Integrating and configuring NAD AV Receivers With SystemNet ...

Integrating and configuring NAD AV Receivers With SystemNet
System Net Configuration Software 12.3 or higher
Firmware 12.3 or higher
S6, six port hub only
29 th April 2010
Paul Hilditch
1.0 Introduction
Many Systemline systems will contain a room with a surround sound system, often an AV
receiver with five or seven speakers and a sub woofer. This system has historically been left as a
stand alone system with no connection to the Systemline multi-room audio, or often connected
and controlled in a compromised way. The problem in connecting multi-room audio systems and
AV receivers is many:
1. The multi-room system often has a variable volume output only
2. A standard multi-room system keypad will not operate the AV receiver
3. The AV receiver will need switching on to a particular input and set at a particular volume
for the keypad to work.
4. The user has to use other remote controls to operate locally connected sources.
5. Control of this zone is very different to other standard stereo zones
With the introduction of 12.3.0 SystemNet software, it is now possible to control NAD T series and
VISO FIVE AV receivers with S6 or Six Port SystemNet Hub. The control integration will allow the
user to operate this zone using a wireless Commander or in wall touch screen keypad in exactly
the same way as every other zone in the house. It also allows control of multiple local inputs
connected directly to the receiver itself such as a local Bluray player, TV or satellite box.
Using the correct RS232, audio and IR link between the surround sound zone and the SystemNet
controller, a new level of integration between AV receivers and the multi-room system is now
possible without the need for expensive dedicated control systems.
The following NAD AV Receivers are compatible with this software:
T737
T747
T755
T765
T775
T785
VISO FIVE

2.0 Connections
2.1 S6 Systems
A zone containing a NAD AV Receiver must have the following connections to the main
Systemline system:
2.1.1 RS232 from the NAD Receiver to the S6 unit
The S6 unit will control source selection, power and volume control of the Receiver via a two way
RS232 data link. It also uses this RS232 link to control the internal tuner and internal DVD player
of the VISO FIVE. You could use a straight through male to female cable for this if the receiver is
less than 15 meters from the S6 system. If it is further away than you should use a single Cat5e
cable with a suitable RS232 extender system such as the Gefen ‘ex-tend-it’.
See Diagram 1 below
2.1.2 Audio from the S6 unit to the NAD Receiver
You should only use zone 7 or 8 from the S6 for the NAD AV zone as other zones have a remote
main source input facility which interrupts IR control of a local zone. You should configure either
zone 7 or 8 to give a constant fixed audio output via the LRN7 handset using the configuration file
and pressing the main power amp button at a keypad connected to the zone. Once done, the S6
will not vary the volume and always output a fixed line level signal at 100%.
The S6 unit must have main unit firmware (not SystemNet) version 2.0 for this to work, you
can update via the front panel RS232 socket. Firmware is available from
http://www.armourhe.co.uk/downloads/-software/S6/IR & Zone Firmware
You can connect a standard stereo phono to phono cable from the zone output on the S6 unit to
an analogue input on the NAD receiver. We recommend you use input one on any T Series
receiver and input 3 (VCR) on the VISO FIVE. If the receiver is located more than 10 meters
away the we recommend that the audio signal is balanced and transmitted on Cat5e cable. You
can use a Systemline SIM/WE plate to do this, one at each end using the orange and green pairs
of the Cat5e cable.
See Diagram 1 below
2.1.3 IR from the S6 unit to the zone
In order for the Wireless Commander to operate locally connected sources such as the TV, IR
signals generated by the S6 system must be reproduced in the zone. IR signals are always
generated from the local input RJ45 socket of zone 7 or 8. You can use a Systemline IRM/WE
plate connected to this socket using the brown and blue pairs from a Cat5e cable with RJ45 plug.
You can then use Systemline SL-SE IR window emitters stuck onto the front of each local source
to reproduce the IR signal and control the device.
See Diagram 1 below
2.1.4 SystemNet control from the S6 to local wireless junction box or in wall touch screen
The keypad socket of zone 7 or 8 must be connected directly to an in wall keypad, or to a
wireless junction box if used with a Wireless Commander. You should use a single Cat5e cable
for this, connected directly to the keypad socket on the zone output.

