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1. Crestron AMX Universal Harmony or Pronto code extra to add one of those remote systems Combined with AudioControl s Savoy G3 7 channel M3 easily exceeds the best performance I ve heard fro Asian AVRs There s more clarity better detail better lo been able to deliver so far The far more expensive Anthem Stat D2v P5 combo roughly twice as expensive with seven Anthem Statement amplifier channels sounded excellent but did not clearly outclass the AudioControl products The Anthem Statement setup dic benefit from better and more comprehensive video processing and better on board Room EQ capabilities But the AudioControl setup has network Internet capabilities and distributed video capabilities that the Anthem setup did not have The Maestro M3 provides performance appropriate for its expen sive price At this price point you should expect excellent sonic per formance and the M3 does deliver on those expectations Provided By The Essential Home Theatre Resource Widescreen REVICW This review Copyright 2010 Widescreen Review has been provided in its entirety from Issue 149 July August September 2010 Take advantage of our lowest priced subscription ever at WidescreenReview com Widescreen Review P O Box 2587 Temecula CA 92593 Phone 951 676 4914 Fax 951 693 2960 Order online at WidescreenReview com All major credit cards are accepted www WidescreenReview com Issue 1492. July August September 2010 1
3. between the two products that it wasn t possible to declare a winner Conclusion The AudioControl Maestro M3 while expensive delivers top tier analog and digital audio performance It is sold only through custom installer channels so it s not likely to be available from typical retail equipment sources though AudioControl installer dealers are happy to sell components without custom design install services digital audio performance for both stereo and surround sources The video upconversion capabilities are just average but HD sources are as good as they get which means unmolested in this case The M3 s Room EQ is fairly basic and those more serious about getting the best possible Room Equalization should consider AudioControl s Diva audio processor Net USB functions work well but navigation of large num bers of choices is slow as has been the case in every Net USB ready processor or AVR lve evaluated so The unique video distribution features incorporated in the M3 give it an advantage over competitive products when multiple zone video or multiple displays will be used It has a built in output for HDMI over CAT 6 cable for runs up to 150 feet There are also outputs for component video or composite S video over CAT 5 cable for runs up to 1 000 feet There s no remote control included with the M3 so potential owners should already be using a universal control system like one using RTI T T
4. delivered to the M3 via coax were excellent considering the limitations of these formats some AVRs and surround processors that support seven audio channels have no facility for you to select no rear channel surround loudspeakers for 5 1 soundtracks It seems that once you set up the rear channels you have to pick from Dolby ProLogic IIx or DTS Neo 6 and accept the synthesized rear surround mix from 5 1 soundtracks The Maestro M3 has a None option for the Ext Mode setting Input Contig Menu Ext Mode sets the default surround sound mode for Surround sources If you always want to use Dolby ProLogic IIx you could set that in the Ext Mode and you d always have 7 1 sound from every soundtrack However some movie purists want to hear 5 1 sound from 5 1 discs and 7 1 sound from 7 1 discs and that None option for Ext Mode is what you want to use to keep the number of playback channels equal to the number of channels in the original soundtrack While the Denon AVR 5308C1 sounds good on the same sound tracks when you revisit the same scenes with the M3 there s an inten The dif ference requires the back to back comparison to detect though The Anthem Statement D2v processor was very close to the M3 s sound quality The D2v had just a hair more clarity in the echo inside the man sion and in some of the fine detail but it took a lot of switching back and forth to find that small difference Most things sounded so similar
5. excel lent example of how well the G3 can reproduce a complex and dynam ic Soundtrack mix The intensity of the music combined with great and perhaps reading glasses you all know who you are to read the labels But the white surface makes identification of various connections much easier than the typical home theatre processor with black back panels The area around outputs is black with white lettering so it is easier to identify the areas of the back panel for output connections There is much less black area than white area so all that white paint still makes everything easier to see once the M3 is put in an equipment rack The AC power cord is removable via an IEC socket allowing the use of replacement power cords if desired There s a main power switch on the back panel making it easy to shutdown when you are working in the back Inputs are named AV SAT DVR CD DVD etc instead of being numbered But this doesn t really impact setup in any significant way Other connections on the back panel include five HDMI inputs 7 1 analog inputs non processed volume control only and 7 3 analog outputs with both RCA jacks and XLR connectors There s an input jack for the audio measurement microphone an IR jack for each of three zones and a 12v trigger for each zone An Ethernet jack and USB connector type A female support Internet functions and digital files from a variety of storage devices An RS 232 connector supports automation sy
