Tag mclaren audio AV32R User Manual

4 controls 6 welcome 7 safety ﬁrst / when you need additional assistance 8 preparing your remote control - installing batteries 9 connectivity

analog audio inputs ................................................9

5.1 analog bypass..................................................9

digital audio inputs..................................................9

TAGtronic Sync Link...............................................1 0

AC-3 RF Laserdisc interface ....................................1 0

composite video inputs...........................................1 1

S-video inputs .......................................................1 1

audio outputs main zone........................................1 2

audio outputs zone 2.............................................1 2

speaker positioning ...............................................1 3

analog and digital tape outputs ..............................1 4

TAGtronic Bus routing ............................................1 5

DAB digital radio antenna......................................1 5

action switches......................................................1 6

external infrared receiver connections......................1 7

composite video outputs .........................................1 8

S-video outputs......................................................1 8

1 9 on screen display 1 9 video standard & signal conversion 2 0 basic system set-up: an example 2 1 switching on / standby 2 2 controlling remotely 2 2 front panel display in operation 2 3 status screen: all essential user settings at a glance 2 4 source selection 2 5 volume control - main & zone 2

changing volume...................................................2 5

changing between main and zone 2 .......................2 5

start volume ..........................................................2 5

maximum volume ..................................................2 5

c o n t e n t s

2 6 mute and partial mute (attenuation) 2 7 balance (front/rear, left/right) 2 8 surround modes & initial modes 2 9 THX post processing 3 1 THX Cinema, THX Ultra2 and THX Music 3 2 THX Surround EX 3 3 surround modes

mono, direct, bypass, HDCD ..................................3 3

stereo, Pro Logic, Pro Logic II ..................................3 4

DTS Neo:6, TAG McLaren Surround, party...............3 5

Dolby Digital, MPEG-2, DTS, DTS ES 6.1 .................3 6

DTS 96 / 24, Multi-channel....................................3 7

3 8 height channel 3 9 audio channel indicator: audio status 3 9 tuning the LFE or subwoofer level 4 0 cursor assigmenment

balance ...............................................................4 0

Pro Logic II Music ..................................................4 0

AV32R DAB digital radio tuning..............................4 0

T32R tuning via TAGtronic Bus................................4 0

quick settings .......................................................4 1

4 2 The AV32R set-up menu : introduction 4 4 ﬁrst time set-up wizard 4 5 Change Set-up

night mode...........................................................4 5

front panel conﬁguration ........................................4 6

front panel brightness ............................................4 7

on-screen conﬁguration ..........................................4 8

radiotext display ...................................................4 8

video inputs conﬁguration ......................................4 9

analog audio inputs conﬁguration ...........................5 0

digital audio input conﬁguration .............................5 2

TAGtronic Sync Link conﬁguration ...........................5 3

When to Use Height Speaker..................................5 4

5.1 analog bypass conﬁguration/trim .....................5 5

source input key assignments on remote...................5 6

loudspeaker deﬁnition and calibration .....................5 7

mode dependent speaker trims ...............................5 9

distance between back speakers .............................5 9

subwoofer types....................................................6 0

LFE cut-off frequency ..............................................6 0

THX boundary gain compensation...........................6 0

bass redirection rules.............................................6 1

speaker calibration................................................6 2

alternative listening position....................................6 2

5.1 replay through 7.1 loudspeakers.......................6 3

6 4 TMREQ TAG McLaren Room EQ -

for details see separate TMREQ manual

main zone / zone 2 conﬁguration...........................65

Dolby Headphone .................................................65

Dolby Pro Logic IIx conﬁguration .............................66

NTSC/ PAL latency offset .......................................67

OSD on composite and S-video...............................67

PSM192: connections and settings ..........................68

DAB digital radio ..................................................71

action switches......................................................74

7 5 TAGtronic Bus

in and out of standby.............................................7 5

sending remote commands via AV32R.....................7 6

controlling (multiple) ampliﬁers................................7 7

corresponding with DVD32/DVD192 & T32R............7 8

8 1 hardware and software upgrades

how to enable a new software option ......................8 2

8 3 programming the remote 8 7 upgrading the AV32R’s software 8 9 running in, warming up, cleaning and service 9 0 acknowledgements

c o n t e n t s

c o n t r o l s

1 power / standby indicator 2 input selection buttons 3 mode / standby buttons 4 function buttons 5 display 6 volume knob 7 remote command receiver window

8 power button

9 special status indicators 10 remote command acknowledge indicator 11 fuse carrier

