Page 2 - li; ATTENTION; Safety guidelines; Important safety instructions; Safety compliance
AVR250 E-2 AVR250 E-3 E n g li s h RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR ATTENTION 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.WARNING: To r...
Page 3 - Contents; Appendix: Serial programming interface E-36
AVR250 E-2 AVR250 E-3 E n g li s h Contents Safety guidelines...................................... E-2 Important safety instructions ............................ E-2Safety compliance ........................................... E-2 Before you start! ...................................... E-4 Install...
Page 4 - Introduction; Safety
AVR250 E-4 AVR250 E-5 E n g li s h Before you start! Introduction The AVR250 is a high quality and high performance home cinema processor and multi-channel audio amplifier built to Arcam’s traditional high quality design and manufacturing standards. It combines high resolution digital processing wit...
Page 5 - Before making connections; Audio; Inserting the batteries into the remote control; Notes on inserting the remote control batteries
AVR250 E-4 AVR250 E-5 E n g li s h 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. Audio Wherever possible, connect both analogue and digital outputs of d...
Page 6 - Installation; Positioning the unit; Notes on installing the AVR250; Cables
AVR250 E-6 AVR250 E-7 E n g li s h Installation Positioning the unit n Place the receiver on a level, fi rm surface. n Avoid placing the unit in direct sunlight or near sources of heat or damp. n Do not place the unit on top of a power amplifi er or other source of heat. n Ensure adequate ventilatio...
Page 7 - Audio connections; Analogue audio connections; Digital audio connections; Subwoofer output
AVR250 E-6 AVR250 E-7 E n g li s h Audio connections n Wherever possible, connect both the analogue and digital outputs of digital sources. This enables use of a digital input for the main zone and the corresponding analogue input for recording onto an analogue tape deck or VCR, and for the Zone 2 o...
Page 8 - Video connections; High quality (Component) video connections
AVR250 E-8 AVR250 E-9 E n g li s h Video connections The AVR250 allows for conversion between different video formats. This means that the AVR250 can convert between composite, S-video and component, if required.For example, if you are watching a composite input from a VCR, you may view it from the ...
Page 9 - Connecting loudspeakers; Using bare wire ended leads:; Zone 2 connections; eq; do; fk
AVR250 E-8 AVR250 E-9 E n g li s h Connecting loudspeakers The red and black terminals on the back of the AVR250 are used to make the connections to the loudspeakers. The speakers should be connected to the loudspeaker terminals, refering to the labels on the rear-panel.When connecting the speaker t...
Page 10 - Connecting the AM and FM antennas; FM antenna; Control connections; Trigger outputs; Connecting to a power supply; Mains lead; fo; fq
AVR250 E-10 AVR250 E-11 E n g li s h Connecting the AM and FM antennas FM antenna An FM antenna is required to receive VHF radio signals.Although a FM ribbon antenna is supplied as an accessory to the AVR250, for optimal FM radio reception a roof- or loft-mounted aerial is advised as this will give ...
Page 11 - Confi guring the AVR250; Navigating the Set-up menu
AVR250 E-10 AVR250 E-11 E n g li s h Confi guring the AVR250 The AVR250 ‘Set-up Menu’ has six ‘Basic’ and fi ve ‘Advanced’ menu screens that take you through the confi guration process. The ‘Basic’ menus enable you to match your AVR250 to your speakers; the ‘Advanced’ menus allow you to optimise the...
Page 12 - The ‘Basic’ Set-up Menus; – General Settings:; fl
AVR250 E-12 AVR250 E-13 E n g li s h The ‘Basic’ Set-up Menus 1 – General Settings: Max Volume : This limits the maximum volume setting the system can be turned up to. This is a useful feature to prevent accidental overdriving of low power-handling speakers, for example. Max On Volume : Limits the m...
Page 13 - – Speaker Sizes
AVR250 E-12 AVR250 E-13 E n g li s h HQ Video : Choose between RGB or YUV ; if you have a YUV display, set this item to YUV , otherwise set it to RGB . This setting controls the routing of the HQ-video within the AVR250, either as 3-wire YUV or 4-wire RGB signals (with the synchronisation signal on ...
Page 14 - – Speaker Delay Settings
AVR250 E-14 AVR250 E-15 E n g li s h Sub Stereo : This setting allows the volume level of the subwoofer to be adjusted for when the subwoofer is being used with 2-channel (stereo) sources. The subwoofer level for stereo music often needs to be set at a lower level than that for cinema use; use this ...
Page 15 - – Level settings; – EX Settings
AVR250 E-14 AVR250 E-15 5 – Level settings The relative sensitivity of different speakers can lead to some speakers sounding disproportionately loud or quiet, relative to others in the system. The level settings of your AVR250 can help to address this inbalance.It is important to calibrate the speak...