6. play MP3 WMA FLAC MP4 ACC and Ogg Vorbis files sent via an Ethernet or USB connected device Smaller libraries are easier to deal with as the slow navigation speed can make getting to what you want to play in the middle of a large directory library time consuming This slow navigation issue has been common to every net USB capable AVR or processor I ve used so far so its not really a surprise here The best solution for accessing a large library stored on a hard disk is still a media server PC running something other than Windows Media Player WMP is bog slow with large libraries or if you have a PS3 it can become your media server using free software PS3 Media Server running on your Windows laptop or PC It was essentially no work at all to get the M3 connected to my net work or to use USB storage devices Since the USB port is on the back a male to female USB cable run to a convenient location would help if the back of the M3 is not readily accessible Internet radio isn t exactly a high res source but the various sta tions had acceptable sound quality Interruptions were possible if there 4 Widescreen Review Issue 149 July August September 2010 AudioControl Maestro M3 amp Savoy G3 was other network activity but that s common to any device playing Internet radio stations Sound quality of digital music files sent by a PS3 via HDMI or via Ethernet was as good as the original discs played on a high quality disc tra
7. that s a little better in regards to overall clarity the smoothness and detail in high frequencies and in the sense of space and open ness within the recording Auto Setup And RoomEQ AudioControl provides a measurement microphone quite different than most It s a 4 inch diameter disc with a slightly domed top surface of perforated metal The microphone itself is sturdier than the plastic tower type microphones provided with many AVRs and processors The microphone is intended to face the ceiling with the AudioControl logo towards the center channel loudspeaker and presumably towards the center of the screen or panel display found that the Auto Setup worked fine with a 5 1 loudspeaker setup but when additional surround channel loudspeakers were added for a 7 1 system the M3 consistently set those channels about 4 to 5 CB louder than they should have been set This was confirmed by listening measurements and comparing settings arrived at with other surround processors and AVRs Manually changing the auto setup values is easily done in the loudspeaker levels menu The M3 s RoomEQ function like most focuses on bass octaves and midrange where room dimensions and loudspeaker placement can cause peaks and dips in frequency response Response dips caused by cancellations can t be fixed by AudioControl s or anybody else s RoomEQ since boosting power at the center of the dip just makes the cancellation stronger So like all r
8. ENT REVIEW Nave to decide on is whether you are going to upconvert all inputs to 24 192 or whether you are going to process incoming signals in the format that they arrive AudioControl chose the latter found that sending higher sample rate digital stereo music sound ed better than if sent native 44 1 kHz CD digital files At 88 2 kHz the sonic upgrade was worthwhile and at 176 4 kHz put just a little more luster on the sound The stereo layer of SA CDs played back as 24 192 PCM via HDMI into the M3 produced some of the most involving stereo listening I ve had in quite some time A firmware bug prevented the M3 from playing stereo sources high er than 96 kHz sample rate for much of the review period but near the end of the review late July 2010 downloaded a preliminary firmware update that restored the M3 s ability to accept 176 4 and 192 kHz stereo digital files In the Input Config menu page there is a Mode setting that lets you specify how you want the M3 to present stereo sources You can select from Dolby ProLogic IIx modes DTS Neo 6 modes Stereo or Last Mode Your choice here will only set the default mode there is still a button on the remote control to set stereo mode PLIIx or Neo 6 If you choose one of the PLIIx or Neo 6 modes you ll get 7 1 sound from stereo sources if you set up seven loudspeaker channels or 5 1 sound if you set up five loudspeaker channels Stereo mode was used for all the stereo music evalu
9. F EQUIPMENT REVIEW 1 AudioControl Maestro M3 Surround Processor Doug Blackburn AudioControl has been involved in designing and making audio products for more than 30 years The business is located in Washington state and all products are assembled in their own facilities They make products for home theatre of course plus car audio and professional audio But their home theatre focus is not typical You will rarely or perhaps never see their products for sale in typical retail stores Instead they focus on custom installers to sell and install AudioControl products as part of entire custom home theatre installa tions This business focus produces some interesting differences in AudioControl products versus what you would expect from typi cal products sold in retail stores One difference is that there is no stated MSRP since custom installations are contract services with a fixed price for the entire installation If you are interested in pur chasing AudioControl s products without having to have an entire home theatre designed and installed by an authorized dealer AudioControl says that their dealers will be more than happy to sell individual or multiple AudioControl components To find a local dealer go to AudioControl s Web site select Home Theater products then use the Find A Dealer button AudioControl estimates that the average price charged for a Maestro M3 processor in a custom home theatre installation is