See Diagram 1 below
2.1.5 Optional video connection from the main system to the Receiver
If you are using the Armour HDMI 4X8 or any Kramer video matrix switch then you may wish to
connect zone 7 or 8 video output to the NAD receiver. The Armour HDMI matrix outputs either
direct HDMI or dual Cat5e, so you can use two cat5e cables or a single HDMI cable if the
receiver is close by.
Diagram 1
So the example above will need 6 Cat5e cables from the main system to the NAD AV zone:
1. NAD RS232 (Via a suitable RS232 Cat5e extender)
2. Sky RS232 (Via a suitable RS232 Cat5e extender)
3. S6 Audio and IR
4. SystemNet keypad
5. Video
6. Video
The local Bluray and Sky box can plug into the AV Receiver as normal, in this case using HDMI
cables, and then the NAD T Series Receiver has one HDMI video cable plugged into the TV. The
TV digital audio is plugged in as a local source to the Receiver as well. IR emitters from the IRM

module placed in front of the IR receiver on the TV, Bluray player and Sky box allow the Wireless
Commander and in wall touch screen to control these sources.
The two spare Cat5e cables shown can be used for video signals from the Armour HDMI matrix
switch.
2.2 Modular Six Port SystemNet Hub Systems with AM8 Audio Hub
The Modular Pre-ZAM unit has been designed for this integration with AV Receivers. It contains a
single Cat5e input from the AM8 audio hub, stereo phono audio outputs, four IR outputs and
keypad control input which are used with this application. The following connections are needed
to connect Systemline Modular with NAD AV Receivers.
2.2.1 RS232 from the NAD Receiver to the SystemNet Hub
The SystemNet hub will control source selection, power and volume control of the Receiver via a
two way RS232 data link. It also uses this RS232 link to control the internal tuner and internal
DVD player of the VISO FIVE. You could use a straight through male to female cable for this if
the receiver is less than 15 meters from the SystemNet Hub. If it is further away than you should
use a single Cat5e cable with a suitable RS232 extender system such as the Gefen ‘ex-tend-it’.
See Diagram 2 below
2.2.2 Audio from the AM8 Hub to the NAD Receiver
A single Cat5e cable from any of the 8 audio outputs on the AM8 will carry both audio, power and
IR to a Modular pre-ZAM unit. You can then use a standard phono to phono audio interconnect
between the Pre-ZAM and the Receiver. Any IR generated in the zone from a Wireless
Commander or in wall touch screen will be generated directly by the Pre-ZAM
See Diagram 2 below
2.2.3 SystemNet control from the SystemNet Hub to local wireless junction box or in wall touch
screen
The keypad socket from the SystemNet Hub must be connected directly to an in wall keypad, or
to a wireless junction box if used with a Wireless Commander. You should use a single Cat5e
cable for this.
See Diagram 2 below
2.2.4 Optional video connection from the main system to the Receiver
If you are using the Armour HDMI 4X8 or any Kramer video matrix switch then you may wish to
connect the zone output to the NAD receiver. The Armour HDMI matrix outputs either direct
HDMI or dual Cat5e, so you can use two cat5e cables or a single HDMI cable if the receiver is
close by.

Diagram 2
This example will need six Cat5e cables from the main system to the NAD Receiver zone:
1. NAD RS232 (Via a suitable RS232 Cat5e extender)
2. Sky RS232 (Via a suitable RS232 Cat5e extender)
3. Modular audio and IR
4. SystemNet
5. Video
6. Video
The Modular audio cable plugs directly into the System Input of the Pre-ZAM. The SystemNet
Touch screen Keypad from the SystemNet Hub plugs directly into the SystemNet Hub socket on
the wireless junction box. You can use a short RJ45 patch cable between the keypad socket on
the Pre-ZAM and the speaker keypad socket on the wireless junction box. A wired colour touch
screen plugs directly into the wired keypad socket on the wireless junction box. You can use a
standard phono to phono audio cable to connect the Pre-ZAM to the Receiver. IR emitters from
the Pre-ZAM placed in front of the IR receiver on the TV, Bluray player and Sky box allow the
Wireless Commander and in wall touch screen to control these sources. The local Bluray and Sky
box can plug into the AV Receiver as normal, in this case using HDMI cables, and then the NAD
T Series Receiver has one HDMI video cable plugged into the TV. The TV digital audio is plugged
in as a local source to the Receiver as well.

