Page 2 - Safety guidelines; IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS; Take heed of warnings and instructions; Damage requiring service; SAFETY COMPLIANCE; ATTENTION
E-2 E-2 E-3 E n g li sh Safety guidelines 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 reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moi...
Page 3 - Welcome to the AV8 Preamp Processor; USING THIS HANDBOOK; CONTENTS
E-2 E-2 E-3 E n g li sh Welcome to the AV8 Preamp Processor USING THIS HANDBOOK Thank you for purchasing the Arcam FMJ AV8 Preamp Processor.This handbook has been designed to give you all the information you need to install, connect, set up and use the Arcam FMJ AV8 Preamp Processor. The remote cont...
Page 4 - POSITIONING THE UNIT; AUDIO; Installation
E-4 E-4 E-5 E n g li sh POSITIONING THE UNIT Place the processor on a level, firm surface. Avoid placing the unit in direct sunlight or near sources of heat or damp. Do not place the unit on top of a power amplifier or other source of heat. Ensure adequate ventilation. Do not place the unit ...
Page 5 - CABLES
E-4 E-4 E-5 E n g li sh GENERAL The inputs are named to make it easier to reference when connecting e.g., a DVD or VCR, but they all have the same input circuit, so there is no reason why you should not connect a different device to any of the inputs. For example, if you had two DVD players and the ...
Page 6 - DIGITAL AUDIO INPUTS; DIGITAL OUTPUT; AUDIO CONNECTIONS; ANALOGUE AUDIO INPUTS
E-6 E-6 E-7 E n g li sh DIGITAL AUDIO INPUTS bp DVD, bq AV, br TAPE, bs TUNER, bt CD, ck VCR, cl SAT . Connect these inputs to the digital ouputs of your available source equipment. bs bt ck cl cm OUT TUNER CD VCR SAT TAPE AV DVD bp bq br DIGITAL INPUTS Notes: Each of these seven digital inputs ca...
Page 7 - ANALOGUE PREAMPLIFIER OUTPUTS; ZONE 2 CONNECTIONS; VIDEO CONNECTIONS; IMPORTANT NOTES
E-6 E-6 E-7 E n g li sh ANALOGUE PREAMPLIFIER OUTPUTS All these analogue outputs are buffered, have a low output impedance and are at line level. They are able to drive long cables or several inputs in parallel if required. LEFT CENTRE L/SURR LS/BACK SUB/2 RIGHT SUB/1 R/SURR RS/BACK SUB/3 dm do dq d...
Page 8 - Important notes about HQ video inputs and outputs; CONTROL CONNECTIONS; TRIGGER OUTPUTS
E-8 E-8 E-9 E n g li sh fm VCR OUT . Connect this to the S-video input of your video recorder. fl TAPE . If you are using the tape loop for a second VCR then connect the S-video from the VCR to this input. HIGH QUALITY (COMPONENT) VIDEO CONNECTIONS These inputs are suitable for connection to compone...
Page 9 - gs; gsgt; SCART mode; Notes on SCART mode; CONNECTING TO A POWER SUPPLY; MAINS LEAD
E-8 E-8 E-9 E n g li sh gs VIDEO TRIGGER 1, gt VIDEO TRIGGER 2. The trigger outputs have different functions depending on how the ‘Video Status’ has been set (Screen Ctrl or SCART) in the ‘General Settings’ menu. ZONE 2 MONITOR OUT 2 1 VIDEO TRIGGERS 1/RGB 2/S-VIDEO PROG gsgt SCART mode 1/RGB trigge...
Page 10 - ENTERING SETUP MODE; Unstable OSD menu display?; SETUP LOCK; Save Setup; NAVIGATING USING THE REMOTE CONTROL; NOTE; NAVIGATING USING THE FRONT PANEL; Configuring the AV8
E-10 E-10 E-11 E n g li sh The AV8 ‘Setup Menu’ has six ‘Basic’ and five ‘Advanced’ menu screens which take you through the configuration process. The ‘Basic’ menus enable you to match your AV8 to your speakers. The ‘Advanced’ menus allow you to optimise the operation of your system. Screen shots of...