10. M3 s overall performance My reference in this case is a far more expensive low output moving coil cartridge and the high gain moving coil phono stage in my stereo preamp Belles Power Modules 28A There was no way the moving coil setup could be approached by the moving magnet setup but if you aren t looking for the ultimate in LP playback the M3 s moving magnet phono stage is far more enjoyable than those found in any Asian brand AVR or processor I ve heard so far In fact the phono stages in most surround oriented components sound like cheap after thoughts At least the M3 offers phono performance you can enjoy if really good moving magnet cartridge playback of LPs meets your needs The M3 s sound with analog sources was very obviously better than the Denon AVR 5308C when both were using the same outboard amplifier The M3 has a clarity and openness to the sound that the Denon just can t match The Anthem Statement D2v was much stiffer competition would call the evaluation a draw but they don t sound the same The D2v has a little more energetic sparkle to the sound that makes it easy to hear subtle detail while the M3 has a prettier richer sound could live happily with either one Digital Stereo Inputs There are design decisions facing every manufacturer of home the atre products When it comes to digital audio one of the questions you www WidescreenReview com Issue 149 July August September 2010 5 UIPM
11. about 5 900 and the Savoy G3 amplifier s price is estimated at 3 000 The main body of the review will cover the Maestro M3 processor and the Savoy G3 amplifier will be covered in a sepa rate sidebar For comparisons during the review process used a Denon AVR 5308Cl MSRP 5 500 home theatre receiver and the Anthem Statement D2v surround sound processor MSRP 8 495 and Anthem Statement P5 5 channel amplifier MSRP 7 495 A Different Design Philosophy The Maestro M3 does not come with a remote control AudioControl will Supply one for additional cost but custom installers typically provide integrated remote control solutions often employing RS 232 serial port connections to all the equipment in the system AudioControl does support all the major remote control systems likely to be used in custom installations Crestron AMX RTI Pronto Universal Harmony etc One of the reasons people go to custom installers is because they can get whole house distribution Widescreen Review Issue 149 July August September 2010 Savoy And G3 7 Channel Power Amplifier systems and whole house automation solutions so that the owner has complete multi location control over lighting heating cooling security computer systems and entertainment This level of automation includes integrated controls for the home theatre equipment so an included remote control would end up never being used or needed Those interested in purchasing a M
12. aestro M3 will need to discuss options for remote controls with the AudioControl dealer Another thing that s potentially quite different from typical retail products is that AudioControl doesn t go overboard with obscure features bells whistles settings modes lights and arcane video processing menus Everything useful is included but because AudioControl sells the Diva room correction audio processor the M3 s auto setup and RoomEQ would be used in a more basic custom installation and the Diva audio proces sor would be specified for systems where the owner has more perfec tionist leanings Likewise the video processing in the M3 handles the basics leaving more comprehensive processing to outboard solutions While the peripheral functions of the Maestro M3 audio equaliza tion and video processing are not intended to be state of the art assaults on either technology AudioControl did focus considerable attention on sound quality providing an all analog signal path option and digitally controlled analog volume control A digital volume control chip selects discrete resistors from a resistor array so there is no potentiometer in the signal path to degrade sound quality High quality 24 bit 192 KHz DACs are used for all channels AudioControl says their parts selection and circuit topologies were chosen to maximize sound quality rather than to reduce manufacturing costs Because so many custom installations involve multiple vid
13. an be disabled with the display mode button A rack mounting kit is optional for the G3 AudioControl says the price quoted in a typical custom installation proposal for a Savoy G3 amplifier will be 3 000 That means the G3 amplifier channels cost about 430 each The Anthem Statement P5 amplifier MSRP 7 495 costs about 1 500 per channel And the amplifier channels in my stereo reference amplifier are more than 2 000 each Belles Power Modules 350A Reference Give the differ entials here you might expect the Savoy G3 to be handily outclassed by either the Anthem Statement amplifier or my stereo reference music And the G3 s immediate predecessor in the system was the Anthem Statement P5 amplifier would have been uncompelled to lis ten to any music that afternoon had the Statement P5 amplifier still been in the system to both albums all the way through began to queue up familiar refer ence tracks from XTC s Apple Venus Vol 1 and was simply blown away by how incredibly good this amplifier sounded playing this great music The tone of the piano was just the right combination of hammer on string and sustain Too often recorded piano sounds like something is missing but not with the G3 ve heard in this system before By depth mean the sense of appar ent distance from the microphone close to far away Some bass sounds seemed quite distant from the microphone while others were framing the smoot