The two spare Cat5e cables shown can be used for video signals from the Armour HDMI matrix
switch.
3.0 Software configuration
There are two aspects of configuration for the NAD AV zone, the IR control of local sources and
any macros needed to turn the TV on and select an input, and also the SystemNet software
configuration for the touch screens.
3.1 IR Control in the NAD AV Zone
SystemNet uses the .qrc file created by the LRN7 learning IR handset to store and then generate
IR signals for all IR controlled sources. The .qrc file has seven sources available, six main and
one local and for standard zones these are mapped directly to the six main sources and the one
local source available. In most cases the six main IR sources are not all used because sources
such as iPort, Systemline Music Server, Arcam T32 DAB Tuner do not require IR control as they
exclusively use RS232.
NAD Zones will often need control of more than one local device, in the examples shown in
section 2.0 they have three:
TV
Bluray
Sky Satellite
A NAD zone makes use of redundant IR sources on the .qrc file by allowing you to use them to
control local sources. Each time you add a local source connected to the NAD Receiver, you can
specify which source (1-6 and L) from the LRN7 you wish to use.
You must know which sources are available for you to use and only select ones which are
not needed by the main source.
Example:
A system has the following main six sources:
Source .QRC File Source
1. Arcam T32 DAB Tuner 1.Not needed
2. iPort 2.Not needed
3. Sky Box 3. Sky IR
4. DVD Player 4. DVD IR
5. Systemline Music Server 1 5.Not Needed
6. Systemline Music Server 2 6.Not Needed
L. Spare
So you can see that source 1,2,5,6 and L are free and available to use in the NAD AV zone.
The NAD AV Zone has the following local sources connected to the Receiver:

Source .QRC File Source
1. TV 1. TV IR
2. Bluray player 2. Bluray IR
3. Sky HD Box 5. Sky HD IR
You can use source 1 for TV, as it is not being used for the main source. You can use 2 for the
Bluray and 5 for the Sky HD box for the same reasons.
You must be aware though that the system will still use the actual source keys, power,
volume up, volume down and mute on all sources in order to select them and control the
volume, so no IR codes for local source control and macros can be used on these buttons.
3.1.2 Learning the Local IR codes and Macros
Firstly you should learn the IR codes for main sources as normal and test them. Once done you
can learn the local source IR codes on your chosen free LRN7 sources. So in our example I
would learn the TV IR codes on source 1, the Bluray on source 2 and the Sky HD on source 5.
You can then test these codes on your local NAD AV sources
If you wish to generate an IR macro when you press Bluray or Sky HD to turn the TV on and
select the HDMI input, you must learn this macro on a specific key for the source and not the
actual source key! The marco key you must use is determined by the SystemNet Application
program and will be displayed once you have added and defined your local source type. This
macro key is carefully chosen, as it is not used for the source type, below is a list of marco keys
for all source types.
Source Type Macro Key
CD Info
CD Multichanger Info
DVD Player Info
Satellite Text
Tuner Info
TV Skip Fwd
Video Info
Other Info
So after you have learnt in all the standard IR codes for all the functions of the source type, you
can then create a macro on the specific key for that source. You should use discreet codes for
power on and input, so you can always be sure of the end result.
Example:
Our example system has a local Bluray player, so when you activate this source it should also
switch on the TV and then select HDMi input 1. In this case the TV power on IR code, the Bluray
power on code and the TN HDMI input 1 code should be learnt into the Info button of the LRN7
source 2. The macro should be checked, often a time delay is needed between turning the TV on
and selecting the HDMI input.
You should test the macro from different off states, so switch the TV to channel 1 first before
switching off. Then try out the macro, does the end result in the TV being on HDMI 1 and the
Bluray player being displayed?