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action switches

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external remote in/out

14 DAB Digital Radio antenna - option

15 composite video in/out sockets

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back channel output sockets 17 digital output socket(s) 18 analog output sockets (5.1) 19 5.1 analog bypass 20 ac supply socket 21 TAGtronic Communications Bus

Sp ecific atio n sho wn ma y va ry f or diff erent cou ntr ies

22 S-Video in/out sockets 23 digital input sockets 24 TAGtronic Synchronisation Link T2L 25 digital output 2 - optional AC-3 RF

input for Laserdiscs 26 tape monitor 27 analog input sockets, incl. tape input

1 . only avai lable if yo ur AV32R ‘Dua l Proce ssor’ is eq uipped

wit h the ‘7.1’ optio n

welcome

welcome to

Dr. Udo Zucker Chief Executive Ofﬁcer TAG McLaren Audio

TAG McLaren Audio exists with one aim in mind: to produce the very best audio and audio-visual equipment in the world.

Like many people, I often have my best ideas when relaxing to a piece of music or watching a movie. For years, knowing the technical capabilities of TAG McLaren, I have nurtured the ambition to push music reproduction to the absolute limit; that’s why we formed TAG McLaren Audio.

At the core of our development team are highly experienced engineers whose heritage of award-winning hi-ﬁ and world-beating electronic control systems is envied by many and equalled by few.

There are many immediate spin-offs into audio from our expertise in automotive electronics, mechanical engineering and the material science of Formula One motor racing: multi-layer printed circuits, fast digital signal processing, electronic noise suppression, radio frequency technology and software expertise to name but a few - all prerequisites of an outstanding audio product.

TAG McLaren Audio’s aim is perfection combined with aesthetic delight and solid build quality – a rare combination in hi-ﬁ.

Enjoy ...

Dr. Udo Zucker

safety first / when you need additional assistance

safety first

before you start

Make sure that all components of your audio-visual system are disconnected from the AC supply whenever you change any connections. The power button is a latching switch. One press will hold it in; the next will release it. Check that the power button is out so that power is off.

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ is designed to run warm during normal operation. Please ensure that there is adequate ventilation above and below the unit.

Do not place anything on top of your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’!

Do not place your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ on top of any electronic product (or hot surface), it will warm both products because of restricted ventilation.

We recommend that you do not place your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ near any heat sources such as radiators or in direct sunlight.

Do not expose your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ to dripping or splashing liquids. Do not place objects ﬁlled with liquid, such as vases, on or near it.

Do not connect the AC cable, supplied, until you have completed all connections.

when you need additional assistance

To maximize the performance from your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’, it is essential to conﬁgure it correctly. This will ensure it performs its role at the heart of your home cinema system to its optimum. Without this set-up you will signiﬁcantly reduce your system’s potential.

In case you need any support, remember:

• refer to the on screen help, available from the on screen display

• ask your TAG McLaren Audio retailer for assistance

• contact our Helpdesk@tagmclaren.com by email, using either the English or German language

• refer to the Discussion Forum at www.tagmclaren.com to share your speciﬁc issue with others

For on-line help select the ? using the cursor keys, followed by ok

1. Throughout the manual, bold print indicates the lettering that you will find on the panels of your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ or the remote.

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preparing the remote control

installing batteries

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ is supplied with a ‘learning’ remote. This is supplied pre-programmed for TAG McLaren Audio home cinema products, but may easily be re-programmed to control other devices using an infra-red remote within your home audio and audio-visual system. The remote uses four AAA 1.5 V batteries. These are supplied with the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’.

To open the battery compartment, push the latch forward towards the top of the remote, and lift the latch up. Make sure that batteries are inserted in the correct orientation, with the + and – markings on the batteries match those in the battery compartment

To close the battery cover, slide it straight back in (towards the top of the remote) and push down until it clicks into place.

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1. Make sure you do not press any keys on the remote during battery changing, as you will lose any user- programmed functions. For more information about programming the remote, please refer to page 87 ‘programming the remote’.

connectivity: audio sources

Please have a look at the rear panel of your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ and you will see many potential connections can be made to your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’. Fortunately these connections can be separated in logical groups which are described in the following paragraphs:

audio inputs

You can connect analog (stereo and 5.1) and digital audio signals.

stereo analog inputs

Your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ has six, electrically identical analog inputs at the rear, labelled for convenience TV, VCR, SAT, TUNER, AUX, TAPE .

AUX TUNER SAT VCR TV

TAPE

ANALOG INPUT

5.1 bypass The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ offers a 5.1 BYPASS, which is

BYPASS

also conﬁgurable as three stereo inputs. The 5.1 BYPASS is a true 5.1 analog bypass with analog volume control, allowing the direct connection of DVD Audio or multichannel SACD players.