14. ations Though both PLIIx Music and Neo 6 Music modes also sounded great for casual listening when a little more immersive sound is pleasant When playing digital files sent at 88 2 kHz or higher upconverted from the original sample rate by a component like a PlayStation 3 or by media server The M3 sounds considerably better than Denon s flagship AVR 5308C when both were using the same amplifier so the Denon s internal amplifiers were not part of the playback chain Setting up this comparison took some thought so that both products were on even footing in regards to what was enabled and what was not turned off everything in the way of processing and let the two products convert the digital files to analog and run the ana log signals through their output sections P og OD ODODO Ea APC C a 6 Widescreen Review Issue 149 July August September 2010 AudioControl Maestro M3 amp Savoy G3 The M3 advantages over the Denon were obvious enough that they would be difficult to miss The M3 s bass was stronger as if the M3 had better control over all the bass octaves This produced more solid and exciting bass transients as well as more detail within various bass sounds The M3 s midrange clarity was easy to hear Everything from vocals to guitar to piano and violin were cleaner clearer more detailed and more harmonically rich than the Denon s presentation of the same tracks The M3 s entire top end was fa
15. e control directly to the M3 s outputs This means no processing of the multichannel inputs If you want or need full processing your disc player would have to have a full array of loudspeaker and crossover settings distance level crossover fre quency loudspeaker size etc Stereo analog inputs can be converted to digital fully processed and converted back to analog for playback But there s also a purist analog mode called Direct mode with a 100 percent analog signal path that even turns off all the digital signal processing for good measure found that the direct mode did sound better than the non direct i e digitized o 7 EQUIPMENT REVIEW Specifications Maestro M3 surround processor Dimensions WxDxH 17 x 7 x 16 5 inch Weight 27 lbs MSRP none stated but itemized custom install bid proposals will typically show 5 900 Power requirement 115 230 VAC 50 or 60 Hz switch selectable Power consumption 3 watts standby 25 50 watts operating Signal to Noise Ratio 100 dB Frequency response 20Hz 20kHz Made in USA 5 year transferrable warranty parts and labor Options HDR 10 HDMI extender estimated price 200 BVR 10 composite S video extender estimated price 110 BVR 20 component video extender estimated price 150 Specifications Savoy G3 7 Channel Amplifier Dimensions WxDxH 17 x 7 x 16 5 inch Weight 56 Ibs MSRP none stated but itemized custom install bid prop
16. ent to the input of the left rear surround channel and both the left front amplifier channel and left rear surround amplifier channel could be connected to the left front loudspeaker provided that loudspeaker has a dual set of posts connections to support bi wire or bi amplification If all the loud speakers have bi wire bi amp connections and more power is needed than the G3 s 203 watts channel an entire second G3 could be used with jumpers from one amplifier to the second amplifier The binding posts AudioControl chose are a real pain to use with spades They are completely plastic enclosed except for a small slot that faces left as viewed from the back of the amplifier Your soade connector cannot be slipped into this opening since it is too small You can only get one leg of the spade into that opening When you tighten down the binding post it grips just one leg of the spade connector The M3 has two more RJ 45 video outputs one for composite or S Video on CAT 5 cable up to 1 000 feet to Zone 2 The other connection is for Component video over CAT 5 cable also up to 1 000 feet for the main zone Optional accessory receivers are needed for each display connected to one of these connections The BVR 20 is for component video and the BVR 10 for composite S video The Maestro M3 is the only Current Surround sound processor with built in video over CAT 5 6 capa bilities Other solutions exist but they require double the hardware i e a