Page 11 - BASIC SETUP; – GENERAL SETTINGS:; – SPEAKER SIZES
E-10 E-10 E-11 E n g li sh BASIC SETUP 1 – GENERAL SETTINGS: 1 - General Settings Volume Display: Normal 0-72 Max Volume: +72 Max On Volume: +20 Delay units: Imperial OSD Mode: Mixed Video Status: SCART HQ Video: RGB Sync On Green: Off Volume display: Allows you to select how volume is displayed. Ch...
Page 12 - – SPEAKER DELAY SETTINGS; speaker delay settings; – LEVEL SETTINGS; – SUBWOOFER SETTINGS; Crossover Frequency
E-12 E-12 E-13 E n g li sh 5.1 Rear speakers defines how the speakers in a full ‘7.1’ installation handle 5.1 decoded sources. Surr L/R redirects 5.1 surround signal to the surround left and right speakers. No signal will be directed to the surround back left or right speakers. Surr Back L/R redirec...
Page 13 - – THX SETTINGS; SAVING SETTINGS AND EXIT SETUP
E-12 E-12 E-13 E n g li sh Large+Sub Pure stereo fed to left and right and extracted bass is sent to the subwoofer. Sat+Sub Use this setting if you have ‘Small’ satellite left and right speakers. Full bass management is used in analogue stereo so that analogue sources are fed to the DSP where the ba...
Page 14 - ADVANCED SETUP; ADV 2 – VIDEO SETTINGS
E-14 E-14 E-15 E n g li sh ADVANCED SETUP ADV 1 – SPEAKER EQ. Adv 1 - Speaker Eq. Bass Treble FL: --I-- +0dB --I-- +0dB C: --I-- +0dB --I-- +0dB FR: --I-- +0dB --I-- +0dB SR: --I-- +0dB --I-- +0dB SBR: --I-- +0dB --I-- +0dB SBL: --I-- +0dB --I-- +0dB SL: --I-- +0dB --I-- +0dB Auto Stereo Tone Bypass...
Page 15 - ADV 4 – ZONE 2 SETTINGS; ADV 5 – INPUT TRIMS
E-14 E-14 E-15 E n g li sh ADV 4 – ZONE 2 SETTINGS Adv 4 - Zone 2 Settings Max Vol 20-72: 72 Fix Vol: No Max On Vol 0-72: 20 Zone 1 Standby: Local Only Zone 2 Standby: Local Only Local OSD: On Zone 1 Control: Yes Access: All Max Vol 20–72 : Limits the maximum volume setting for zone 2. This is a use...
Page 16 - SAVING SETTINGS AND EXITING SETUP; IMPORTANT NOTE
E-16 E-16 E-17 E n g li sh SAVING SETTINGS AND EXITING SETUP Save Settings No Save - Return to index Save as:Preset 1* Preset 2 Preset 3 Preset 4 Preset 5 Press OK to edit- OK to save All the settings you have made on the previous screens can be saved as a user profile and stored as one of five ‘Pre...
Page 17 - Front panel controls; bo; bp; bk
E-16 E-16 E-17 E n g li sh Front panel controls POWER AV8 PREAMP PROCESSOR DVD A TAPE PHONO/AUX VCR AV SAT DVD MENU DISPLAY CD TUNER M O D E EFFECT THX 9 bn 8 7 6 1 5 bo OK DIRECT MUTE THX SURROUND EX 4 3 2 bk bl bm V o l : + 8 A n . P L I I M o v i e T o n e bp 1 Remote control receiver . This is p...
Page 18 - Remote control
E-18 E-18 E-19 E n g li sh 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 MENU INFO...
Page 19 - USING THE CONTROLS; Operating your AV8
E-18 E-18 E-19 E n g li sh INTRODUCTION 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 AV8. USING THE CONTROLS SWITCHING ON Press the power button in. Betwee...