All analog inputs use phono sockets and should be connected using good-quality, screened, analog audio cable, such as our Cable AvantGarde analog interconnect.

SPDIF digital audio inputs

Your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ has ﬁve digital audio inputs using the SPDIF interface standard. They are labelled for convenience DVD, CD, LD, MD and DAB.

The inputs labelled DVD, CD, and LD use phono sockets and should be connected using a digital cable. The inputs DAB and MD use optical TOSLINK connectors.

Cable AvantGarde offers good-quality, screened, coaxial digital interconnects with phono and BNC connectors or a combination of both.

SR SL SUB C R L

5.1

Signals connected to the 5.1 Bypass will not be digitised, therefore no processing beside analog volume control will be possible.

DVD CD

DAB MD

SYNC LD

DIGITAL INPUT

connectivity: TAGtronic Sync Link / AC-3 RF Laserdisc

TAGtronic Sync Link

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The stability of the timing of digital data has a dramatic effect on sound quality. When designing digital to analog converters, it is vital to have a stable digital clock as close to the converter electronics as possible. The best place for an ultra-low-jitter clock is within the audio-visual processor itself, but it is conventionally located in the source from which the digital data is sent.

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ incorporates sophisticated electronics which enable it to ‘drive’ the source clock of products equipped with this technology to provide the correct data rate to the converters. By a process called ‘re-clocking’, the jitter in the digital audio data is dramatically reduced.

To enable this feature, the TAGtronic Sync Link SYNC connector must be connected to the appropriate SYNC connector of the digital audio source using a high-quality analog interconnect.

The sync output software must also be enabled using the on-screen set-up menu system, for details see page 53.

AC-3 RF Laserdisc interface

SYNC

If you want to play NTSC Laserdiscs encoded in Dolby Digital, you will need the optional AC-3 RF interface. This interface converts the Radio Frequency (RF)-encoded information stored on the Laserdisc into an SPDIF-compatible Dolby Digital bitstream, allowing the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ then to decode this data in the same way as if the signal had come from a DVD encoded with Dolby Digital.

If the AC-3 RF Laserdic interface option is installed, it uses the phono connector COAXIAL OUTPUT

1. When the interface is not fitted, this socket is available as a second coaxial COAX OUT 2/RF

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as the 2 (AC-3 RF) input.

COAXIAL

OUTPUT

(AC-3 RF)

connectivity: video sources

video inputs

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ can process analog Composite video and S-video signals.

Composite video

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ has four 75 Ohm Composite video inputs at the rear, labelled for convenience TV-C, VCR-C, LD-C and SAT-C.

VCR-COUT TV-C

All inputs, except SAT-C are electrically identical - SAT-C has been modiﬁed to accept video signals with high DC offset, a signal degradation found in some satellite receivers.

S-video

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ has four 75 Ohm Mini-DIN S-video inputs at the rear, labelled for convenience VCR-S, DVD-S, LD-S and SAT-S.

All inputs, except SAT-S are electrically identical - SAT-S has been modiﬁed to accept video signals with high DC offset, a signal degradation found in some satellite receivers.

OUT

OUT +OSD

LD-C+ OSD SAT-C

COMPOSITE

D BOX-S TV-S

S-VIDEO

DVD-SVCR-S

SAT-SLD-S

heading12|connectivity: main zone / zone 2

audio outputs

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ can offer up to 7.1 channels

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main connections

BACK

The RIGHT, CENTRE, LEFT, SURR RIGHT, SURR LEFT, BACK RIGHT, BACK LEFT and SUBwoofer phono outputs are low-

RIGHT

SURR.

BACK

LEFT

impedance line-level outputs, buffered to be able to drive long cables or several inputs in parallel if required. These should be connected to your ampliﬁer(s) using goodquality, screened, analog audio cable such as our Cable AvantGarde F3-10-ANA analog interconnect.

zone 2

You can assign the left/right or surround left/right or surround back left/right outputs to a second zone: zone 2. This is particularly interesting, if your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ has

7.1 output channels but you currently only use a 5.1speaker set-up. See page 65 for more details, how to make the assignment.

You can switch between main zone and zone 2 by pressing the shift key followed by VOL+ or VOL- . The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ will indicate zone 2 in the front panel display by replacing VOL with ZN2. More details to zone switching can be found on page 25.

SURR. LEFT

ANALOG OUTPUT

LEFTCENTRE

RIGHTSUBSURR. RIGHT

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ will allow you to control power ampliﬁers, connected via the TAGtronic Bus, for each zone differently, for more details, see page 77.