Page 16 - The ‘Advanced’ Set-up Menus; ADV 2 – Video Settings
AVR250 E-16 AVR250 E-17 E n g li s h The ‘Advanced’ Set-up Menus ADV 1 – Speaker Eq. This allows fi ne adjustment of bass and treble in 1dB steps (up to ±6dB) for each of the speakers in the system. Use these adjustments sparingly to compensate for speaker response problems caused by positioning, ad...
Page 17 - ADV 4 – Zone 2 Settings; ADV 5 – Analogue Settings; Saving Settings and Exit Set-up
AVR250 E-16 AVR250 E-17 ADV 4 – Zone 2 Settings ZONE2 VOL : Sets the volume for Zone 2. Max Vol 20–83 : Limits the maximum volume setting for Zone 2. This is a useful feature to prevent accidental overdriving of low power-handling speakers, for example. Fix Vol : This selects between fi xed and vari...
Page 18 - Remote control
AVR250 E-18 AVR250 E-19 E n g li s h Remote control SELECT DEVICE SET LAST SLEEP A–B EXIT GUIDE CH VOL MUTE 0 FM 8 AV 9 MCH 7 TUN 5 AUX 6 TAPE 4 CD 2 SAT 3 VCR 1 DVD THX FX SUB P.MODE SUBT TITLE MENU ZOOM AUDIO MEM RETURN ANGLE SETUP STATUS SEARCH DIS TRM 1 2 TST SYN DYN SLP P – P + TM FAV MODE OPEN...
Page 19 - Operating your AVR250; Volume control; Muting the volume; Front panel display; Changing the display brightness
AVR250 E-18 AVR250 E-19 Operating your AVR250 For information display we recommend you use the OSD on your TV/screen whenever possible. However, all key information is also duplicated one line at a time on the front panel display of the AVR250. Switching on/off Press the power button in. After appro...
Page 20 - Input selection; Tape operation; Stereo Direct
AVR250 E-20 AVR250 E-21 E n g li s h Input selection To select a particular source, press the corresponding button on the front panel or on the remote control. There are eight inputs available: DVD, Sat, AV, PVR, VCR, Tape, CD and DVD-A (multi-channel). In addition, AM and FM radio reception can be ...
Page 21 - Mode; SUB
AVR250 E-20 AVR250 E-21 E n g li s h Effects/FX The EFFECT button ( FX on the remote) cycles through the available effect modes. The effects are only available when the AVR250 is in stereo mode.For more information on the effects, see the section ‘DSP Effects Modes’, page 25. Mode When a selected di...
Page 22 - Using the tuner; Tuning to a station; Storing a preset
AVR250 E-22 AVR250 E-23 E n g li s h Using the tuner The AVR250’s radio tuner can be controlled from the upper row of front panel buttons (see diagram, below) or from the remote control handset. Note that the tuner behaviour can be seen only via the front-panel display, as there is no on-screen disp...
Page 23 - Listening to the tuner in Zone 2; Using the Main Menu; Using the remote control to enter the Main Menu
AVR250 E-22 AVR250 E-23 E n g li s h FM Mute/Mono The AVR250’s tuner has an auto-muting circuit that, when engaged, mutes any signal that is of insuffi cient strength for listening. To engage this circuit press the FM MUTE/MONO button on the front panel: ‘FM MUTE’ is shown in the display. If a signa...
Page 24 - Main Menu Screen 2; MAIN MENU screen 3; Using Zone 2
AVR250 E-24 AVR250 E-25 E n g li s h Main Menu Screen 2 Compression : Allows selection of three different compression ratios ( OFF , MEDIUM and HIGH ), where the higher compression is intended for ‘late night’ listening. The compression effect increases the volume of the quiet passages and decreases...
Page 25 - Surround modes; Modes for Digital sources; Digital multi-channel sources
AVR250 E-24 AVR250 E-25 E n g li s h Surround modes Introduction Your AVR250 processor provides all the key decoding and processing modes for analogue and digital signals. Modes for Digital sources Digital recordings are usually encoded to include information about their format type. The AVR250 dete...
Page 26 - Two-channel source modes
AVR250 E-26 AVR250 E-27 E n g li s h Two-channel source modes The following decoding and surround modes are available: n Mono n Pro Logic Emulation n Stereo n Neo:6 Cinema n Pro Logic II/IIx Movie n Neo:6 Music n Pro Logic II/IIx Music These modes are available with two-channel analogue and two-chan...
Page 27 - DSP Effects Modes; Speaker positioning; Front left and right
AVR250 E-26 AVR250 E-27 E n g li s h DTS-ES 6.1 Discrete : This is a true discrete 6.1 channel sound format (unlike DTS-ES 6.1 Matrix where the sixth (surround centre) channel information is extracted from the two surround channels). DTS-ES 6.1 Discrete mode operates only on sources with DTS-ES 6.1 ...
Page 28 - Before you start – important information!; How to bi-wire loudspeakers; Bi-amping your system; Bi-amping using the AVR250
AVR250 E-28 AVR250 E-29 E n g li s h Bi-wiring and bi-amping loudspeakers Bi-wiring improves the sound of your system as it divides the high and low frequency signal currents into separate speaker cables. The performance of your system can be further enhanced over that achieved with bi-wiring by ext...
Page 29 - Troubleshooting
AVR250 E-28 AVR250 E-29 E n g li s h Troubleshooting There are no lights on the unit: Check that: n the power cord is plugged into the AVR250 and the mains socket outlet it is plugged into is switched on. n the power button is pressed in. n the mains fuse in the plug (if applicable) has not blown. T...
Page 31 - SCART connections
AVR250 E-30 AVR250 E-31 E n g li s h SCART connections These pinouts describe the signal connections between the AVR250 and your display device input. SCART RGB cable with audio back to processor Pin Signal Connector type Connector Pin Cable Type Label 1 Audio output B (right) from TV Tuner RCA Phon...
Page 32 - IR Remote Codes
AVR250 E-32 AVR250 E-33 E n g li s h IR Remote Codes The following information is supplied for owners of advanced programmable remote controls, such as the Philips ‘Pronto’ and similar devices, where it is possible to program remote codes directly into the device.The coding system for the AVR250 is ...
Page 34 - Technical specifications; Continual improvement policy
AVR250 E-34 AVR250 E-35 E n g li s h Technical specifications Analogue audio inputs Line input sensitivity 0.5/1/2/4V rms (2V rms normal) Overload margin +2dB Input impedance >22kΩ Analogue audio outputs Level (at 0dB gain) 2V rms Maximum level 3.5V rms Impedance 600Ω Signal/Noise ratio (analogue...
Page 35 - Guarantee; Worldwide Guarantee; Claims under guarantee; On line registration
AVR250 E-34 AVR250 E-35 E n g li s h Guarantee Worldwide Guarantee This entitles you to have the unit repaired free of charge, during the first two years after purchase, at any authorised Arcam distributor provided that it was originally purchased from an authorised Arcam dealer or distributor. The ...
Page 36 - Appendix: Serial programming interface; Conventions; Command and response formats; Answer codes; State changes as a result of other inputs; Example command and response sequence
AVR250 E-36 AVR250 E-37 E n g li s h Appendix: Serial programming interface Introduction This section describes the remote control protocol for controlling the AVR250 via the RS232 interface. Conventions n All values in this section are hexadecimal values, unless otherwise specified. Data transfer f...
Page 37 - Command Specifications / Spécifications des commandes /; Display Brightness / Luminosité de l’affichage /
AVR250 E-36 AVR250 E-37 E n g li s h Command Specifications / Spécifications des commandes / Befehlsspezifikationen / Opdrachtspecificaties Power / Alimentation / Betriebsbereitschaft / Stroom Change the stand-by state of a zone. Modifiez l’état de veille d’une zone. Ändern des Stand-by-Zustands ein...
Page 38 - Schließen eines Menüs / Een menu sluiten
AVR250 E-38 AVR250 E-39 E n g li s h Close a menu / Fermeture d’un menu / Schließen eines Menüs / Een menu sluiten Close one of the menus of the AVR250. An error message is returned if the close instruction relates to a menu that is not open. For example, if the Main menu is open and a close instruc...
Page 39 - Ändern der Lautstärke / Volumewijziging; Source selection / Sélection de la source /
AVR250 E-38 AVR250 E-39 E n g li s h Volume change / Modification du volume / Ändern der Lautstärke / Volumewijziging Increment/decrement the audio volume in a zone. The value returned for the new volume is offset by 0x30. To obtain the correct value, subtract 0x30 from the reported value. n Formula...
Page 40 - Einstellen der Lautstärke / Volume-instelling
AVR250 E-40 AVR250 E-41 E n g li s h Volume set / Réglage du volume / Einstellen der Lautstärke / Volume-instelling Set the volume of a zone. The value transmitted for the new volume must be offset by 0x30. n Formula: transmitted volume = (required volume + 0x30) The value returned for the new volum...
Page 42 - Analog/digital auswählen
AVR250 E-42 AVR250 E-43 E n g li s h Effect / Effet / Effekt / Effect Set the effect mode for two-channel material. An error message is returned if the selected effect is not available for the current source. Réglez le mode d’effets pour le matériau à double canal. Un message d’erreur s’affiche si l...