Page 21 - USING THE MAIN MENU SCREEN; Vol
E-20 E-20 E-21 E n g li sh INFO Press this button on the remote once to display the local OSD repor t on source inputs and processing mode. The display times out after about three seconds. SYN Delays may be introduced into the video signal by external video processing equipment which causes a mismat...
Page 22 - MAIN MENU SCREEN 2
E-22 E-22 E-23 E n g li sh Stereo Direct : If Stereo direct is Off , the AV8 functions in its normal way.If stereo direct is On , the AV8 uses the analogue input signal for the source, bypassing the digital circuitr y. In this mode, the AV8 functions like an analogue preamp: it also shuts down all t...
Page 23 - MAIN MENU SCREEN 3; USING ZONE 2; INTRODUCTION; CONTROL VIA ZONE 2 MENU
E-22 E-22 E-23 E n g li sh MAIN MENU SCREEN 3 This page refers to zone 2 functions. These are required if your system is installed to send audio and video to a separate ‘zone 2’ room, or you wish to make use of the zone 2 headphone facility. Main Menu Screen 3 Zone 2 Vol:--------------I--- +0 Headph...
Page 24 - Surround modes; MODES FOR DIGITAL SOURCES; TWO-CHANNEL SOURCE MODES
E-24 E-24 E-25 E n g li sh Surround modes INTRODUCTION Your AV8 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 AV8 automatically detect...
Page 25 - MULTICHANNEL SOURCES; FOR DOLBY DIGITAL SOURCES; FOR DTS SOURCES; MODE DESCRIPTIONS; THX; THX Cinema; THX Ultra2 Cinema
E-24 E-24 E-25 E n g li sh The AV8 allows both Pro Logic and Pro Logic II decoding. Generally, you will find Pro Logic II performs better and gives a livelier, more realistic surround sound field. DTS NEO:6 Cinema : A movie mode designed to reproduce a movie theatre environment with natural steering...
Page 26 - DSP EFFECTS MODES; THX TECHNOLOGY; THX STANDARDS
E-26 E-26 E-27 E n g li sh THX Surround EX and Surround ES Surround EX is a joint development of Dolby Laboratories and the THX division of Lucasfilm Ltd. In a movie theatre, film soundtracks that have been encoded with Surround EX technology are able to reproduce an extra channel which has been add...
Page 27 - Troubleshooting
E-26 E-26 E-27 E n g li sh Troubleshooting There are no lights on the unit: Check that: the power cord is plugged into the AV8 and the mains socket outlet it is plugged into is switched on. the power button is pressed in. If a red LED is present, the AV8 is in standby mode. Press any source butt...
Page 29 - Unable to adjust bass and treble controls:
E-28 E-28 E-29 E n g li sh Unable to adjust bass and treble controls: Bass and treble is not available in THX mode. For Analogue Stereo and Digital Stereo modes, check that the ‘Auto Stereo Tone Bypass’ line of ‘Speaker Eq’ in the Setup Menu is set to No . Unable to adjust balance control: Balance i...
Page 30 - Technical specifications; CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT POLICY
E-30 E-30 E-31 E n g li sh Technical specifications NOTE: All specification values are typical unless otherwise stated. CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT POLICY Arcam has a policy of continual improvement for its products. This means that designs and specifications are subject to change without notice. Audio Li...
Page 31 - RADIO INTERFERENCE; Additional technical information; LOCKING THE SETUP MENU; PROGRAMMING VIA THE RS232 INPUT; gq
E-30 E-30 E-31 E n g li sh RADIO INTERFERENCE The AV8 is a digital audio device which have been designed to ver y high standards of electromagnetic compatibility.The unit can radiate RF (radio frequency) energy. In some cases this can cause interference with FM and AM radio reception. If this is the...