Potential applications for zone 2 are:

• connection of headphones to the surround back channels, using a 5.1 home cinema

set-up otherwise

• second listening position, used for listening to two-channel music at the other end

of a 7.1 cinema layout.

1. If your AV32R is equipped with the back channel option - otherwise there will only be 5.1 channels

speaker positioning

heading

13connectivity: loudspeakers|13

With the exception of the subwoofer and the height channel speaker, all loudspeakers should be arranged around your normal viewing / listening position, forming an approximate circle. Do not worry if you are

unable to position your loudspeakers at equal distances from your preferred listening position, the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ can be

set up to take account of different distances. The subwoofer can be placed almost anywhere, but we recommend you experiment to obtain the best results.

1. front left and right loudspeaker

Position your front loudspeakers so as to obtain a good stereo image for normal music reproduction as well as good sound location for multi-channel modes

2. centre loudspeaker

A front centre loudspeaker allows more realistic reproduction of dialogue and central sounds and a wider range of seating positions. The centre loudspeaker should ideally be placed at the same height as the left and right loudspeakers, immediately above or below the television. Do not compromise on the quality of the centre loudspeaker; it is most important to a good home cinema system as it carries all the dialogue.

3. surround loudspeakers

‘5.1’ home cinema uses one or preferably two rear loudspeakers in addition to your existing front left, right and centre loudspeakers to give excellent reproduction of ambient sound and cinema effects.

4. back channel loudspeaker

Your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ allows you to add one or two back channel loudspeakers for added depth, spacious ambience and sound localization. You might need to move your standard left and right surround loudspeakers forward in order to generate the most impressive surround sound. Place the loudspeakers to have the sound perfectly surrounding you without ‘breaking up’ when moving from one surround speaker to the other.

5. subwoofer

Bass performance will be improved by adding a subwoofer. This is useful for reproducing special cinema effects, especially where a dedicated LFE (Low-Frequency Effects) channel is available, such as with Dolby Digital or DTS Digital Surround-encoded discs.

6. height channel loudspeaker

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor 7.1’ is one of the ﬁrst processors offering a height channel, making sure that sound intended to ﬂy over you, will no longer ﬂy through you.

Movies especially mixed with height channel information, and many mixed in THX Surround EX (Dolby EX) or DTS-ES 6.1 will beneﬁt from this enhancement

Information, intended for the height channel, is matrix encoded in the surround back and centre channel. If you activate the height channel, the BACK RIGHT SURR. output will be assigned to the output of the height channel matrix decoder.

If you want to run two back channels in addition to the height channel, then you need to connect both back channel loudspeakers via two power ampliﬁer channels to BACK LEFT SURR.

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(2)

1. If your AV32R is equipped with the ‘7.1’ option - otherwise there will only be 5.1 channels

2. THX Surround EX (Dolby EX) and DTS-ES 6.1 recordings provide an additional back channel, which the AV32R ‘Dual Processor 7.1’ can

route to go to a left and right surround back speaker, if the height channel is not activated.

connectivity: analog and digital tape connections

analog tape output

The TAPE OUTput contains a copy of the audio signals routed to the RIGHT and LEFT front channel outputs, without applying volume control

or mute. Connect the recording input of an analog tape recorder to TAPE OUT if you want to record the signal of the RIGHT and LEFT front channels.

caution when pressing the tape key/button during recording

If you listen to an analog stereo input, pressing the tape key/button will route the TAP E input to the ANALOG OUTPUTs without changing the signal going to TAPE out, allowing for example, the recorded signal to be compared with the original whilst recording using a threehead tape recorder (if its output is connected to TAP E).

In this instance the front display will show TAPE (name of analog input routed to TAPE out), e.g. TAPE(SAT). Pressing tape again will return to the analog signal selected before tape was pressed the ﬁrst time.

If however, you record the result of a digital audio input, e.g. CD, or the 5.1 BYPASS then you should not press the tape key/button whilst recording, as this will route the TAP E input to the ANALOG OUTPUTs and TAPE OUT, spoiling your recording. This behaviour will be shown in the front display by the word TAP E. Pressing tape again will return to the digital input/5.1 BYPASS selected before pressing tape the ﬁrst time.

TAPE OUT

digital (tape) output

The signal at COAX OUT 2/RF (if the optional AC-3 RF interface isn’t installed- see page 10) and OPTICAL OUT is an unmodiﬁed copy of the currently selected digital audio source, i.e. it is unaffected by the volume control or processing mode.

The digital coaxial COAX OUT should normally be connected to your digital recording device (such as a DAT or MD recorder).

It is not possible to route an analog source to the digital coaxial outputs.

