® The Architect Model 100 & Model 200 TM High Current Power Amplifier / Speaker Optimizer Professional Installer’s Consciousness Guide ® making good stereo sound better® 22410 70th Avenue West Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166 www.audiocontrol.com ©1999. All rights reserved.
Important Information Dealer Name _______________________________________ Date Installed ______________________________________ Serial Number _____________________________________ ®
Contents The Architecttm Product Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Experienced Installer’s Quick Hook-Up Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A Guided Tour Of The Architect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hooking Up Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Installation: The Long Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Congratulations! Product Highlights You are now installing a component which can dramatically improve the performance of any distributed audio system, especially those utilizing in-wall speakers. The Architecttm Model 100 and Model 200 are American-designed, “set and forget” components which will provide a lifetime of trouble-free service for your multi-room audio system.
Product Highlights High Definition BiMOS Output Design Distrubuted audio systems can place terrific demands on power amplifiers. Lots of speakers and level controls add up to extremely complex loads that can drive most amps to the point of smoking. The high current drive capabilities of our BiMOS outputs cleanly delivers a minimum of 200 watts into a 2 ohm load. That’s the equivalent of paralleling 4 pairs of 8 ohms speakers.
Quick Hook-Up Guide Experienced Installer’s Quick Hook-Up Guide What follows are “Express” hook-up diagrams for professionals and experienced audio buffs. 1) Connect the AC power and Remote Turn-On Control. (Page 7) Start with the GROUND LIFT switch in the GROUND position. If you have a ground loop hum, try the other two positions for the best operation. This switch ONLY isolates the audio ground from the earth ground. The chassis is ALWAYS connected to earth ground.
A Guided Tour Of The Architecttm Model 100 and Model 200 Model 100 Ë Model 200 Front panel: Model 100 and Model 200 Ê Stereo Speaker Optimizer controls (Model 200 only) - This array of knobs provide up to 12dB boost or cut at 45Hz, 150Hz, 300Hz, 700Hz, 2500Hz and 12KHz.
A Guided Tour Of The Architecttm Model 100 & Model 200 Ð Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï Ò Ñ Ó 11 Rear Panel Ê Remote Power Control - This three pin connector allows you to remotely turn on the Architect. You can either use a contact closure between the Control In and the +12V output or an external 12 volt trigger between the Control In and Ground terminals. The +12 volt output is not designed to power other pieces of equipment. It is a current limited output for switching the Architect only.
Hooking Up Your System Hooking Up Your System What you’ll need: 1. The Architecttm Model 100 or Model 200. 2. RCA audio hook-up cables. 3. (Optional) A balanced line driver if you are going to mount the Architect more than 20 feet from the preamp. 4. Enough speaker wire to reach all of your speakers. 5. Multi-zone controller, receiver, or preamplifier. 6.
Placement The Architect Model 100 and Model 200 is a very efficient amplifier, but it does need some breathing room to operate properly. Make certain that the air vents on the rear and sides of the Architect are not blocked and have at least 1/2" of air space. Also make certain that heat sensitive components such as CD or Tape players are not directly on top of the Architect. Just as a reminder, you should avoid putting any leaky potted plants on the audio equipment stack.
Installation: The Long Version Remote Power Control Diagrams 3) The third level of power control is the Signal-Sense circuit. This provides individual channel muting control. When active, it senses that an audio signal is present on the RCA inputs then enables the power and unmutes that zone. The zone status LEDs on the front panel light up green when a signal is present. In some installations it may be desirable to defeat the signalsense control and leave all zones active regardless of the audio input.
Installation: The Long Version 5) If you need to run the RCA audio cables more than 20 feet you should consider using a balanced line driver for the signals. This will provide better noise rejection against nasty things like hum, spikes, local talk radio, etc. The AudioControl balanced line driver components are an excellent way to send audio over long distances with standard Cat-5 wiring. Check them out. Speaker Hook-up The same rule applies to the speaker wires as the RCA connections.
Doing the Deed Your choice of speaker wire gauge and the length of the runs also affects the speaker impedance load presented to the amplifiers. As you can see in this table, even fairly short speaker runs can have a very significant resistance if you use a smaller wire gauge. This can be a benefit if you paralleling lots of speakers. The wire itself acts as an impedance limiter, since the amplifier cannot see a speaker load lower than the resistance of the wire.