17. eo dis plays AudioControl chose to implement HDMI to CAT 6 conversion right inside the M3 There is a RJ 45 port on the back of the M3 to be used for running HD video up to 1080p to another video display over up to 150 feet of CAT 6 cable When you get to your destination dis play AudioControl sells the HDR 10 accessory which has an RJ 45 inout and HDMI output An external power supply provides power for the HDR 10 experimented with about 60 feet of CAT 6 cable that AudioControl provided for the review and that worked fine connected to a 60 inch video display in our family room To use the internal HDMI to CAT 6 conversion you will need to connect one of the two HDMI out puts of the M3 to the HDMI input for the CAT 6 converter That leaves a single HDMI output for a video display or projector 1 7 REVIEW AudioControl s companion amplifier for the Maestro M3 surround processor is the 7 channel Savoy G3 You d never guess from the amplifiers modest 56 pound weight that it could unleash 1 400 watts of power over seven channels Rated at 203 watts per channel all non digital amplifier I ve ever encountered The G3 achieves this effi ciency through Class H operation In conventional amplifiers the power supply voltage always has to be higher than the highest voltage the amplifier will ever produce In a Class H design the input signal is analyzed and the power supply voltage is constantly adjusted up and down so it remai
18. h flat front panel A good sized electroluminescent display has an especially large volume level display A large smooth operating volume control Knob is located to the right of the numeric text display There are 10 buttons on the front panel but they are barely visible Illuminated blue text lights up above each button except Standby which has red illumination The small domed buttons barely protrude from the front panel The result is an extremely clean and uncluttered front panel don t often comment on styling of components since most are fairly interchangeable with little to distinguish one from another but the The only detail that s not perfect is the gray printing for the labels instead of black That lowers the contrast enough that you still need a flashlight 2 7 AudioControl Maestro M3 amp Savoy G3 much more forward close to the perceived location of say the lead singer can t recall such clarity in the front back location of bass sounds from any amplifier let alone one this reasonably priced The next thing noticed was that the tail ends of sounds decay echo reverb had a naturalness and clarity to them that don t hear very often Most instruments sounds are a complex mix of primary and harmonic frequencies had more flesh to them more substance more reality Best of all there was absolutely no hint of solid state sound People who claim to dislike the sound of solid state amplifie
19. ing feature would be helpful But for most loudspeakers in average size rooms bi amping with the G3 is probably overkill encountered Most AVRs and processors have front panel headphone jacks that disable the main zone aka Zone 1 when you plug in head phones AudioControl s headphone jack leaves Zone 1 operating Muting Zone 1 does not mute the headphone jack This allows some flexibility in Custom installations that you can t get from a conventional headphone jack As is fairly common practice Zone 3 is audio only while Zone 2 can send audio and video The Maestro M3 s User Manual is a pleasure to read and use com pared to typical translated manuals supplied with many products The manual itself isn t huge but it is dense with information This isn t a manual you breeze through Every sentence contains information you have to make sure you read each sentence The M3 currently ships with HDMI v1 3 but HDMI v1 4 will ship early in 2011 and AudioControl will have an upgrade program to con vert existing M3s to HDMI v1 4 At this time the only reason you would need HDMI 1 4 is that most home 3 D signals won t pass through an HDMI 1 3 interface Some 3 D disc players include two HDMI outputs so one can be connected directly to the video display while the other is connected to the HDMI 1 3 equipped surround processor so HDMI 1 4 is not an absolute necessity Network And USB Features The Maestro M3 will play Internet radio stati
20. n encoder and a decoder for each display and rely on a third party solution that may or may not be as stable as AudioControl s own solution Appearance And Product Description anything else A high gloss black front panel has a slightly raised perimeter 2 Widescreen Review Issue 149 July August September 2010 AudioControl Maestro M3 amp Savoy G3 AudioControl Savoy G3 7 Channel Amplifier Vibration or jostling of the cable loosens hand tightened posts on the single prong of the spade rather easily so if you must use spades you may want to tighten the posts a little tighter than finger tight While these posts more easily accept bare wire or pins banana plugs are by far the easiest to use terminations with these safety posts The only other features on the back panel are a master power switch a fuse holder a 12v trigger input and the IEC power cord socket The G3 s front panel matches the M3 s high gloss black appear ance with a slightly raised perimeter frame There s a front panel power switch a display mode button amp protection indicator and seven sets of LEDs one set for each channel The channel indicator LEDs include a status light that is normally blue but turns red if that channel is shut down for any reason Five more blue LEDs are stacked above each of the status LEDs and those illuminate in response to the amount of power each channel is delivering The bouncing power indi cator LEDs c
21. ns just a little higher than the output voltage peaks AudioControl s designers use MOSFET transistors to control the power supply voltage and bipolar transistors for the output devices A single power supply is shared by all channels which provides extra power and headroom when the sound in one or two channels is very power ful but other channels are much quieter As a result the G3 can pro duce peak levels in excess of the 203 watt continuous all channel power rating The shared power supply is common practice in many amplifiers including most AVRs But Class H operation is not particu larly common Some purist amplifier designs have individual power supplies for each channel even though that could limit power when more is needed by one channel There s no guarantee that multiple dedicated power supplies is better than a single shared power reser voir Much depends on the design features of each circuit Each of the G3 s channels has both RCA and XLR balanced inputs and a sensitivity switch AudioControl recommends the default C position for the sensitivity switch unless the system requires more input sensitivity The C position produces the lowest noise floor The B position matches THX specifications for input sensitivity The A position is for rare processors which may have limited output voltage Each channel has an RCA output jack also tion The output of the front left channel could be s
22. nsport with the M3 decoding the digital audio or with a high quality 24 192 outboard DAC doing the decoding with the M3 handling the analog audio via the Direct all analog signal path Digital music files sourced from higher quality discs retained all the audiophile characteristics that make them sound so good Depth width clarity detail rich harmonics pristine high frequencies and sounds that exist in easily identifiable and stable locations are all at least as good as the sound from the original discs One difference between the M3 and some other processors like Anthem s Statement D2v is that the D2v up converts every source to 24 192 no matter what the input bits and sample rate were The M3 plays digital files in whatever format they are received 16 44 1 files from CD stay 16 44 1 through the M3 but if your disc player like a PS3 up converts those files to 176 4 or 192 kHz the M3 will play them in that format also A firmware bug initially prevented the M3 from play ing 176 4 or 192 kHz sample rate music files but near the end of the review period a firmware update fixed the glitch Sending higher sam ple rates definitely sounded better that sending the files in their original format like 16 44 1 It wasn t a huge difference but any listener tuned in to small sonic differences and improvements would notice without any difficulty So my advice would be when you can send higher bit rates to the M3 do it You ll get sound
23. ons and let you build a favorites list as you find stations you enjoy The only limitation you ll www WidescreenReview com Issue 149 July August September 2010 3 EQUIPMENT REVIEW Features Maestro M3 surround processor HDMI 1 3 2 out 5 in HDMI 1 4 update available in 2011 Analog stereo RCA 7 inputs tape out Zone 2 amp 3 stereo out 7 1 analog inputs RCA analog pass through only 7 3 Analog outputs RCA and XLR Digital Coax 1 out 3 in TosLink optical 1 out 4 in Analog Video Inputs 5 component 5 S video 5 composite Analog Video Outputs 1 component 3 S video 3 composite Zone 2 Outputs Analog Stereo RCA component S Video Zone 3 Outputs Stereo audio only Rear panel Ethernet and USB connections Supports 44 1 48 88 2 96 176 4 or 192 kHz sample rates with 16 to 24 bits oe Supports and or decodes PCM Dolby TrueHD Dolby Digital Plus DTS HD MA amp HR and legacy codecs does not include Dolby Pro Logic Illz Output audio modes include stereo pass through or processed 5 1 or 7 1 with or without Dolby Pro Logic Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music Movie Matrix Game DTS Neo 6 Music Cinema stereo downmix Dolby Volume with Leveler available for all sources except when using Direct mode or multi channel analog inputs Network USB Audio function directly supports digital audio file formats MP3 WMA WAV FLAC MPEG 4 AAC Ogg Vorbis Internet Radio support built in Auto Speaker Se
24. oom EQ software AudioControl is limited to shaving off the worst response peaks without going too far When you run Auto Setup do run the RoomEQ calcula tions because after a RoomEQ calculation is saved in memory you can turn it on and off for each source input found RoomEQ ON pro duced an average wide band SPL measurement that was 4 to 5 dB louder than RoomEQ OFF So if you are comparing the sound of the OFF ON modes be sure to compensate 4 5 dB should be pretty close for the difference in loudness People will just about always say something that s louder is better sounding even if it isn t My experimentation with RoomEQ on and off favored having it turned off That s somewhat surprising as have mostly enjoyed Audyssey MultEQ XT in the Denon AVR 5308CI AVR and the Trinnov system in the Sherwood Newcastle R 972 AVR at least to the point of being a good sounding alternative to having those EQs turned off With the M3 preferred the clarity and balance of the system with RoomEQ A T AudioControl Maestro M3 amp Savoy G3 turned off My room is equipped with 14 wall mounted very slightly absorptive room acoustic devices and four free standing room acoustic devices Helmholtz resonator type products with minimal absorption With a room like this perhaps AudioControl s Diva audio processor would produce more consistently improved sonic results Perhaps you have occasionally listened to music and felt that bass frequencie
25. osals will typically show 3 000 Power requirement 117VAC 60Hz Power consumption 1430 watts peak 150 250 watts typical operating 1 watt standby 203 watts 8 ohms all channels driven Recommended minimum speaker impedance 4 ohms Frequency response 10Hz 100kHz 3 dB THD less than 0 08 at rated power into 8 ohms 20Hz 20kHz Signal to Noise ratio greater than 110 dB at full power A weighted Slew rate 50V ms Damping Factor greater than 450 Input impedance 22 000 ohms Made in USA 5 year transferrable warranty parts and labor Manufactured By AudioControl 22410 70th Avenue West Mountlake Terrace Washington 98043 425 775 8461 425 778 3166 Fax Web site www audiocontrol com Email sound better audiocontrol com E n a a a u oru m mode when listening to CD quality or better than CD quality music Many Asian products offer direct modes also but the M3 s direct mode makes a rather obvious improvement in sound quality while the Asian prod ucts improvements are much more subtle Selecting the MS s direct mode immediately sounds more spacious transparent and detailed In fact it sounds very similar to my reference stereo preamplifier used the Maestro M3 s moving magnet phono input with my trusty Roksan Corus Black moving magnet cartridge mounted in an SME V tone arm installed on a Roksan Xerxes turntable and was quite pleased with the result The sound was actually enjoyable and worthy of the
26. r more pristine crystalline when appropriate and just plain prettier The M3 s superior resolution and smoothness with out any veiling or thickness was also quite easy to hear All that said the Denon really doesn t sound bad without putting it in direct comparison to the M3 But the direct comparison is really lopsided towards the M3 The Anthem Statement D2v processor has an advantage in spa ciousness noise floor transient speed and detail The M3 has slightly richer harmonics that cause an emotional bond with how pretty the music sounds Anthem Statement D2v and M3 both had intermittent noise blips when using the PlayStation 3 as a music server for digital files After starting the PS3 Media Server software on my laptop the PS3 s menu detects the media server and can browse the folders on my external hard disk to select music to play The PS3 was connected to both processors with an excellent WireWorld Silver Starlight HDMI cable Both processors experienced occasional pops low frequency when changing from one album to another at the beginning of the first new song The M3 also experienced an occasional odd digital noise that sounded for all the world like the good old days when you would lower a Stylus a little too close to the edge of an LP and it would slip off the outside edge of the LP The Denon never hiccupped with the same playback chain And the PS3 always worked with perfection when playing Blu ray Discs to eithe
27. r the M2 or D2v so there was clearly something different happening with the stereo digital music files Digital Surround Sound The M3 s performance with digital surround sources via HDMI any surround processor including the Anthem Statement D2v Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD MA soundtracks were both reproduced with great fidelity regardless of whether they were sent to the M3 as TrueHD or DTS HD bitstreams or decoded in the player and sent as multichannel linear PCM The ambient sounds in The Wolfman were just right building tension or creating realistic set tings like the gypsy camp or inside the pub Interior sound was appropriate for the size of the room Somewhat dead inside the low ceilinged pub and large and echoed inside the estate house Gunshots and chase scenes were appropriately intense and believably accurate to Victorian era guns and 6 7 AudioControl Maestro M3 amp Savoy G3 vehicles The great soundtrack from Terminator Salvation was every bit as clean clear intense and enveloping as I ve experienced from any Surround processor The dynamics of the title music were great build ing to a powerful intensity twice Dialogue was pristine and clear even during the first action sequence of the attack on the Skynet bang over and over again Subtle detail like the ambient sounds inside the submarine were clear and detailed without being too obvious Digital surround in Dolby Digital and DTS formats
28. rs say it is because the sound is too mechanical and because high fre quencies have some grit or edginess or glassiness to them that is not natural The G3 has none of those properties In amplifiers in this price range often hear sonic limitations that are relatively obvious compared to more expensive products had been listening to the G3 amplifier for about three hours before an e mail arrived telling me what the typical price that it would be listed for in a custom install proposal had decided it was probably going to be 6 000 or a little more was Switching to movies the sound was every bit the equal of what heard when listening to stereo music sources The surround envelop ment was great with fantastic amounts of detail Ambient sounds were especially spooky while watching The New Daughter and The Wolfman The sense of space was excellent with the size of the space always conveyed very well When the soundtrack was particularly well done the sense of being inside the space with the movie action was very convincing The clarity and harmonic completeness correctness provided very convincing illusions of reality on numerous occasions Its not that other amplifiers have been worse in any obvious way it s In Quantum Of Solace the foot chase through the tunnels into the horse race crowd across the ceramic tile roofs through the skylight and the fight on the scaffold and ropes inside the building is an
29. s All sources are correctly converted and up res d from any video input to HDMI but HDMI in to component or S video or composite out appears to put the component signal in Rec 601 stan dard def color space even though you may want Rec 709 HD color space This isn t a particularly serious issue since few owners installers would use HDMI inputs with component outputs in the main zone in a new system at least hope not HDMI has evolved into a mostly reli able connection in systems consisting of newer components Standard definition component video to HD component video conver sions are done correctly AudioControl urges using multiple connec tions for various sources when setting up multi zone configurations to provide extra flexibility when sending signals to Zone 2 or 3 The M3 s Blu ray Disc images look as good as any processor so long as none of the processing controls are enabled The M3 will pass high quality HD video without changing anything something that can t be said for all video processing equipped AVRs and proces sors The M3 s video processing was comparable to the Denon AVR 5308Cl but the Anthem Statement D2v had better and more compre hensive and more complex video processing that produced better results with upconverted DVDs Analog Audio Multichannel analog audio is handled in a purist way by the M3 The 7 1 analog inputs are sent through a 100 percent analog signal path with analog volum
30. s just doesn t have the power or volume level they should have when you re in the mood for something approaching the power of the bottom end at live concerts The M3 has a pretty simple solution for that especially if you have full range main front loudspeakers For stereo sources you can choose the purist stereo mode or you can choose what AudioControl calls left right subwoofer In this mode the M3 sends full range bass to the main loudspeakers then sends the same full range bass to the subwoofer essentially doubling up on the bass Though this sort of doubling of bass doesn t sound like the bass is twice as loud It s more like a 3 to 6 dB bass boost without using the bass control It was kind of addictive for those times when absolute fidelity to the source wasn t the main listening goal Video Processing As mentioned earlier there s nothing out of the ordinary regarding the M3 s video processing Upconversion from 480 to 1080 is about average for what see in AVRs processors and Blu ray Disc players The M3 s DVD upconversion leaves some grain visible aliasing and scan lines all of which are rendered almost invisible by OPPO s Anchor Bay video processing in the BDP 82 Blu ray player The Lumagen Radiance processors make DVD look better still The M3 s video adjustments are limited to several noise reduction modes edge enhancement brightness contrast and color There are no gray scale or CMS control
31. stems and can be used for firmware updates using a computer to send the update did perform a firmware update during the evaluation period The RS 232 connection required a USB to Serial adapter used a Keyspan model that is about two years old and it worked fine The headphone jack is a 1 8 inch jack on the back panel that works differently than most you ve probably 3 7 EQUIPME Foley work real crowd sounds and amazing choreography of action of the G3 The sounds of breaking ceramic roof tiles and the shards sliding down the sloped roofs stood out cleanly from the dynamic driv ing music The music itself is revealed to be very well recorded with rich harmonic content and great detail Individual instruments were clearly identifiable and were extremely dynamic The tension created by the music was strong enough to cause a pulse racing adrenaline rush even on back to back viewings of the chase and fight If the 6 ohm average 3 ohm minimum Vandersteen 3A Signature main loudspeakers were taxing the Savoy G3 s 4 ohm minimum loud speaker recommendation would expect a significant and audible improvement in sound quality when bi amplifying the 3A Signatures instead of using one amplifier channel per loudspeaker It only took 30 seconds or so to tell there was no benefit to bi amping the main loud speakers Perhaps with less efficient loudspeakers or when there s a need to fill a larger space with sound the bi amp
32. tup with RoomEQ Zone 2 analog stereo RCAs Headphone jack on rear panel RS 232 support back panel 3 12v trigger jacks 1 for each zone IEC AC power connection Back panel jack for setup microphone microphone included All video input signals can be upconverted to 1080p HDMI Built in HDMI over CAT 6 up to 150 feet requires optional HDR 10 CAT 6 to HDMI converter Built in Component S video over CAT 5 for Zone 2 up to 1000 feet requires optional BVR 20 converter unit at destination Built in Composite S video over CAT 5 for Zone 2 requires optional BVR 10 converter unit at destination IR Inputs 1 per zone IR repeater output combines all zones Back panel on off switch Tl rT Oo j Features Savoy G3 7 Channel Amplifier 12v trigger input Protection against clipping over temperature short circuit DC offset RCA and balanced XLR input connections for all 7 channels Gold plated 4 way insulated speaker cable binding posts spade banana bare wire pin Front panel channel level display defeatable IEC AC power cord connection Rack mount brackets optional Class H operation RCA output for each channel facilitates bi amping E r i find here is that there are so many radio station choices and naviga tion is slow deliberate enough that working through the large list of choices can be time consuming But using the Favorites list makes that navigation issue mostly a one time chore The M3 will directly
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