COAXIAL

OUTPUT

(AC-3 RF)

heading

TAGtronic Bus routing

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ features the TAGtronic Communications Bus. This allows TAG McLaren Audio units to work together seamlessly to form an effective, fully integrated system. It is highly recommended to connect products, featuring the TAGtronic Bus together, as many additional features will become available.

Details are explained on page 75.

You can connect your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ to the TAGtronic Bus using a ‘straight’ CAT5 cable with RJ45 connectors. Straight means pin 1 of the connector on one end, connects to pin 1 of the connector on the other end. CAT5 cable is available from your local computer shop at a reasonable price.

The sequence is in principle of no relevance as long as you connect an output to an input and don’t close the Bus to be a ring. For example:

[AV32R] Out

In [100x5R 1st amplifier ] Out

In [100x5R 2nd amplifier ] Out

In [DVD32] Out

15connectivity: TAGtronic Bus / DAB digital radio|15

In [T32R]

Do not close back to AV32R

DAB digital radio

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ can be equipped with an optional DAB digital radio.

The DAB digital radio, uses as antenna input a 50 Ohm BNC connector, labelled DAB OPTION 50 OHM. For details about the operation of the DAB digital radio option see page 71.

DAB OPTION

50 OHM

connectivity: action switches

action switches

Action switches are used to activate external events or to react to external events, such as lowering a motorised screen or showing a message on-screen when the door bell rings.

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ includes three

SWITCHES

A.1 6 B. 2 7 C.3 8

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9

ACTION SWITCHES, A, B and C, which are located within a 9 pin D-Sub connector, making both contacts of each internal switch available to the user.

Action Switches are controlled (opened/closed) by the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ when selecting an input source or when switching the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ into standby.

A description of the AV32R’s Action Switch conﬁguration menu can be found on page 74.

internal circuitry

Motorised Screen

Relay controlled

by AV32R

external IR receiver connections

The AV32R ‘THX Ultra2 Dual Processor 7.1’ includes two sockets at the rear panel, named REMOTE IN and REMOTE OUT. They can be used to place the AV32R ‘THX Ultra2 Dual Processor 7.1’ out of sight when connected to a wired infra-red remote system.

Example Layout

Attention: Some IR distribution systems can only connect one product per sensor output. In this instance use only the REMOTE IN connector.

heading

REMOTE

OUT

17connectivity: electrical ‘IR’ distribution system|17

power

AV32R

sensor

IR distribution system

e.g. DVD32R

Use this arrangement for IR distribution systems which allow product chaining, for details contact your IR distribution system manufacturer.

e.g. DVD32R

power

IN OUT

AV32R

sensor

connectivity: video outputs

composite video

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ can route any of its Composite video inputs to a pair of COMPOSITE video outputs, labelled OUT and +OSD.

S-video

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ can route any of its S-video inputs to a pair of S-VIDEO outputs, labelled OUT and +OSD.

The outputs +OSD allows the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ to insert text on your TV (On-Screen Text = OSD) when required. This output should be connected to your television. You should use the output OUT where you will never want to see the inserted text, such as on a VCR.

VCR-COUT TV-C

LD-C+ OSD SAT-C

COMPOSITE

VCR-SOUT DVD-S

LD-S+ OSD SAT-S

S – VIDEO

on-screen display

The AV32R’s on-screen display (OSD) superimposes text on the picture for a few seconds whenever a change occurs, such as when you select a new input or change the volume. You can change how long the text remains for, as well as the position of the text on the screen, or turn this function off altogether, pressing menu, then select

Change Set-up, Displays, On- Screen Display.

OSD is available

• for composite video sources on COMPOSITE +OSD

• for S-video sources on S-VIDEO +OSD

When text is not required, the OSD electronics are switched out of circuit to maintain a ‘straight-though’ video path, i.e. the video signal quality is not affected.

For details on how to conﬁgure the OSD, see page 48.

video standard and signal conversion

heading

19on-screen display / video conversion|19

The AV32R does not convert between composite and S-video.