Doing the Deed Congratulations! You’re done with the hook up. Now for the details of operation... Doing The Deed Before proceeding on to setting up the Speaker Optimization controls on the Architect, it’s a good idea to make sure that you have everything connected and working properly. 1. Double-check all connections. Make certain that all of the audio and speaker connections are firmly seated and tightened down. 2. Turn on your audio system.
Doing the Deed A Short Introduction To Equalizers And Acoustics Magazine reviewers and audio system owners spend much time critically appraising speaker and other stereo components. Unfortunately, a phenomenon that has a very large effect upon sound is not is easily judged or changed. That effect is the ACOUSTICS of the environment in which you are listening. Room acoustics is a complicated subject about which entire textbooks have been written.
Analysis Another set of variables is the shape and volume of your listening room. Large rooms require more bass energy to excite waves within them. Small rooms need less energy, but reflect it differently. And then there’s the fact that most rooms don’t have four walls anymore, but open into dining rooms, lofts, cathedral ceilings, etc. All of this means that predicting sound interaction patterns is very difficult due to the irregularities of the room shape.
Data For Information Fiends Here is a brief introduction to each of the Speaker Optimization control frequencies and what their affect on your music is. 45Hz — Low bass. This is about the lowest frequency which in-wall, extension and small bookshelf speakers can achieve. Boosting it too far might cause problems, even though The Architecttm Model 200’s PFM filter cuts frequencies under 40Hz.
The Truth About Bass & The The Truth About Bass And The Programmable Programmable Frequency Frequency Match Filter Match Filter Now that digital audio is the favorite musical source, there’s more low bass running around in a typical system. Low bass injects large amounts of power into ANY kind of speaker — up to 60% of your amplifier’s output is being used to reproduce frequencies under 100Hz. That can really tax a system which is driving multiple speakers from a single amplifier channel.
Troubleshooting Troubleshooting the Architect Almost all problems can be eliminated by re-checking the wiring and settings of the Architect amplifier. If a problem cannot be solved using the guide below, please call the AudioControl factory for further assistance. 1. No Sound: • Verify the Power LED in on. • Verify Protection LED is Green. • Verify Channel Status LED is Green. • Verify Source unit is operating.
Brazen Plug A Brazen Plug For Other AudioControl Products AudioControl started out making graphic equalizers in 1977. Our heritage and designed experience grew from a background in professional audio, so we were never quite satisfied with what was available for the consumer audio market. Since that time, we have continued to expand our product offerings to become a key part of any home audio system.
Appendix Appendix - Bridging The Architect Caution - When bridging the Architect, the minimum speaker load impedance on that bridged output is 4 ohms. In a bridged system, each channel of the bridged pair “sees” one half of the speaker load. This means that a bridged amp driving a 4 ohm speaker is operating into a 2 ohm load. To increase the output power of the Architect, you can join (bridge) the two channels of the Architect into a single channel of 400 watts. Accomplishing this is a simple matter.
The WARRANTY People are scared of warranties. Lots of fine print. Months of waiting around. Well, fear no more. This warranty is designed to make you rave about us to your friends. It’s a warranty that looks out for you and helps you resist the temptation to have your friend, who’s “good with electronics”, try to repair your AudioControl product. So go ahead, read this warranty, then take a few days to enjoy your new Architect before sending in the warranty card and comments.
What to do if you need service What to do if you need service First, contact AudioControl, either by phone (425)775-8461 or FAX (425)778-3166. We’ll verify if there is anything wrong that you can fix yourself, or arrange to have it sent back to our factory for repair. Please include the following items with the returning unit: 1) A copy of your proof of purchase (that sales receipt we’ve been harping about). No originals please. We cannot guarantee returning them to you.
Block Diagram & Specifications SPECIFICATIONS Amplifier Power Rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Watts @ 8 ohms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125v watts RMS @ 4 ohms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Watts RMS @ 2 ohms (minimum) Minimum Speaker Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ohms Damping Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greater than 200 EQ Center Frequencies . . .
® making good stereo sound better® 22410 70th Avenue West Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166 Email info@audiocontrol.com Visit us on the web at www.audiocontrol.