Note that the NAD AV Receiver will be operated by RS232 through the SystemNet system
so you do not need to include IR codes in the macro to switch the receiver on and select
an input.
The user will probably want the TV and Bluray player to switch off with the rest of the system, so
you can learn TV power off and Bluray power off on the power key of source 2 as well. When this
button is pressed it will turn off the NAD Receiver, switch off the Bluray player, switch off the TV
and switch off the Systemline zone.
Each .qrc file source has its own power key so you can have different actions for each source.
3.2 SystemNet Configuration
12.3.0 Includes VISO FIVE and T Series AV Receivers as configurable sources. You must first
add the receiver you are using as a configurable source from the drop down menu.
You may add more than one receiver for multiple zones, but a wireless touch screen will
only be allowed to control one NAD AV zone.
Then you can select the receiver and press ‘Configure’, this will allow you to configure the serial
RS232 port, the local inputs, local source types, IR sources and internal tuner settings.

The serial port is an option from 1 to 6 and refers to the port on the S6 or six port hub that you
have connected the receiver
The Systemline source input is the physical socket you have used to connect the audio output of
the S6 unit or Pre-ZAM to the Receiver. This is then used by SystemNet to select this source
whenever a main source is desired. So this carries the audio from the main system to the NAD
receiver. The NAD inputs are labeled 1-9 for a T series, and VCR, Cable/Sat, Front and Ext 5.1
for the VISO FIVE.
The local input sources are used for devices connected directly to the receiver, in our example a
TV, Bluray player and Sky HD box. You can define the physical socket you have used in the back
of the receiver for each local device as well as the .qrc file source that you wish (and is free to
use). You can name each source, this will appear under the source type icon on the NAD source
page. SystemNet then displayed which key should be used to learn a macro, and this key is
generated each time the source is selected from the NAD page.
Both the VISO FIVE and T Series Receivers have an internal radio tuner which can be controlled
via the RS232 link to Systemline. If you wish to use this, you must select Internal Tuner in the
local input section. At the bottom of the window you can configure the Internal Tuner. You must
tick the correct boxes for the radio band available as there is an optional DAB module that can be
plugged into the Receiver. You can then define the number of presets you wish to be displayed
on the touch screen keypads from 1 to 40 which will be displayed 4 at a time.
Press ‘Presets’ and you can name each preset and define what band from the ones available.

These will then be displayed and recalled from a button press.
You must select the NAD Receiver that you have added as a configurable source in the Local
Input Source drop down menu for the touch screen in the Receiver zone. This may be for a wired
touch screen as well as a wireless junction box.
You can configure the rest of the system as normal, adding the remaining configurable sources
and keypads for all other zones. If you are using wireless Commander touch screens and have
more than one zone with a NAD receiver you will find that you can only select one zone for
control, others will be grayed out.

Once uploaded you will find that the AV zone has a specific local input icon and you then have
access to all the local inputs.
4.0 Touch Screen Operation
Any zone with a NAD AV Receiver will display the main sources as normal, but the local input is a
specific home cinema icon
If any of the main sources are selected then the NAD Receiver will switch on and then select the
Systemline input defined in the SystemNet software. The Systemline system will also select the
correct source and the volume will operate the NAD Receiver directly. So, operation of a main
source via a SystemNet touch screen is identical to any other stereo zone.
If the local input button is pressed then the Systemline goes to local input and the NAD Receiver
switches on. You are then presented with all the local inputs you have defined in the SystemNet
software.
Selecting any of these will initiate the macro you may have learnt on the correct macro button,
select the correct input on the NAD Receiver and then present you with the control page for the
source. Once finished, pressing the hard power key could also switch off TV, source and NAD if a
macro has also been learnt on this button.
END