If you want to use composite and S-video sources - you must connect all signals to your television.

basic system set-up: an example

The following is a basic conﬁguration, reﬂecting one of many conﬁgurations.

digital audio source

connect the digital audio output of a DVD player (probably labelled ‘coaxial out’ or ‘coaxial digital out’) to the DIGITAL

INPUT DVD using a digital interconnect

analog audio source

connect the analog audio output of a satellite receiver (probably labelled ‘left’ and ‘right’) to the ANALOG INPUT SAT Land

SAT

composite video

connect the composite video output of a satellite receiver (probably labelled ‘video’ or ‘composite’) to the COMPOSITE input SAT-C

S-video connection

connect the S-Video output of a DVD player (probably labelled

‘S-Video’) to the S-VIDEO input DVD-S

DVD

SAT

SAT-C

DVD-S

connection to the power amplifier(s)

this sample conﬁguration is

LEFT

limited to a stereo set-up only: connect the AUDIO OUTPUT LEFT (RIGHT) to the power ampliﬁer used for the left (right) front loudspeaker

RIGHT

Connect the left and right front loudspeaker to your power ampliﬁer(s) as outlined in your power ampliﬁer's user manual

tv connection

connect the composite input

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OUT

of your TV to the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ using the

COMPOSITE +OSD

and the TV’s S-

+ OSD

Video input to the SVIDEO +OSD socket

There are many potential system set-ups. Please refer to page 7 if you need any assistance in achieving your dream system.

1. You need to connect both COMPOSITE +OSD and S-VIDEO +OSD to your display device if you connected source components via a

composite and S-Video connection.

heading

The following assumes that you have connected all your sources, audio and video, your loudspeakers and your display device to your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’.

power connection

Check that the power button is out so that power is off when you plug in. The power button is a latching switch. One press will hold it in, the next will release it. Using the cable supplied, connect the socket on the back of your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ to an AC supply outlet.

switching on

Press the power button in. The AV32R’s blue power LED will come on, the display window will light up and a few seconds later will show SELFTEST, above TAG McLaren, then the software version number such as V4.10.00, above AV32R ‘Dual Processor’-GB

(1, 2)

All outputs are muted when the power is switched on to allow all the voltages to stabilize. This protects the internal components of the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’, ampliﬁer and loudspeakers and prevents unpleasant switching noises. You will hear the mute relays click, which is normal.

standby

21switching on / standby|21

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ has a standby mode, which can be entered using the standby key on the remote or by pressing the mute/standby button on the front panel for more than three seconds. The blue power LED will dim, the front panel display will show ‘going to standby’ then the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ will switch off

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All circuitry essential for sound quality remains powered up in standby, meaning the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ will still maintain its operating temperature and will still consume electricity. You should power the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ down using the front panel mounted on/off switch if you want to switch the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ off for a prolonged period

(3)

. The video outputs are also kept active in standby mode, allowing you to watch television even when the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ is in standby.

Normal operation may be resumed by turning the volume knob (more than about 45 degrees) or pressing any front panel button or remote key (other than light) at any time.

1. AV32R ‘Dual Processor’-GB indicates that the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ uses the English language. The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ might also

be available with other languages. The necessary software will be made available from www.tagmclaren.com.

2. This text will be overwritten by your personalized startup message, for details see page 46.

3. If the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ is powered down using the front panel mounted on/off switch whilst in standby mode, it will go back into standby when next switched on. In this event press the standby key to power up the unit.

controlling remotely / front panel display

controlling remotely

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ is supplied with a ‘learning’ remote. This is supplied preprogrammed for TAG McLaren home cinema products, but may easily be re-programmed to control other devices using an infra-red remote

(1)

Before you can control the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ using the remote, you must ﬁrst select it as the device to control by pressing the av key in the REMOTE SELECTION area at the top of the remote. The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ will remain selected by the remote

REMOTE SELECTION

cd dvd

sat

tv vcr

amp

until another unit is chosen via the REMOTE SELECTION keys.

Once the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ has been selected, it can be controlled in its entirety from the remote. The red ‘remote control active’ LED on the front panel of the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ will ﬂash when commands from the remote are received, and the av key in the REMOTE SELECTION area will light brieﬂy with each key press. For optimum performance from the remote you should point it towards the remote control window on the front panel of the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’.

front panel display in operation

When the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ leaves the factory, the display will be conﬁgured similar to the one shown below. It can be conﬁgured to your personal preference, for details see page 46.

The programme source format indicator shows the active output channels, i.e. channels receiving information from the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’.

The sample rate indicator at the top left of the display window shows the sample rate of the digital source. When an analog source is active, it shows the sample rate used for the analog to digital conversion.

The display will show station name and radio text if your AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ includes the FM radio or/and DAB digital radio option and radio is selected as the current input.

video standard

sample rate

decoding/processing mode

audio input

volume setting

programme source format

1. Please refer to the ‘programming the remote’ section on page 83 for further details on how to do this.

all essential user settings at a glance

the status screen might differ from the one shown, depending on the operating mode of the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’

In the example above, the user has selected the analog audio input TV and the Composite video input TV-C. The stereo signal is processed using Dolby Pro Logic II Movie at a sampling rate of 96kHz, i.e. all frequencies in the incoming analog signal up to about 48kHz are processed to Pro Logic II Movie.