Page 32 - SCART CONNECTIONS; SCART RGB cable with audio back to processor
E-32 E-32 E-33 E n g li sh SCART CONNECTIONS These pinouts describe the signal connections between the AV8 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 Phono (1) Centre ...
Page 33 - IR REMOTE CODES; TABLE OF REMOTE CODES
E-32 E-32 E-33 E n g li sh 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 AV8 is based on the ...
Page 34 - AV8 SERIAL PROGRAMMING INTERFACE; MUT; COMMAND PROCESSING; FAIL
E-34 E-34 E-35 E n g li sh AV8 SERIAL PROGRAMMING INTERFACE INTRODUCTION This section of the document details the serial command set of the AV8 software. The serial por t is set as follows: baud rate 38,400 data bits 8 parity none stop bits 1 flow control none Command lines must be terminated by an ...
Page 35 - QUERY COMMANDS
E-34 E-34 E-35 E n g li sh QUERY COMMANDS Command Parameters Description Response PWR ?zPWR Quer y Power State zPWRx , where z is the zone parameter you supply. MUT ?zMUT Quer y Mute State zMUTx , where z is the zone parameter you supply. EFF ?EFF Quer y Effect Mode EFFy , where y may have the value...
Page 36 - GENERAL OPERATION COMMANDS
E-36 E-36 E-37 E n g li sh GENERAL OPERATION COMMANDS Command Parameters Description Parameter values PWR ?zPWRx Power on/off MUT ?zMUTx Mute on/off FAN zFANx Force Analogue EFF ?EFFy Effect Mode Selection y may have the values 0 to 7 , as follows: 0 = off, 1 = music, 2 = par ty, 3 = club, 4 = hall,...
Page 37 - SETUP COMMANDS – BASIC; Basic General
E-36 E-36 E-37 E n g li sh SETUP COMMANDS – BASIC Basic General Command Parameters Description Parameter values VDS VDSy Volume Display y may have the values 0 to 2 , as follows: 0 = Normal, 1 = dB ref, 2 = Fine. MXV zMXVy Max Volume y may have a value in the range -33 to +19 : -33 = –33dB +19 = +19...
Page 38 - Basic Sub
E-38 E-38 E-39 E n g li sh Basic Sub Command Parameters Description Parameter values CRF CRFy Crossover Frequency y may have a value in the range 0 to 11 : 0 = 40Hz 11 = 150Hz (in 10Hz steps) STM STMy Stereo Mode y may have the values 0 to 2 , as follows: 0 = Large+Sub, 1 = Sat+Sub, 2 = Large. LFE L...
Page 39 - SETUP COMMANDS – ADVANCED
E-38 E-38 E-39 E n g li sh SETUP COMMANDS – ADVANCED Advanced Speaker Command Parameters Description Parameter values BAS BASsy Bass Levels y may have a value in the range -6 to +6 : -6 = –6dB +6 = +6dB TRB TRBsy Treble Levels y may have a value in the range -6 to +6 : -6 = –6dB +6 = +6dB STB STBx A...
Page 40 - Engineering Settings
E-40 E-40 E-41 E n g li sh Engineering Settings Command Parameters Description Parameter values RC5 zRC5y RC5 System Code y may have the values 0 to 5 , as follows: 0 = RC5 System Code 16, 1 = RC5 System Code 19. SCM SCMx Scrolling Message SCT SCTyn Scrolling Text Select y may have a value in the ra...
Page 41 - AV8 PROGRAMMER; UTILITY SOFTWARE
E-40 E-40 E-41 E n g li sh AV8 PROGRAMMER The AV8 programmer utility allows future software upgrades to be installed and allows backup and restoration of the unit’s settings via the RS232 por t on the back of the AV8.The following equipment is required: IBM PC compatible computer running Windows 9...
Page 42 - WORLDWIDE GUARANTEE; CLAIMS UNDER GUARANTEE; ON LINE REGISTRATION; Guarantee
E-42 E-42 F-1 F ra n ç a is 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 manufacturer can ta...
