diagram) is used to configure the audio processing parameters of the
nanoAVR. Up to four complete configuration presets can be stored on the nanoAVR. Once configured, the
computer is no longer needed and the presets can be recalled from the front panel or by an infrared remote.
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2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP
2.1 HARDWARE CONNECTIVITY
All connections to the nanoAVR are made on the rear panel.
2.1.1 HDMI input and output
Two HDMI connections are available for input, and one for output. The input connectors can be connected to
any HDMI source such as a Blu-ray or DVD player. Other sources may include media streaming devices, gaming
consoles, and computers with an HDMI port†. The output connector will be connected to an HDMI input on an
A/V receiver (AVR) or A/V preamplifier (AVP).
Ensure that your HDMI sources are set to produce linear PCM (also referred to as PCM, L-PCM, or LPCM)
on their HDMI outputs. The nanoAVR does not decode compressed formats such as Dolby and DTS.
Some HDMI devices such as TVs only support basic HDMI Audio (up to 48 kHz), and will not respond to
audio from the nanoAVR. Use an A/V receiver or preamp with 96 kHz support.
†
Apple Macs with a Thunderbolt port can be connected to the nanoAVR with the use of a Thunderbolt to HDMI
adapter cable.
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2.1.2 DC Power
The supplied 5 VDC power supply includes a set of interchangeable power pins. Fit the correct pins for your
country. Connect the DC plug to the 5 VDC power socket.
HDMI units communicate with a set of “hand-shaking” signals in order to establish the capabilities
of each device. It is recommended that for at least the first time the system is powered up with the
nanoAVR connected, equipment is powered on in this order: TV, AVR, nanoAVR, source/player.
2.1.3 USB
To configure the nanoAVR via USB, connect the USB port of the nanoAVR to a USB 2.0 port on your computer
using the supplied cable.
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2.1.4 Ethernet
To configure the nanoAVR over Ethernet, connect an Ethernet cable from the nanoAVR’s Ethernet port to a free
port on your Ethernet router or switch. The diagram below illustrates a typical case where the Ethernet router
also acts as a wireless base station, and is in turn connected to an ADSL/cable modem. It is also common for the
ADSL/cable modem, Ethernet router, and wireless base station to be combined into a single unit.
In the setup illustrated, the nanoAVR is connected via an Ethernet cable to the Ethernet router, while the
computer is connected to the LAN over Wi-Fi. The network must be capable of DHCP so that the nanoAVR will
be given an IP (network) address.
If a local area network is not available, or the network does not support DHCP, it is still possible to communicate
with the nanoAVR over Ethernet by connecting the two devices directly with an Ethernet cable. In this case,
auto-IP (link-local) addresses will be assigned. For this to work correctly, your PC must be set to allow automatic
IP addresses (that is, it must not be set to a static IP address).
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2.2 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
Subsequent to your purchase of the nanoAVR, the software will be available from the User Downloads section of
the miniDSP website. This link is visible when you have logged into the site with the account you created when
purchasing.
There are two plugins available for the nanoAVR:
nanoAVR 8x8. This is the nanoAVR standard plugin, without bass management.
nanoAVR with Bass Management. This is an enhanced plugin with bass management features.
Download the selected plugin from the User Downloads section, and double-click on it to unzip it. Then follow
the installation procedure below according to your computer type.
2.2.1 Windows
Prior to installing the miniDSP software, download and install the following programs. You will need to accept
the license agreements in order to successfully complete the installation.
Microsoft .NET framework (version 3.5 or later)
Latest version of Adobe Flash
Latest version of Adobe Air
If you haven’t updated these recently, you should download and install the latest versions prior to running the
miniDSP install program.
To install the miniDSP software, open the Windows folder of the download and double-click on the
nanoAVR.exe or nanoAVR_BM.exe program. We recommend accepting the default installation settings. Once
installation is complete, the nanoAVR user interface will automatically start. Since the nanoAVR checks for a
network connection when starting up, a warning such as the following may appear. In this case, click on Allow
access.
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