The sound is replayed at a volume level of -4.5dB below reference level (assuming the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ was calibrated using a SPL meter for details see page 62). The sound balance is as calibrated, i.e. no balance shifts were made to the front/rear or left/right.

status screen

Pressing the ok key on the remote will bring up a status screen which shows information about the current operation of the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ as shown in the example opposite:

There is no subwoofer in the system and hence sound is only produced using the left/right front, centre, and the left/right surround speaker.

The time delay between picture and sound is as the incoming signals (0 ms), for details see page 50.

The night mode is off, as it doesn’t apply to this input- it can only be applied to DTS and DD, for details see page 45.

selecting a source

preparing the remote control

To control the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ via the remote press the remote selection av key. The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ will remain selected until another device, e.g. dvd is selected.

source selection

REMOTE SELECTION

cd dvd

sat

tv vcr

amp

The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ remote has 11 source selection keys, labelled tv, vcr, sat, tuner, aux, cd, ld, dvd, md, dab and tape

(1)

which the user can freely assign any audio and video inputs.

Each of these source selection keys can carry two audio inputs as some sources offer different output formats, e.g. a DVD-Audio player offers a digital SPDIF output, when playing CDs and DVD-Video discs, but offers 5.1 analog when playing DVD-Audio discs.

When the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ leaves the factory the source selection keys are programmed to cover many installations, but you can change this , if you need. Please see page 56 how to change the assignment of audio and video inputs to the source selection keys.

Scanning through all inputs, one by one

An alternative, is to scan through the analog, digital audio and video inputs, one by one, using the analog, digital or video button at the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ front fascia.

An analog (digital) input may also be selected by pressing shift followed by, cursor up/down G/H (E/F), pressing once or repeatedly, until the desired input is shown in the display.

A video input may also be selected by pressing once or repeatedly the VIDEO (sometimes labelled CH) key on the remote control until the desired input is shown in the display.

, to

tvcdvcrldsat

dig ---dig +

shift

tunermdaux

dvd

dab

tape

subtitle

analog

digital

video

tape

analog +

pause

play

stop

analog ---

VIDEO

---

1. caution when pressing the tape key/button during tape recording

If you listen to an analog stereo input, pressing the tape key/button will route the TAP E input to the ANALOG OUTPUTs without changing the signal going to TAPE OUT, allowing for example, the recorded signal to be compared with the original whilst recording using a threehead tape recorder (if its output is connected to TAP E). In this instance the front display will show TAP E (name of analog input routed to TAPE out), e.g. TAPE(SAT). Pressing tape again will return to the analog signal selected before tape was pressed the first time.

tape the first time.

volume adjustment and display

volume control - main & zone 2

Volume (in the main or in zone 2) can be adjusted from 0 (very quiet) to 99 (very loud) if the volume is conﬁgured to operate in Pre-Amp you have conﬁgured the volume control for Cinema mode (factory setting)

In the Cinema mode the volume level of 0dB is the so-called ‘Dolby reference level’ – i.e. the level at which a movie director intended a ﬁlm to be listened

(1)

mode or -90dB (very quiet) to +15dB (very loud) if

(3)

. The ‘Dolby reference level’ in

(2)

Pre-amp mode is indicated by ref being shown on the OSD at a volume level of 84.

changing volume

Turn the volume knob clockwise to increase the volume or anti-clockwise to decrease the volume in 0.5dB steps. Alternatively, you may use the VOL + and VOL – keys on the remote to increase or decrease the volume in 0.5 dB steps per key press. If you keep the VOL + / VOL – key pressed, the volume change per second will increase the longer you keep the key pressed.

changing zones

You can assign two analog audio outputs to zone 2, for details see page 65. If you have assigned zone 2, then you can switch between the main zone and zone 2 by pressing shift, followed by VOL+ or VOL-. If zone 2 is selected, the front display’s volume will show ZN2 followed by the volume of zone 2.

main zone

Turn the volume knob or press VOL+ and VOL- to alter the signal level of all connected loudspeakers of the main zone.

(4)

zone 2

If the AV32R is set to the main zone, press shift followed by VOL+ or VOL- to switch to zone 2 then adjust the volume, for zone 2

as normal.

start volume

Normally the AV32R remembers the last volume setting for the main zone and zone 2 from when it was turned off or put into standby, so that it will re-use exactly this volume when you switch it on. start volume allows to set a volume level that the AV32R will use when powered on regardless of any previous setting. You can set a different start volume (or none at all) for the main zone and zone 2.

start volume is set within the Change Set-up -> Output/Speaker Options -> Main Zone or Zone 2 menu.

max volume

This feature allows to set a maximum volume level that the AV32R will be allowed to be set to. You can set a different max volume (or none at all) for the main zone and zone 2. Max volume is set within the Change Set-up -> Output/Speaker Options -> Main Zone or Zone 2 menu.

1. the mode is change in Change Set-up -> Displays -> Front Panel Text Config. as described on page 46

2. They do not affect the signal level of the analog TAPE OUT or COAX OUTputs

3. This setting will only be accurate if you have calibrated the volume settings using a sound level meter.

4. The AV32R ‘ Dual Processor’ must be set to main zone.

muting / attenuating - main & zone 2

volume attenuation & muting

To attenuate all speakers by a user conﬁgurable amount in the main zone

(1)

press the mute button on the front panel of the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ or the mute key on the remote. A second press of the mute key/button will completely mute the output to all speakers in the main zone.

Adjusting the volume will restore full output to the speakers. If fully muted, adjusting the volume or pressing the mute button/key again will restore the speaker outputs.

If the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ is set to zone 2 control, indicated by ZN2 in the volume information on the AV32R’s front display (e.g. ZN2 -10.0), the mute key will attenuate/mute zone 2, as described above for the main zone.

The amount of attenuation applied when pressing the mute key ﬁrst, can be selected as 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50dB. Select Audio mutes completely if you do not want any attenuation - in this instance repeatedly pressing mute will switch the outputs in and out of mute without going through an attenuation level ﬁrst.

This is done through Change Set-Up, Output/Speaker Options -> Mute Conﬁguration -> When Mute First Pressed.

surround

THX Cinema

mute/standby

display

the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ offers two ways of muting

Muting a loudspeaker can be carried out in different ways. Most products employ semi- conductor based switches which are fast, silent and cheap but unfortunately affect the sound quality in the ‘mute off’ state as they can never be completely removed from the signal path. The ‘sonically transparent’ alternative is to use electronically controlled mechanical relays, a method chosen for the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’. There are eight relays in an AV32R ‘Dual Processor’. They all switch together, leading to a distinct switching noise which cannot be prevented without affecting the quality of the contact.

mute

Mechanical relays have been acknowledged to be the best sounding solution, but their switching noise has with the introduction of DVD become a disadvantage. Every time a DVD changes its sound format, which can happen several times during a DVD, the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ might potentially receive - for a short time - invalid data. If this invalid data reaches the loudspeakers you hear a short ‘digital hiss’. The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ tries to predict these transitions, but sometimes it might take just a fraction of a second before this invalid data is detected, a period long enough for the wrong data to reach the Digital to Analog converters and from there (via the power ampliﬁers) the loudspeakers. Only switches, downstream of the DACs’ outputs, can prevent this invalid data from reaching your speakers. The AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ uses mechanical relays to swiftly disconnect the outputs in these cases.

You can set the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ to Mute Using Relays or alternatively use them only in ‘serious’ cases, but with the result that you might infrequently hear some ‘digital hiss' coming from your speakers. When the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ leaves the factory it is set to Mute using relays: No, meaning it will use its relays as little as possible. However, to prevent any ‘digital hiss' switch the AV32R ‘Dual Processor’ into the Mute using relays: Ye s mode, which is done through Change Set-Up, Output/Speaker Options -> Mute Conﬁguration.

1. The AV32R ‘ Dual Processor’ must be set to main zone

left/right balance

(1)

Press the F (E) button on the front panel or the F, (E) key on the remote to move the sound balance to the left (right) speakers. Keeping either the button or the key held down will move the sound progressively further to the side. The applied balance setting is brieﬂy shown in the display window.

front/rear balance

(2)

Press the G (H) button on the front panel or the G (H) key on the remote to move the sound balance to the front (rear) speakers. Keeping the either button or the key held down will move the sound progressively further forwards (backwards).

off balance

Any off balance will be shown in the status screen, as explained on page 23 and shown in the example screen.

balance

analog +

pause

dig ---dig +

e w

analog ---

analog +

pause

dig ---dig +

e w

analog ---

play

stop

play

stop

The balance moved to the right by 2dB and to the rear by 1dB in our example.

restoring normal balance

A central sound balance (i.e. the removal of any temporary corrections, including lip sync delay and entre gain applied under quick settings, see page 41 and LFE settings, see page 39) will be restored by pressing the normal ok/normal button on the front panel or the normal key on the remote.

1. this function requires the cursor keys to be assigned to BALANCE, for details see page 40

2. front/rear balance can only be made if the selected surround mode supports these channels

normal

time

normalok

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Tag mclaren audio AV32R User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual